The Midshipman was all alive. Mr Toots and Susan had arrived at last. Susan had run upstairs like a young woman bereft of her senses, and Mr Toots and the Chicken had gone into the Parlour. 'Oh my own pretty darling sweet Miss Floy!' cried the Nipper, running into Florence's room, 'to think that it should come to this and I should find you here my own dear dove with nobody to wait upon you and no home to call your own but never never will I go away again Miss Floy for though I may not gather moss I'm not a rolling stone nor is my heart a stone or else it wouldn't bust as it is busting now oh dear oh dear!' Pouring out these words, without the faintest indication of a stop, of any sort, Miss Nipper, on her knees beside her mistress, hugged her close. 'Oh love!' cried Susan, 'I know all that's past I know it all my tender pet and I'm a choking give me air!' 'Susan, dear good Susan!' said Florence. 'Oh bless her! I that was her little maid when she was a little child! and is she really, really truly going to be married?'exclaimed Susan, in a burst of pain and pleasure, pride and grief, and Heaven knows how many other conflicting feelings. 'Who told you so?' said Florence. 'Oh gracious me! that innocentest creetur Toots,' returned Susan hysterically. 'I knew he must be right my dear, because he took on so. He's the devotedest and innocentest infant! And is my darling,' pursued Susan, with another close embrace and burst of tears, 'really really going to be married!' The mixture of compassion, pleasure, tenderness, protection, and regret with which the Nipper constantly recurred to this subject, and at every such once, raised her head to look in the young face and kiss it, and then laid her head again upon her mistress's shoulder, caressing her and sobbing, was as womanly and good a thing, in its way, as ever was seen in the world. 'There, there!' said the soothing voice of Florence presently. 'Now you're quite yourself, dear Susan!' Miss Nipper, sitting down upon the floor, at her mistress's feet, laughing and sobbing, holding her pocket-handkerchief to her eyes with one hand, and patting Diogenes with the other as he licked her face, confessed to being more composed, and laughed and cried a little more in proof of it. 'I-I-I never did see such a creetur as that Toots,' said Susan, 'in all my born days never!' 'So kind,' suggested Florence. 海軍軍官候補生精神抖擻。圖茨先生和蘇珊終於來了。蘇珊像一個發瘋的姑娘一樣跑到樓上，圖茨先生和鬥雞則走進客廳。 “啊，我親愛的心肝寶貝可愛的弗洛伊小姐！”尼珀跑進弗洛伊的房間，喊道，”想不到事情會到了這個地步，我竟會在這裏找到您呀我親愛的小鴿子，您在這裏沒有人侍候您也沒有一個您可以稱爲自己的家，不過我永遠永遠也不會再離開您了，弗洛伊小姐，因爲我雖然不會長苔蘚，但我不是一塊滾動的石頭，我的心也不是一塊石頭要不然它就不會像現在這樣在爆裂了，啊親愛的啊親愛的！” 尼珀姑娘滔滔不絕地傾吐出這些話語，並跪在她的女主人的前面，緊緊地擁抱着她。 “我親愛的！”蘇珊喊道，”過去發生的事情我全知道了，我一切都知道了，我心愛的寶貝，我喘不過氣來了，給我空氣吧！” “蘇珊，親愛的好蘇珊！”弗洛倫斯說道。“啊上帝保佑她！她還是個小孩子的時候我就是她的小侍女！難道她確確實實當真要結婚了嗎？”蘇珊高聲喊道，她又是痛苦又是高興，又是自豪又是悲傷，天知道還夾雜着多少其他相互衝突的感情。 “誰跟您這麼說的？”弗洛倫斯說道。 “啊我的天哪！就是那個最傻里傻氣的人圖茨，”蘇珊歇斯底里地回答道，”我知道他準沒錯，我親愛的，因爲他很傷心。他是個最忠實最傻里傻氣的小娃娃！難道我心愛的人兒確確實實要結婚了嗎？”蘇珊繼續說道，一邊淚流滿臉地又緊緊擁抱着她。 尼珀不斷地提到這個問題，每當提到這個問題的時候，她都要擡起頭來注視這張年輕的臉孔並吻它，然後又把頭低垂在女主人肩膀上，愛撫着她，並哭泣着；她提到這個問題時所流露出來的、混雜着同情、喜悅、親切與愛護的感情是世界上真正女性的高尚的感情。 “好了，好了！”弗洛倫斯不久用安慰的聲調說道，”啊現在您鎮靜下來了，親愛的蘇珊！” 尼珀姑娘坐在女主人腳邊的地板上，又是大笑又是哭泣，一隻手用手絹抹着眼淚，另一隻手輕輕地拍着正舔她的臉孔的戴奧吉尼斯；她承認她現在鎮靜一些了，爲了證明這一點，她又大笑了一會兒，哭泣了一會兒。 “我--我--我從來沒有見過像圖茨這樣的人，”蘇珊說道，”從我生下來起從來沒有見過！” “他是那麼善良，”弗洛倫斯提示道。
