When the time Mr. Micawber had appointed so mysteriously, was withinfour-and-twenty hours of being come, my aunt and I consulted how weshould proceed; for my aunt was very unwilling to leave Dora. Ah! howeasily I carried Dora up and down stairs, now!

We were disposed, notwithstanding Mr. Micawber's stipulation for myaunt's attendance, to arrange that she should stay at home, and berepresented by Mr. Dick and me. In short, we had resolved to take thiscourse, when Dora again unsettled us by declaring that she neverwould forgive herself, and never would forgive her bad boy, if my auntremained behind, on any pretence.

'I won't speak to you,' said Dora, shaking her curls at my aunt. 'I'llbe disagreeable! I'll make Jip bark at you all day. I shall be sure thatyou really are a cross old thing, if you don't go!'

'Tut, Blossom!' laughed my aunt. 'You know you can't do without me!'

'Yes, I can,' said Dora. 'You are no use to me at all. You never run upand down stairs for me, all day long. You never sit and tell me storiesabout Doady, when his shoes were worn out, and he was covered withdust--oh, what a poor little mite of a fellow! You never do anything atall to please me, do you, dear?' Dora made haste to kiss my aunt, andsay, 'Yes, you do! I'm only joking!'-lest my aunt should think shereally meant it.

'But, aunt,' said Dora, coaxingly, 'now listen. You must go. I shalltease you, 'till you let me have my own way about it. I shall lead mynaughty boy such a life, if he don't make you go. I shall make myselfso disagreeable--and so will Jip! You'll wish you had gone, like a goodthing, for ever and ever so long, if you don't go. Besides,' said Dora,putting back her hair, and looking wonderingly at my aunt and me, 'whyshouldn't you both go? I am not very ill indeed. Am I?'

'Why, what a question!' cried my aunt.

'What a fancy!' said I.

'Yes! I know I am a silly little thing!' said Dora, slowly looking fromone of us to the other, and then putting up her pretty lips to kiss usas she lay upon her couch. 'Well, then, you must both go, or I shall notbelieve you; and then I shall cry!'

I saw, in my aunt's face, that she began to give way now, and Dorabrightened again, as she saw it too.

'You'll come back with so much to tell me, that it'll take at leasta week to make me understand!' said Dora. 'Because I know I shan'tunderstand, for a length of time, if there's any business in it. Andthere's sure to be some business in it! If there's anything to add up,besides, I don't know when I shall make it out; and my bad boy will lookso miserable all the time. There! Now you'll go, won't you? You'll onlybe gone one night, and Jip will take care of me while you are gone.Doady will carry me upstairs before you go, and I won't come down againtill you come back; and you shall take Agnes a dreadfully scoldingletter from me, because she has never been to see us!'

We agreed, without any more consultation, that we would both go, andthat Dora was a little Impostor, who feigned to be rather unwell,because she liked to be petted. She was greatly pleased, and very merry;and we four, that is to say, my aunt, Mr. Dick, Traddles, and I, wentdown to Canterbury by the Dover mail that night.

At the hotel where Mr. Micawber had requested us to await him, whichwe got into, with some trouble, in the middle of the night, I found aletter, importing that he would appear in the morning punctually at halfpast nine. After which, we went shivering, at that uncomfortable hour,to our respective beds, through various close passages; which smelt asif they had been steeped, for ages, in a solution of soup and stables.

Early in the morning, I sauntered through the dear old tranquil streets,and again mingled with the shadows of the venerable gateways andchurches. The rooks were sailing about the cathedral towers; and thetowers themselves, overlooking many a long unaltered mile of the richcountry and its pleasant streams, were cutting the bright morning air,as if there were no such thing as change on earth. Yet the bells, whenthey sounded, told me sorrowfully of change in everything; told me oftheir own age, and my pretty Dora's youth; and of the many, never old,who had lived and loved and died, while the reverberations of the bellshad hummed through the rusty armour of the Black Prince hanging upwithin, and, motes upon the deep of Time, had lost themselves in air, ascircles do in water.

I looked at the old house from the corner of the street, but did not gonearer to it, lest, being observed, I might unwittingly do any harm tothe design I had come to aid. The early sun was striking edgewise on itsgables and lattice-windows, touching them with gold; and some beams ofits old peace seemed to touch my heart.

I strolled into the country for an hour or so, and then returned bythe main street, which in the interval had shaken off its last night'ssleep. Among those who were stirring in the shops, I saw my ancientenemy the butcher, now advanced to top-boots and a baby, and in businessfor himself. He was nursing the baby, and appeared to be a benignantmember of society.

We all became very anxious and impatient, when we sat down to breakfast.As it approached nearer and nearer to half past nine o'clock, ourrestless expectation of Mr. Micawber increased. At last we made no morepretence of attending to the meal, which, except with Mr. Dick, had beena mere form from the first; but my aunt walked up and down the room,Traddles sat upon the sofa affecting to read the paper with his eyes onthe ceiling; and I looked out of the window to give early notice of Mr.Micawber's coming. Nor had I long to watch, for, at the first chime ofthe half hour, he appeared in the street.

'Here he is,' said I, 'and not in his legal attire!'

My aunt tied the strings of her bonnet (she had come down to breakfastin it), and put on her shawl, as if she were ready for anything thatwas resolute and uncompromising. Traddles buttoned his coat with adetermined air. Mr. Dick, disturbed by these formidable appearances, butfeeling it necessary to imitate them, pulled his hat, with both hands,as firmly over his ears as he possibly could; and instantly took it offagain, to welcome Mr. Micawber.

'Gentlemen, and madam,' said Mr. Micawber, 'good morning! My dear sir,'to Mr. Dick, who shook hands with him violently, 'you are extremelygood.'

'Have you breakfasted?' said Mr. Dick. 'Have a chop!'

'Not for the world, my good sir!' cried Mr. Micawber, stopping him onhis way to the bell; 'appetite and myself, Mr. Dixon, have long beenstrangers.'

Mr. Dixon was so well pleased with his new name, and appeared to thinkit so obliging in Mr. Micawber to confer it upon him, that he shookhands with him again, and laughed rather childishly.

'Dick,' said my aunt, 'attention!'

Mr. Dick recovered himself, with a blush.

'Now, sir,' said my aunt to Mr. Micawber, as she put on her gloves, 'weare ready for Mount Vesuvius, or anything else, as soon as YOU please.'

'Madam,' returned Mr. Micawber, 'I trust you will shortly witness aneruption. Mr. Traddles, I have your permission, I believe, to mentionhere that we have been in communication together?'

'It is undoubtedly the fact, Copperfield,' said Traddles, to whom Ilooked in surprise. 'Mr. Micawber has consulted me in reference towhat he has in contemplation; and I have advised him to the best of myjudgement.'

'Unless I deceive myself, Mr. Traddles,' pursued Mr. Micawber, 'what Icontemplate is a disclosure of an important nature.'

'Highly so,' said Traddles.

'Perhaps, under such circumstances, madam and gentlemen,' said Mr.Micawber, 'you will do me the favour to submit yourselves, for themoment, to the direction of one who, however unworthy to be regarded inany other light but as a Waif and Stray upon the shore of human nature,is still your fellow-man, though crushed out of his original formby individual errors, and the accumulative force of a combination ofcircumstances?'

'We have perfect confidence in you, Mr. Micawber,' said I, 'and will dowhat you please.'

'Mr. Copperfield,' returned Mr. Micawber, 'your confidence is not, atthe existing juncture, ill-bestowed. I would beg to be allowed a startof five minutes by the clock; and then to receive the present company,inquiring for Miss Wickfield, at the office of Wickfield and Heep, whoseStipendiary I am.'

My aunt and I looked at Traddles, who nodded his approval.

'I have no more,' observed Mr. Micawber, 'to say at present.'

With which, to my infinite surprise, he included us all in acomprehensive bow, and disappeared; his manner being extremely distant,and his face extremely pale.

Traddles only smiled, and shook his head (with his hair standing uprighton the top of it), when I looked to him for an explanation; so I tookout my watch, and, as a last resource, counted off the five minutes. Myaunt, with her own watch in her hand, did the like. When the time wasexpired, Traddles gave her his arm; and we all went out together to theold house, without saying one word on the way.

We found Mr. Micawber at his desk, in the turret office on theground floor, either writing, or pretending to write, hard. The largeoffice-ruler was stuck into his waistcoat, and was not so well concealedbut that a foot or more of that instrument protruded from his bosom,like a new kind of shirt-frill.

As it appeared to me that I was expected to speak, I said aloud:

'How do you do, Mr. Micawber?'

'Mr. Copperfield,' said Mr. Micawber, gravely, 'I hope I see you well?'

'Is Miss Wickfield at home?' said I.

'Mr. Wickfield is unwell in bed, sir, of a rheumatic fever,' hereturned; 'but Miss Wickfield, I have no doubt, will be happy to see oldfriends. Will you walk in, sir?'

He preceded us to the dining-room--the first room I had entered in thathouse--and flinging open the door of Mr. Wickfield's former office,said, in a sonorous voice:

'Miss Trotwood, Mr. David Copperfield, Mr. Thomas Traddles, and Mr.Dixon!'

I had not seen Uriah Heep since the time of the blow. Our visitastonished him, evidently; not the less, I dare say, because itastonished ourselves. He did not gather his eyebrows together, for hehad none worth mentioning; but he frowned to that degree that he almostclosed his small eyes, while the hurried raising of his grisly hand tohis chin betrayed some trepidation or surprise. This was only when wewere in the act of entering his room, and when I caught a glance at himover my aunt's shoulder. A moment afterwards, he was as fawning and ashumble as ever.

'Well, I am sure,' he said. 'This is indeed an unexpected pleasure! Tohave, as I may say, all friends round St. Paul's at once, is a treatunlooked for! Mr. Copperfield, I hope I see you well, and--if I mayumbly express myself so--friendly towards them as is ever your friends,whether or not. Mrs. Copperfield, sir, I hope she's getting on. We havebeen made quite uneasy by the poor accounts we have had of her state,lately, I do assure you.'

I felt ashamed to let him take my hand, but I did not know yet what elseto do.

'Things are changed in this office, Miss Trotwood, since I was an umbleclerk, and held your pony; ain't they?' said Uriah, with his sickliestsmile. 'But I am not changed, Miss Trotwood.'

'Well, sir,' returned my aunt, 'to tell you the truth, I think you arepretty constant to the promise of your youth; if that's any satisfactionto you.'

'Thank you, Miss Trotwood,' said Uriah, writhing in his ungainly manner,'for your good opinion! Micawber, tell 'em to let Miss Agnes know--andmother. Mother will be quite in a state, when she sees the presentcompany!' said Uriah, setting chairs.

'You are not busy, Mr. Heep?' said Traddles, whose eye the cunning redeye accidentally caught, as it at once scrutinized and evaded us.

'No, Mr. Traddles,' replied Uriah, resuming his official seat, andsqueezing his bony hands, laid palm to palm between his bony knees. 'Notso much so as I could wish. But lawyers, sharks, and leeches, are noteasily satisfied, you know! Not but what myself and Micawber have ourhands pretty full, in general, on account of Mr. Wickfield's beinghardly fit for any occupation, sir. But it's a pleasure as well as aduty, I am sure, to work for him. You've not been intimate with Mr.Wickfield, I think, Mr. Traddles? I believe I've only had the honour ofseeing you once myself?'

'No, I have not been intimate with Mr. Wickfield,' returned Traddles;'or I might perhaps have waited on you long ago, Mr. Heep.'

There was something in the tone of this reply, which made Uriah look atthe speaker again, with a very sinister and suspicious expression. But,seeing only Traddles, with his good-natured face, simple manner, andhair on end, he dismissed it as he replied, with a jerk of his wholebody, but especially his throat:

'I am sorry for that, Mr. Traddles. You would have admired him as muchas we all do. His little failings would only have endeared him to youthe more. But if you would like to hear my fellow-partner eloquentlyspoken of, I should refer you to Copperfield. The family is a subjecthe's very strong upon, if you never heard him.'

I was prevented from disclaiming the compliment (if I should havedone so, in any case), by the entrance of Agnes, now ushered in by Mr.Micawber. She was not quite so self-possessed as usual, I thought; andhad evidently undergone anxiety and fatigue. But her earnest cordiality,and her quiet beauty, shone with the gentler lustre for it.

I saw Uriah watch her while she greeted us; and he reminded me of anugly and rebellious genie watching a good spirit. In the meanwhile,some slight sign passed between Mr. Micawber and Traddles; and Traddles,unobserved except by me, went out.

'Don't wait, Micawber,' said Uriah.

Mr. Micawber, with his hand upon the ruler in his breast, stood erectbefore the door, most unmistakably contemplating one of his fellow-men,and that man his employer.

'What are you waiting for?' said Uriah. 'Micawber! did you hear me tellyou not to wait?'

'Yes!' replied the immovable Mr. Micawber.

'Then why DO you wait?' said Uriah.

'Because I--in short, choose,' replied Mr. Micawber, with a burst.

Uriah's cheeks lost colour, and an unwholesome paleness, still faintlytinged by his pervading red, overspread them. He looked at Mr. Micawberattentively, with his whole face breathing short and quick in everyfeature.

'You are a dissipated fellow, as all the world knows,' he said, with aneffort at a smile, 'and I am afraid you'll oblige me to get rid of you.Go along! I'll talk to you presently.'

'If there is a scoundrel on this earth,' said Mr. Micawber, suddenlybreaking out again with the utmost vehemence, 'with whom I have alreadytalked too much, that scoundrel's name is--HEEP!'

Uriah fell back, as if he had been struck or stung. Looking slowly roundupon us with the darkest and wickedest expression that his face couldwear, he said, in a lower voice:

'Oho! This is a conspiracy! You have met here by appointment! You areplaying Booty with my clerk, are you, Copperfield? Now, take care.You'll make nothing of this. We understand each other, you and me.There's no love between us. You were always a puppy with a proudstomach, from your first coming here; and you envy me my rise, do you?None of your plots against me; I'll counterplot you! Micawber, you beoff. I'll talk to you presently.'

'Mr. Micawber,' said I, 'there is a sudden change in this fellow, inmore respects than the extraordinary one of his speaking the truth inone particular, which assures me that he is brought to bay. Deal withhim as he deserves!'

'You are a precious set of people, ain't you?' said Uriah, in the samelow voice, and breaking out into a clammy heat, which he wiped from hisforehead, with his long lean hand, 'to buy over my clerk, who is thevery scum of society,--as you yourself were, Copperfield, you know it,before anyone had charity on you,--to defame me with his lies? MissTrotwood, you had better stop this; or I'll stop your husband shorterthan will be pleasant to you. I won't know your story professionally,for nothing, old lady! Miss Wickfield, if you have any love for yourfather, you had better not join that gang. I'll ruin him, if you do.Now, come! I have got some of you under the harrow. Think twice, beforeit goes over you. Think twice, you, Micawber, if you don't want tobe crushed. I recommend you to take yourself off, and be talked topresently, you fool! while there's time to retreat. Where's mother?' hesaid, suddenly appearing to notice, with alarm, the absence of Traddles,and pulling down the bell-rope. 'Fine doings in a person's own house!'

'Mrs. Heep is here, sir,' said Traddles, returning with that worthymother of a worthy son. 'I have taken the liberty of making myself knownto her.'

'Who are you to make yourself known?' retorted Uriah. 'And what do youwant here?'

'I am the agent and friend of Mr. Wickfield, sir,' said Traddles, in acomposed and business-like way. 'And I have a power of attorney from himin my pocket, to act for him in all matters.'

'The old ass has drunk himself into a state of dotage,' said Uriah,turning uglier than before, 'and it has been got from him by fraud!'

'Something has been got from him by fraud, I know,' returned Traddlesquietly; 'and so do you, Mr. Heep. We will refer that question, if youplease, to Mr. Micawber.'

'Ury--!' Mrs. Heep began, with an anxious gesture.

'YOU hold your tongue, mother,' he returned; 'least said, soonestmended.'

'But, my Ury--'

'Will you hold your tongue, mother, and leave it to me?'

Though I had long known that his servility was false, and all hispretences knavish and hollow, I had had no adequate conception of theextent of his hypocrisy, until I now saw him with his mask off. Thesuddenness with which he dropped it, when he perceived that it wasuseless to him; the malice, insolence, and hatred, he revealed; the leerwith which he exulted, even at this moment, in the evil he had done--allthis time being desperate too, and at his wits' end for the meansof getting the better of us--though perfectly consistent with theexperience I had of him, at first took even me by surprise, who hadknown him so long, and disliked him so heartily.

I say nothing of the look he conferred on me, as he stood eyeing us,one after another; for I had always understood that he hated me, and Iremembered the marks of my hand upon his cheek. But when his eyes passedon to Agnes, and I saw the rage with which he felt his power over herslipping away, and the exhibition, in their disappointment, of theodious passions that had led him to aspire to one whose virtues he couldnever appreciate or care for, I was shocked by the mere thought of herhaving lived, an hour, within sight of such a man.

After some rubbing of the lower part of his face, and some looking at uswith those bad eyes, over his grisly fingers, he made one more addressto me, half whining, and half abusive.

'You think it justifiable, do you, Copperfield, you who pride yourselfso much on your honour and all the rest of it, to sneak about my place,eaves-dropping with my clerk? If it had been ME, I shouldn't havewondered; for I don't make myself out a gentleman (though I never wasin the streets either, as you were, according to Micawber), but beingyou!--And you're not afraid of doing this, either? You don't think atall of what I shall do, in return; or of getting yourself intotrouble for conspiracy and so forth? Very well. We shall see! Mr.What's-your-name, you were going to refer some question to Micawber.There's your referee. Why don't you make him speak? He has learnt hislesson, I see.'

Seeing that what he said had no effect on me or any of us, he sat on theedge of his table with his hands in his pockets, and one of his splayfeet twisted round the other leg, waiting doggedly for what mightfollow.

Mr. Micawber, whose impetuosity I had restrained thus far with thegreatest difficulty, and who had repeatedly interposed with the firstsyllable Of SCOUN-drel! without getting to the second, now burstforward, drew the ruler from his breast (apparently as a defensiveweapon), and produced from his pocket a foolscap document, folded in theform of a large letter. Opening this packet, with his old flourish, andglancing at the contents, as if he cherished an artistic admiration oftheir style of composition, he began to read as follows:

'"Dear Miss Trotwood and gentlemen--"'

'Bless and save the man!' exclaimed my aunt in a low voice. 'He'd writeletters by the ream, if it was a capital offence!'

Mr. Micawber, without hearing her, went on.

'"In appearing before you to denounce probably the most consummateVillain that has ever existed,"' Mr. Micawber, without looking off theletter, pointed the ruler, like a ghostly truncheon, at Uriah Heep,'"I ask no consideration for myself. The victim, from my cradle, ofpecuniary liabilities to which I have been unable to respond, I haveever been the sport and toy of debasing circumstances. Ignominy,Want, Despair, and Madness, have, collectively or separately, been theattendants of my career."'

The relish with which Mr. Micawber described himself as a prey to thesedismal calamities, was only to be equalled by the emphasis with which heread his letter; and the kind of homage he rendered to it with a roll ofhis head, when he thought he had hit a sentence very hard indeed.

'"In an accumulation of Ignominy, Want, Despair, and Madness, I enteredthe office--or, as our lively neighbour the Gaul would term it, theBureau--of the Firm, nominally conducted under the appellation ofWickfield and--HEEP, but in reality, wielded by--HEEP alone. HEEP, andonly HEEP, is the mainspring of that machine. HEEP, and only HEEP, isthe Forger and the Cheat."'

Uriah, more blue than white at these words, made a dart at the letter,as if to tear it in pieces. Mr. Micawber, with a perfect miracle ofdexterity or luck, caught his advancing knuckles with the ruler, anddisabled his right hand. It dropped at the wrist, as if it were broken.The blow sounded as if it had fallen on wood.

'The Devil take you!' said Uriah, writhing in a new way with pain. 'I'llbe even with you.'

'Approach me again, you--you--you HEEP of infamy,' gasped Mr. Micawber,'and if your head is human, I'll break it. Come on, come on!'

I think I never saw anything more ridiculous--I was sensible of it, evenat the time--than Mr. Micawber making broad-sword guards with the ruler,and crying, 'Come on!' while Traddles and I pushed him back into acorner, from which, as often as we got him into it, he persisted inemerging again.

His enemy, muttering to himself, after wringing his wounded hand forsometime, slowly drew off his neck-kerchief and bound it up; thenheld it in his other hand, and sat upon his table with his sullen facelooking down.

Mr. Micawber, when he was sufficiently cool, proceeded with his letter.

'"The stipendiary emoluments in consideration of which I entered intothe service of--HEEP,"' always pausing before that word and utteringit with astonishing vigour, '"were not defined, beyond the pittance oftwenty-two shillings and six per week. The rest was left contingent onthe value of my professional exertions; in other and more expressivewords, on the baseness of my nature, the cupidity of my motives, thepoverty of my family, the general moral (or rather immoral) resemblancebetween myself and--HEEP. Need I say, that it soon became necessary forme to solicit from--HEEP--pecuniary advances towards the support ofMrs. Micawber, and our blighted but rising family? Need I say that thisnecessity had been foreseen by--HEEP? That those advances were securedby I.O.U.'s and other similar acknowledgements, known to the legalinstitutions of this country? And that I thus became immeshed in the webhe had spun for my reception?"'

Mr. Micawber's enjoyment of his epistolary powers, in describing thisunfortunate state of things, really seemed to outweigh any pain oranxiety that the reality could have caused him. He read on:

'"Then it was that--HEEP--began to favour me with just so much of hisconfidence, as was necessary to the discharge of his infernal business.Then it was that I began, if I may so Shakespearianly express myself, todwindle, peak, and pine. I found that my services were constantlycalled into requisition for the falsification of business, and themystification of an individual whom I will designate as Mr. W. That Mr.W. was imposed upon, kept in ignorance, and deluded, in every possibleway; yet, that all this while, the ruffian--HEEP--was professingunbounded gratitude to, and unbounded friendship for, that much-abusedgentleman. This was bad enough; but, as the philosophic Dane observes,with that universal applicability which distinguishes the illustriousornament of the Elizabethan Era, worse remains behind!"'

Mr. Micawber was so very much struck by this happy rounding off with aquotation, that he indulged himself, and us, with a second reading ofthe sentence, under pretence of having lost his place.

'"It is not my intention,"' he continued reading on, '"to enter on adetailed list, within the compass of the present epistle (though itis ready elsewhere), of the various malpractices of a minor nature,affecting the individual whom I have denominated Mr. W., to which Ihave been a tacitly consenting party. My object, when the contest withinmyself between stipend and no stipend, baker and no baker, existenceand non-existence, ceased, was to take advantage of my opportunitiesto discover and expose the major malpractices committed, to thatgentleman's grievous wrong and injury, by--HEEP. Stimulated by thesilent monitor within, and by a no less touching and appealing monitorwithout--to whom I will briefly refer as Miss W.--I entered on a notunlaborious task of clandestine investigation, protracted--now, to thebest of my knowledge, information, and belief, over a period exceedingtwelve calendar months."'

He read this passage as if it were from an Act of Parliament; andappeared majestically refreshed by the sound of the words.

'"My charges against--HEEP,"' he read on, glancing at him, and drawingthe ruler into a convenient position under his left arm, in case ofneed, '"are as follows."'

We all held our breath, I think. I am sure Uriah held his.

'"First,"' said Mr. Micawber, '"When Mr. W.'s faculties and memoryfor business became, through causes into which it is not necessary orexpedient for me to enter, weakened and confused,--HEEP--designedlyperplexed and complicated the whole of the official transactions. WhenMr. W. was least fit to enter on business,--HEEP was always at handto force him to enter on it. He obtained Mr. W.'s signature under suchcircumstances to documents of importance, representing them to be otherdocuments of no importance. He induced Mr. W. to empower him to drawout, thus, one particular sum of trust-money, amounting to twelve sixfourteen, two and nine, and employed it to meet pretended businesscharges and deficiencies which were either already provided for, orhad never really existed. He gave this proceeding, throughout, theappearance of having originated in Mr. W.'s own dishonest intention, andof having been accomplished by Mr. W.'s own dishonest act; and has usedit, ever since, to torture and constrain him."'

'You shall prove this, you Copperfield!' said Uriah, with a threateningshake of the head. 'All in good time!'

'Ask--HEEP--Mr. Traddles, who lived in his house after him,' said Mr.Micawber, breaking off from the letter; 'will you?'

'The fool himself--and lives there now,' said Uriah, disdainfully.

'Ask--HEEP--if he ever kept a pocket-book in that house,' said Mr.Micawber; 'will you?'

I saw Uriah's lank hand stop, involuntarily, in the scraping of hischin.

'Or ask him,' said Mr. Micawber,'if he ever burnt one there. If he saysyes, and asks you where the ashes are, refer him to Wilkins Micawber,and he will hear of something not at all to his advantage!'

The triumphant flourish with which Mr. Micawber delivered himself ofthese words, had a powerful effect in alarming the mother; who criedout, in much agitation:

'Ury, Ury! Be umble, and make terms, my dear!'

'Mother!' he retorted, 'will you keep quiet? You're in a fright, anddon't know what you say or mean. Umble!' he repeated, looking at me,with a snarl; 'I've umbled some of 'em for a pretty long time back,umble as I was!'

Mr. Micawber, genteelly adjusting his chin in his cravat, presentlyproceeded with his composition.

'"Second. HEEP has, on several occasions, to the best of my knowledge,information, and belief--"'

'But that won't do,' muttered Uriah, relieved. 'Mother, you keep quiet.'

'We will endeavour to provide something that WILL do, and do for youfinally, sir, very shortly,' replied Mr. Micawber.

'"Second. HEEP has, on several occasions, to the best of my knowledge,information, and belief, systematically forged, to various entries,books, and documents, the signature of Mr. W.; and has distinctly doneso in one instance, capable of proof by me. To wit, in manner following,that is to say:"'

Again, Mr. Micawber had a relish in this formal piling up of words,which, however ludicrously displayed in his case, was, I must say, notat all peculiar to him. I have observed it, in the course of my life,in numbers of men. It seems to me to be a general rule. In the taking oflegal oaths, for instance, deponents seem to enjoy themselves mightilywhen they come to several good words in succession, for the expressionof one idea; as, that they utterly detest, abominate, and abjure, or soforth; and the old anathemas were made relishing on the same principle.We talk about the tyranny of words, but we like to tyrannize over themtoo; we are fond of having a large superfluous establishment of words towait upon us on great occasions; we think it looks important, and soundswell. As we are not particular about the meaning of our liveries onstate occasions, if they be but fine and numerous enough, so, themeaning or necessity of our words is a secondary consideration, if therebe but a great parade of them. And as individuals get into trouble bymaking too great a show of liveries, or as slaves when they are toonumerous rise against their masters, so I think I could mention anation that has got into many great difficulties, and will get into manygreater, from maintaining too large a retinue of words.

Mr. Micawber read on, almost smacking his lips:

'"To wit, in manner following, that is to say. Mr. W. being infirm, andit being within the bounds of probability that his decease might leadto some discoveries, and to the downfall of--HEEP'S--power over the W.family,--as I, Wilkins Micawber, the undersigned, assume--unless thefilial affection of his daughter could be secretly influenced fromallowing any investigation of the partnership affairs to be ever made,the said--HEEP--deemed it expedient to have a bond ready by him, as fromMr. W., for the before-mentioned sum of twelve six fourteen, two andnine, with interest, stated therein to have been advanced by--HEEP--toMr. W. to save Mr. W. from dishonour; though really the sum was neveradvanced by him, and has long been replaced. The signatures to thisinstrument purporting to be executed by Mr. W. and attested by WilkinsMicawber, are forgeries by--HEEP. I have, in my possession, in his handand pocket-book, several similar imitations of Mr. W.'s signature, hereand there defaced by fire, but legible to anyone. I never attested anysuch document. And I have the document itself, in my possession."' UriahHeep, with a start, took out of his pocket a bunch of keys, and openeda certain drawer; then, suddenly bethought himself of what he was about,and turned again towards us, without looking in it.

'"And I have the document,"' Mr. Micawber read again, looking about asif it were the text of a sermon, '"in my possession,--that is to say,I had, early this morning, when this was written, but have sincerelinquished it to Mr. Traddles."'

'It is quite true,' assented Traddles.

'Ury, Ury!' cried the mother, 'be umble and make terms. I know myson will be umble, gentlemen, if you'll give him time to think. Mr.Copperfield, I'm sure you know that he was always very umble, sir!'

It was singular to see how the mother still held to the old trick, whenthe son had abandoned it as useless.

'Mother,' he said, with an impatient bite at the handkerchief in whichhis hand was wrapped, 'you had better take and fire a loaded gun at me.'

'But I love you, Ury,' cried Mrs. Heep. And I have no doubt she did; orthat he loved her, however strange it may appear; though, to be sure,they were a congenial couple. 'And I can't bear to hear you provokingthe gentlemen, and endangering of yourself more. I told the gentlemanat first, when he told me upstairs it was come to light, that I wouldanswer for your being umble, and making amends. Oh, see how umble I am,gentlemen, and don't mind him!'

'Why, there's Copperfield, mother,' he angrily retorted, pointing hislean finger at me, against whom all his animosity was levelled, as theprime mover in the discovery; and I did not undeceive him; 'there'sCopperfield, would have given you a hundred pound to say less thanyou've blurted out!'

'I can't help it, Ury,' cried his mother. 'I can't see you running intodanger, through carrying your head so high. Better be umble, as youalways was.'

He remained for a little, biting the handkerchief, and then said to mewith a scowl:

'What more have you got to bring forward? If anything, go on with it.What do you look at me for?'

Mr. Micawber promptly resumed his letter, glad to revert to aperformance with which he was so highly satisfied.

'"Third. And last. I am now in a condition to show, by--HEEP'S--falsebooks, and--HEEP'S--real memoranda, beginning with the partiallydestroyed pocket-book (which I was unable to comprehend, at the time ofits accidental discovery by Mrs. Micawber, on our taking possession ofour present abode, in the locker or bin devoted to the reception of theashes calcined on our domestic hearth), that the weaknesses, the faults,the very virtues, the parental affections, and the sense of honour, ofthe unhappy Mr. W. have been for years acted on by, and warped to thebase purposes of--HEEP. That Mr. W. has been for years deluded andplundered, in every conceivable manner, to the pecuniary aggrandisementof the avaricious, false, and grasping--HEEP. That the engrossing objectof--HEEP--was, next to gain, to subdue Mr. and Miss W. (of his ulteriorviews in reference to the latter I say nothing) entirely to himself.That his last act, completed but a few months since, was to induce Mr.W. to execute a relinquishment of his share in the partnership, and evena bill of sale on the very furniture of his house, in consideration of acertain annuity, to be well and truly paid by--HEEP--on the four commonquarter-days in each and every year. That these meshes; beginning withalarming and falsified accounts of the estate of which Mr. W. is thereceiver, at a period when Mr. W. had launched into imprudent andill-judged speculations, and may not have had the money, for which hewas morally and legally responsible, in hand; going on with pretendedborrowings of money at enormous interest, really coming from--HEEP--andby--HEEP--fraudulently obtained or withheld from Mr. W. himself,on pretence of such speculations or otherwise; perpetuated by amiscellaneous catalogue of unscrupulous chicaneries--graduallythickened, until the unhappy Mr. W. could see no world beyond. Bankrupt,as he believed, alike in circumstances, in all other hope, andin honour, his sole reliance was upon the monster in the garb ofman,"'--Mr. Micawber made a good deal of this, as a new turn ofexpression,--'"who, by making himself necessary to him, had achieved hisdestruction. All this I undertake to show. Probably much more!"'

I whispered a few words to Agnes, who was weeping, half joyfully, halfsorrowfully, at my side; and there was a movement among us, as if Mr.Micawber had finished. He said, with exceeding gravity, 'Pardon me,'and proceeded, with a mixture of the lowest spirits and the most intenseenjoyment, to the peroration of his letter.

'"I have now concluded. It merely remains for me to substantiate theseaccusations; and then, with my ill-starred family, to disappear from thelandscape on which we appear to be an encumbrance. That is soon done. Itmay be reasonably inferred that our baby will first expire of inanition,as being the frailest member of our circle; and that our twins willfollow next in order. So be it! For myself, my Canterbury Pilgrimage hasdone much; imprisonment on civil process, and want, will soon do more.I trust that the labour and hazard of an investigation--of which thesmallest results have been slowly pieced together, in the pressure ofarduous avocations, under grinding penurious apprehensions, at rise ofmorn, at dewy eve, in the shadows of night, under the watchful eye ofone whom it were superfluous to call Demon--combined with the struggleof parental Poverty to turn it, when completed, to the right account,may be as the sprinkling of a few drops of sweet water on my funeralpyre. I ask no more. Let it be, in justice, merely said of me, as of agallant and eminent naval Hero, with whom I have no pretensions tocope, that what I have done, I did, in despite of mercenary and selfishobjects,

For England, home, and Beauty.

'"Remaining always, &c. &c., WILKINS MICAWBER."'

Much affected, but still intensely enjoying himself, Mr. Micawber foldedup his letter, and handed it with a bow to my aunt, as something shemight like to keep.

There was, as I had noticed on my first visit long ago, an iron safe inthe room. The key was in it. A hasty suspicion seemed to strike Uriah;and, with a glance at Mr. Micawber, he went to it, and threw the doorsclanking open. It was empty.

'Where are the books?' he cried, with a frightful face. 'Some thief hasstolen the books!'

Mr. Micawber tapped himself with the ruler. 'I did, when I got the keyfrom you as usual--but a little earlier--and opened it this morning.'

'Don't be uneasy,' said Traddles. 'They have come into my possession. Iwill take care of them, under the authority I mentioned.'

'You receive stolen goods, do you?' cried Uriah.

'Under such circumstances,' answered Traddles, 'yes.'

What was my astonishment when I beheld my aunt, who had been profoundlyquiet and attentive, make a dart at Uriah Heep, and seize him by thecollar with both hands!

'You know what I want?' said my aunt.

'A strait-waistcoat,' said he.

'No. My property!' returned my aunt. 'Agnes, my dear, as long asI believed it had been really made away with by your father, Iwouldn't--and, my dear, I didn't, even to Trot, as he knows--breathe asyllable of its having been placed here for investment. But, now I knowthis fellow's answerable for it, and I'll have it! Trot, come and takeit away from him!'

Whether my aunt supposed, for the moment, that he kept her property inhis neck-kerchief, I am sure I don't know; but she certainly pulled atit as if she thought so. I hastened to put myself between them, and toassure her that we would all take care that he should make the utmostrestitution of everything he had wrongly got. This, and a few moments'reflection, pacified her; but she was not at all disconcerted by whatshe had done (though I cannot say as much for her bonnet) and resumedher seat composedly.

During the last few minutes, Mrs. Heep had been clamouring to her sonto be 'umble'; and had been going down on her knees to all of us insuccession, and making the wildest promises. Her son sat her down in hischair; and, standing sulkily by her, holding her arm with his hand, butnot rudely, said to me, with a ferocious look:

'What do you want done?'

'I will tell you what must be done,' said Traddles.

'Has that Copperfield no tongue?' muttered Uriah, 'I would do a gooddeal for you if you could tell me, without lying, that somebody had cutit out.'

'My Uriah means to be umble!' cried his mother. 'Don't mind what hesays, good gentlemen!'

'What must be done,' said Traddles, 'is this. First, the deed ofrelinquishment, that we have heard of, must be given over to menow--here.'

'Suppose I haven't got it,' he interrupted.

'But you have,' said Traddles; 'therefore, you know, we won't supposeso.' And I cannot help avowing that this was the first occasion onwhich I really did justice to the clear head, and the plain, patient,practical good sense, of my old schoolfellow. 'Then,' said Traddles,'you must prepare to disgorge all that your rapacity has becomepossessed of, and to make restoration to the last farthing. All thepartnership books and papers must remain in our possession; all yourbooks and papers; all money accounts and securities, of both kinds. Inshort, everything here.'

'Must it? I don't know that,' said Uriah. 'I must have time to thinkabout that.'

'Certainly,' replied Traddles; 'but, in the meanwhile, and untileverything is done to our satisfaction, we shall maintain possessionof these things; and beg you--in short, compel you--to keep to your ownroom, and hold no communication with anyone.'

'I won't do it!' said Uriah, with an oath.

'Maidstone jail is a safer place of detention,' observed Traddles; 'andthough the law may be longer in righting us, and may not be able toright us so completely as you can, there is no doubt of its punishingYOU. Dear me, you know that quite as well as I! Copperfield, will you goround to the Guildhall, and bring a couple of officers?'

Here, Mrs. Heep broke out again, crying on her knees to Agnes tointerfere in their behalf, exclaiming that he was very humble, and itwas all true, and if he didn't do what we wanted, she would, and muchmore to the same purpose; being half frantic with fears for her darling.To inquire what he might have done, if he had had any boldness, wouldbe like inquiring what a mongrel cur might do, if it had the spirit ofa tiger. He was a coward, from head to foot; and showed his dastardlynature through his sullenness and mortification, as much as at any timeof his mean life.

'Stop!' he growled to me; and wiped his hot face with his hand. 'Mother,hold your noise. Well! Let 'em have that deed. Go and fetch it!'

'Do you help her, Mr. Dick,' said Traddles, 'if you please.'

Proud of his commission, and understanding it, Mr. Dick accompanied heras a shepherd's dog might accompany a sheep. But, Mrs. Heep gave himlittle trouble; for she not only returned with the deed, but with thebox in which it was, where we found a banker's book and some otherpapers that were afterwards serviceable.

'Good!' said Traddles, when this was brought. 'Now, Mr. Heep, you canretire to think: particularly observing, if you please, that I declareto you, on the part of all present, that there is only one thing to bedone; that it is what I have explained; and that it must be done withoutdelay.'

Uriah, without lifting his eyes from the ground, shuffled across theroom with his hand to his chin, and pausing at the door, said:

'Copperfield, I have always hated you. You've always been an upstart,and you've always been against me.'

'As I think I told you once before,' said I, 'it is you who have been,in your greed and cunning, against all the world. It may be profitableto you to reflect, in future, that there never were greed and cunning inthe world yet, that did not do too much, and overreach themselves. It isas certain as death.'

'Or as certain as they used to teach at school (the same school where Ipicked up so much umbleness), from nine o'clock to eleven, that labourwas a curse; and from eleven o'clock to one, that it was a blessing anda cheerfulness, and a dignity, and I don't know what all, eh?' saidhe with a sneer. 'You preach, about as consistent as they did.Won't umbleness go down? I shouldn't have got round my gentlemanfellow-partner without it, I think. --Micawber, you old bully, I'll payYOU!'

Mr. Micawber, supremely defiant of him and his extended finger, andmaking a great deal of his chest until he had slunk out at the door,then addressed himself to me, and proffered me the satisfaction of'witnessing the re-establishment of mutual confidence between himselfand Mrs. Micawber'. After which, he invited the company generally to thecontemplation of that affecting spectacle.

'The veil that has long been interposed between Mrs. Micawber andmyself, is now withdrawn,' said Mr. Micawber; 'and my children and theAuthor of their Being can once more come in contact on equal terms.'

As we were all very grateful to him, and all desirous to show that wewere, as well as the hurry and disorder of our spirits would permit, Idare say we should all have gone, but that it was necessary for Agnes toreturn to her father, as yet unable to bear more than the dawn ofhope; and for someone else to hold Uriah in safe keeping. So, Traddlesremained for the latter purpose, to be presently relieved by Mr. Dick;and Mr. Dick, my aunt, and I, went home with Mr. Micawber. As I partedhurriedly from the dear girl to whom I owed so much, and thought fromwhat she had been saved, perhaps, that morning--her better resolutionnotwithstanding--I felt devoutly thankful for the miseries of my youngerdays which had brought me to the knowledge of Mr. Micawber.

His house was not far off; and as the street door opened into thesitting-room, and he bolted in with a precipitation quite his own,we found ourselves at once in the bosom of the family. Mr. Micawberexclaiming, 'Emma! my life!' rushed into Mrs. Micawber's arms. Mrs.Micawber shrieked, and folded Mr. Micawber in her embrace. MissMicawber, nursing the unconscious stranger of Mrs. Micawber's lastletter to me, was sensibly affected. The stranger leaped. The twinstestified their joy by several inconvenient but innocent demonstrations.Master Micawber, whose disposition appeared to have been soured byearly disappointment, and whose aspect had become morose, yielded to hisbetter feelings, and blubbered.

'Emma!' said Mr. Micawber. 'The cloud is past from my mind. Mutualconfidence, so long preserved between us once, is restored, to knowno further interruption. Now, welcome poverty!' cried Mr. Micawber,shedding tears. 'Welcome misery, welcome houselessness, welcome hunger,rags, tempest, and beggary! Mutual confidence will sustain us to theend!'

With these expressions, Mr. Micawber placed Mrs. Micawber in a chair,and embraced the family all round; welcoming a variety of bleakprospects, which appeared, to the best of my judgement, to be anythingbut welcome to them; and calling upon them to come out into Canterburyand sing a chorus, as nothing else was left for their support.

But Mrs. Micawber having, in the strength of her emotions, fainted away,the first thing to be done, even before the chorus could be consideredcomplete, was to recover her. This my aunt and Mr. Micawber did; andthen my aunt was introduced, and Mrs. Micawber recognized me.

'Excuse me, dear Mr. Copperfield,' said the poor lady, giving me herhand, 'but I am not strong; and the removal of the late misunderstandingbetween Mr. Micawber and myself was at first too much for me.'

'Is this all your family, ma'am?' said my aunt.

'There are no more at present,' returned Mrs. Micawber.

'Good gracious, I didn't mean that, ma'am,' said my aunt. 'I mean, areall these yours?'

'Madam,' replied Mr. Micawber, 'it is a true bill.'

'And that eldest young gentleman, now,' said my aunt, musing, 'what hashe been brought up to?'

'It was my hope when I came here,' said Mr. Micawber, 'to have gotWilkins into the Church: or perhaps I shall express my meaning morestrictly, if I say the Choir. But there was no vacancy for a tenor inthe venerable Pile for which this city is so justly eminent; and hehas--in short, he has contracted a habit of singing in public-houses,rather than in sacred edifices.'

'But he means well,' said Mrs. Micawber, tenderly.

'I dare say, my love,' rejoined Mr. Micawber, 'that he meansparticularly well; but I have not yet found that he carries out hismeaning, in any given direction whatsoever.'

Master Micawber's moroseness of aspect returned upon him again, and hedemanded, with some temper, what he was to do? Whether he had been borna carpenter, or a coach-painter, any more than he had been born a bird?Whether he could go into the next street, and open a chemist's shop?Whether he could rush to the next assizes, and proclaim himself alawyer? Whether he could come out by force at the opera, and succeedby violence? Whether he could do anything, without being brought up tosomething?

My aunt mused a little while, and then said:

'Mr. Micawber, I wonder you have never turned your thoughts toemigration.'

'Madam,' returned Mr. Micawber, 'it was the dream of my youth, and thefallacious aspiration of my riper years.' I am thoroughly persuaded, bythe by, that he had never thought of it in his life.

'Aye?' said my aunt, with a glance at me. 'Why, what a thing it wouldbe for yourselves and your family, Mr. and Mrs. Micawber, if you were toemigrate now.'

'Capital, madam, capital,' urged Mr. Micawber, gloomily.

'That is the principal, I may say the only difficulty, my dear Mr.Copperfield,' assented his wife.

'Capital?' cried my aunt. 'But you are doing us a great service--havedone us a great service, I may say, for surely much will come out ofthe fire--and what could we do for you, that would be half so good as tofind the capital?'

'I could not receive it as a gift,' said Mr. Micawber, full of fire andanimation, 'but if a sufficient sum could be advanced, say at five percent interest, per annum, upon my personal liability--say my notes ofhand, at twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four months, respectively, toallow time for something to turn up--'

'Could be? Can be and shall be, on your own terms,' returned my aunt,'if you say the word. Think of this now, both of you. Here are somepeople David knows, going out to Australia shortly. If you decide to go,why shouldn't you go in the same ship? You may help each other. Think ofthis now, Mr. and Mrs. Micawber. Take your time, and weigh it well.'

'There is but one question, my dear ma'am, I could wish to ask,' saidMrs. Micawber. 'The climate, I believe, is healthy?'

'Finest in the world!' said my aunt.

'Just so,' returned Mrs. Micawber. 'Then my question arises. Now, arethe circumstances of the country such, that a man of Mr. Micawber'sabilities would have a fair chance of rising in the social scale? I willnot say, at present, might he aspire to be Governor, or anything of thatsort; but would there be a reasonable opening for his talents todevelop themselves--that would be amply sufficient--and find their ownexpansion?'

'No better opening anywhere,' said my aunt, 'for a man who conductshimself well, and is industrious.'

'For a man who conducts himself well,' repeated Mrs. Micawber, with herclearest business manner, 'and is industrious. Precisely. It isevident to me that Australia is the legitimate sphere of action for Mr.Micawber!'

'I entertain the conviction, my dear madam,' said Mr. Micawber, 'thatit is, under existing circumstances, the land, the only land, for myselfand family; and that something of an extraordinary nature will turn upon that shore. It is no distance--comparatively speaking; and thoughconsideration is due to the kindness of your proposal, I assure you thatis a mere matter of form.'

Shall I ever forget how, in a moment, he was the most sanguine of men,looking on to fortune; or how Mrs. Micawber presently discoursedabout the habits of the kangaroo! Shall I ever recall that street ofCanterbury on a market-day, without recalling him, as he walkedback with us; expressing, in the hardy roving manner he assumed, theunsettled habits of a temporary sojourner in the land; and looking atthe bullocks, as they came by, with the eye of an Australian farmer!