hands, and one look through her spectacles, immediately went into hysterics, for the first and only time in all my knowledge of her.

The hysterics called up Peggotty. The moment my aunt was restored, she flew at Peggotty, and calling her a silly old creature, hugged her with all her might. After that, she hugged Mr. Dick (who was highly honoured, but a good deal surprised); and after that, told them why. Then we were all happy together.

I could not discover whether my aunt, in her last short conversation with me, had fallen on a pious fraud, or had really mistaken the state of my mind. It was quite enough, she said, that she had told me Agnes was going to be married; and that I now knew better than any one how true it was.

We were married within a fortnight. Traddles and Sophy, and Doctor and Mrs. Strong were the only guests at our quiet wedding. We left them full of joy; and drove away together. Clasped in my embrace, I held the source of every worthy aspiration I had ever had; the centre of myself, the circle of my life, my own, my wife; my love of whom was founded on a rock!

“Dearest husband!” said Agnes. “Now that I may call you by that name, I have one thing more to tell you.”

“Let me hear it, love.”

“It grows out of the night when Dora died. She sent you for me.”

“She did.”

“She told me that she left me something. Can you think what it was?”

I believed I could. I drew the wife who had so long loved me, closer to my side.

“She told me that she made a last request to me, and left me a last charge.”

“And it was—”

“That only I would occupy this vacant place.”

And Agnes laid her head upon my breast and wept; and I wept with her, though we were so happy.