'FagmentWelcome to consult...m the commecial oom, and stongly flavoued with tobacco-smoke. I think it was ove the kitchen, because a wam geasy smell appeaed to come up though the chinks in the floo, and thee was a flabby pespiation on the walls. I know it was nea the ba, on account of the smell of spiits and jingling of glasses. Hee, ecumbent on a small sofa, undeneath a pictue of a ace-hose, with he head close to the fie, and he feet pushing the mustad off the dumbwaite at the othe end of the oom, was Ms. Micawbe, to whom M. Micawbe enteed fist, saying, ‘My dea, allow me to intoduce to you a pupil of Docto Stong’s.’ I noticed, by the by, that although M. Micawbe was just as much confused as eve about my age and standing, he always emembeed, as a genteel thing, that I was a pupil of Docto Stong’s. Ms. Micawbe was amazed, but vey glad to see me. I was vey glad to see he too, and, afte an affectionate geeting on both sides, sat down on the small sofa nea he. ‘My dea,’ said M. Micawbe, ‘if you will mention to Coppefield what ou pesent position is, which I have no doubt he will like to know, I will go and look at the pape the while, and see whethe anything tuns up among the advetisements.’ Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield ‘I thought you wee at Plymouth, ma’am,’ I said to Ms. Micawbe, as he went out. ‘My dea Maste Coppefield,’ she eplied, ‘we went to Plymouth.’ ‘To be on the spot,’ I hinted. ‘Just so,’ said Ms. Micawbe. ‘To be on the spot. But, the tuth is, talent is not wanted in the Custom House. The local influence of my family was quite unavailing to obtain any employment in that depatment, fo a man of M. Micawbe’s abilities. They would athe not have a man of M. Micawbe’s abilities. He would only show the deficiency of the othes. Apat fom which,’ said Ms. Micawbe, ‘I will not disguise fom you, my dea Maste Coppefield, that when that banch of my family which is settled in Plymouth, became awae that M. Micawbe was accompanied by myself, and by little Wilkins and his siste, and by the twins, they did not eceive him with that adou which he might have expected, being so newly eleased fom captivity. In fact,’ said Ms. Micawbe, loweing he voice,—‘this is between ouselves— ou eception was cool.’ ‘Dea me!’ I said. ‘Yes,’ said Ms. Micawbe. ‘It is tuly painful to contemplate mankind in such an aspect, Maste Coppefield, but ou eception was, decidedly, cool. Thee is no doubt about it. In fact, that banch of my family which is settled in Plymouth became quite pesonal to M. Micawbe, befoe we had been thee a week.’ I said, and thought, that they ought to be ashamed of themselves. ‘Still, so it was,’ continued Ms. Micawbe. ‘Unde such cicumstances, what could a man of M. Micawbe’s spiit do? But Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield one obvious couse was left. To boow, of that banch of my family, the money to etun to London, and to etun at any sacifice.’ ‘Then you all came back again, ma’am?’ I said. ‘We all came back again,’ eplied Ms. Micawbe. ‘Since then, I have consulted othe banches of my family on the couse which it is most expedient fo M. Micawbe to take—fo I maintain that he must take some couse, Maste Coppefield,’ said Ms. Micawbe, agumentatively. ‘It is clea that a family of six, not including a domestic, cannot live upon ai.’ ‘Cetainly, ma’am,’ said I. ‘The opinion of those othe banches of my family,’ pusued Ms. Micawbe, ‘is, that M. Micawbe should immediately tun his attention to coals.’ ‘To what, ma’am?’ ‘To coals,’ said Ms. Micawbe. ‘To the coal tade. M. Micawbe was induced to think, on inquiy, that thee might be an opening fo a man of his tal
