David Copperfield‘When you may never care to come near the place again!’
‘I don’t know that,’ he returned. ‘I have taken a fancy
to the place. At all events,’ walking me briskly on, ‘I have
bought a boat that was for sale - a clipper, Mr. Peggotty says;
and so she is - and Mr. Peggotty will be master of her in my
absence.’
‘Now I understand you, Steerforth!’ said I, exultingly.
‘You pretend to have bought it for yourself, but you have re-
ally done so to confer a benefit on him. I might have known
as much at first, knowing you. My dear kind Steerforth,
how can I tell you what I think of your generosity?’
‘Tush!’ he answered, turning red. ‘The less said, the bet-
ter.’
‘Didn’t I know?’ cried I, ‘didn’t I say that there was not
a joy, or sorrow, or any emotion of such honest hearts that
was indifferent to you?’
‘Aye, aye,’ he answered, ‘you told me all that. There let it
rest. We have said enough!’
Afraid of offending him by pursuing the subject when he
made so light of it, I only pursued it in my thoughts as we
went on at even a quicker pace than before.
‘She must be newly rigged,’ said Steerforth, ‘and I shall
leave Littimer behind to see it done, that I may know she is
quite complete. Did I tell you Littimer had come down?’
‘ No.’
‘Oh yes! came down this morning, with a letter from my
mother.’
As our looks met, I observed that he was pale even to
his lips, though he looked very steadily at me. I feared that