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> believe you ;. and then I shall cry I’’ ‘
313 A e . 0511112112.;?"1ii0ze'zW$”1'iV02z1(s
‘come, my aunt and I consulted howfwesliould proceed ;
formy aunt‘ was very unwillingto ‘leave’ Dora. ‘Ahjl
how easily‘I carried ‘Dora up and down stair's,'nowl V ' “
V ‘V0 were disposed, notwithstanding"?Mr.‘Micawber’s
‘stipulation for my aunt's attendance, ‘to ‘arrange that she
should stay at (home, and be frepresentedjb ,Mr. ‘Dick
and me.‘ , In short, we had resolved to take t is course,
when Dora again unsettled us'by.declarin'g that "she
never would forgive herself,.and never would forgive
her bad boy, if my aunt remained behind’ on any pre-
tence. 7 I... I - :'..,V,w’ ,- 'w;v..,i' J '
won't speak to you," said Dora,‘”shakingl1'er'curls
at my aunt. ‘.‘,I‘ll be disagreeable If I,’,ll’malf.e Jip bark
at you all'day. I shall ‘befsure .that'you really area
cross old thing, if you,don’tvgo,l’,'p', """" ' V.
" “Tut, Blossoml” laughed’ myauntg f‘You’ know
you can’t do without me 1” " -"' 1, ’”” " 'f 3 ' "‘
“ Yes, I can,” said Dora. .‘f You are. no use to me at
all.‘ ’ You never run up'and down stairs for me‘, all day
long. Younever sit and tell me stories about Doady,
when his slioeswcre worn out,‘ and he was covered with
dust-oh, what a poor little mite of affellowl You
never do anything at all ‘to’ pleaseme, do‘you, dez'i.r‘Z’.’
Dora made haste to.kiss myiaunt, and say, “Yes; you
do I ‘I’m only 'oking !”,'-lest my aunt should think she
reallyineant 1t." ‘j'.f ’. f’
‘F But,‘ aunt,’f said Dora,coaxingly, “nowlisten. You‘
must go.‘; I shall tease you, till you let me have myown
way about it. I shall, lead, my naughty boy sucha life,
if‘ he don't make you 0.“ I shall uipuke myself so dis- ’
agreeable-and so will ip l ’ You’ll.wish you had gone
like a ‘good thing, for ever ‘andlever so lone, if you‘ don’
o. Besides,” said Dora, putting‘ back ier hair.‘ and
ooking wonderingly at my aunt and r'ne,"‘wh"y shouldn’t
you both go? I am not very ill indeed. ‘Am I‘I’f , 3 ‘
f‘ “my, what a question I" criediny aunt.’ - ' ‘ '
" .“ iVhat afancyl’? said'I. 5' “ “‘ X " ' ' - g‘
“Yesl Iknow I am a silly little thing!” said Dora;
slowly looking from one of us to the other, and then put-
tingup her pretty lips to kiss usas shelay upon her
couch. . “ ‘Veil, then, you must both ‘go, or I‘shall"not
v I saw, in my aunt's ‘facethat she beganto giveway
now, and Dora brightened a‘gain,‘as she sawit too.’ ' ,' '
“ You'll come back with so much to tell me, that it'll
take at least a week to make me understand l” said Dora.‘
“ because I know I shan’t understand, fora length of time,
if there’s any business in it. “And there's sure to be some
business in it! ‘If there’s anythingvto addup, besides,‘
I'don’t know when I shall makeit out ; and my bad boy
will look so miserable all the time.‘ There l N ow you’ll
go, won’tyoi1‘? You’ll ‘only,be gone one night, and .lip'
will take care of me while you are one.‘ Doady will
carry me up-stairs before you go, and won't conic down
again‘ till‘ yoyulcome back ; andvyou shall takchgnes al
dreadfully scolding letter from me because she has never
beentoseeusl” ‘ I g " -iv‘!-= l'
‘Ye agreed, without any more consultation, that ‘we
would both go, and that Dora. was’ a little Im'p'ogto;-' who
feigned to be rather unwell,‘ because she liked to bo pet.’
ted. She was greatly pleased, and very merry ;-‘and we‘
four, that is to say, my aunt, Mr.‘ Dick,.Traddlcs and I
went down to Canterbury by the Dover mail that night‘,
At the hotel, where Mr. Micawber had requested usfto
await him, which we got into, with some trouble,‘ in th'c',
middle of the night, I founda letter, importing tha,t‘11e
would appear in the morning‘ punctually at half;p;‘15t
nine. After which, we went shivering, at that unconn-
fortable hour, to our respective beds, tlirough"x'-a,rioug
close -passages ; which smclt as if they had been steeped
for ages, in a solution of soup and stables. -'7" ‘ " “'-
Early in the morning, I sauntercd throurvh the dear old
tranquil streets, and again mingledwith the shadows of
the venerable gateways and churches. ‘The ‘rocks were
sailing about the cathedral towers ; and the towers them-
selves, overlooking manya long, unaltered mile of the
rich country and its pleasant streams, were cutting the
bright morning air, as if there were no such thiiig as
change on earth. Yet the bells, when they sounded, told
me sorrowfully of change in everything ;told me of their
own age,‘ and my pretty Dora’s youth ; and of the many
never old, who had lived and loved and died, while the re:
tfei-berations‘ of the bells had liummcd through the rusty
armour of‘ the ‘Black Prince hanging ‘up within,‘ and,
motes upon the deepgof Time, had lost themselves in air‘,
ascircles do iuwater. ' "' ‘. " 'j “ " ' ‘, ,
5 Ilooked at the old house from the corner of thestreet,
but did not go nearer to it, lest being observed,'I might
unwittingly,do;any harm to the design I had come to aid.
The early SI.llIl”’1V2'lS striking cdgowiseon its gablc-sand
lattice-)viudows',‘, touching them with ‘gold ; and some
beams of its old peace seemed to'touch my heart." " g. V ,
I ‘strolled in the country for an hour. or so, and then re;
turnedby thcgm'ain' streetfwliich: in the interval ‘had.
shaken oii its last night’s sleep.’ ‘Among those yvhojijere
stirring in] Vthelshops,‘ I saw . my ‘ancient enemy,’ ‘the
' butcher, noW‘advanced‘.to'top-boots and a baby,'and"in'
business for hiinself, llewas nursing the baby,‘i1nd ap;
peared to be a benignzint member of society.’ , ' . . )7‘
life all became very anxious and impatient, when we
sat, down‘ to breakfast. ', As it approached nearer . and
nearer to" half-past nine o’clock,‘ our restless expectation
of Mr. Micawberiricrensed. At‘last we made no more
pretence of attending to the meal,‘ which, except ‘iVltl1‘h‘lVl'.
Dick, hadbeen a more form from the first ; but niyaunt
walked up and 'down the room, Traddles sat upon the sofa
affecting to read the paper with his cycsbn tho ceiling ;
and'I looked out of the window to give early notice ‘or Mr.
Micawber’s comin . - N 2- had I long to watch, for, at the
first chime of the half-hour,‘lio'r.ppcared in the street.
‘,‘ Here he is,” said I, “ and not in his legal attire if’.
My aunt tied the strings of her bonnet (she had come
down‘ to breakfast in it) and put on her shawl, as if S110
were.'rcady for anythingthat was resolute and uncom-
promising. Traddles buttoned his coat with a determined
air. '- Mr. Dick, Mdisturbcdby thesc formidable appear-
‘ auces, but feelingit necessary to imitate them, pulled his
hat, with both hands, as firmly over his ears as he pos-
sibly could ;'and instantly took"it oil again, to welcome
Mr.’ Micawber.” , ” v -" ’ ‘; “ E‘ 1 ‘ ‘
" ‘.‘yGentlcmen', and madam,’.’ said Mr. Micawber, .“ good
mpmiiig l My dear sir,” to Mr.‘ Dick, who shook hands
with himwviolently, “ you are extremely good.” ‘ ‘
1“f.1:l!'ziyo yo.uVbreakfasted'Z” said Mr. Dick. “Ilavo1i
(3)0
‘.‘ Not f0!‘ the “"0‘1'id,"my good sir l” cried Mr. Micaw-
her. Stopping him on his way to the bell ; "‘ appetite and
mysclf,.vllIr. Dixon, have long been strangers. ’ 4
' Ml‘. "Dixon wzispso well pleased with his new name. and
appeared to think it so ‘very ohliging in Mr. Micawbcr 10
confer it uponhim, that he shook hands with him again,
and lauvhed rather childislily." -‘ ' ‘ ‘ '
,"D,1CE.”.Sai<1m3"aunt,' ‘fattcntion 1" ’ ‘ 17; I
1 yr: .Dick'rccovered himself, with a blush. ' ’ V ,
' how, sir.” said mygaunt to Mr. Micawber, as she‘
PM 911 h9r‘g10ves..- “we are rcadyfor Mount Vesuvius.
9? 9-“Filling 6189, as soon as you pleasc.’,’ ‘ ‘ “ ‘ ,
' "5 “i1d9m.”,rcturncd Mix. Micawber,‘ “ I trust vou W111.
Shortly )'y‘itricss an eruption." Mr. Traddlcs, Iha've your
Pmmlsslolli I b91i9V0. to mention hero that 'we" 11i1"9
been in communication together?” “ “ -, v
“ It is undoubtedly the fact, Copperfield,” said Trad-
dles, to whonil looked in surprise. “Mr. Micawbel‘
has .con’sultedmc, in reference to wliat'lie has ‘in 'c011'
t,.emP1ai10I) ; and I have advised him to the best of III!’
Judgnlenhyt p ,, l, , 1 p
“ Unless 'I deceive 'mj's'elf,' Mr. 'Traddles,”’ pursued
Mr. Micawher, f‘what I contemplate is adisclosure of an’
un.Iimri5111t nature.” ‘ ‘ 3-‘ - -‘ 1‘ ' ""
' ‘ Highly so,” said Tradrlles. ', ‘ ”” ‘ ‘ " ,,
.,'P‘3I‘h=1P3. ,,11I1‘1el' Such’ circumstances, madam and
gszntlemeng’ said Mr. Micawbor, “you will do, me the.
favoiiinto submit yourselves, "for the moment,‘ to the di-
?e“t."’l1p- of A093’ “"110, however unworthy to be regarded
"‘ ‘.‘“Y Ollie.’ light blltiis a Waif and Stray upon 1 9.
shore of human nature, isstill your fellow man, though.
cmshed ,0“ Of. 11iS'01'igina1 form by'individual I errors,
and the accumulative force "of a combination‘ of circum-‘
stances?" ‘ , , .. I’-
Q .‘:i“'.e“h%“'e perfect confidence in you, Mr. lllicawbeffr
411” ‘I, and will do what you please.” - ' V
, , ;Ir., Copperfield,” returned Mr. Micawber, '
KC
. , , your
c"“5d9nCG is not, at the existing juncture, ill-be‘stoV"9d'
A
I ‘muiklbeg to be allowed a start of five minutes 115' t B