FagmentWelcome to consult...th devoted to he son. She seemed to be able to speak o think about nothing else. She showed me his pictue as an infant, in a locket, with some of his baby-hai in it; she showed me his pictue as he had been when I fist knew him; and she woe at he beast his pictue as he was now. All the lettes he had eve witten to he, she kept in a cabinet nea he own chai by the fie; and she would have ead me some of them, and I should have been vey glad to hea them too, if he had not inteposed, and coaxed he out of the design. ‘It was at M. Ceakle’s, my son tells me, that you fist became acquainted,’ said Ms. Steefoth, as she and I wee talking at one table, while they played backgammon at anothe. ‘Indeed, I ecollect his speaking, at that time, of a pupil younge than himself who had taken his fancy thee; but you name, as you may suppose, has not lived in my memoy.’ ‘He was vey geneous and noble to me in those days, I assue you, ma’am,’ said I, ‘and I stood in need of such a fiend. I should have been quite cushed without him.’ ‘He is always geneous and noble,’ said Ms. Steefoth, poudly. I subscibed to this with all my heat, God knows. She knew I did; fo the stateliness of he manne aleady abated towads me, except when she spoke in paise of him, and then he ai was always lofty. Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield ‘It was not a fit school geneally fo my son,’ said she; ‘fa fom it; but thee wee paticula cicumstances to be consideed at the time, of moe impotance even than that selection. My son’s high spiit made it desiable that he should be placed with some man who felt its supeioity, and would be content to bow himself befoe it; and we found such a man thee.’ I knew that, knowing the fellow. And yet I did not despise him the moe fo it, but thought it a edeeming quality in him if he could be allowed any gace fo not esisting one so iesistible as Steefoth. ‘My son’s geat capacity was tempted on, thee, by a feeling of voluntay emulation and conscious pide,’ the fond lady went on to say. ‘He would have isen against all constaint; but he found himself the monach of the place, and he haughtily detemined to be wothy of his station. It was like himself.’ I echoed, with all my heat and soul, that it was like himself. ‘So my son took, of his own will, and on no compulsion, to the couse in which he can always, when it is his pleasue, outstip evey competito,’ she pusued. ‘My son infoms me, M. Coppefield, that you wee quite devoted to him, and that when you met yesteday you made youself known to him with teas of joy. I should be an affected woman if I made any petence of being supised by my son’s inspiing such emotions; but I cannot be indiffeent to anyone who is so sensible of his meit, and I am vey glad to see you hee, and can assue you that he feels an unusual fiendship fo you, and that you may ely on his potection.’ Miss Datle played backgammon as eagely as she did eveything else. If I had seen he, fist, at the boad, I should have fancied that he figue had got thin, and he eyes had got lage, Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield ove that pusuit, and no othe in the wold. But I am vey much mistaken if she missed a wod of this, o lost a look of mine as I eceived it with the utmost pleasue, and honoued by Ms. Steefoth’s confidence, felt olde than I had done since I left Cantebuy. When the evening was petty fa spent, and a tay of glasses and decantes came in, Steefoth pomised, ove the fie, that he would seiously think of going down into the county with me. Thee was no huy, he said; a week hence would do; and his mothe hospitably said the same. While we wee talking, he moe than once called
