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Chapter 2: David is sent away to school |
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I was very unhappy during this time. |
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Mr Murdstone insisted on my studying, and so my mother gave me lessons. |
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In the past she and I had enjoyed our studies together, |
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and she had taught me a lot in her gentle way. |
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But now both Mr and Miss Murdstone were present during my lessons, |
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and somehow I could not concentrate or remember what I had learnt. |
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My poor mother was very sympathetic,and tried to encourage me,sometimes even whispering the answer to me. |
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But the Murdstones had sharp ears. |
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"Clara,my love!" Mr Murdstone used to say crossly. “ |
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"Remember!Be firm!You' re making the boy's character worse by helping him like that!" “ |
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"Oh,Edward, I'm sorry,"my mother replied,looking embarrassed and hanging her head like a guilty child. “ |
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One morning when I arrived in the sittingroom as usual for my lesson, |
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I saw that Mr Murd stone had a thin stick in his hand. I could not take my eyes off it. |
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"You must be very careful today, David," he said with his unpleasant smile, “ |
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holding the stick in both hands. I knew what would happen then. |
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A terrible fear took hold of me, and all that I had learnt disappeared immediately from my memory, |
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so that I could not answer any of my mother's questions. |
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Mr Murdstone got up from his chair. |
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"Well David，"he said heavily, "I think you've worried your mother enough today. “ |
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We'll go upstairs, boy. Come,"and he picked up the stick. |
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I heard my mother crying as we went upstairs. "Please,Mr Murdstone!"I cried. |
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"Don't beat me!I've tried to learn,really I have, sir!" “ |
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But he did not listen to me. In my bedroom,he held my arms and started hitting me with the stick. |
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I managed to get hold of his hand, and bit deep into it. |
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He cried out angrily,and began to hit me as hard as he could.Above the noise of my screams, |
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I could hear my mother and Peggotty crying outside the door. |
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Then the next moment, he was gone. I heard him lock the door. |
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And I was lying,sore and bleeding, on the floor. The whole house seemed suddenly very quiet. |
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I stayed there for a time, without moving. |
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In the evening Miss Murdstone brought me some bread and milk, |
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which she left on the floor beside me,frowning angrily at me as she went out. |
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I was kept locked in that room for five days and nights, |
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and saw nobody except Miss Murdstone, who brought me food but never spoke to me. |
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To a small boy, the five days seemed like years, |
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and I can still remember how frightened and guilty I felt. |
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But during the fifth night I heard a strange noise at the key-hole. |
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It was Peggotty,trying to give me a message. |
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"Master David,my dear,"she whispered, sobbing,"they are going to send you away to?boarding?school! Tomorrow!" “ |
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"Oh Peggotty!" I cried."Then I won't see you and mother very often!" “ |
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"No, my love. But don't forget, I'll take care of your mother. She needs her cross old Peggotty! “ |
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I'll stay with her,although I hate these Murdstones. |
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And remember,David, I love you as much as I love your mother,and more. And I'll Write to you." |
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"Thank you，dear Peggotty!"I whispered back, tears rolling down my face." “ |
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Will you write to your brother too,and Ham,and little Emily, “ |
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and tell them I'm not as bad as the Murdstones think? |
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And send my love to them,especially little Emily?" |
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Peggotty promised to do what I asked. |
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The next morning Miss Murdstone told me that because of my wickedness, I was going away to school. |
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She had already packed my case for me.My mother was only allowed to say a very quick goodbye to me, |
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when the horse and cart arrived the driver put my case on the cart, and we drove slowly out of Blunderstone. |
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I was still sobbing loudly when suddenly I saw Peggotty running after us on the road. |
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The driver stopped and waited for her.With difficulty she climbed up onto the cart. |
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"Here, Master David!" she cried breathlessly. “ |
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"A little present from me and your dear mother!Take care of yourself, my dear!" “ |
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She put a small purse and a paper bag into my hands, |
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and held me so close to her fat body that I thought I would never breathe again. |
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Then she jumped down and ran back along the road to the village. |
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As we continued our journey, I dried my tears and looked at what she had given me. |
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The bag was full of Peggotty' s special cakes, and in the purse were eight bright shilling coins. |
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Thinking of my mother and Peggotty made me start crying again,but just then the driver,Mr Barkis,began to talk to me. |
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He was a large,red-faced man, who clearly found conversation difficult. |
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"Did she make those cakes?" he asked slowly, having finished the one that I had offered him. “ |
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"You mean Peggotty, sir? Yes, she does all our cooking." “ |
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"Does she?" replied Mr Barkis with great interest. “ |
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There was a long silence while heconsideredhis next question. |
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"Does she have a young man?"he asked."You know,someone who wants to marry her?" “ |
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"Peggotty?A young man?"I repeated,surprised."Oh no,she's never had any young men." “ |
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"Ah!" replied Mr Barkis，looking very pleased. Again he thought for a long time before speaking. “ |
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"Well,"he said at last,"perhaps if you write to her—will you be writing to her?You could give her a message from me. “ |
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You could say 'Barkis is willing'.Would you do that?" |
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"'Barkis is willing'," I repeated innocently, wondering what the message meant. “‘ |
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"Yes,of course. But you could tell her yourself, Mr Barkis, when you return to Blunderstone tomorrow." “ |
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|
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After this conversation Mr Barkis was completely silent for the rest of the journey. |
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When we arrived in Yarmouth,I bought paper at the hotel and wrote this letter to Peggotty: |
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My dear Peggotty, I have arrived safely in Yarmouth. Barkis is willing. Please give my love to mother. |
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Yours,David P.S. He says it's important—Barkis is willing. |
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In Yarmouth I was put on the long－distance coach to London，and travelled all through the night. |
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At the coach station in London I was collected by a teacher, Mr Mell, |
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and taken to Salem House, the school which the Murdstones had chosen for me. |
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The school was a large old building with a dusty playground, |
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surrounded by a high brick wall. It looked strangely deserted. |
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I was very surprised to find that none of the boys were there, and was told that they were all on holiday, |
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and that I had been sent there during the holidays as a punishment for mywickedness. |
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The headmaster and teachers were on holiday too,all except for Mr Mell, who had to look after me. |
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I spent a whole month in thatmiserableplace,doing my lessons in the dirty,empty classroom, |
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which smelt of old food and unwashed boys. |
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Every evening I had to eat my supper with Mr Mell,and then go straight to bed. |
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The worst thing was the sign I had to wear round my neck. |
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It said: BE CAREFUL! HE BITES. I was only allowed to take it off when I went to bed. |
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Although I was extremely lonely and unhappy at this time,I was not looking forward to meeting all the other boys. |
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I felt sure they would laugh at me and especially at the sign I was forced to wear. |
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But one day Mr Mell told me that the headmaster, Mr Creakle, had returned, and wanted to see me. |
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So I went,trembling,to his part of the house. |
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I realized at once that Mr Creakle lived much more comfortably than the boys or the teachers. |
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He was a small,fat man with a purple nose,who was sitting in an armchair with a bottle and a glass in front of him. |
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"So, this is the boy who bites, is it?" he asked unpleasantly."I know your stepfather, boy. “ |
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He's a man of strong character,he is. He knows me,and I know him. |
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Do you know me? Answer me,boy!"He pulled violently at my ear. |
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"Not yet, sir," I answered, tears of pain in my eyes. “ |
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"Ah,but you soon will!Oh yes, I have a strong character too,you'll see!" Hebangedhis hand hard on the table. “ |
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I was very frightened，but I made myself ask the question I had beenconsideringfor a whole month. |
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" Please, sir, I'm very sorry for what I did to Mr Murdstone. Could—could I take this sign off,before the other boys see it..." “ |
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Mr Creakle gave a sudden,terrible shout and jumped out of his chair. |
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I did not wait to see whether he was going to hit me, but ran out of his room and hid in my bed for the next hour. |
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However, the boys were not as cruel to me as I had feared. |
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I made a friend almost immediately, a boy called Tommy Traddles, who was known to be the unluckiest boy in the school. |
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I was also noticed, and even smiled on, by the great James Steerforth,one of the oldest boys, at least six years older than me. |
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He was a handsome,intelligent, curly-haired young man, |
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who had become an important figure at the school,with great influence over the younger boys. |
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"How much money have you got,Copperfield?" he asked me. “ |
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"Eight shillings,Steerforth,"I answered,remembering the present my mother and Peggotty had given me. “8 |
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"You'd better give it to me. I'll take care of it for you," he offered in a friendly way. “ |
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I opened Peggotty's purse and turned it upside-down into his hand. |
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"Perhaps you'd like to spend some of it now?"he suggested,smiling." “ |
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A bottle of wine, a tin of biscuits, a few cakes, that sort of thing? “ |
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I can go out whenever I like, so I can buy it for you." |
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"Ye-es,that' s very kind of you,"I said, although I was a little worried that all my money would disappear. “ |
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When we went upstairs to bed, I realized that all my money had been spent, |
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as eight shillings' worth of food and drink was laid out on my bed in the moonlight. |
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Of course I did not want to eat and drink it all by myself, |
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so I invited Steerforth and the others tohelp themselves. |
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The boys were very willing, and we spent a pleasant evening, sitting on our beds,whispering to each other. |
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I discovered that the boys all hated Salem House, which they considered one of the worst schools in the country. |
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They especially hated Mr Creakle, |
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who was in the habit of beating them regularly with a heavy stick which he carried with him at all times. |
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The only boy he dared not beat was Steerforth. I admired Steerforth even more when I heard this. |
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When we were all too tired to stay awake, Steerforth got up to go. |
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"Goodnight,young Copperfield, " he said, putting a hand on my head."I'll take care of you." “ |
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"It's very kind of you，" I replied gratefully. “ |
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"You haven't got a sister, have you?"he asked sleepily. “ |
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|
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If you had one, I'm sure she'd be a pretty, bright-eyed little girl. I would have liked to meet her." |
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I thought of him a lot that night,with his laughing, handsome face, and his careless, confident manner. |
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I could never have imagined what a dark shadow he would throw over the lives of people who were dear to me. |
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I stayed at Salem House for three more months.Although one or two of the teachers,like Mr Mell, were kind to us boys, |
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and tried to teach us properly,we were too afraid of Mr Creakle and his stick to concentrate on our studies. |
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But Tommy Traddles and I cheered each other up if we were beaten, |
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and I was lucky enough to be friendly with the great Steerforth,in spite ofthe difference in our ages. |
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However, my home, even with the Murdstones there, seemed a much pleasanter place than school, |
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and I was glad when the Christmas holidays arrived, |
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and I was allowed to return to Blunderstone. |
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I was a little surprised to find that my mother had a new baby, and I could see at once that she was not well. |
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She looked tired and worried,and very thin. But she and Peggotty were delighted to see me, |
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although they dared not show it if the Murdstones were present. |
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My stepfather and his sister seemed to hate me even more than before, if that were possible, |
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and they made my life quite miserable whenever they could. |
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In fact, I was almost pleased when it was time to return to school, and see Traddles and Steerforth again. |
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As the cart drove away,I remember my mother standing outside our house,with her baby in her arms, smiling sadly at me. |
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That was the last time I saw her,and that is how I shall always remember her. |
