e Dombey go, and even the young man taking out
his books and trunks to the coach melted visibly. Nothing could restrain
them from taking quite a noisy leave of Paul; waving hats after him,
pressing downstairs to shake hands with him, crying individually "Dombey!
don't forget me!" Paul whispered to Florence, as she wrapped him up before
the door was opened. Did she hear them? Would she ever forget it? Was she
glad to know it? And a lively delight was in his eyes as he spoke to her.

Once for a last look he turned and gazed upon the faces thus addressed to
him, surprised to see how shining and how bright and how numerous they
were. They swam before him, as he looked, and next moment he was in the
dark coach outside holding close to Florence. From that time, whenever he
thought of Doctor Blimber's it came back as he had seen it in this last
view; and it never seemed a real place again, but always a dream, full of
eyes.

And so ended little Paul's school days at Doctor Blimber's, for once at
home again he never rose from his little bed. He lay there (listening to
the noises in the street), quite tranquilly, not caring much how the time
went, but watching it and everything about him with observing eyes. When
the sunbeams struck into his room through the rustling blinds, and
quivered on the opposite wall like golden water, he knew that evening was
coming on, and that the sky was red and beautiful. As the reflection died
away, and a gloom went creeping up the wall, he watched it deepen--deepen,
into night. Then he thought how the long streets were dotted with lamps,
and how the peaceful stars were shining overhead. His fancy had a strange
tendency to wander to the river, which he knew was flowing through the
great city; and now he thought how black it was and how deep it would look
reflecting the hosts of stars--and more than all, how steadily it rolled
away to meet the sea.

As it grew later in the night, and footsteps in the street became so rare
that he could hear their coming, count them as they passed, and lose them
in the hollow distance, he would lie and watch the many-coloured ring
about the candle, and wait patiently for day. When day began to dawn
again, he watched for the sun and when its cheerful light began to sparkle
in the room, he pictured to himself--pictured! he saw--the high church
towers rising up into the morning sky, the town reviving, waking, starting
into life once more, the river glistening as it roll