Aye, aye?

　　Ham was quite as earnest as he.  I dare say they would have said much more about her, if they  had not been  abashed by the  unexpected coming in  of Steerforth, who, seeing me in a corner speaking with two strangers, stopped in a song he was singing, and said: 'I didn't know you were here, young Copperfield!' (for it was not the usual visiting room) and crossed by us on his way out.

　　I am not sure whether it was in the pride of having such a friend as Steerforth, or in  the desire  to explain  to him  how I  came to  have such a friend as Mr. Peggotty, that I called  to him as   he was going  away.  But I  said,  modestly Good Heaven, how it all comes back to me this long time afterwards! -

　　'Don't go, Steerforth,  if you please.   These are two  Yarmouth boatmen -  very kind, good people - who are relations of my nurse, and have come from  Gravesend to see me.'

　　'Aye, aye?' said  Steerforth, returning.  'I  am glad to  see them. How  are you both?'

　　There was  an ease  in his  manner -  a gay  and light  manner it  was, but  not swaggering - which I still believe to have borne a kind of enchantment with  it. I  still  believe him,  in  virtue of  this  carriage, his  animal  spirits, his delightful voice, his handsome face and  figure, and, for aught I know,  of some inborn power of attraction besides (which I think a few people possess), to have carried a spell with him to which it was a natural weakness to yield, and  which not many persons  could withstand.  I  could not but  see how pleased  they were with him, and how they seemed to open their hearts to him in a moment.

　　'You must let  them know at  home, if you  please, Mr. Peggotty,'  I said, 'when that letter is sent, that  Mr. Steerforth is very kind  to me, and that I  don't know what I should ever do here without him.'

　　'Nonsense!' said Steerforth, laughing.  'You  mustn't tell them anything of  the sort.'

　　'And if  Mr. Steerforth  ever comes  into Norfolk  or Suffolk,  Mr. Peggotty,' I said, 'while I am there, you may  depend upon it I shall bring him  to Yarmouth, if  he  will let  me,  to see  your  house. You  never  saw such  a  good house, Steerforth.  It's made out of a boat!'

　　'Made out of a boat, is it?'  said Steerforth.  'It's the right sort of  a house for such a thorough-built boatman.'

　　'So  'tis,  sir,  so  'tis, sir,'  said  Ham,  grinning.   'You're right,  young gen'l'm'n!  Mas'r Davy bor', gen'l'm'n's right.  A thorough- built boatman! Hor, hor!  That's what he is, too!'