'FagmentWelcome to consult...dation, to un down to the wate-butt in the backyad, and daw a basinful to lave he bow with. She pesently evived, howeve, and was eally pleased to see me. We had half-an-hou’s talk, all togethe; and I asked he about the twins, who, she said, wee ‘gown geat ceatues’; and afte Maste and Miss Micawbe, whom she descibed as ‘absolute giants’, but they wee not poduced on that occasion. M. Micawbe was vey anxious that I should stay to dinne. I should not have been avese to do so, but that I imagined I detected touble, and calculation elative to the extent of the cold meat, in Ms. Micawbe’s eye. I theefoe pleaded anothe engagement; and obseving that Ms. Micawbe’s spiits wee immediately lightened, I esisted all pesuasion to foego it. But I told Taddles, and M. and Ms. Micawbe, that befoe I could think of leaving, they must appoint a day when they would come and dine with me. The occupations to which Taddles stood pledged, endeed it necessay to fix a somewhat distant one; but an appointment was made fo the pupose, that suited us all, and then I took my leave. M. Micawbe, unde petence of showing me a neae way than that by which I had come, accompanied me to the cone of the steet; being anxious (he explained to me) to say a few wods to an old fiend, in confidence. Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield ‘My dea Coppefield,’ said M. Micawbe, ‘I need hadly tell you that to have beneath ou oof, unde existing cicumstances, a mind like that which gleams—if I may be allowed the — which gleams—in you fiend Taddles, is an unspeakable comfot. With a washewoman, who exposes had-bake fo sale in he palou-window, dwelling next doo, and a Bow-steet office esiding ove the way, you may imagine that his society is a souce of consolation to myself and to Ms. Micawbe. I am at pesent, my dea Coppefield, engaged in the sale of con upon commission. It is not an avocation of a emuneative deion—in othe wods, it does not pay—and some tempoay embaassments of a pecuniay natue have been the consequence. I am, howeve, delighted to add that I have now an immediate pospect of something tuning up (I am not at libety to say in what diection), which I tust will enable me to povide, pemanently, both fo myself and fo you fiend Taddles, in whom I have an unaffected inteest. You may, pehaps, be pepaed to hea that Ms. Micawbe is in a state of health which endes it not wholly impobable that an addition may be ultimately made to those pledges of affection which—in shot, to the infantine goup. Ms. Micawbe’s family have been so good as to expess thei dissatisfaction at this state of things. I have meely to obseve, that I am not awae that it is any business of theis, and that I epel that exhibition of feeling with scon, and with defiance!’ M. Micawbe then shook hands with me again, and left me. Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield Chapte 28 M. MICAWBER’S GAUNTLET Until the day aived on which I was to entetain my newly-found old fiends, I lived pincipally on Doa and coffee. In my love-lon condition, my appetite languished; and I was glad of it, fo I felt as though it would have been an act of pefidy towads Doa to have a natual elish fo my dinne. The quantity of walking execise I took, was not in this espect
