‘O John!’ said Bella, faintly. ‘What
does this mean?’
‘Nothing, my darling, nothing. Let us go
on.’
Going on a little higher, they came to a charming
aviary, in which a number of tropical birds, more
gorgeous in colour than the flowers, were flying about;
and among those birds were gold and silver fish, and
mosses, and water-lilies, and a fountain, and all manner
of wonders.
‘O my dear John!’ said Bella. ‘What
does this mean?’
‘Nothing, my darling, nothing. Let us go
on.’
They went on, until they came to a door. As John
put out his hand to open it, Bella caught his hand.
’I don’t know what it means, but it’s
too much for me. Hold me, John, love.’
John caught her up in his arm, and lightly dashed
into the room with her.
Behold Mr and Mrs Boffin, beaming! Behold Mrs
Boffin clapping her hands in an ecstacy, running to
Bella with tears of joy pouring down her comely face,
and folding her to her breast, with the words:
’My deary deary, deary girl, that Noddy and
me saw married and couldn’t wish joy to, or
so much as speak to! My deary, deary, deary, wife
of John and mother of his little child! My loving
loving, bright bright, Pretty Pretty! Welcome
to your house and home, my deary!’
SHOWING HOW THE GOLDEN DUSTMAN HELPED TO SCATTER DUST
In all the first bewilderment of her wonder, the most
bewilderingly wonderful thing to Bella was the shining
countenance of Mr Boffin. That his wife should
be joyous, open-hearted, and genial, or that her face
should express every quality that was large and trusting,
and no quality that was little or mean, was accordant
with Bella’s experience. But, that he,
with a perfectly beneficent air and a plump rosy face,
should be standing there, looking at her and John,
like some jovial good spirit, was marvellous.
For, how had he looked when she last saw him in that
very room (it was the room in which she had given him
that piece of her mind at parting), and what had become
of all those crooked lines of suspicion, avarice,
and distrust, that twisted his visage then?
Mrs Boffin seated Bella on the large ottoman, and
seated herself beside her, and John her husband seated
himself on the other side of her, and Mr Boffin stood
beaming at every one and everything he could see, with
surpassing jollity and enjoyment. Mrs Boffin was
then taken with a laughing fit of clapping her hands,
and clapping her knees, and rocking herself to and
fro, and then with another laughing fit of embracing
Bella, and rocking her to and fro—both fits,
of considerable duration.
‘Old lady, old lady,’ said Mr Boffin,
at length; ’if you don’t begin somebody
else must.’
‘I’m a going to begin, Noddy, my dear,’
returned Mrs Boffin. ’Only it isn’t
easy for a person to know where to begin, when a person
is in this state of delight and happiness. Bella,
my dear. Tell me, who’s this?’
