Aunt Betsey was harsh towards males. This was due to the problems that she had with her husband who had ill-treated her. They had separated. She now considered all men as silly and wicked who only made the lives of women difficult.
But when i was born a male, she was is a state of shock. She left the house and then we were alone again. Fortunately, Peggotty was more than a servant. She was like a friend to my mother and later to me as well.
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We were happy and made the most of our life together. My mother would spend her evenings and wet days with Pegotty in the parlour, chatting, singing or reading. At those times, they would rock me, a baby in their arms till 1 fell asleep. Then, one of them would put me in bed. On Sundays, we went to church and to my father's grave. I felt safe knowing that he was close to us.
I had many such tender memories of my childhood. I do think about them and laugh at those pleasant times Peggotty's plump and red cheeks that looked like apples. So that every time she went out I told her to be careful else, the birds would pluck her cheeks thinking them to be fruit. Those were peaceful happy times.ter and Sisappeared. She had a int beller that inside the hag which the big man carried, there were perhaps two or three other children like herself. The pelar mwmwhile entered my doorway and greeted me with a smiling lace
I made some small purchases. As he was about to leave, he asked. "And where is the little girl se
And I thinking that Mini must get nd of her sabse heat, had her brought out
She stood by my chair, and looked at the Cabuliwallah and his bag He offered her nuts and raisins. but she would not be tempest, and only chung the closer to me
This was their first meeting.
One morning, however, not many days later as I was leaving the house. I was startled to find Mini, seated on a bench near the door, laughing and talking, with the great Cabuliwallah at her feet. In all her life, it appeared, my small daughter had never found so patient a listener, like her father. And already the corner of her little sari was stuffed with almonds and raisins, the gift of her 1 visitor "Why did you give her those?" I said, and taking out an eight-anna bit,l handed it to him.The man accepted the money and slipped it into his pocket.
Alas, on my return an hour later, I found the Cabuliwallah had given the money to Mini: and her mother, gatching sight of the bright round object, had pounced on the child with.
"Where did you get that eight-anna bit?"
"The Cabuliwallah gave it me," said Mini cheerfully.
"The Cabuliwallah gave it you!" cried her much shocked mother. "O Mini! How could you take it from him?"It was not the first or second time, I found, that the two had met. The Cabuliwallah had overcome the child's first terror by a judicious bribery of nuts and almonds, and the two were now great friends.
They had many quaint jokes. Mini would ripple her face with laughter and begin, "O Cabuliwallah! Cabuliwallah! What have you got in your bag?"
And he would reply, "An elephant!" Not much cause for merriment, perhaps; but how they both enjoyed the fun!