David Copperfield: Chapter 63 Summary & Analysis

Ten years after David and Agnes marry, David has grown more successful as an author, and his "domestic joy [is] perfect." One evening, he and his wife are sitting at home surrounded by their children when a visitor arrives asking to see David. The servant says that the man looks like a farmer, and told him he had come a long distance. David asks for the man to be shown in, and Agnes—who catches a glimpse of his face before David—announces that it is Mr. Peggotty.

Mr. Peggotty is now an old man, but he still looks strong and healthy, and takes the children on his knees when he goes to sit by the fire. He tells David how happy he is to see him and Agnes, as well as their children, who remind him of David and little Em'ly as children. David invites Mr. Peggotty to stay in his house, assuring him that they will catch up after the children have gone to bed.

Mr. Peggotty explains that he has promised little Em'ly he will only stay in England for a few weeks. He says he doesn't mind the long journey, however, and felt he had to see Agnes and David's family before he grew too old. David wants to know all about Mr. Peggotty's life in Australia, so Mr. Peggotty explains that while their lives were initially hard, they were patient, and have now secured a comfortable living by farming sheep and other livestock.

Agnes asks after Emily, and Mr. Peggotty explains that she was initially very depressed, so it is fortunate she didn't know about Ham's death when they set sail. Over the course of the voyage, however, she busied herself taking care of sick or young passengers, which lifted her spirits. When Mr. Peggotty learned about Ham’s accident, he kept the knowledge from Emily, but she eventually found out from an account in a newspaper brought by an immigrant. Mr. Peggotty admits that the discovery deeply affected Emily, and that she is still "sorrowful," but says that the solitude and work on the farm have kept her going. He also explains that while no one knows her true story, she has always refused any offers of marriage. Nevertheless, she takes pleasure in teaching children and caring for the sick.

David asks about Martha, and Mr. Peggotty says she married a farm-laborer, who is aware of her "true story." As for Mrs. Gummidge, Mr. Peggotty laughingly explains that a ship's cook proposed to her, but that Mrs. Gummidge rejected him by overturning a bucket on his head. Nevertheless, Mr. Peggotty says, Mrs. Gummidge has been a helpful and uncomplaining assistant to him and Emily. 

Finally, David asks about Mr. Micawber, and Mr. Peggotty says has paid off all his debts. Mr. Peggotty explains that both he and Mr. Micawber eventually grew successful enough to leave the countryside and settle in a town. Since then, he says, Mr. Micawber has become a magistrate, and he shows David a newspaper article recounting a public dinner given in Micawber's honor. The article also mentions that a Doctor Mell presided over the dinner and gave a speech praising Micawber, and David delightedly realizes that this is his old schoolteacher. Mr. Peggotty then points out another section of the paper, which contains a typically ornate letter from Mr. Micawber to David, publically congratulating him for his success and thanking him for the "intellectual feasts" (that is, novels) he has provided to the residents of Port Middlebray.

Mr. Peggotty stays with David and Agnes for roughly a month: both Peggotty and Miss Betsey come to London to see him, and they all have many more chats about Mr. Micawber and the other settlers. Shortly before Mr. Peggotty leaves, he and David visit Ham's grave in Yarmouth: David copies the inscription for Mr. Peggotty, who takes some grass from the grave to give to little Em'ly.