Chapter 44 Chapter 40 The Wandering Man

We had a serious conversation about the family I had described in the previous chapter, on the evening back in Buckingham Street.My aunt missed the family very much. After the conversation, she folded her arms and walked back and forth in the house for more than 2 hours.When she was particularly agitated, she always walked up and down in this way, and the time she paced this way showed the degree of her agitation.This time she was so disturbed that she felt the need to open the bedroom door so that she could walk from the wall of one bedroom to the wall of the other.Mr. Dick and I sat quietly by the fire, while she walked in and out along the established route, at a constant pace, and according to the exact laws of a pendulum.

After Mr. Dick went to bed, my aunt and I were left alone, and I sat down to write to the two old ladies.At this time, my aunt was tired from walking, so she folded her dress as usual and sat down by the fire.But instead of sitting with her glass on her lap, as usual, she put it on the hob.She rested her left elbow on her right arm and rested her chin on her left hand, looking at me thoughtfully.Every time I looked up from the letter I was writing, I met hers. "I'm quite at peace, my dear," she would say with a reassuring nod, "but I'm a little uneasy and worried."

I was too busy to notice that she hadn't used the mixture (that's what she called it) on the hob before she went to bed.When I knocked to tell her of my discovery, she came to the door more kindly than usual, but she just said, "I'm not in the mood for it tonight, Trol," and went in again, shaking her head. In the morning she read my letter to the two old ladies, and she agreed.I send the letter.There was nothing else to do but wait as patiently as possible for a reply.One snowy night, I walked back from the doctor's house, still in this state of anticipation, which I had been looking forward to for almost a week.

It was a very cold day.A biting north-easterly wind had blown for some time, and now the wind died down with the day, and snow began to fall.I remember that the snow fell into the ground in large swaths, and it kept going down, and it was very thick.The sound of wheels and footsteps could no longer be heard, as if the street was covered with a thick layer of feathers. On such a night, I naturally took the shortest way home.The closest way is through St. Martin's Church Lane.The church from which the place was named occupied at that time a relatively small area; and as there was not much open space, the lane led in a winding way to the Strand Street.Passing the columned steps, I saw a woman's face in the corner.The face looked at me too, and then walked down the narrow alley, out of sight.I recognize it.I have seen it somewhere.But I can't remember where.Because of it, I had an association and felt touched.But I was thinking of something else when I saw it, so the association became confused.

On the steps of the church, there was a stooped figure, who was laying and arranging the things he was carrying on the snow; I saw this man at the same time as I saw the face.I don't think I stopped in amazement, but, as I went forward, anyway, he got up, turned and came towards me.Mr. Peggotty and I stood face to face. At this time, I remembered that face.That was Martha, to whom Emily had given the money that night in the kitchen.Martha Endle--Ham told me so, Mr. Peggotty wouldn't want to see his niece with this woman for all the sunken treasure. We shook hands affectionately, and at first neither of us could speak.

"Master Wei!" He held my hand tightly and said, "I'm glad to see you, Young Master. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!" "Nice meeting, my dear old friend!" said I. "I was going to see you to-night, sir," said he, "but I know your aunt lives with you—for I visited you when I was in Yarmouth—and I fear it will be too late. I I should visit you early in the morning before leaving tomorrow, young master." "Going again?" I said. "Yes, master," he said, shaking his head patiently, "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Where were you going?" I asked. "Hey!" he said, shaking the snow from his long hair, "I'm going somewhere to spend the night." At that time there was a stable yard, with a side door leading to the Golden Cross Inn; that inn was very memorable to me, because it was connected with his misfortune.This yard is just across from where we stand.I pointed to the door, took his arm and walked away.There were two or three taverns open outside the stable yard, and I looked into one, which was empty and had a glowing fire, and I took him into that one. I looked at him in the light, and I could see that not only was his hair long and unkempt, but his face was sunburnt.His hair is grayer than before, the wrinkles on his face and forehead are deeper than before, and his experience of wandering in all weathers has branded him, but he looks healthy, like a man of purpose, nothing. can make him tired.He shook the snow off his hat and coat while I secretly made the above observation.When he sat down at the table with his back to the door where we came in and faced me, he stretched out his rough hand and shook my warm hand.

"I'll tell you, Master Wei," said he—"all the places I've been and all the words I've heard. I've traveled far, but we've heard very little; yet, I'll tell you .” I rang the bell for a hot drink.He would not drink anything stronger than ale.When the ale was served and heated on the fire, he sat and thought.His expression was a kind of pure and dignified solemnity, which made me dare not be disturbed. "When she was a child," he said, looking up when we were alone in the room, "she used to tell me a lot about the sea, about the blue harbor with the sun shining on it. Sometimes she thinks maybe her father drowned, that's why she always thinks that way. I don't know, you know, maybe she believes—or hopes—

He has drifted to the land where flowers bloom all year round and are bright. " "It can be said to be a childish fantasy." I took it and said. "When she—disappeared," said Mr. Peggotty, "I thought to myself that he must have taken her to those countries. I knew he must have been talking to her about the virtues of those places, and how she would be there." To be a lady, how did he make her obey him with words like that first. When we saw his mother, I knew I guessed right. I crossed the channel to France and landed there like I fell from the sky the same.

I saw the door move and the snow drifted in.I saw the door move a little more, and a hand came in and stuck there lightly, preventing the door from closing. "I found an Englishman, a powerful man," said Mr. Peggotty, "and I told him I was looking for my niece. He gave me some papers necessary for my passage—I don't know what that is called." —give me money too, but I declined. I thank him for that! 'I wrote before you went,' he said to me. 'And I will say to many who go there , to many of the people you meet when you go far alone. 'I thanked him as much as I could, and went through France.'

"Just you, and on foot?" I said. "Mostly on foot," he replied. "Sometimes in wagons with market-goers, sometimes in empty coaches. Many miles a day, and often in the company of a poor soldier of the sort who goes to see a friend. I can't speak to him," said Mr. Peggotty. Said, "He can't speak to me either, but we're still fellow travelers on the dusty road." I could tell that from his kind tone. "Whenever I come to a town, I go to the inn," he went on, "and wait in the yard for someone who can speak English, and it's usually not in vain. So I said I was looking for my niece, They told me who were the best people living in the hotel, and I stayed there, watching people who looked like her coming in and out. Once I knew it was not Emily, I went on. Gradually, I went to A village, among the poor, I found that they understood me. They always asked me to stop at their gate, brought me all kinds of food and drink, and told me where to sleep and rest. I saw many women, Master Wei, they There were daughters about Emily's age; they waited at the cross outside the village, and treated me that way. Some women's daughters died. Those mothers were too kind to me!" Outside the door is Martha.I saw very clearly the attentive expression on her haggard face.I was afraid that he would see her when he turned around. "They used to put their little ones—daughters especially," said Mr. Peggotty, "on my lap; and I used to sit by their door when night came, as if they were my dear children. .Oh! my darling!" He couldn't help letting out a cry of grief, and sobbed sadly.I put my trembling hand on his covering his face. "Thank you, master," he said, "don't worry." After a while, he moved his hands into his arms and continued to put down the narrative. "In the morning," he said, "they used to walk a mile or two with me, and when we parted, I said, 'I am so grateful to you! God bless you!' They always seemed to understand, and answered very kindly. .At last, I came to the sea. You can imagine that it was not difficult for a sailor like me to try to get to Italy. I got there, and I was as wandering as I was before. People treated me just as well. If I hadn't heard She was in the mountains of Switzerland, and I would have traveled all over Italy, town by town. A man who knew his servant saw all three of them there, and told me how and where they traveled. Young master, I walked towards those big mountains with the stars and the moon. Those mountains seemed to be far away from me, but I kept walking. Finally, I caught up with those big mountains and climbed over them. When I approached the place I heard , and started thinking: what am I going to do when I see her?'” The absorbed face remained bent over the door, seemingly insensible to the cold night air; she begged me with both hands not to close the door. "I never doubted her," said Mr. Peggotty, "no! not at all! Only let her see my face, let her hear my voice, let me stand motionless before her, Reminds her of the home she abandoned, of her childhood—even if she has become a lady, she will bend at my feet! I know this very well. I have heard her call 'uncle' many times in my dreams Ah, dreamed too that she lay dead before me. Many a time in my dreams I picked her up and whispered to her: 'Emily, my dear, I bring forgiveness, and I bring you go home!'" He paused, shook his head, then sighed, and continued. "I don't care about him now. Emily is everything. I buy country clothes for her, and I know that when I find her she'll follow me up those stony paths, and wherever I go, she will too. Go, she'll never, never leave me again. Let her put on that dress, drop what she was wearing--take her arm, and go home--stopping sometimes on the way, Healing her wounded feet and her wounded heart—that's all I could think of. I'm sure I wouldn't look at him. But, Master Wei, it won't work—it won't work! I'm late Well, they've gone away. Where, I can't find out. Some say here, some there. I go here and there, but I don't find my Emily, so I go home .” "How long have you been back?" I asked. "About four days," said Mr. Peggotty, "after dark I saw the old ship, and saw the light lit in the window. I approached it, and looked in the window, and saw Faithful Mrs. Gummidge sat alone by the fire, as we had agreed. I called out, 'Don't be afraid! It's Dan!' and I went in. I never expected that old ship to become So unfamiliar!" From a pocket in his bosom, he carefully took out a paper package containing two or three letters or two or three small packages and put it on the table. "This is the first letter that has come in less than a week since I left," he said, drawing one from his bag, "with a bank check for fifty pounds, enclosed in a piece of paper, and written It was for me, and it was put under the door at night. She would like to keep her handwriting secret, but she can't hide it from me." He patiently and carefully folded the check as it was and put it aside. "This came two or three months ago," he said, opening another packet, "for Mrs. Gummidge." He glanced at it and handed it to me, and said in a low voice: "Read it, sir. " I read: "Oh! what will you think when you see these writings and know they are from my guilty hand? But don't, don't—no It's for me, just for my uncle's kindness, please soften your heart to me, even if it's only for a short while, please, please, to a Poor girl, take mercy, and write on a piece of paper how he is, and what he said about me before you stop talking about me—evening, at When I was home, he looked like he was missing someone he had always loved so much.Oh my heart bursts when I think of this Cracked!I kneel to you, beg you, beg you, don't treat me with the severity I deserve - I know very well that I deserve it —and was so tolerant and kind to me that he wrote a little bit of his situation and sent it to me.Don't call me "little" anymore, don't use the old Call me by that name I defiled; but, oh, hear my distress, have mercy on me, uncle whom I shall never see again in this world What happened to uncle, please write a few words about the situation and tell me! My dear, if your heart does not touch me--it should be So, I know—but, listen, if your heart is unmoved, my dear, after you have completely decided to reject me Before you poorly pray, ask the one I am most sorry for, the one I want to be his wife!if he's kind enough to say you can write something Read to me--I think he'll, oh, I think he'll if you ask him; for he's never been very brave and very generous -then tell him (but don't tell anyone else) that when I hear the wind blowing at night, I always feel that the wind is caused by seeing him and My uncle blew it up so angrily later that he wanted to go to God and sue me.Tell him that if I were to die tomorrow (oh, if I were to die, I would die gladly!), I would pray for him and my uncle with my last words, and pray for his joy with my last breath. Pray home! There is also some money in this letter.Five pounds.Like the previous one, it was untouched, so he folded it anyway.The return address is also specified.Although these accounts reveal several intermediaries, it is still difficult to make any definite inferences about the place where she hid, but it is known that she probably wrote from the place where she is said to have seen her. "Have you sent any reply?" I asked Mr. Peggotty. "Since Mrs. Gummidge doesn't know anything about writing," he replied, "Master, Ham drafted it, and she copied it. They told her I went out to find her, and told her what I said when I left. " "Is there another letter in your hand?" I asked. "It's money, sir," said Peggotty, opening it a little. "Ten pounds, you see. It says, 'From a faithful friend,' as it was the first time. But the first time it was placed under the door, This time it came from the post office the day before yesterday. I'm going to find her according to the postmark." He showed me the postmark.It was a small town in the Upper Rhine.He found some foreign merchants in Yarmouth who knew the place, and they drew him a sketch which he could understand.He opened the map on the table between us, and resting his chin in one hand, he pointed with the other hand to the map where he wanted to go. I asked him how Ham was, and he shook his head. "He works as hard as he can," he said, "and he's got a great reputation around there. Everybody's going to help him, you know, and he's going to help everybody. Nobody ever hears him complain. But, My sister believes (don't tell outsiders) that it hurt him badly." "Poor man, I believe so!" "He doesn't care a bit for himself, Master David," murmured Mr. Peggotty darkly--"as much as he cares for his life. In bad weather, when there is dangerous work to be done, he always There. He was ahead of his mates when there was any risky hard work. But he was as docile as a boy. All the boys in Yarmouth knew him." He collected all the letters with great thought, smoothed them with his hands, put them into the original paper bag, and carefully carried them to his arms. The face outside the door disappeared.I saw snowflakes still coming in, but there was nothing there anymore. "Okay!" He looked at his bag and said, "Since I met you tonight, Master Wei, it's great for me! I'll leave early tomorrow morning. You have seen everything here," he said Putting my hand where the little paper bag was, "I worry about what will happen to me before I get the money back. If I die the money gets lost, or gets stolen, or disappears anyway." He must have thought that I have suffered, I believe that I will not be taken in by another world! I believe that I must come back!" He got up, and I got up; we shook hands again before going out. "I'll walk ten thousand miles," said he, "and I'll put that money before him when I die. If I do that, and find my Emily too, I'll Satisfied. If I fail to find her, maybe one day she will hear that her uncle has been looking for her, found him and took his last breath. If I know her well, this news will be enough to let She still came home in the end!" As we walked out into the cold night, I saw the lonely figure slip away from us.I hurriedly found an excuse to make him turn around, holding him down with conversation until the figure disappeared completely. He mentioned an inn on Dover Avenue where he knew he could find a clean and simple place to spend the night.I walked him across Westminster Bridge and parted on Surrey Bank.In my imagination, everything seemed to fall silent in his honor as he resumed his lonely journey through the snow. Before I got back to the hotel, I thought about that face.So I hurriedly looked around.It's not there anymore.The snow has covered our tracks; the tracks that only I have trod are still visible.I turned around again, and even the new tracks began to be covered.The snow is falling fast.