When the practice was concluded, Caddy's husband made himself ready to go out of town to a school, and Caddy ran away to get ready to go out with me.
I sat in the ball-room in the interval, contemplating the apprentices.
The two out-door boys went upon the staircase to put on their half-boots and pull the in-door boy's hair, as I judged from the nature of his objections.
Returning with their jackets buttoned and their pumps stuck in them, they then produced packets of cold bread and meat and bivouacked under a painted lyre on the wall.
The little gauzy child, having whisked her sandals into the reticule and put on a trodden-down pair of shoes, shook her head into the dowdy bonnet at one shake, and answering my inquiry whether she liked dancing by replying,
"Not with boys," tied it across her chin, and went home contemptuous.
"Old Mr. Turveydrop is so sorry," said Caddy, "that he has not finished dressing yet and cannot have the pleasure of seeing you before you go.
You are such a favourite of his, Esther."
I expressed myself much obliged to him, but did not think it necessary to add that I readily dispensed with this attention.
"It takes him a long time to dress," said Caddy, "because he is very much looked up to in such things, you know, and has a reputation to support.
You can't think how kind he is to Pa.
He talks to Pa of an evening about the Prince Regent, and I never saw Pa so interested."
There was something in the picture of Mr. Turveydrop bestowing his deportment on Mr. Jellyby that quite took my fancy.
I asked Caddy if he brought her papa out much.
"No," said Caddy, "I don't know that he does that, but he talks to Pa, and Pa greatly admires him, and listens, and likes it.
Of course I am aware that Pa has hardly any claims to deportment, but they get on together delightfully.
You can't think what good companions they make.
I never saw Pa take snuff before in my life, but he takes one pinch out of Mr. Turveydrop's box regularly and keeps putting it to his nose and taking it away again all the evening."
That old Mr. Turveydrop should ever, in the chances and changes of life, have come to the rescue of Mr. Jellyby from Borrioboola-Gha appeared to me to be one of the pleasantest of oddities.
"As to Peepy," said Caddy with a little hesitation, "whom I was most afraid of--next to having any family of my own, Esther--as an inconvenience to Mr. Turveydrop, the kindness of the old gentleman to that child is beyond everything.
He asks to see him, my dear!
He lets him take the newspaper up to him in bed; he gives him the crusts of his toast to eat; he sends him on little errands about the house; he tells him to come to me for sixpences.
In short," said Caddy cheerily, "and not to prose, I am a very fortunate girl and ought to be very grateful.
Where are we going, Esther?"
"To the Old Street Road," said I, "where I have a few words to say to the solicitor's clerk who was sent to meet me at the coach- office on the very day when I came to London and first saw you, my dear.
Now I think of it, the gentleman who brought us to your house."
"Then, indeed, I seem to be naturally the person to go with you," returned Caddy.
To the Old Street Road we went and there inquired at Mrs. Guppy's residence for Mrs. Guppy.
Mrs. Guppy, occupying the parlours and having indeed been visibly in danger of cracking herself like a nut in the front-parlour door by peeping out before she was asked for, immediately presented herself and requested us to walk in.
She was an old lady in a large cap, with rather a red nose and rather an unsteady eye, but smiling all over.
Her close little sitting-room was prepared for a visit, and there was a portrait of her son in it which, I had almost written here, was more like than life: it insisted upon him with such obstinacy, and was so determined not to let him off.
Not only was the portrait there, but we found the original there too.
He was dressed in a great many colours and was discovered at a table reading law-papers with his forefinger to his forehead.
"Miss Summerson," said Mr. Guppy, rising, "this is indeed an oasis.
Mother, will you be so good as to put a chair for the other lady and get out of the gangway."
Mrs. Guppy, whose incessant smiling gave her quite a waggish appearance, did as her son requested and then sat down in a corner, holding her pocket handkerchief to her chest, like a fomentation, with both hands.
I presented Caddy, and Mr. Guppy said that any friend of mine was more than welcome.
I then proceeded to the object of my visit.
"I took the liberty of sending you a note, sir," said I.
Mr. Guppy acknowledged the receipt by taking it out of his breast- pocket, putting it to his lips, and returning it to his pocket with a bow.
Mr. Guppy's mother was so diverted that she rolled her head as she smiled and made a silent appeal to Caddy with her elbow.
"Could I speak to you alone for a moment?" said I.
Anything like the jocoseness of Mr. Guppy's mother just now, I think I never saw.
She made no sound of laughter, but she rolled her head, and shook it, and put her handkerchief to her mouth, and appealed to Caddy with her elbow, and her hand, and her shoulder, and was so unspeakably entertained altogether that it was with some difficulty she could marshal Caddy through the little folding-door into her bedroom adjoining.
"Miss Summerson," said Mr. Guppy, "you will excuse the waywardness of a parent ever mindful of a son's appiness.
My mother, though highly exasperating to the feelings, is actuated by maternal dictates."
I could hardly have believed that anybody could in a moment have turned so red or changed so much as Mr. Guppy did when I now put up my veil.
"I asked the favour of seeing you for a few moments here," said I, "in preference to calling at Mr. Kenge's because, remembering what you said on an occasion when you spoke to me in confidence, I feared I might otherwise cause you some embarrassment, Mr. Guppy."
I caused him embarrassment enough as it was, I am sure.
I never saw such faltering, such confusion, such amazement and apprehension.