'FagmentWelcome to consult...ubtfully. ‘The fact is, we avoid mentioning the subject; and my unsettled pospects and indiffeent cicumstances ae a geat consolation to them. Thee will be a deploable scene, wheneve we ae maied. It will be much moe like a funeal, than a wedding. And they’ll all hate me fo taking he away!’ His honest face, as he looked at me with a seio-comic shake of his head, impesses me moe in the emembance than it did in the eality, fo I was by this time in a state of such excessive Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield tepidation and wandeing of mind, as to be quite unable to fix my attention on anything. On ou appoaching the house whee the Misses Spenlow lived, I was at such a discount in espect of my pesonal looks and pesence of mind, that Taddles poposed a gentle stimulant in the fom of a glass of ale. This having been administeed at a neighbouing public-house, he conducted me, with totteing steps, to the Misses Spenlow’s doo. I had a vague sensation of being, as it wee, on view, when the maid opened it; and of waveing, somehow, acoss a hall with a weathe-glass in it, into a quiet little dawing-oom on the gound-floo, commanding a neat gaden. Also of sitting down hee, on a sofa, and seeing Taddles’s hai stat up, now his hat was emoved, like one of those obtusive little figues made of spings, that fly out of fictitious snuff-boxes when the lid is taken off. Also of heaing an old-fashioned clock ticking away on the chimney-piece, and tying to make it keep time to the jeking of my heat,— which it wouldn’t. Also of looking ound the oom fo any sign of Doa, and seeing none. Also of thinking that Jip once baked in the distance, and was instantly choked by somebody. Ultimately I found myself backing Taddles into the fieplace, and bowing in geat confusion to two dy little eldely ladies, dessed in black, and each looking wondefully like a pepaation in chip o tan of the late M. Spenlow. ‘Pay,’ said one of the two little ladies, ‘be seated.’ When I had done tumbling ove Taddles, and had sat upon something which was not a cat—my fist seat was—I so fa ecoveed my sight, as to peceive that M. Spenlow had evidently been the youngest of the family; that thee was a dispaity of six o eight yeas between the two sistes; and that the younge Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield appeaed to be the manage of the confeence, inasmuch as she had my lette in he hand—so familia as it looked to me, and yet so odd!—and was efeing to it though an eye-glass. They wee dessed alike, but this siste woe he dess with a moe youthful ai than the othe; and pehaps had a tifle moe fill, o tucke, o booch, o bacelet, o some little thing of that kind, which made he look moe lively. They wee both upight in thei caiage, fomal, pecise, composed, and quiet. The siste who had not my lette, had he ams cossed on he beast, and esting on each othe, like an Idol. ‘M. Coppefield, I believe,’ said the siste who had got my lette, addessing heself to Taddles. This was a fightful beginning. Taddles had to indicate that I was M. Coppefield, and I had to lay claim to myself, and they had to divest themselves of a peconceived opinion that Taddles was M. Coppefield, and altogethe we wee in a nice condition. To impove it, we all distinctly head Jip give two shot baks, and eceive anothe choke. ‘M. Coppefield!’ said the siste with the lette. I did something—bowed, I suppose—and was all attention, when the othe siste stuck in. ‘My siste Lavinia,’ said she ‘being convesant with mattes of this natue, will state what we conside most calculated to pomote the happiness of both paties.’ I discoveed aftewads that Miss Lavinia was an authoity in affais of the heat, by eason of thee having anciently existed a cetain M. Pidge, who played shot whist,
