| [00:28.98] | Chapter 3 David the orphan |
| [00:34.65] | Life went on as normal for me at school,until my birthday two months later in March. |
| [00:41.42] | I remember that day very well. It was cold,icy weather, |
| [00:46.79] | and we boys had to blow on our fingers and rub our hands to keep warm in the freezing classrooms. |
| [00:54.21] | When a message came for me to go and see Mr Creakle, I thought that Peggotty must have sent me a birthday present. |
| [01:03.12] | and so I hurried gladly along to his room. But there I realized something unusual had happened, |
| [01:11.59] | because it was Mr Creakle's wife who was waiting to speak to me. |
| [01:16.25] | "David, my child, "she said kindly, holding my hand, “ |
| [01:22.19] | "we all have to accept that our loved ones can die at any moment." “ |
| [01:29.00] | I looked at her, trying to understand what she meant. |
| [01:34.05] | "I'm sorry to tell you, " she continued, "that your mother is dangerously ill." “ |
| [01:42.52] | There was a mist in front of my eyes, and suddenly burning tears ran down my face. |
| [01:51.01] | I knew the truth. |
| [01:53.65] | "Your mother is dead, "she said. “ |
| [01:58.12] | I was alreadysobbing loudly and I felt I was an orphan,quite alone in the world. |
| [02:06.16] | Mrs Creakle packed my case herself, and sent me home on the coach for the funeral. |
| [02:14.70] | I did not realize at the time that I would never return to Salem House. |
| [02:21.06] | When I arrived home,Peggotty met me at the door, and we cried miserably in each other's arms. |
| [02:29.65] | Mr Murdstone seemed very sad, and did not speak to me at all. |
| [02:35.65] | Miss Murdstone, however,showed her usual firmness of character (which she and her brother were so proud of) |
| [02:44.69] | by checking that I had brought all my clothes back from school. |
| [02:49.32] | After that she showed no interest in me at all. |
| [02:54.52] | There was a deathly stillness in the house. |
| [02:58.11] | Peggotty took me up to the room where my dear mother's dead body lay, |
| [03:04.48] | with my little brother,who had died a few hours after her. |
| [03:09.16] | Everything was fresh and clean in the room,but I could not look at my mother's lovely face, |
| [03:17.40] | which would never smile at me again, without crying. |
| [03:22.63] | "How did it happen,Peggotty?"I asked, sobbing. “ |
| [03:27.64] | "She was ill for a long time,Master David. She got worse after the baby was born, you see. “ |
| [03:36.30] | She was sometimes unhappy and forgetful, but she was always the same to me, her old Peggotty. |
| [03:44.89] | Those two downstairs often spoke crossly to her and made her sad, but she still loved them, |
| [03:53.91] | you know—she was so sweet and loving! I always sat beside her while she went to sleep. |
| [04:02.74] | It made her feel better, she said. |
| [04:06.14] | There was a short silence while Peggotty dried her eyes, then took both my hands in hers. |
| [04:14.15] | "On the last night,she asked me for some water,and then gave me such a patient smile! She looked so beautiful! “ |
| [04:26.42] | The sun was beginning to rise, and she put her head on my arm, on her stupid cross old Peggotty's arm, |
| [04:36.28] | and died like an innocent child going to sleep! " |
| [04:43.97] | After my mother's funeral,I began to wonder what would happen to me. |
| [04:50.18] | The Murdstones did not even seem to notice that I was in the house. |
| [04:55.51] | They had told Peggotty to leave,as they did not what her as their servant any more, |
| [05:01.57] | so Peggotty was going to her brother's in Yarmouth, until she decided what work to do next. |
| [05:08.94] | She suggested taking me with her for a holiday, and to my surprise the Murdstones agreed. |
| [05:16.76] | So next morning Mr Barkis appeared at the door with his cart,and Peggotty's cases were put on it. |
| [05:25.70] | We climbed up and sat beside him. Peggotty was naturally a little sad to leave her old home, |
| [05:34.10] | where she had been so happy with my mother and me, and at first she cried a little. |
| [05:40.65] | But when Mr Barkis saw her drying her eyes and looking more cheerful, |
| [05:46.93] | he too began to look happier, and he whispered to me, "Barkis is willing! You told her that! " |
| [05:57.94] | Aloud he said to Peggotty,"Are you comfortable?" |
| [06:04.82] | Peggotty laughed and said that she was. |
| [06:09.08] | "And are you comfortable,Master David?"he asked. “ |
| [06:16.59] | I said that I was. |
| [06:19.99] | Mr Barkis was so pleased with this conversation that he repeated it many times during the journey, |
| [06:28.15] | and Peggotty and I both had to keep giving him the same answer. |
| [06:33.52] | When we arrived in Yarmouth and got down from the cart,we said goodbye to Mr Barkis. |
| [06:41.89] | Daniel and Ham Peggotty were waiting for us. |
| [06:46.08] | Daniel and Ham were exactly the same as I remembered them,cheerful and generous as ever, |
| [06:53.15] | but little Emily seemed different somehow. She was taller and prettier, |
| [07:00.50] | but she did not want to play with me, or spend her time with me. |
| [07:05.23] | I was rather disappointed, because I still considered she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, |
| [07:12.75] | and I thought I was in love with her. |
| [07:15.42] | Daniel and Ham were very proud of her intelligence and beauty, |
| [07:20.75] | and just smiled when she laughingly refused to sit next to me. |
| [07:26.19] | But they all listened with interest to my stories of school life at Salem House. |
| [07:32.22] | I told them about the other boys, especially the handsome, clever Steerforth. |
| [07:39.13] | I admired him so much that I could not stop myself telling them all about him. |
| [07:45.64] | Suddenly I noticed that Emily was listening eagerly, her blue eyes shining and a smile on her lips. |
| [07:53.77] | She blushed when she saw that we were all looking at her, and hid her face behind her hands. |
| [08:00.77] | "Emily's like me,"said Peggotty kindly,"and would like to see David's friend Mr Steerforth." “ |
| [08:08.88] | The days passed happily,although Emily and I did not play together as we had done before. |
| [08:16.10] | Mr Barkis wasa frequent visitor,and soon Peggotty explained to me that she had decided to marry him. |
| [08:24.98] | "I'll love you just as much, David, my dear, when I'm married! "she told me, holding me close to her. “ |
| [08:33.12] | "And I'll be able to come and see you in the cart any time I like. “ |
| [08:38.10] | Barkis is a good man and I'm sure I'll be happy with him. |
| [08:42.42] | He's got a nice little house,and I'll keep a little bedroom there for you to use whenever you want. |
| [08:49.20] | You'll always be welcome to come and stay! " |
| [08:52.61] | So when I returned to Blunderstone, Peggotty had become Mrs Barkis, |
| [08:59.32] | and I was glad to think of her in her own house,with a husband to take care of her. |
| [09:04.94] | At home, my stepfather and his sister did not seem pleased to see me, |
| [09:11.04] | and were clearly trying to find a way of getting rid of me. |
| [09:14.84] | As they considered school too expensive, they finally arranged for me to start work, |
| [09:21.44] | although I was still only ten years old, and very small for my age. |
| [09:26.87] | I was sent to London,to work in a warehouse in the east of the city, near the river. |
| [09:33.49] | My job was to wash bottles, which would then be filled with wine, or to pack the filled bottles in cases. |
| [09:42.32] | I was paid only six shillings a week. |
| [09:46.28] | There were several other boys who worked with me,but I was the only one who had been to school. |
| [09:52.96] | All the warehouse workers were coarse, rough people, who were used to working in dirty conditions for long hours. |
| [10:01.14] | No words can describe the horror I felt, when I realized what my life was going to be like from now on. |
| [10:09.60] | I was deeply ashamed at having such a job and I was also afraid that |
| [10:15.38] | I would forget everything I had learnt from my mother and my teachers. |
| [10:20.25] | I would never find friends like Traddles or Steerforth, or be able to get a better position in life. |
| [10:27.37] | It was an extremely unhappy time for me. |
| [10:31.58] | My stepfather had asked Mr Quinion, the manager, to find me somewhere to stay in London, |
| [10:39.96] | so at the end of my first day I was called to Mr Quinion's office |
| [10:45.14] | and introduced to an important-looking, rather fat,middle-aged man with a head as bald as an egg. |
| [10:53.12] | His name was Mr Micawber, and he offered me a spare room in the house he was renting with his family. |
| [11:01.08] | I agreed to take it, and Mr Micawber and I walked home together. |
| [11:06.92] | The Micawbers were obviously very poor, but tried hard not to let this show. |
| [11:13.97] | The house had several floors of rather dirty,empty rooms with very little furniture. |
| [11:21.81] | Mrs Micawber was a thin,tired-looking woman with a baby in her arms. |
| [11:28.29] | The baby was one of twins,and in all my experience of the family, |
| [11:33.82] | I never saw Mrs Micawber without at least one of the twins. |
| [11:38.77] | They also had a four-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. |
| [11:44.02] | Their only servant was a young orphan girl. |
| [11:48.09] | "I never thought, "Mrs Micawber told me sadly as she showed me my room, " “ |
| [11:55.45] | when I lived with Mother and Father, before I was married,that I would ever be as poor as this. “ |
| [12:03.55] | But as Mr Micawber is for the moment in difficulties,I must of course accept the situation. |
| [12:11.82] | I'm afraid he owes a lot of money,but his creditors will just have to wait! |
| [12:18.42] | You can't get blood out of a stone, nor can anyone get any money at all out of Mr Micawber at present! " |
| [12:27.52] | I soon realized that neither Mr nor Mrs Micawger had ever been able to manage money. |
| [12:35.26] | The little that Mr Micawber earned was not enough, either to keep his creditors happy, |
| [12:41.45] | or to pay for the needs of his growing family. |
| [12:45.55] | So his creditors were constantly at the door, demanding payment, |
| [12:51.53] | and meals were rather irregular in the Micawber house. |
| [12:55.95] | Mr and Mrs Micawber's moods varied according to the situation. |
| [13:01.34] | One moment Mr Micawber looked extremely miserable and depressed, |
| [13:05.90] | the next he was brushing his shoes and singing a song before going out. |
| [13:11.22] | Mrs Micawber's character was similar to her husband's. |
| [13:15.29] | Sometimes I came home to find her lying on the floor,with her hair undone, looking wild and desperate, |
| [13:23.34] | but an hour later she was cheerfully eating a good supper. |
| [13:27.56] | I lived with these kind people for several months, and became very fond of them. |
| [13:34.36] | I bought my own food out of my wages,because I knew the Micawbers hardly ever had enough for themselves, |
| [13:41.57] | and I lived mostly on bread and cheese. |
| [13:44.32] | As they were so short of money, once or twice I offered to lend them a few shillings, |
| [13:50.21] | which they refused to accept. |
| [13:52.39] | But at last Mr Micawber's creditors became tired of waiting for their money,and went to the police, |
| [13:59.21] | who arrested him for debt. |
| [14:01.27] | He was taken to the King's Prison, and asked me to visit him there. |
| [14:05.93] | When I arrived,I was shown to his room, where he was waiting for me. |
| [14:10.75] | He seemed quite brokenhearted, and even cried a little. |
| [14:15.16] | "This is a black day for me,Copperfield! "he sobbed."I hope my mistakes will be a warning to young people like you! “ |
| [14:23.79] | Remember,if a man earns twenty pounds a year,and spends nineteen pounds and nineteen shillings, the result is happiness. |
| [14:35.29] | But if he spends twenty pounds and one shilling,the result is misery! |
| [14:42.38] | By the way, Copperfield，could you lend me a shilling for some beer? |
| [14:47.95] | Mrs Micawber will pay you back as soon as you arrive home. " |
| [14:51.79] | And when the beer arrived, he appeared much more cheerful. |
| [14:56.83] | We had a pleasant evening,telling stories and jokes. |
| [15:01.07] | He stayed in prison for several weeks, and I visited him regularly. |
| [15:06.54] | I was delighted to hear on one of my visits that he would soon be free, |
| [15:11.42] | as his creditors had unwillingly accepted the fact that he had no way of paying his debts. |
| [15:17.63] | I gave the news to Mrs Micawber when I returned home. |
| [15:21.59] | We celebrated by sharing our supper and a glass of wine together. |
| [15:26.90] | "May I ask what you will do, madam, when Mr Micawber is free?"I asked politely. “ |
| [15:34.53] | "My family,"said Mrs Micawber grandly,"believe that Mr Micawber should move to the country,to Devon, “ |
| [15:43.89] | and carry on his business interests there. Mr Micawber is a very clever man, Master Copperfield." |
| [15:51.67] | "I'm sure he is, "I agreed. “ |
| [15:54.30] | "Although they haven't found anything exactly right for him yet, “ |
| [15:59.88] | my family think he should be ready, in Devon, in case something turns up."She put down her empty glass. |
| [16:09.62] | "And will you be going with him, madam?"I asked. “ |
| [16:13.63] | "I must! I will! "Mrs Micawber's voice rose to a scream. “ |
| [16:18.19] | "He is my life! My love! My husband! The father of my children! “ |
| [16:22.75] | I will never desert Mr Micawber! You can't ask me to desert him! " |
| [16:27.45] | I felt very uncomfortable,as I had not asked her to desert him at all, |
| [16:33.31] | but she soon became calm again and finished her supper. |
| [16:37.21] | I was becoming used to the Micawbers'changes of mood. |
| [16:41.52] | I now realized that when the Micawbers left London,as they were planning to do,I would be very lonely in the city. |
| [16:49.98] | I still hated my work in the warehouse, and wanted to make a better life for myself. |
| [16:55.92] | I thought about it for a long time, and decided there was only one thing I could do. |
| [17:01.98] | I would try to find my one surviving relation,my father's aunt, Miss Betsey Trotwood,and ask her to help me. |
| [17:10.80] | I knew she lived somewhere near Dover,in Kent. |
| [17:15.11] | I could go there by coach, because Peggotty had once sent me ten shillings to keep,in case I ever needed it. |
| [17:22.25] | The time had come to use that money. |
| [00:28.98] | Chapter 3 David the orphan |
| [00:34.65] | Life went on as normal for me at school, until my birthday two months later in March. |
| [00:41.42] | I remember that day very well. It was cold, icy weather, |
| [00:46.79] | and we boys had to blow on our fingers and rub our hands to keep warm in the freezing classrooms. |
| [00:54.21] | When a message came for me to go and see Mr Creakle, I thought that Peggotty must have sent me a birthday present. |
| [01:03.12] | and so I hurried gladly along to his room. But there I realized something unusual had happened, |
| [01:11.59] | because it was Mr Creakle' s wife who was waiting to speak to me. |
| [01:16.25] | " David, my child, " she said kindly, holding my hand, " |
| [01:22.19] | " we all have to accept that our loved ones can die at any moment." " |
| [01:29.00] | I looked at her, trying to understand what she meant. |
| [01:34.05] | " I' m sorry to tell you, " she continued, " that your mother is dangerously ill." " |
| [01:42.52] | There was a mist in front of my eyes, and suddenly burning tears ran down my face. |
| [01:51.01] | I knew the truth. |
| [01:53.65] | " Your mother is dead, " she said. " |
| [01:58.12] | I was alreadysobbing loudly and I felt I was an orphan, quite alone in the world. |
| [02:06.16] | Mrs Creakle packed my case herself, and sent me home on the coach for the funeral. |
| [02:14.70] | I did not realize at the time that I would never return to Salem House. |
| [02:21.06] | When I arrived home, Peggotty met me at the door, and we cried miserably in each other' s arms. |
| [02:29.65] | Mr Murdstone seemed very sad, and did not speak to me at all. |
| [02:35.65] | Miss Murdstone, however, showed her usual firmness of character which she and her brother were so proud of |
| [02:44.69] | by checking that I had brought all my clothes back from school. |
| [02:49.32] | After that she showed no interest in me at all. |
| [02:54.52] | There was a deathly stillness in the house. |
| [02:58.11] | Peggotty took me up to the room where my dear mother' s dead body lay, |
| [03:04.48] | with my little brother, who had died a few hours after her. |
| [03:09.16] | Everything was fresh and clean in the room, but I could not look at my mother' s lovely face, |
| [03:17.40] | which would never smile at me again, without crying. |
| [03:22.63] | " How did it happen, Peggotty?" I asked, sobbing. " |
| [03:27.64] | " She was ill for a long time, Master David. She got worse after the baby was born, you see. " |
| [03:36.30] | She was sometimes unhappy and forgetful, but she was always the same to me, her old Peggotty. |
| [03:44.89] | Those two downstairs often spoke crossly to her and made her sad, but she still loved them, |
| [03:53.91] | you know she was so sweet and loving! I always sat beside her while she went to sleep. |
| [04:02.74] | It made her feel better, she said. |
| [04:06.14] | There was a short silence while Peggotty dried her eyes, then took both my hands in hers. |
| [04:14.15] | " On the last night, she asked me for some water, and then gave me such a patient smile! She looked so beautiful! " |
| [04:26.42] | The sun was beginning to rise, and she put her head on my arm, on her stupid cross old Peggotty' s arm, |
| [04:36.28] | and died like an innocent child going to sleep! " |
| [04:43.97] | After my mother' s funeral, I began to wonder what would happen to me. |
| [04:50.18] | The Murdstones did not even seem to notice that I was in the house. |
| [04:55.51] | They had told Peggotty to leave, as they did not what her as their servant any more, |
| [05:01.57] | so Peggotty was going to her brother' s in Yarmouth, until she decided what work to do next. |
| [05:08.94] | She suggested taking me with her for a holiday, and to my surprise the Murdstones agreed. |
| [05:16.76] | So next morning Mr Barkis appeared at the door with his cart, and Peggotty' s cases were put on it. |
| [05:25.70] | We climbed up and sat beside him. Peggotty was naturally a little sad to leave her old home, |
| [05:34.10] | where she had been so happy with my mother and me, and at first she cried a little. |
| [05:40.65] | But when Mr Barkis saw her drying her eyes and looking more cheerful, |
| [05:46.93] | he too began to look happier, and he whispered to me, " Barkis is willing! You told her that! " |
| [05:57.94] | Aloud he said to Peggotty," Are you comfortable?" |
| [06:04.82] | Peggotty laughed and said that she was. |
| [06:09.08] | " And are you comfortable, Master David?" he asked. " |
| [06:16.59] | I said that I was. |
| [06:19.99] | Mr Barkis was so pleased with this conversation that he repeated it many times during the journey, |
| [06:28.15] | and Peggotty and I both had to keep giving him the same answer. |
| [06:33.52] | When we arrived in Yarmouth and got down from the cart, we said goodbye to Mr Barkis. |
| [06:41.89] | Daniel and Ham Peggotty were waiting for us. |
| [06:46.08] | Daniel and Ham were exactly the same as I remembered them, cheerful and generous as ever, |
| [06:53.15] | but little Emily seemed different somehow. She was taller and prettier, |
| [07:00.50] | but she did not want to play with me, or spend her time with me. |
| [07:05.23] | I was rather disappointed, because I still considered she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, |
| [07:12.75] | and I thought I was in love with her. |
| [07:15.42] | Daniel and Ham were very proud of her intelligence and beauty, |
| [07:20.75] | and just smiled when she laughingly refused to sit next to me. |
| [07:26.19] | But they all listened with interest to my stories of school life at Salem House. |
| [07:32.22] | I told them about the other boys, especially the handsome, clever Steerforth. |
| [07:39.13] | I admired him so much that I could not stop myself telling them all about him. |
| [07:45.64] | Suddenly I noticed that Emily was listening eagerly, her blue eyes shining and a smile on her lips. |
| [07:53.77] | She blushed when she saw that we were all looking at her, and hid her face behind her hands. |
| [08:00.77] | " Emily' s like me," said Peggotty kindly," and would like to see David' s friend Mr Steerforth." " |
| [08:08.88] | The days passed happily, although Emily and I did not play together as we had done before. |
| [08:16.10] | Mr Barkis wasa frequent visitor, and soon Peggotty explained to me that she had decided to marry him. |
| [08:24.98] | " I' ll love you just as much, David, my dear, when I' m married! " she told me, holding me close to her. " |
| [08:33.12] | " And I' ll be able to come and see you in the cart any time I like. " |
| [08:38.10] | Barkis is a good man and I' m sure I' ll be happy with him. |
| [08:42.42] | He' s got a nice little house, and I' ll keep a little bedroom there for you to use whenever you want. |
| [08:49.20] | You' ll always be welcome to come and stay! " |
| [08:52.61] | So when I returned to Blunderstone, Peggotty had become Mrs Barkis, |
| [08:59.32] | and I was glad to think of her in her own house, with a husband to take care of her. |
| [09:04.94] | At home, my stepfather and his sister did not seem pleased to see me, |
| [09:11.04] | and were clearly trying to find a way of getting rid of me. |
| [09:14.84] | As they considered school too expensive, they finally arranged for me to start work, |
| [09:21.44] | although I was still only ten years old, and very small for my age. |
| [09:26.87] | I was sent to London, to work in a warehouse in the east of the city, near the river. |
| [09:33.49] | My job was to wash bottles, which would then be filled with wine, or to pack the filled bottles in cases. |
| [09:42.32] | I was paid only six shillings a week. |
| [09:46.28] | There were several other boys who worked with me, but I was the only one who had been to school. |
| [09:52.96] | All the warehouse workers were coarse, rough people, who were used to working in dirty conditions for long hours. |
| [10:01.14] | No words can describe the horror I felt, when I realized what my life was going to be like from now on. |
| [10:09.60] | I was deeply ashamed at having such a job and I was also afraid that |
| [10:15.38] | I would forget everything I had learnt from my mother and my teachers. |
| [10:20.25] | I would never find friends like Traddles or Steerforth, or be able to get a better position in life. |
| [10:27.37] | It was an extremely unhappy time for me. |
| [10:31.58] | My stepfather had asked Mr Quinion, the manager, to find me somewhere to stay in London, |
| [10:39.96] | so at the end of my first day I was called to Mr Quinion' s office |
| [10:45.14] | and introduced to an importantlooking, rather fat, middleaged man with a head as bald as an egg. |
| [10:53.12] | His name was Mr Micawber, and he offered me a spare room in the house he was renting with his family. |
| [11:01.08] | I agreed to take it, and Mr Micawber and I walked home together. |
| [11:06.92] | The Micawbers were obviously very poor, but tried hard not to let this show. |
| [11:13.97] | The house had several floors of rather dirty, empty rooms with very little furniture. |
| [11:21.81] | Mrs Micawber was a thin, tiredlooking woman with a baby in her arms. |
| [11:28.29] | The baby was one of twins, and in all my experience of the family, |
| [11:33.82] | I never saw Mrs Micawber without at least one of the twins. |
| [11:38.77] | They also had a fouryearold son and a threeyearold daughter. |
| [11:44.02] | Their only servant was a young orphan girl. |
| [11:48.09] | " I never thought, " Mrs Micawber told me sadly as she showed me my room, " " |
| [11:55.45] | when I lived with Mother and Father, before I was married, that I would ever be as poor as this. " |
| [12:03.55] | But as Mr Micawber is for the moment in difficulties, I must of course accept the situation. |
| [12:11.82] | I' m afraid he owes a lot of money, but his creditors will just have to wait! |
| [12:18.42] | You can' t get blood out of a stone, nor can anyone get any money at all out of Mr Micawber at present! " |
| [12:27.52] | I soon realized that neither Mr nor Mrs Micawger had ever been able to manage money. |
| [12:35.26] | The little that Mr Micawber earned was not enough, either to keep his creditors happy, |
| [12:41.45] | or to pay for the needs of his growing family. |
| [12:45.55] | So his creditors were constantly at the door, demanding payment, |
| [12:51.53] | and meals were rather irregular in the Micawber house. |
| [12:55.95] | Mr and Mrs Micawber' s moods varied according to the situation. |
| [13:01.34] | One moment Mr Micawber looked extremely miserable and depressed, |
| [13:05.90] | the next he was brushing his shoes and singing a song before going out. |
| [13:11.22] | Mrs Micawber' s character was similar to her husband' s. |
| [13:15.29] | Sometimes I came home to find her lying on the floor, with her hair undone, looking wild and desperate, |
| [13:23.34] | but an hour later she was cheerfully eating a good supper. |
| [13:27.56] | I lived with these kind people for several months, and became very fond of them. |
| [13:34.36] | I bought my own food out of my wages, because I knew the Micawbers hardly ever had enough for themselves, |
| [13:41.57] | and I lived mostly on bread and cheese. |
| [13:44.32] | As they were so short of money, once or twice I offered to lend them a few shillings, |
| [13:50.21] | which they refused to accept. |
| [13:52.39] | But at last Mr Micawber' s creditors became tired of waiting for their money, and went to the police, |
| [13:59.21] | who arrested him for debt. |
| [14:01.27] | He was taken to the King' s Prison, and asked me to visit him there. |
| [14:05.93] | When I arrived, I was shown to his room, where he was waiting for me. |
| [14:10.75] | He seemed quite brokenhearted, and even cried a little. |
| [14:15.16] | " This is a black day for me, Copperfield! " he sobbed." I hope my mistakes will be a warning to young people like you! " |
| [14:23.79] | Remember, if a man earns twenty pounds a year, and spends nineteen pounds and nineteen shillings, the result is happiness. |
| [14:35.29] | But if he spends twenty pounds and one shilling, the result is misery! |
| [14:42.38] | By the way, Copperfield, could you lend me a shilling for some beer? |
| [14:47.95] | Mrs Micawber will pay you back as soon as you arrive home. " |
| [14:51.79] | And when the beer arrived, he appeared much more cheerful. |
| [14:56.83] | We had a pleasant evening, telling stories and jokes. |
| [15:01.07] | He stayed in prison for several weeks, and I visited him regularly. |
| [15:06.54] | I was delighted to hear on one of my visits that he would soon be free, |
| [15:11.42] | as his creditors had unwillingly accepted the fact that he had no way of paying his debts. |
| [15:17.63] | I gave the news to Mrs Micawber when I returned home. |
| [15:21.59] | We celebrated by sharing our supper and a glass of wine together. |
| [15:26.90] | " May I ask what you will do, madam, when Mr Micawber is free?" I asked politely. " |
| [15:34.53] | " My family," said Mrs Micawber grandly," believe that Mr Micawber should move to the country, to Devon, " |
| [15:43.89] | and carry on his business interests there. Mr Micawber is a very clever man, Master Copperfield." |
| [15:51.67] | " I' m sure he is, " I agreed. " |
| [15:54.30] | " Although they haven' t found anything exactly right for him yet, " |
| [15:59.88] | my family think he should be ready, in Devon, in case something turns up." She put down her empty glass. |
| [16:09.62] | " And will you be going with him, madam?" I asked. " |
| [16:13.63] | " I must! I will! " Mrs Micawber' s voice rose to a scream. " |
| [16:18.19] | " He is my life! My love! My husband! The father of my children! " |
| [16:22.75] | I will never desert Mr Micawber! You can' t ask me to desert him! " |
| [16:27.45] | I felt very uncomfortable, as I had not asked her to desert him at all, |
| [16:33.31] | but she soon became calm again and finished her supper. |
| [16:37.21] | I was becoming used to the Micawbers' changes of mood. |
| [16:41.52] | I now realized that when the Micawbers left London, as they were planning to do, I would be very lonely in the city. |
| [16:49.98] | I still hated my work in the warehouse, and wanted to make a better life for myself. |
| [16:55.92] | I thought about it for a long time, and decided there was only one thing I could do. |
| [17:01.98] | I would try to find my one surviving relation, my father' s aunt, Miss Betsey Trotwood, and ask her to help me. |
| [17:10.80] | I knew she lived somewhere near Dover, in Kent. |
| [17:15.11] | I could go there by coach, because Peggotty had once sent me ten shillings to keep, in case I ever needed it. |
| [17:22.25] | The time had come to use that money. |
| [00:28.98] | Chapter 3 David the orphan |
| [00:34.65] | Life went on as normal for me at school, until my birthday two months later in March. |
| [00:41.42] | I remember that day very well. It was cold, icy weather, |
| [00:46.79] | and we boys had to blow on our fingers and rub our hands to keep warm in the freezing classrooms. |
| [00:54.21] | When a message came for me to go and see Mr Creakle, I thought that Peggotty must have sent me a birthday present. |
| [01:03.12] | and so I hurried gladly along to his room. But there I realized something unusual had happened, |
| [01:11.59] | because it was Mr Creakle' s wife who was waiting to speak to me. |
| [01:16.25] | " David, my child, " she said kindly, holding my hand, " |
| [01:22.19] | " we all have to accept that our loved ones can die at any moment." " |
| [01:29.00] | I looked at her, trying to understand what she meant. |
| [01:34.05] | " I' m sorry to tell you, " she continued, " that your mother is dangerously ill." " |
| [01:42.52] | There was a mist in front of my eyes, and suddenly burning tears ran down my face. |
| [01:51.01] | I knew the truth. |
| [01:53.65] | " Your mother is dead, " she said. " |
| [01:58.12] | I was alreadysobbing loudly and I felt I was an orphan, quite alone in the world. |
| [02:06.16] | Mrs Creakle packed my case herself, and sent me home on the coach for the funeral. |
| [02:14.70] | I did not realize at the time that I would never return to Salem House. |
| [02:21.06] | When I arrived home, Peggotty met me at the door, and we cried miserably in each other' s arms. |
| [02:29.65] | Mr Murdstone seemed very sad, and did not speak to me at all. |
| [02:35.65] | Miss Murdstone, however, showed her usual firmness of character which she and her brother were so proud of |
| [02:44.69] | by checking that I had brought all my clothes back from school. |
| [02:49.32] | After that she showed no interest in me at all. |
| [02:54.52] | There was a deathly stillness in the house. |
| [02:58.11] | Peggotty took me up to the room where my dear mother' s dead body lay, |
| [03:04.48] | with my little brother, who had died a few hours after her. |
| [03:09.16] | Everything was fresh and clean in the room, but I could not look at my mother' s lovely face, |
| [03:17.40] | which would never smile at me again, without crying. |
| [03:22.63] | " How did it happen, Peggotty?" I asked, sobbing. " |
| [03:27.64] | " She was ill for a long time, Master David. She got worse after the baby was born, you see. " |
| [03:36.30] | She was sometimes unhappy and forgetful, but she was always the same to me, her old Peggotty. |
| [03:44.89] | Those two downstairs often spoke crossly to her and made her sad, but she still loved them, |
| [03:53.91] | you know she was so sweet and loving! I always sat beside her while she went to sleep. |
| [04:02.74] | It made her feel better, she said. |
| [04:06.14] | There was a short silence while Peggotty dried her eyes, then took both my hands in hers. |
| [04:14.15] | " On the last night, she asked me for some water, and then gave me such a patient smile! She looked so beautiful! " |
| [04:26.42] | The sun was beginning to rise, and she put her head on my arm, on her stupid cross old Peggotty' s arm, |
| [04:36.28] | and died like an innocent child going to sleep! " |
| [04:43.97] | After my mother' s funeral, I began to wonder what would happen to me. |
| [04:50.18] | The Murdstones did not even seem to notice that I was in the house. |
| [04:55.51] | They had told Peggotty to leave, as they did not what her as their servant any more, |
| [05:01.57] | so Peggotty was going to her brother' s in Yarmouth, until she decided what work to do next. |
| [05:08.94] | She suggested taking me with her for a holiday, and to my surprise the Murdstones agreed. |
| [05:16.76] | So next morning Mr Barkis appeared at the door with his cart, and Peggotty' s cases were put on it. |
| [05:25.70] | We climbed up and sat beside him. Peggotty was naturally a little sad to leave her old home, |
| [05:34.10] | where she had been so happy with my mother and me, and at first she cried a little. |
| [05:40.65] | But when Mr Barkis saw her drying her eyes and looking more cheerful, |
| [05:46.93] | he too began to look happier, and he whispered to me, " Barkis is willing! You told her that! " |
| [05:57.94] | Aloud he said to Peggotty," Are you comfortable?" |
| [06:04.82] | Peggotty laughed and said that she was. |
| [06:09.08] | " And are you comfortable, Master David?" he asked. " |
| [06:16.59] | I said that I was. |
| [06:19.99] | Mr Barkis was so pleased with this conversation that he repeated it many times during the journey, |
| [06:28.15] | and Peggotty and I both had to keep giving him the same answer. |
| [06:33.52] | When we arrived in Yarmouth and got down from the cart, we said goodbye to Mr Barkis. |
| [06:41.89] | Daniel and Ham Peggotty were waiting for us. |
| [06:46.08] | Daniel and Ham were exactly the same as I remembered them, cheerful and generous as ever, |
| [06:53.15] | but little Emily seemed different somehow. She was taller and prettier, |
| [07:00.50] | but she did not want to play with me, or spend her time with me. |
| [07:05.23] | I was rather disappointed, because I still considered she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, |
| [07:12.75] | and I thought I was in love with her. |
| [07:15.42] | Daniel and Ham were very proud of her intelligence and beauty, |
| [07:20.75] | and just smiled when she laughingly refused to sit next to me. |
| [07:26.19] | But they all listened with interest to my stories of school life at Salem House. |
| [07:32.22] | I told them about the other boys, especially the handsome, clever Steerforth. |
| [07:39.13] | I admired him so much that I could not stop myself telling them all about him. |
| [07:45.64] | Suddenly I noticed that Emily was listening eagerly, her blue eyes shining and a smile on her lips. |
| [07:53.77] | She blushed when she saw that we were all looking at her, and hid her face behind her hands. |
| [08:00.77] | " Emily' s like me," said Peggotty kindly," and would like to see David' s friend Mr Steerforth." " |
| [08:08.88] | The days passed happily, although Emily and I did not play together as we had done before. |
| [08:16.10] | Mr Barkis wasa frequent visitor, and soon Peggotty explained to me that she had decided to marry him. |
| [08:24.98] | " I' ll love you just as much, David, my dear, when I' m married! " she told me, holding me close to her. " |
| [08:33.12] | " And I' ll be able to come and see you in the cart any time I like. " |
| [08:38.10] | Barkis is a good man and I' m sure I' ll be happy with him. |
| [08:42.42] | He' s got a nice little house, and I' ll keep a little bedroom there for you to use whenever you want. |
| [08:49.20] | You' ll always be welcome to come and stay! " |
| [08:52.61] | So when I returned to Blunderstone, Peggotty had become Mrs Barkis, |
| [08:59.32] | and I was glad to think of her in her own house, with a husband to take care of her. |
| [09:04.94] | At home, my stepfather and his sister did not seem pleased to see me, |
| [09:11.04] | and were clearly trying to find a way of getting rid of me. |
| [09:14.84] | As they considered school too expensive, they finally arranged for me to start work, |
| [09:21.44] | although I was still only ten years old, and very small for my age. |
| [09:26.87] | I was sent to London, to work in a warehouse in the east of the city, near the river. |
| [09:33.49] | My job was to wash bottles, which would then be filled with wine, or to pack the filled bottles in cases. |
| [09:42.32] | I was paid only six shillings a week. |
| [09:46.28] | There were several other boys who worked with me, but I was the only one who had been to school. |
| [09:52.96] | All the warehouse workers were coarse, rough people, who were used to working in dirty conditions for long hours. |
| [10:01.14] | No words can describe the horror I felt, when I realized what my life was going to be like from now on. |
| [10:09.60] | I was deeply ashamed at having such a job and I was also afraid that |
| [10:15.38] | I would forget everything I had learnt from my mother and my teachers. |
| [10:20.25] | I would never find friends like Traddles or Steerforth, or be able to get a better position in life. |
| [10:27.37] | It was an extremely unhappy time for me. |
| [10:31.58] | My stepfather had asked Mr Quinion, the manager, to find me somewhere to stay in London, |
| [10:39.96] | so at the end of my first day I was called to Mr Quinion' s office |
| [10:45.14] | and introduced to an importantlooking, rather fat, middleaged man with a head as bald as an egg. |
| [10:53.12] | His name was Mr Micawber, and he offered me a spare room in the house he was renting with his family. |
| [11:01.08] | I agreed to take it, and Mr Micawber and I walked home together. |
| [11:06.92] | The Micawbers were obviously very poor, but tried hard not to let this show. |
| [11:13.97] | The house had several floors of rather dirty, empty rooms with very little furniture. |
| [11:21.81] | Mrs Micawber was a thin, tiredlooking woman with a baby in her arms. |
| [11:28.29] | The baby was one of twins, and in all my experience of the family, |
| [11:33.82] | I never saw Mrs Micawber without at least one of the twins. |
| [11:38.77] | They also had a fouryearold son and a threeyearold daughter. |
| [11:44.02] | Their only servant was a young orphan girl. |
| [11:48.09] | " I never thought, " Mrs Micawber told me sadly as she showed me my room, " " |
| [11:55.45] | when I lived with Mother and Father, before I was married, that I would ever be as poor as this. " |
| [12:03.55] | But as Mr Micawber is for the moment in difficulties, I must of course accept the situation. |
| [12:11.82] | I' m afraid he owes a lot of money, but his creditors will just have to wait! |
| [12:18.42] | You can' t get blood out of a stone, nor can anyone get any money at all out of Mr Micawber at present! " |
| [12:27.52] | I soon realized that neither Mr nor Mrs Micawger had ever been able to manage money. |
| [12:35.26] | The little that Mr Micawber earned was not enough, either to keep his creditors happy, |
| [12:41.45] | or to pay for the needs of his growing family. |
| [12:45.55] | So his creditors were constantly at the door, demanding payment, |
| [12:51.53] | and meals were rather irregular in the Micawber house. |
| [12:55.95] | Mr and Mrs Micawber' s moods varied according to the situation. |
| [13:01.34] | One moment Mr Micawber looked extremely miserable and depressed, |
| [13:05.90] | the next he was brushing his shoes and singing a song before going out. |
| [13:11.22] | Mrs Micawber' s character was similar to her husband' s. |
| [13:15.29] | Sometimes I came home to find her lying on the floor, with her hair undone, looking wild and desperate, |
| [13:23.34] | but an hour later she was cheerfully eating a good supper. |
| [13:27.56] | I lived with these kind people for several months, and became very fond of them. |
| [13:34.36] | I bought my own food out of my wages, because I knew the Micawbers hardly ever had enough for themselves, |
| [13:41.57] | and I lived mostly on bread and cheese. |
| [13:44.32] | As they were so short of money, once or twice I offered to lend them a few shillings, |
| [13:50.21] | which they refused to accept. |
| [13:52.39] | But at last Mr Micawber' s creditors became tired of waiting for their money, and went to the police, |
| [13:59.21] | who arrested him for debt. |
| [14:01.27] | He was taken to the King' s Prison, and asked me to visit him there. |
| [14:05.93] | When I arrived, I was shown to his room, where he was waiting for me. |
| [14:10.75] | He seemed quite brokenhearted, and even cried a little. |
| [14:15.16] | " This is a black day for me, Copperfield! " he sobbed." I hope my mistakes will be a warning to young people like you! " |
| [14:23.79] | Remember, if a man earns twenty pounds a year, and spends nineteen pounds and nineteen shillings, the result is happiness. |
| [14:35.29] | But if he spends twenty pounds and one shilling, the result is misery! |
| [14:42.38] | By the way, Copperfield, could you lend me a shilling for some beer? |
| [14:47.95] | Mrs Micawber will pay you back as soon as you arrive home. " |
| [14:51.79] | And when the beer arrived, he appeared much more cheerful. |
| [14:56.83] | We had a pleasant evening, telling stories and jokes. |
| [15:01.07] | He stayed in prison for several weeks, and I visited him regularly. |
| [15:06.54] | I was delighted to hear on one of my visits that he would soon be free, |
| [15:11.42] | as his creditors had unwillingly accepted the fact that he had no way of paying his debts. |
| [15:17.63] | I gave the news to Mrs Micawber when I returned home. |
| [15:21.59] | We celebrated by sharing our supper and a glass of wine together. |
| [15:26.90] | " May I ask what you will do, madam, when Mr Micawber is free?" I asked politely. " |
| [15:34.53] | " My family," said Mrs Micawber grandly," believe that Mr Micawber should move to the country, to Devon, " |
| [15:43.89] | and carry on his business interests there. Mr Micawber is a very clever man, Master Copperfield." |
| [15:51.67] | " I' m sure he is, " I agreed. " |
| [15:54.30] | " Although they haven' t found anything exactly right for him yet, " |
| [15:59.88] | my family think he should be ready, in Devon, in case something turns up." She put down her empty glass. |
| [16:09.62] | " And will you be going with him, madam?" I asked. " |
| [16:13.63] | " I must! I will! " Mrs Micawber' s voice rose to a scream. " |
| [16:18.19] | " He is my life! My love! My husband! The father of my children! " |
| [16:22.75] | I will never desert Mr Micawber! You can' t ask me to desert him! " |
| [16:27.45] | I felt very uncomfortable, as I had not asked her to desert him at all, |
| [16:33.31] | but she soon became calm again and finished her supper. |
| [16:37.21] | I was becoming used to the Micawbers' changes of mood. |
| [16:41.52] | I now realized that when the Micawbers left London, as they were planning to do, I would be very lonely in the city. |
| [16:49.98] | I still hated my work in the warehouse, and wanted to make a better life for myself. |
| [16:55.92] | I thought about it for a long time, and decided there was only one thing I could do. |
| [17:01.98] | I would try to find my one surviving relation, my father' s aunt, Miss Betsey Trotwood, and ask her to help me. |
| [17:10.80] | I knew she lived somewhere near Dover, in Kent. |
| [17:15.11] | I could go there by coach, because Peggotty had once sent me ten shillings to keep, in case I ever needed it. |
| [17:22.25] | The time had come to use that money. |
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