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“ .‘.’“.'.‘r“;f;mw=
‘.142
consequences to be taken, I felt Quite in 3 310W,“ “"5
gallant speech. It madeun impression on the, boys,-too,‘
for there was a low stir among them, though no one
spoke a-word. i ,
“ I am surprised, Steerforth,--although your candour
does you honour," said Mr. Crcakle, " does.you honour,
certainly--I am surprised, Steerforth, I ‘must say,.tha.t
you should attach such an- epithet’to any person em‘
ployed and paid in Salem House, sir. ' -
Steerforth gave a short lau h.‘ p I V '
“That's not an answer,‘ is r,l’ said Mr. Creaklo, “to
my rciiiark. I expect more than that from you, Steer-‘
If Mr. Mell looked homely, in my eyes, before the
handsome boy, it would be quite impossible to say how
homely. Mr. Creaklo looked. 1 ’
“Let him deny it,” said Steerforth.-
- “Deny that he is a beggar, Steerforth?” cried Mr.
Creakle. “ VVhy, where does he go a begging?" .
p “ If he is not a beggar himself, his near relation’s one,"
said Steerforth. “ Itfs all the same."
.119 glanced at me, and Mr. Mell’s hand igentlypatted
me upon the shoulder. Ilooked up with a ush upon my
face‘ and remorse in my heart, but Mr. Mell’s eyeswere
fixed on Steerforth. He‘ continued to pat mo kindly on
the shoulder, but he looked at him.
“ Since you expect me, Mr. Creaklo, to justify my-
self,” said Stoerforth, “and to say what I mean,-what
I have to say is, that his mother lives on charity in an
alinsihouse.’ ' .
'Mr. Mell still looked at him, and stilllpatted me kindly
on the shoulder. and said to himself, in a whisper, if I:
heard ri ht : “ Yes, I thought so.” , ,
Mr. rezikle turned to his assistant, with ‘a, severe
frown and laboured politeness:
" Now, you‘ hear what this gentleman says, Mr.‘ Mell.
Have the goodness, if you please, to set him right before‘
the assembled school.”
“He is right, sir, without correction,” returned Mr.
Mell, in the midst of a dead silence; “what he has
said is true.” -
“Be so good then as to declare publicly, will you,”
said Mr. Creakle, putting his head on one side, and roll-
ing his eyes round the school, “ whether it ever came to
my knowledge until this moment?" '
“I believe not directly,” he returned.
“Why, you know not,” said Mr. Creakle‘.
you, man 7" 1 .
“I apprehend you never supposed my worldly circum-
stancesgto-he very good,” replied the assistant. - “ You
know what my position is, and always-has been here.”
“I apprehend, if you come to that,” said Mr. Creakle,
with his veins swelling again‘ bigger than ever,-“-that
you’ve been in a wrong position altogethei-,‘and mistook<
this for a. charity school. Mr. Mell, we’ll part if you
please. The sooner the‘ better.”
5‘ There is no time,” answered Mr. Mell, rising, "like
the present.” ' '
“Sir,.to you l” said Mr. Creakle. . - > i .
“I take -my leave. of you, Mr. Ci'e:ikle,.and of all of
you,” saidlilr. Mell, glancing roiihdethe rdom, and again
patting mo ently on the shoulder. "James Steerforth,
the best wis i I canleave you is, that you may come to be
ashamed ‘of what ‘you’ have done to-day. At present’ I
would-‘prefer to see you anytliin rather-than a friendto
me, or to any one in whom I fee an interest.” .
. Oncemore he laid his hand upon-1'nyvshoulder;‘and"
then‘ taking his flute and a few books from his desk, and
leaving the key in it for his ‘successor; he .went oumr.
the school, with his propertyunder his arm.‘. ’ Mr. Crea-
kle then made a s eech, through: Tiingay,‘ in which’ lie‘
tliaiiked -Steerfortiji tfor asserting ‘(though perhaps ‘too;
warmly) the inde endence ‘and respectability of v Salem
House ; and wliic ho wound up by shakin handsiivith’
Steerforth, while we gave three cheers-Lgid not quite
know what for, but I suppose ifor ’Steerforth,'and‘ so
]O1lJed. in them ardently, though’ Iwfeitl n1iserablc.'- 1Mr.
Creaklo then caned- Tommy.Treddles ‘for -boin Vdiscov-'
ered in tears, instead of cheers,‘ on account ofvli r. Mell’s
departure :. and went (back ‘to his-'.sofa orhis :bed,'or
wherever he had come from.
; We were left to ourselves now,’ and looked very bl
" D-oin’t
ank,
' laughed and laughedfiinti
0114-zzzss-. 'DIOKE’NS-’. A-.n.70121r.s'.
. . , ‘ ,- For in self, I.felt somnch
gCli%?:(gi)(I'E)1i)’.c?1?n(:lrii3'foilitililiigli for m3)"‘l"11't5i“ “'1'” had’
happened ‘that nothiiig='would' have enabled‘ me ltofkeep‘
1,.qckvmy‘t’ears but the fear that Steerfortligvlio often:
looked ut"mcz,I7 Sam might think it unfriendly-p-or,‘ 1‘.
-1 cup] mther Ea considering our relative ages, and the
ieleling with wiich I regmdedi mm" unduuful-if'I‘
showed the emotion ivhicli distressed‘ me. He was very
I mg,.y.“.ith Trnddleg, and said he was glad he had caught’
1t . ‘ ’ . -. ’ 4
' 1, 1 d s d the stage of lying “’1iil‘
1iS;?3l,;,(;rr1‘:d.(,l;l;eSt’h‘(: d)csll:, (was relieving himself as’
lisllal ivithg. burst of skeletons; said he didn’t care. Mr.-
Mell was: ill- used. ,
"Who has ill-used him. You Km 7" Said Stccif0nh'
u - 1 " turned Traddlcs. I
“ ::e)in;l%’nor‘;:” said StC8I‘f0I‘i.h.A =
u what have you done?” retorted.’l‘rnddlcs. ‘,‘ Hurt?
- . 1; dl tl1lI'1‘.i1liBASii.llLlti0n.’' ; V : . ' -
hllcgcgs nf’i:1?Egg ti)?’ repeated‘ Steerfortli disdainfully.‘
u - ' ‘ll soonr eti the better of it, I'll be’
bo:g:,Sd.f.m3I]Ili]:gf:e‘iilngs are ngtl like yours, vliliss 'l‘ruddles.i
As to his situation-which was aprecious 9110, W11-Sn’t it?
---do you suppose I am notrgoing to writo”home,‘ and‘
take care that he gets some money? P0113’? ' '
We thought this intention-very noble in Steerfortli,-
whose mother was a widow,iund rich, and would do al-r
most anything, it was said,’ that he asked her.1 VVe ‘were
all extremely gladto seo Traddles ’so put down, and cx'.:
nlted Stcerforth-to the skiesyespecially when he told;
us as he condescended to do, thattwhat he had done had-'
been done expressly forus,‘ and for our cause ;-and! that
he had conferred a greatlboon upon us ‘by llliscliismy‘
doingit;- ' 7 = ' ‘ I " ‘ ,“" '
-But I must say that when I was going on with a story’
in the dark that night, Mr.!Mell’s oldviiuto seemed moroj
than once? to sound rnourrifully. in‘-mv cars; and that
when at last Steerforth ivas tired, and I-layl down in my.
bed, iI fancied it playing so sorrowfully somewhere, that
I was qnitepwretclied.-<0 -3 t ‘,7 j 5 5 i ' ‘ “ .
I soon forget him in tliecontemplatio-ii of Si.C0l‘f0l'i-ll,:
whb, in an. easy amateur’ way, and without any book
(heyseemed to‘ me to know‘everytliing.by heart); took
some of his classes until a new master wasvfound. I, The
new master came‘ from a. grammar-school;.nnd before
he entered on his duties, dinediin the parlour one do to
be introduced to Steerforth.V Steerforth approved of iiin?
highly, and told us he was a Brick. VVithout‘cxnctly
understanding‘ what ‘learned distinction was meant -by
this, I respected him greatly‘. for it, and had no doubt‘
whatever of' his superior knowledge: tlioughhe never
took the pains with mesnot'that' I was I anybody-that
Mr..Mell had taken. ‘ ' e ' - ' 7 -' -
There was only one other event in ‘this half-year, out‘-
of the daily school life, that made‘ an impression‘ on mo
1
I which still survives. It survives for many reasons.
One ‘afternoon, when ‘we were all’ liarnssedl into at
state of dire confusion, and Mr.’ Creaklo was laying about
him‘dreadfully,.Tun<ray‘came in, and called out in his
usual strong way, “ lisitorsfor Copperfield l"
A few words were interchanged between him and Mr.
Creakle; as,Twho' tlie' visitors‘werc, and what room they
were to be shown into; and then I, who had, according-
to custom, stoodup on'tho ann'ouncement’bein made,
and felt quitefaiiit with astonishment, was to d to go
by the back stairs and get’. a clean fiill on, before I re-
paired'to‘the dining-rooiii.--1 ‘These orders I obeyed,’ in
such ii fiiitteryand hurry of.my young spirits as I‘llZl.(1'
nevervknownibefore’; -and when Algot to the parlour-
door, and the thouglitvcamo into’ my head that'it might
be my mother-I pllnd on1y’thought‘of Mr.‘or Miss Murd-
stoiie iuntil‘ then‘-I drew, back my hand from the -lock,‘
and stopped to have n. sob before I went in. ' ' 5
= At first’I saw nobody; but feelingra pressure - against
the door, I looked round it, and there, to my am'nzernent,v
were’Mr.' Peggott ‘and Ham, ducking at -mo with their
hats,‘ and squeezing one another against the wall.’ I‘
1]..
could not helplaughing ;.but it was much’ more in‘ the?
, ppcarancol they
11’: a‘; very cordial! way ;-and I
l -I pulled on
es.
pleasure of ‘seeingrtliein,-than at’ the’ ll
made; g‘Ve shook liands i
t my pocket-hand-=
kerchief and wiped my ey
. .a..., .