by Charles Dickens
Poor Will told him how he could not make a living in the country, and had come to London with his orphan niece to try and find a friend of her mother’s and to endeavor to get some work, and[6] wishing Toby a happy New Year, was about to trudge wearily off again, when Trotty caught his hand saying—
“Stay! The New Year never can be happy to me if I see the child and you go 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 for one night and never miss it,” and lifting up the pretty little one, he trotted towards home, and rushing in, he set the child down before his daughter. The little girl ran into her arms at once, while Trotty ran round 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 it is and here it goes, and it’ll bile in no time!”
“Why, father!” said Meg, “you’re crazy to-night, I think. Poor little feet, 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 when they’re done, we’ll brush out the damp hair; and we’ll bring some color to the poor pale face with fresh water; and then we’ll be so gay and brisk and happy!”
The child sobbing, clasped her round the neck, saying, “O Meg, O dear Meg!”
“Good gracious me!” said Meg, presently, “father’s crazy! He’s put the dear 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 and a rasher of bacon he fancied “he had seen lying somewhere on the stairs.” He soon came back and made the tea, and before long they were all enjoying the meal.
After tea Meg took Lilian to bed, and Toby showed Will Fern where he was to sleep. Then he went to sit by the fire and read his paper, and fell asleep, to have a wonderful dream so terrible and sad, that it was a great relief when he woke to find Meg sitting near him, putting some ribbons on her simple gown for her wedding, and looking so happy and young 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[7] 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 of neigh-bors burst into the room, shouting, “A Happy New Year, Meg.” “A happy wedding!” “Many of ‘em,” and the Drum stepped forward and said—
“Trotty Veck, it’s got about that your daughter is to be married to-morrow. And there ain’t a soul that knows you both that don’t wish you both all the hap-piness the New Year can bring. And here we are, to play it in and dance it in accordingly.” Then Mrs. Chickenstalker came in (a good-humored, comely woman, who, to the delight of all, turned out to be the friend of Lilian’s mot-her for whom Will Fern had come to look), to wish Meg joy, and then the mu-sic struck up, and Trotty, making Meg and Richard second couple, led off Mrs. Chickenstalker down the dance, and danced it in a step unknown before or sin-ce, founded on his own peculiar trot.
