‘I am most delighted to hear it,’ said Mr. Micawber.‘It was at Canterbury where we last met.Within the shadow, I may figuratively say,of that religious edifice immortalized by Chaucer,which was anciently the resort of Pilgrims from the remotest corners of--in short,’ said Mr. Micawber, ‘in the immediate neighbourhood of the Cathedral.’
I replied that it was. Mr.Micawber continued talking as volubly as he could;but not, I thought, without showing,by some marks of concern in his countenance,that he was sensible of sounds in the next room,as of Mrs. Micawber washing her hands,and hurriedly opening and shutting drawers that were uneasy in their action.
‘You find us, Copperfield,’ said Mr. Micawber,with one eye on Traddles, ‘at present established,on what may be designated as a small and unassuming scale;but, you are aware that I have,in the course of my career, surmounted difficulties,and conquered obstacles.You are no stranger to the fact,that there have been periods of my life,when it has been requisite that I should pause,until certain expected events should turn up;when it has been necessary that I should fall back,before making what I trust I shall not be accused of presumption in terming--a spring. The present is one of those momentous stages in the life of man. You find me, fallen back, FOR a spring; and I have every reason to believe that a vigorous leap will shortly be the result.’
I was expressing my satisfaction, when Mrs.Micawber came in; a little more slatternly than she used to be,or so she seemed now, to my unaccustomed eyes,but still with some preparation of herself for company,and with a pair of brown gloves on.
‘My dear,’ said Mr. Micawber, leading her towards me,‘here is a gentleman of the name of Copperfield,who wishes to renew his acquaintance with you.’
It would have been better, as it turned out,to have led gently up to this announcement, for Mrs.Micawber, being in a delicate state of health,was overcome by it, and was taken so unwell, that Mr.Micawber was obliged, in great trepidation,to run down to the water-butt in the backyard,and draw a basinful to lave her brow with.She presently revived, however,and was really pleased to see me.We had half-an-hour’s talk, all together;and I asked her about the twins, who, she said,were ‘grown great creatures’;and after Master and Miss Micawber,whom she described as ‘absolute giants’,but they were not produced on that occasion.
Mr. Micawber was very anxious that I should stay to dinner.I should not have been averse to do so,but that I imagined I detected trouble,and calculation relative to the extent of the cold meat,in Mrs. Micawber’s eye.I therefore pleaded another engagement;and observing that Mrs.Micawber’s spirits were immediately lightened,I resisted all persuasion to forego it.
But I told Traddles, and Mr. and Mrs. Micawber,that before I could think of leaving,they must appoint a day when they would come and dine with me.The occupations to which Traddles stood pledged,rendered it necessary to fix a somewhat distant one;but an appointment was made for the purpose,that suited us all, and then I took my leave.
Mr. Micawber, under pretence of showing me a nearer way than that by which I had come, accompanied me to the corner of the street; being anxious (he explained to me) to say a few words to an old friend, in confidence.
‘My dear Copperfield,’ said Mr. Micawber,‘I need hardly tell you that to have beneath our roof,under existing circumstances,a mind like that which gleams--if I may be allowed the expression--which gleams--in your friend Traddles, is an unspeakable comfort. With a washerwoman, who exposes hard-bake for sale in her parlour-window, dwelling next door, and a Bow-street officer residing over the way, you may imagine that his society is a source of consolation to myself and to Mrs. Micawber. I am at present, my dear Copperfield, engaged in the sale of corn upon commission. It is not an avocation of a remunerative description--in other words, it does not pay--and some temporary embarrassments of a pecuniary nature have been the consequence. I am, however, delighted to add that I have now an immediate prospect of something turning up (I am not at liberty to say in what direction), which I trust will enable me to provide, permanently, both for myself and for your friend Traddles, in whom I have an unaffected interest. You may, perhaps, be prepared to hear that Mrs. Micawber is in a state of health which renders it not wholly improbable that an addition may be ultimately made to those pledges of affection which--in short, to the infantine group. Mrs. Micawber’s family have been so good as to express their dissatisfaction at this state of things. I have merely to observe, that I am not aware that it is any business of theirs, and that I repel that exhibition of feeling with scorn, and with defiance!’
Mr. Micawber then shook hands with me again, and left me.
CHAPTER 28. Mr. MICAWBER’S GAUNTLET
Until the day arrived on which I was to entertain my newly-found old friends,I lived principally on Dora and coffee.In my love-lorn condition, my appetite languished;and I was glad of it,for I felt as though it would have been an act of perfidy towards Dora to have a natural relish for my dinner. The quantity of walking exercise I took, was not in this respect attended with its usual consequence, as the disappointment counteracted the fresh air. I have my doubts, too, founded on the acute experience acquired at this period of my life, whether a sound enjoyment of animal food can develop itself freely in any human subject who is always in torment from tight boots. I think the extremities require to be at peace before the stomach will conduct itself with vigour.
On the occasion of this domestic little party,I did not repeat my former extensive preparations.I merely provided a pair of soles,a small leg of mutton, and a pigeon-pie. Mrs.Crupp broke out into rebellion on my first bashful hint in reference to the cooking of the fish and joint, and said, with a dignified sense of injury, ‘No!No, sir!You will not ask me sich a thing,for you are better acquainted with me than to suppose me capable of doing what I cannot do with ampial satisfaction to my own feelings!’ But, in the end, a compromise was effected; and Mrs.Crupp consented to achieve this feat,on condition that I dined from home for a fortnight afterwards.
And here I may remark, that what I underwent from Mrs.Crupp, in consequence of the tyranny she established over me,was dreadful. I never was so much afraid of anyone.We made a compromise of everything. If I hesitated,she was taken with that wonderful disorder which was always lying in ambush in her system, ready, at the shortest notice, to prey upon her vitals. If I rang the bell impatiently, after half-a-dozen unavailing modest pulls, and she appeared at last--which was not by any means to be relied upon--she would appear with a reproachful aspect, sink breathless on a chair near the door, lay her hand upon her nankeen bosom, and become so ill, that I was glad, at any sacrifice of brandy or anything else, to get rid of her. If I objected to having my bed made at five o’clock in the afternoon--which I do still think an uncomfortable arrangement--one motion of her hand towards the same nankeen region of wounded sensibility was enough to make me falter an apology. In short, I would have done anything in an honourable way rather than give Mrs. Crupp offence; and she was the terror of my life.