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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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'You look very well, Mr. Barkis,' I said, thinking he would like to know it. Mr. Barkis rubbed his cheek with his cuff, and then looked at his cuff as if he expected to find some of the bloom upon it; but made no other acknowledgement of the compliment. 'I gave your message, Mr. Barkis,' I said: 'I wrote to Peggotty.' 'Ah!' said Mr. Barkis. Mr. Barkis seemed gruff, and answered drily. 'Wasn't it right, Mr. Barkis?' I asked, after a little hesitation. 'Why, no,' said Mr. Barkis. 'Not the message?' 'The message was right enough, perhaps,' said Mr. Barkis; 'but it come to an end there.' Not understanding what he meant, I repeated inquisitively: 'Came to an end, Mr. Barkis?' 'Nothing come of it,' he explained, looking at me sideways. 'No answer.' 'There was an answer expected, was there, Mr. Barkis?' said I, opening my eyes. For this was a new light to me. 'When a man says he's willin',' said Mr. Barkis, turning his glance slowly on me again, 'it's as much as to say, that man's a-waitin' for a answer.' 'Well, Mr. Barkis?' 'Well,' said Mr. Barkis, carrying his eyes back to his horse's ears; 'that man's been a-waitin' for a answer ever since.' 'Have you told her so, Mr. Barkis?' 'No - no,' growled Mr. Barkis, reflecting about it. 'I ain't got no call to go and tell her so. I never said six words to her myself, I ain't a-goin' to tell her so.' |
