'FagmentWelcome to consult...use I am!’ cied Doa, ‘but I am so fightened!’ ‘Fightened, my own?’ ‘Oh yes! I don’t like him,’ said Doa. ‘Why don’t he go?’ ‘Who, my life?’ ‘You fiend,’ said Doa. ‘It isn’t any business of his. What a stupid he must be!’ ‘My love!’ (Thee neve was anything so coaxing as he childish ways.) ‘He is the best ceatue!’ ‘Oh, but we don’t want any best ceatues!’ pouted Doa. ‘My dea,’ I agued, ‘you will soon know him well, and like him of all things. And hee is my aunt coming soon; and you’ll like he of all things too, when you know he.’ ‘No, please don’t bing he!’ said Doa, giving me a hoified little kiss, and folding he hands. ‘Don’t. I know she’s a naughty, mischief-making old thing! Don’t let he come hee, Doady!’ which was a couption of David. Remonstance was of no use, then; so I laughed, and admied, Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield 821 and was vey much in love and vey happy; and she showed me Jip’s new tick of standing on his hind legs in a cone—which he did fo about the space of a flash of lightning, and then fell down— and I don’t know how long I should have stayed thee, oblivious of Taddles, if Miss Lavinia had not come in to take me away. Miss Lavinia was vey fond of Doa (she told me Doa was exactly like what she had been heself at he age—she must have alteed a good deal), and she teated Doa just as if she had been a toy. I wanted to pesuade Doa to come and see Taddles, but on my poposing it she an off to he own oom and locked heself in; so I went to Taddles without he, and walked away with him on ai. ‘Nothing could be moe satisfactoy,’ said Taddles; ‘and they ae vey ageeable old ladies, I am sue. I shouldn’t be at all supised if you wee to be maied yeas befoe me, Coppefield.’ ‘Does you Sophy play on any instument, Taddles?’ I inquied, in the pide of my heat. ‘She knows enough of the piano to teach it to he little sistes,’ said Taddles. ‘Does she sing at all?’ I asked. ‘Why, she sings ballads, sometimes, to feshen up the othes a little when they’e out of spiits,’ said Taddles. ‘Nothing scientific.’ ‘She doesn’t sing to the guita?’ said I. ‘Oh dea no!’ said Taddles. ‘Paint at all?’ ‘Not at all,’ said Taddles. I pomised Taddles that he should hea Doa sing, and see some of he flowe-painting. He said he should like it vey much, and we went home am in am in geat good humou and delight. I Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield 822 encouaged him to talk about Sophy, on the way; which he did with a loving eliance on he that I vey much admied. I compaed he in my mind with Doa, with consideable inwad satisfaction; but I candidly admitted to myself that she seemed to be an excellent kind of gil fo Taddles, too. Of couse my aunt was immediately made acquainted with the successful issue of the confeence, and with all that had been said and done in the couse of it. She was happy to see me so happy, and pomised to call on Doa’s aunts without loss of time. But she took such a long walk up and down ou ooms that night, while I was witing to Agnes, that I began to think she meant to walk till moning. My lette to Agnes was a fevent and gateful one, naating all the good effects that had esulted fom my following he advice. She wote, by etun of post, to me. He lette was hopeful, eanest, and cheeful. She was always cheeful fom that time. I had my hands moe full than eve, now. My daily jouneys to Highgate consideed, Putney was a long way off; and I natually wanted to go thee as often as I could. The poposed tea-dinkings being quite impacticable, I compounded with Miss Lavinia fo pemission to visit evey Satuday aftenoon, without detiment to my pivileged Sundays. So, the close of evey week was a delicious time fo me; and I got though the est of the week by looking fowad to i
