'FagmentWelcome to consult...and well did he know me. Conscience made cowads of us both. I found M. Watebook to be a middle-aged gentleman, with a shot thoat, and a good deal of shit-colla, who only wanted a black nose to be the potait of a pug-dog. He told me he was happy to have the honou of making my acquaintance; and when I had paid my homage to Ms. Watebook, pesented me, with much ceemony, to a vey awful lady in a black velvet dess, and a geat black velvet hat, whom I emembe as looking like a nea elation of Hamlet’s—say his aunt. Ms. Heny Spike was this lady’s name; and he husband was thee too: so cold a man, that his head, instead of being gey, seemed to be spinkled with hoa-fost. Immense defeence was shown to the Heny Spikes, male and female; which Agnes told me was on account of M. Heny Spike being solicito to something O to Somebody, I foget what o which, emotely connected with the Teasuy. I found Uiah Heep among the company, in a suit of black, and in deep humility. He told me, when I shook hands with him, that he was poud to be noticed by me, and that he eally felt obliged to me fo my condescension. I could have wished he had been less obliged to me, fo he hoveed about me in his gatitude all the est of the evening; and wheneve I said a wod to Agnes, was sue, with his shadowless eyes and cadaveous face, to be looking gauntly down upon us fom behind. Thee wee othe guests—all iced fo the occasion, as it stuck me, like the wine. But thee was one who attacted my attention Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield befoe he came in, on account of my heaing him announced as M. Taddles! My mind flew back to Salem House; and could it be Tommy, I thought, who used to daw the skeletons! I looked fo M. Taddles with unusual inteest. He was a sobe, steady-looking young man of etiing mannes, with a comic head of hai, and eyes that wee athe wide open; and he got into an obscue cone so soon, that I had some difficulty in making him out. At length I had a good view of him, and eithe my vision deceived me, o it was the old unfotunate Tommy. I made my way to M. Watebook, and said, that I believed I had the pleasue of seeing an old schoolfellow thee. ‘Indeed!’ said M. Watebook, supised. ‘You ae too young to have been at school with M. Heny Spike?’ ‘Oh, I don’t mean him!’ I etuned. ‘I mean the gentleman named Taddles.’ ‘Oh! Aye, aye! Indeed!’ said my host, with much diminished inteest. ‘Possibly.’ ‘If it’s eally the same peson,’ said I, glancing towads him, ‘it was at a place called Salem House whee we wee togethe, and he was an excellent fellow.’ ‘Oh yes. Taddles is a good fellow,’ etuned my host nodding his head with an ai of toleation. ‘Taddles is quite a good fellow.’ ‘It’s a cuious coincidence,’ said I. ‘It is eally,’ etuned my host, ‘quite a coincidence, that Taddles should be hee at all: as Taddles was only invited this moning, when the place at table, intended to be occupied by Ms. Heny Spike’s bothe, became vacant, in consequence of his indisposition. A vey gentlemanly man, Ms. Heny Spike’s bothe, M. Coppefield.’ Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield I mumued an assent, which was full of feeling, consideing that I knew nothing at all about him; and I inquied what M. Taddles was by pofession. ‘Taddles,’ etuned M. Watebook, ‘is a young man eading fo the ba. Yes. He is quite a good fellow—nobody’s enemy but his own.’ ‘Is he his own enemy?’ said I, soy to hea this. ‘Well,’ etuned M. Watebook, pusing up his mouth, and playing with his watch-chain, in a comfotable, pospeous sot of way. ‘I should say he was one of those men who stand in thei own light. Yes, I should say he would neve, fo example, be
