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_Frontispiece._ LITTLE NELL AND HER GRANDFATHER.]
CHARLES DICKENS'
CHILDREN STORIES
RE-TOLD BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTER AND OTHERS
WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS
PHILADELPHIA HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
TROTTY VECK AND HIS DAUGHTER MEG.
"Trotty" seems a strange name for an old man, but it was given to TobyVeck because of his always going at a trot to do his errands; for he wasa porter, and carried letters and messages for people who were in toogreat a hurry to send them by the post. He did not earn very much, andhad to be out in all weathers and all day long. But Toby was of acheerful disposition, and looked on the bright side of everything. Hisgreatest joy was his dear daughter Meg, who loved him dearly.
One cold day Toby had been trotting up and down in his usual placebefore the church, when the bells chimed twelve o'clock, which made Tobythink of dinner.
"There's nothing," he remarked, "more regular in coming round thandinner-time, and nothing less regular in coming round than dinner.That's the great difference between 'em." He went on talking to himselfnever noticing who was coming near to him.
"Why, father, father," said a pleasant voice, and Toby turned to findhis daughter's sweet, bright eyes close to his.
"Why, pet," said he, kissing her, "what's-to-do? I didn't expect youto-day, Meg."
"Neither did I expect to come, father," said Meg, smiling. "But here Iam! And not alone, not alone!"
"Why, you don't mean to say," observed Trotty, looking curiously at thecovered basket she carried, "that you?----"
"Smell it, father dear," said Meg; "only smell it, and guess what itis."
Toby took the shortest possible sniff at the edge of the basket. "Why,it's hot," he said.
But to Meg's great delight he could not guess what it was that smelt sogood. At last he exclaimed in triumph, "Why, what am I a-thinking of?It's tripe!"
And it was.
Just as Toby was about to sit down to his dinner on the doorsteps of abig house close by, the chimes rang out again, and Toby took off his hatand said, "Amen."
"Amen to the bells, father?"
"They broke in like a grace, my dear," said Trotty, "they'd say a goodone if they could, I'm sure. Many's the kind thing they say to me. Howoften have I heard them bells say, 'Toby Veck, Toby Veck, keep a goodheart, Toby!' A millions times? More!"
"Well, I never!" cried Meg.
While Toby ate his unexpected dinner with immense relish, Meg told himhow her lover Richard, a young blacksmith, had brought his dinner toshare with her, and had begged her to marry him on New Year's Day, "thebest and happiest day of the whole year."
"So," went on Meg, "I wanted to make this a sort of holiday to you, aswell as a dear and happy day to me, father, and I made a little treatand brought it to surprise you."
Just then, Richard himself came up to persuade Toby to agree to theirplan; and almost at the same moment, a footman came out of the house andordered them all off the steps, and some gentleman came out who calledup Trotty, and gave him a letter to carry.
Toby trotted off to a very grand house, where he was told to take theletter in to the gentleman. While he was waiting, he heard the letterread. It was from Alderman Cute, to tell Sir Joseph Bowley that one ofhis tenants named Will Fern who had come to London to try and get work,had been brought before him charged with sleeping in a shed, and askingif Sir Joseph wished him to be dealt leniently with or otherwise. ToToby's great disappointment the answer was given that Will Fern might besent to prison as a vagabond, though his only fault was poverty. On hisway home, Toby ran against a man dressed like a countryman, carrying afair-haired little girl. The man asked him the way to Alderman Cute'shouse.
"It's impossible," cried Toby, "that your name is Will Fern?"
"That's my name," said the man.
Thereupon Toby told him what he had just heard, and said "Don't gothere."
TROTTY VECK'S DINNER. TOBY TOOK A SNIFF AT THE EDGE OF THE BASKET.]
Poor Will told him how he could not make a living in the country, andhad come to London with his orphan niece to try and find a friend of hermother's and to endeavor to get some work, and wishing Toby a happyNew Year, was about to trudge wearily off again, when Trotty caught hishand saying--
"Stay! The New Year never can be happy to me if I see the child and yougo wandering away without a shelter for your heads. Come home with me.I'm a poor man, living in a poor place, but I can give you lodging forone night and never miss it," and lifting up the pretty little one, hetrotted towards home, and rushing in, he set the child down before hisdaughter. The little girl ran into her arms at once, while Trotty ranround the room, saying, "Here we are and here we go. Here, Uncle Will,come to the fire. Meg, my precious darling, where's the kettle? Here itis and here it goes, and it'll bile in no time!"
"Why, father!" said Meg, "you're crazy to-night, I think. Poor littlefeet, how cold they are!"
"Oh, they're warmer now!" exclaimed the child. "They're quite warm now!"
"No, no, no," said Meg. "We haven't rubbed 'em half enough. And whenthey're done, we'll brush out the damp hair; and we'll bring some colorto the poor pale face with fresh water; and then we'll be so gay andbrisk and happy!"
The child sobbing, clasped her round the neck, saying, "O Meg, O dearMeg!"
"Good gracious me!" said Meg, presently, "father's crazy! He's put thedear child's bonnet on the kettle, and hung the lid behind the door!"
Trotty hastily repaired this mistake, and went off to find some tea anda rasher of bacon he fancied "he had seen lying somewhere on thestairs." He soon came back and made the tea, and before long they wereall enjoying the meal.
After tea Meg took Lilian to bed, and Toby showed Will Fern where he wasto sleep. Then he went to sit by the fire and read his paper, and fellasleep, to have a wonderful dream so terrible and sad, that it was agreat relief when he woke to find Meg sitting near him, putting someribbons on her simple gown for her wedding, and looking so happy andyoung and blooming, that he jumped up to clasp her in his arms.
But somebody came rushing in between them, crying,--"No! Not even you.The first kiss of Meg in the New Year is mine. Meg, my precious prize,a happy year! A life of happy years, my darling wife!"
Then in came Lilian and Will Fern, and a band of music with a flock ofneighbors burst into the room, shouting, "A Happy New Year, Meg." "Ahappy wedding!" "Many of 'em," and the Drum stepped forward and said--
"Trotty Veck, it's got about that your daughter is to be marriedto-morrow. And there ain't a soul that knows you both that don't wishyou both all the happiness the New Year can bring. And here we are, toplay it in and dance it in accordingly." Then Mrs. Chickenstalker camein (a good-humored, comely woman, who, to the delight of all, turned outto be the friend of Lilian's mother for whom Will Fern had come tolook), to wish Meg joy, and then the music struck up, and Trotty, makingMeg and Richard second couple, led off Mrs. Chickenstalker down thedance, and danced it in a step unknown before or since, founded on hisown peculiar trot.