Charles Dickens' Children Stories Read online

  LITTLE DAVID COPPERFIELD.

  Little David Copperfield lived with his mother in a pretty house in thevillage of Blunderstone in Suffolk. His father died before David couldremember anything and he had neither brothers nor sisters. He was fondlyloved by his pretty young mother, and their kind, good servant Peggotty,and David was a very happy little fellow. They had very few friends, andthe only relation Mrs. Copperfield talked about was an aunt of David'sfather, a tall and rather terrible old lady, from all accounts. Onevisitor, a tall dark gentleman, David did not like at all, and he wasrather inclined to be jealous that his mother should be friendly withthe stranger.

  One day Peggotty, the servant, asked David if he would like to go withher on a visit to her brother at Yarmouth.

  "Is your brother an agreeable man, Peggotty?" he enquired.

  "Oh, what an agreeable man he is!" cried Peggotty. "Then there's thesea, and the boats and ships, and the fishermen, and the beach. And 'Amto play with."

  Ham was her nephew. David was quite anxious to go when he heard of allthese delights; but his mother, what would she do all alone? Peggottytold him his mother was going to pay a visit to some friends, and wouldbe sure to let him go. So all was arranged, and they were to start thenext day in the carrier's cart. When they arrived at Yarmouth, theyfound Ham waiting to meet them. He was a great strong fellow, six feethigh, and took David on his back and the box under his arm to carry bothto the house. David was delighted to find that this house was made of areal big black boat, with a door and windows cut in the side, and aniron funnel sticking out of the roof for a chimney. Inside, it was verycosy and clean, and David had a tiny bedroom in the stern. He was verymuch pleased to find a dear little girl, about his own age, to playwith, and soon discovered that she and Ham were orphans, children of Mr.Peggotty's brother and sister, whose fathers had been drowned at sea, sokind Mr. Peggotty had taken them to live with him. David was very happyin this queer house, playing on the beach with Em'ly, as they called thelittle girl, and told her all about his happy home; and she told him howher father had been drowned at sea before she came to live with heruncle. David said he thought Mr. Peggotty must be a very good man.

  "Good!" said Em'ly. "If ever I was to be a lady, I'd give him a sky-bluecoat with diamond buttons, nankeen trousers, a red velvet waistcoat, acocked hat, a large gold watch, a silver pipe, and a box of money!"

  David was quite sorry to leave these kind people and his dear littlecompanion, but still he was glad to think he should get back to his owndear mamma. When he reached home, however, he found a great change. Hismother was married to the dark man David did not like, whose name wasMr. Murdstone, and he was a stern, hard man, who had no love for littleDavid, and did not allow his mother to pet and indulge him as she haddone before. Mr. Murdstone's sister came to live with them, and as shewas even more difficult to please than her brother, and disliked boys,David's life was no longer a happy one. He had always had lessons withhis mother, and as she was patient and gentle, he had enjoyed learningto read, but now he had a great many very hard lessons to do, and was sofrightened and shy when Mr. and Miss Murdstone were in the room, that hedid not get on at all well, and was continually in disgrace. His onlypleasure was to go up into the little room at the top of the housewhere he had found a number of books that had belonged to his ownfather, and he would sit and read Robinson Crusoe, and many tales oftravels and adventures.

  But one day he got into sad trouble over his lessons, and Mr. Murdstonewas very angry, and took him away from his mother and beat him with acane. David had never been beaten in his life before, and was somaddened by pain and rage that he bit Mr. Murdstone's hand! Now, indeed,he had done something to deserve the punishment, and Mr. Murdstone in afury, beat him savagely, and left him sobbing and crying on the floor.David was kept locked up in his room for some days, seeing no one butMiss Murdstone, who brought him his food. At last, one night, he heardhis name whispered at the key hole.

  "Is that you, Peggotty?" he asked, groping his way to the door.

  "Yes, my precious Davy. Be as soft as a mouse or the cat will hear us."

  David understood she meant Miss Murdstone, whose room was quite near."How's mamma, Peggotty dear? Is she very angry with me?" he whispered.

  "No--not very," she said.

  "What is going to be done with me, dear Peggotty, do you know?" askedpoor David, who had been wondering all these long, lonely days.

  "School--near London--"

  "When, Peggotty?"

  "To-morrow," answered Peggotty.

  "Shan't I see mamma?"

  "Yes--morning," she said, and went on to promise David she would alwayslove him, and take the greatest care of his dear mamma, and write himevery week.

  The next morning David saw his mother, very pale and with red eyes. Heran to her arms and begged her to forgive him.

  "Oh, Davy," she said, "that you should hurt anyone I love! I forgiveyou, Davy, but it grieves me so that you should have such bad passionsin your heart. Try to be better, pray to be better."

  David was very unhappy that his mother should think him so wicked, andthough she kissed him, and said, "I forgive you, my dear boy, God blessyou," he cried so bitterly when he was on his way in the carrier'scart, that his pocket handkerchief had to be spread out on the horse'sback to dry.

  After they had gone a little way the cart stopped, and Peggotty camerunning up, with a parcel of cakes and a purse for David. After givinghim a good hug, she ran off.

  Davy found three bright shillings in the purse, and two half-crownswrapped in paper on which was written, in his mother's hand--"For Davy.With my love."

  Davy shared his cakes with the carrier, who asked if Peggotty made them,and David told him yes, she did all their cooking. The carrier lookedthoughtful, and then asked David if he would send a message to Peggottyfrom him. David agreed, and the message was "Barkis is willing." WhileDavid was waiting for the coach at Yarmouth, he wrote to Peggotty:

  MY DEAR PEGGOTTY,--I have come here safe. Barkis is willing. My love tomamma.--Yours affectionately."

  "_P. S._--He says he particularly wanted you to know _Barkis iswilling_."

  At Yarmouth he found dinner was ordered for him, and felt very shy athaving a table all to himself, and very much alarmed when the waitertold him he had seen a gentleman fall down dead, after drinking some oftheir beer. David said he would have some water, and was quite gratefulto the waiter for drinking the ale that had been ordered for him, forfear the people of the hotel should be offended. He also helped David toeat his dinner and accepted one of his bright shillings.

  When they got to Salem House, as the School was called, David found thathe had been sent before the holidays were over as a punishment, and wasalso to wear a placard on his back, on which was written--"Take care ofhim. He bites." This made David miserable, and he dreaded the return ofthe boys.

  Some of the boys teased David by pretending he was a dog, calling himTowser, and patting and stroking him; but, on the whole, it was not sobad as David had expected. The head boy, Steerforth, promised to takecare of him, and David loved him dearly, and thought him a great hero.Steerforth took a great fancy to the pretty bright-eyed little fellow,and David became a favorite with all the boys, by telling them all hecould remember of the tales he had read.

  One day David had a visit from Mr. Peggotty and Ham, who had brought twoenormous lobsters, a huge crab, and a large canvas bag of shrimps, asthey "remembered he was partial to a relish with his meals."

  David was proud to introduce his friend Steerforth to these kind simplefriends, and told them how good Steerforth was to him, and the "relish"was much appreciated by the boys at supper that night.

  When he got home for the holidays David found he had a little babybrother, and his mother and Peggotty were very much pleased to see himagain. Mr. and Miss Murdstone were out, and David sat with his motherand Peggotty, and told them all about his school and Steerforth, andtook the little baby in his arms and nursed it lovingly. But when theMurdstones
came back they showed plainly they disliked him, and thoughthim in the way, and scolded him, and would not allow him to touch thebaby, or even to sit with Peggotty in the kitchen, so he was not sorrywhen the time came for him to go back to school, except for leaving hisdear mamma and the baby.

  About two months after he had been back at school he was sent for oneday and told that his dear mamma had died! The wife of the head-masterwas very kind and gentle to the desolate little boy, and the boys werevery sorry for him.

  David went home the next day, and heard that the dear baby had died too.Peggotty received him with great tenderness, and told him about hismother's illness and how she had sent a loving message.

  "Tell my dearest boy that his mother, as she lay here, blessed him notonce, but a thousand times," and she had prayed to God to protect andkeep her fatherless boy.

  Mr. Murdstone did not take any notice of poor little David, nor had MissMurdstone a word of kindness for the orphan. Peggotty was to leave in amonth, and, to their great joy, David was allowed to go with her on avisit to Mr. Peggotty. On their way David found out that the mysteriousmessage he had given to Peggotty meant that Barkis wanted to marry her,and Peggotty had consented. Everyone in Mr. Peggotty's cottage waspleased to see David, and did their best to comfort him. Little Em'lywas at school when he arrived, and he went out to meet her, but when hesaw her coming along, her blue eyes bluer, and her bright face prettierthan ever, he pretended not to know her, and was passing by, when Em'lylaughed and ran away, so of course he was obliged to run and catch herand try to kiss her, but she would not let him, saying she was not ababy now. But she was kind to him all the same, and when they spokeabout the loss of his dear mother, David saw that her eyes were full oftears.

  During this visit Peggotty was married to Mr. Barkis, and had a nicelittle house of her own, and Davy spent the night before he was toreturn home in a little room in the roof.

  "Young or old, Davy dear, so long as I have this house over my head,"said Peggotty, "you shall find it as if I expected you here directlyevery minute. I shall keep it as I used to keep your old little room, mydarling, and if you was to go to China, you might think of its beingkept just the same all the time you were away."

  David felt how good and true a friend she was, and thanked her as wellas he could, for they had brought him to the gate of his home, andPeggotty had him clasped in her arms.

  How utterly wretched and forlorn he felt! He found he was not to go backto school any more, and wandered about sad and solitary, neglected anduncared for. Peggotty's weekly visits were his only comfort. No one tookany pains with him, and he had no friends near who could help him.

  At last one day, after some weary months had passed, Mr. Murdstone toldhim he was to go to London and earn his own living. There was a placefor him at Murdstone & Grinby's, a firm in the wine trade. His lodgingand clothes would be provided for him by his step-father, and he wouldearn enough for his food and pocket money. The next day David was sentup to London with the manager, dressed in a shabby little white hat withblack crape round it for his mother, a black jacket, and hard, stiffcorduroy trousers, a little fellow of ten years old to fight his ownbattles in the world!

  His place, he found, was one of the lowest, with boys of no educationand in quite an inferior station to himself--his duties were to washbottles, stick on labels, and so on. David was utterly miserable atbeing degraded in this way, and shed bitter tears, as he feared he wouldforget all he had learnt at school. His lodging, one bare little room,was in the house of some people named Micawber, shiftless, careless,good-natured people, who were always in debt and difficulties. Davidfelt great pity for their misfortunes and did what he could to help poorMrs. Micawber to sell her books and other little things she could spare,to buy food for herself, her husband, and their four children. If he hadnot been a very innocent-minded, good little boy, he might easily havefallen into bad ways at this time. But God took care of the orphan boyand kept him from harm.

  The troubles of the Micawbers increased more and more, until at lastthey were obliged to leave London. The last Sunday the Micawbers were intown David dined with them. After he had seen them off the next morningby the coach, he wrote to Peggotty to ask her if she knew where hisaunt, Miss Betsy Trotwood, lived, and to borrow half a guinea; for hehad resolved to run away from Murdstone & Grinby's, and go to his auntand tell her his story. Peggotty wrote, enclosing the half-guinea, andsaying she only knew Miss Trotwood lived near Dover, but whether in thatplace itself, or at Folkestone, Sandgate, or Hythe, she could not tell.Hearing that all these places were close together, David made up hismind to start. As he had received his week's wages in advance, he waitedtill the following Saturday, thinking it would not be honest to gobefore. He went out to look for some one to carry his box to the coachoffice, and unfortunately employed a wicked young man who not only ranoff with his box, but robbed him of his half-guinea, leaving poor Davidin dire distress. In despair, he started off to walk to Dover, and wasforced to sell his waistcoat to buy some bread. The first night he foundhis way to his old school at Blackheath, and slept on a haystack closeby, feeling some comfort in the thought of the boys being near. He knewSteerforth had left, or he would have tried to see him.

  On he trudged the next day and sold his jacket for one shilling andfourpence. He was afraid to buy anything but bread or to spend any moneyon a bed or a shelter for the night. After six days, he arrived atDover, ragged, dusty, and half-dead with hunger and fatigue. But here,at first, he could get no tidings of his aunt, and, in despair, wasgoing to try some of the other places Peggotty had mentioned, when thedriver of a fly dropped his horsecloth, and as David was handing it upto him, he saw something kind in the man's face that encouraged him toask once more if he knew where Miss Trotwood lived.

  LITTLE DAVID COPPERFIELD.]

  The man directed him towards some houses on the heights, and thitherDavid toiled; a forlorn little creature, without a jacket or waistcoat,his white hat crushed out of shape, his shoes worn out, his shirt andtrousers torn and stained, his pretty curly hair tangled, his face andhands sunburnt, and covered with dust. Lifting his big, wistful eyes toone of the windows above, he saw a pleasant faced gentleman with greyhair, who nodded at him several times, then shook his head and wentaway. David was just turning away to think what he should do, when atall, erect, elderly lady, with a gardening apron on and a knife in herhand, came out of the house, and began to dig up a root in the garden.

  "Go away," she cried. "Go away. No boys here."

  But David felt desperate. Going in softly, he stood beside her, andtouched her with his finger, and said timidly, "If you please, ma'am--"and when she looked up, he went on--

  "Please, aunt, I am your nephew."

  "Oh, Lord!" she exclaimed in astonishment, and sat flat down on thepath, staring at him, while he went on--

  "I am David Copperfield, of Blunderstone, in Suffolk, where you came thenight I was born, and saw my dear mamma. I have been unhappy since shedied. I have been slighted and taught nothing, and thrown upon myself,and put to work not fit for me. It made me run away to you. I was robbedat first starting out and have walked all the way, and have never sleptin a bed since I began the journey." Here he broke into a passion ofcrying, and his aunt jumped up and took him into the house, where sheput him on the sofa and sent the servant to ask "Mr. Dick" to come down.The gentleman whom David had seen at the window came in and was told whothe ragged little object on the sofa was.

  "Now here you see young David Copperfield, and the question is Whatshall I do with him?"

  "Do with him?" answered Mr. Dick. Then, after some consideration, andlooking at David, he said, "Well, if I was you, I would wash him!"

  David knelt down to say his prayers that night in a pleasant room facingthe sea, and as he lay in the clean, snow-white bed, he prayed he mightnever be homeless again, and might never forget the homeless.

  The next morning his aunt told him she had written to Mr. Murdstone, andat last Mr. and Miss Murdstone arrived
.

  Mr. Murdstone told Miss Betsy that David was a very bad, stubborn,violent-tempered boy, whom he had tried to improve, but could notsucceed. If Miss Trotwood chose to protect and encourage him now, shemust do it always, for he had come to fetch him away.

  "Are you ready to go, David?" asked his aunt.

  But David answered no, and begged and prayed her for his father's saketo befriend and protect him, for neither Mr. nor Miss Murdstone had everliked him or been kind to him.

  "Mr. Dick," said Miss Trotwood, "what shall I do with this child?"

  Mr. Dick considered. "Have him measured for a suit of clothes directly."

  "Mr. Dick," said Miss Trotwood, "your common sense is invaluable."

  Then she pulled David towards her, and said to Mr. Murdstone, "You cango when you like. I'll take my chance with the boy. If he's all you sayhe is I can at least do as much for him as you have done. But I don'tbelieve a word of it."

  Some clothes were bought for him that same day and marked "TrotwoodCopperfield," for his aunt wished to call him by her name.

  Now David felt his troubles were over, and he began quite a new life,well cared for and kindly treated. He was sent to a very nice school inCanterbury, where his aunt left him with these words, which David neverforgot.

  "Trot, be a credit to yourself, to me, and Mr. Dick, and Heaven be withyou. Never be mean in anything, never be false, never be cruel. Avoidthese three vices, Trot, and I shall always be hopeful of you."

  David did his best to show his gratitude to his dear aunt by studyinghard, and trying to be all she could wish.

  When you are older you can read how he grew up to be a good, clever man,and met again all his old friends, and made many new ones.