Mrs Crupp's advice to play skittles to divert my mind caused me to remember Traddles; may be skittles had some resonance with Traddles. Next day I decided to go and look for Traddles. The time he had mentioned was more than out, and he lived in a little street near Veterinary College at Camden Town, which was mainly occupied by gentlemen students who bought live donkeys and made experiment on those quadruped in their private apartments. With the information obtained from one of our clerks I set out in search of Traddles in the afternoon. I found the street not desirable. The inhabitants appeard to have propensity to throw any little trifles they were not in want of, into the road; which not only made it rank and sloppy, but untidy too, on account of cabbage leaves. Not only vegetables, but shoes, doubled up sauce-pan, black bonet, umbrella in various stages of decomposition were seen strewn along the streets.
It reminded me of the place where I lived with Mr and Mrs Micawber. All the houses were built on monotonous pattern, and the workmanship was very poor and looked shabby. But the house I sought had a character of faded gentility, and as the afternoon milkman arrived at it, the door was opened, and a servant girl came out. The milkman asked, 'Now, the bill of mine been heard on?'
'Oh, master says he'll attend to it immediate,' replied the girl.
'Because,' said the milkman, going on as if he had received no answer, and speaking, as I judged from his tone, rather for the information of somebody in the house, than of the youthful servant - an impression which was strengthened by his manner glaring down the passage - 'because that there bill has been running so long, that I begin to believe it's run away altogether, and never be heered of. Now I am not going to stand it, you know!' said the milkman, still throwing his voice into the house and glaring down the passage.
The voice of the young servant became faint, but she seemed to murmur that it would be attended soon.
'I tell you what,' said the milkman, looking hard at her for the first time, and taking her by the chin, 'are you fond of milk?'
'Yes, I like it,' she replied.
'Good,' said the milkman, 'then you won't have none tomorrow. Do you hear? Not a fragment of milk do you have tomorrow.'
I thought she seemed relieved by the prospect of having any today. The milkman, after shaking his head at her darkly, released her chin, and opened his can, and opened his usual quantity in in the family jug. Then he went away muttering, uttered the cry of trade next door, in a vindictive shreik.
'Does Mr Traddles live here?' I asked.
A mysterious voice from the end of the passage replied, 'yes,' upon which, the young servant repeated, 'yes.'
'Is he at home? I inquired.
Again the mysterious voice replied in the affirmative, and again the servant echoed it. I walked in and followed the servant upstairs. As I passed the back parlour- door, mysterious eyes probably belonging to the mysterious voice surveyed me.
When I got to the top of the stairs, Traddles was on the landing to meet me. He was delighted, and gave me a welcome to his little room. It was in the front of the house, extremely neat, but sparsely furnished. There was a sofa and bed-stead in it. His black brushes were among his books on the top shelf, behind a dictionary. His table was covered with papers and he was hard at work in an old coat. I looked at nothing, I saw of, but I saw everything, even to the prospect of a church upon his china ink-stand, as I sat down - and this was a faculty confirmed in me in the old Micawber times. Various ingenuous arrangements he had made, for the disguise of his chest of drawers, and the accommodation of his boots, his shaving glass, and so forth particularly impressed me as evidence of the same Traddles who used to make elephant's den in writing paper to put flies in; and to comfort himself under ill usage, with memorable works of art I have so often mentioned.
In a corner of the room was something neatly covered up with a large white cloth I could not make up what that was.
'Traddles,' said I shaking hands with him again, after I had sat down, 'I am delighted to see you.'
'I am delighted to see you Copperfield,' he returned,'I am very glad to see you. It was because I was thoroughly glad to see you, when we met in Ely Place, and was sure you were thoroughly glad to see me, that I gave you this address instead of my address at Chambers.'
'Oh! You have chambers?' said I.
'Why, I have the fourth of a room and a passage, and the fourth of a clerk,' returned Traddles. Three members and myself unite to have a set of chambers- to look business like- and we quarter the clerk too. Half a crown a week he costs me.
His old simple character, and good temper and something of his old unlucky fortune also, smiled at me in the smile with which he made this explanation.
'It is not because I have the least pride, Copperfield, you understand,' said Traddles, 'that I don't usually give my address here. It is only on account of those who come to me, who like to come here. For myself, I am fighting my way on in the world against difficulties, and it would be ridiculous pretence of doing anything else.'
'You are reading for the bar, Mr Waterbrook told me,' said I.
'Why, yes,' said Traddles, rubbing his hand slowly over one another. 'I am reading for the bar. The fact is, I have just begun to keep my terms, after rather a long delay, it is sometimes since I was articled, but the payment of that hundred pounds was a great pull. A great pull!' said Traddles with a wince, as if he had had a tooth out.
'Do you know what I can't help thinking of, Traddles, as I sit looking at you?' I asked him.
'No,' said he.
'The sky-blue suit you used to wear.'
'Lord, to be sure,' cried Traddles, laughing, 'tight in the arms and legs, you know? Dear me! Well! Those were the happy times, weren't they?'
'I think our school master might have made them happier, without doing any harm to any of us, I acknowledge.' I returned.
'Perhaps he might,' said Traddles. 'But there was a good deal of fun going on. Do you remember the nights in the bed room, when we used to have suppers? And when you used to tell stories? Ha, ha, ha! And do you remember when I got caned for crying about Mr Mell? Old Creakle, I should like to see him again, too!'
'He was brute to you, Traddles,' said I, indignantly, for his good humour made me feel as if I had seen him beaten but yesterday.'
'Do you think so?' returned Traddles. 'Perhaps he was rather. But it's all over, a long while. Old Creakle!'
'You were brought up by an uncle, then?' said I.
'Of course, I was!' said Traddles 'The one I was always going to write to. And always didn't, eh! Ha, ha, ha! Yes, I had an uncle then, he died soon after I left school.'
'Indeed!'
'Yes, he was a retired- what do you call it! - a draper- cloth merchant - and had made me his heir. But he didn't like me when I grew up.'
'Do you really mean that?' said I. He was so composed, that I fancied he must have some other meaning.
'Oh dear, yes Copperfield, I mean it.' replied Traddles. 'It was an unfortunate thing. but he didn't like me at all. He said I wasn't all what he expected, and so he married his housekeeper.'
'And what did you do?'
'I didn't do anything particular,' said Traddles. 'I lived with them, waiting to be put out in world, until his gout unfortunately flew into his stomach - and so he died, and so she married a young man, and so I wasn't provided for.'
'Did you get nothing, Tradfles, after all?'
'Oh, dear, yes!' said Traddles, 'I got fifty pounds, I had not been brought up to any profession, and at first I was at loss what to do for myself. However, I began, with the assistance of a professional man, who had been to Salem House - Yawler, with his nose on one side. Do you recollect him?'
'No. He had not been there with me; all the noses were straight in my time.'
'It don't matter,' said Traddles. 'I began by by his assistance, to copy law writings. That didn't answer very well; then I began to state cases for them, and make abstracts and that kind of works. For I am a plodding type of fellow, Copperfield, and had learnt the way of doing such things pithily. Well! That put it in my head to enter myself as a law student; and with that ran away all that was left of my fifty pounds. Yawler recommended me to one or two other offices, however, Mr Waterbrook's for one - and I got a good many jobs. I was fortunate enough, too, to become acquainted with a person in the publishing way who was getting up an encyclopaedia, and he set me to work, and indeed, (glancing at the table), I am at work for him at this minute. I am not a bad compiler, Copperfield,' said Traddles, preserving the same air of cheerful confidence in all that he said, 'but I have no invention at all; not a particle. I suppose there never was a young man with less originality than I have.'
As I listened to him with great interest, Traddles continued his story. 'So by little and little, and not living high, I managed to scrape up hundred pounds at last, and thank heaven that's paid- though it was, it certainly was,' continued Traddles, wincing again, as if he had had another tooth out, 'a pull. I am living by the sort of work I have mentioned, still, and I hope, one of these days, get connected with some newspaper, which would almost be the making of my fortune. Now, Copperfield, you are exactly so what you used to be, with that agreeable face, and it's so pleasant to see you that I shan't conceal anything. So you must know I am engaged.'
Engaged, oh Dora!
'She is a curate's daughter,' said Traddles, one of ten, down in Devonshire. Yes!' For he saw me glance, involuntarily at the prospect on the ink-stand. 'That is the church! You come round here to the left, out of this gate,' tracing his finger along the ink-stand, 'and exactly where I hold this pen, there stands the house - facing, you understand, towards the church.'
The delight with which he entered into these particulars did not present itself to me until afterwards; for my selfish thoughts were making a ground plan of Mr Spenlow's house and garden at the same moment.
'She is such a dear girl!' said Mr Traddles, 'a little older than me, but the dearest girl! I told you I was going out of town? I have been down there. I walked there and walked back and I had the most delightful time! I dare say ours is likely to be a rather long engagement, but the Motto is "wait and hope," We always say. And she would wait Copperfield, till she was sixty
- any age you can mention -for me!'
Traddles rose from his chair, with a triumphant smile, put his hand upon the white cloth. 'However,' he said, 'It is not that we haven't made a begining towards housekeeping. No, no; we have begun. We must get on by degrees, but we have begun. Here,' drawing the cloth off with great pride and care, 'here are two pieces of furniture to commence with. This flower pot and stand, she bought herself. You put that in parlour window,' said Traddles, falling a little back from it to survey it with greater admiration, 'with a plant in it, and there you are! This little round table with marble top ( it is two feet ten in circumference ), I bought. You want to lay a book down, you know, or somebody comes to see you or your wife and wants to stand a cup of tea upon, and there you are again!' said Traddles. It is an admirable piece of workmanship, firm as a rock!'
I praised them both and Traddles replaced the covering carefully as he had removed it.
'It is not a great deal towards furnishing,' said Traddles, 'but it is something. The table clothes, the pillow covers, and articles of that kind are what discourages the most, Copperfield. So does the iron mongery- the candle boxes, gridirons, and that sort of necessaries- because these things tell, and mount up. However "wait and hope!" and I assure you she is the dearest girl!'
'I am quite certain of it.' I said.
In the meantime,' said Traddles, coming back in his chair, 'and this is the end of my prosing about myself. I get on as well as I can. I don't make much. But I don't spend much. In general I board with people downstairs, who are very agreeable people indeed. Both Mr and Mrs Micawber have seen a good deal of life and are excellent company.'
'My dear Traddles!' I quickly exclaimed, 'what are you talking about?'
Traddles looked at me as if he wondered what I was talking about.
'Mr and Mrs Micawber!' I repeated. 'Why I am intimately acquainted with them!'
An opportune double knock at the door, which I know well from old experience in Windsor Terrace and which nobody but Micawber could ever have knocked at that door, resolved any doubt in my mind as to their being my old friends. I begged Traddles to ask his landlord to walk up. Traddles accordingly did so, over the banisters; and Mr Micawber, not a bit changed - his tights, his stick, his shirt-collar, and his eye glass, all the same as ever came into the room with a genteel and youthful air.
'I beg your pardon, Mr Traddles,' said Mr Micawber, with the old roll in his voice, as he checked himself, humming a soft tune. 'I was not aware that there was any individual, alien to this tenement, in your sanctum.'
Mr Micawber slightly bowed to me, and pulled up his shirt collar
'How do you do, Mr Micawber?' said I.
'Sir,' said Mr Micawber, 'you are exceeingly obliging, I am in status quo.'
'And, Mrs Micawber?' I pursued.
'Sir,' said Mr Micawber, 'she is also in status quo.'
'And, the children, Mr Micawber?'
'Sir,' said Mr Micawber, I rejoice to say that they are, likewise in the enjoyment of salubrity.'
All this time Mr Micawber had not known me in the least, he had stood face to face with me. But now, seeing me smile, examined me with more attention, fell back, and cried, 'is it possible! Have the pleasure of seeing Copperfield!' shook me by both hands with the most fervour.
'Good Heaven,Mr Traddles!' said Mr Micawber, 'to think that I should find you acquainted with the friend of my youth, the companion of earlier days! My dear! Calling over the banisters to Mrs Micawber, while Traddles looked, not a little amazed at this description of me. 'Here is a gentleman in Mr Traddles apartment, whom he wishes to have the pleasure of presenting to you, my love!'
Mr Micawber immediately reappeared, and shook hands with me again.
'And how is your good friend, Doctor, Copperfield,' said Micawber, 'and all the circle at Canterbury?'
'I have none, but good account of them,' said I.
'I am most delighted to hear it,' said Mr Micawber. 'It was at Canterbury where we last met. Within the shadow, I may figuratively say of that religious edifice immortalised by Chaucer, which was anciently the resort of Pilgrims from the remotest corners - in short,' said Mr Micawber, 'in the immediate neighborhood of the Cathedral.'
I replied that it was. Mr Micawber continued talking as volubly as he can, but not without show, by some marks of concern in his countenance, that he was sensible of sounds in the next room, as of Mrs Micawber washing her hands, and hurriedly opening and shutting of drawers that were uneasy in their action.
'You find us, Copperfield,' said Mr Micawber, with one eye on Traddles, 'at present established, on what may be designated a small and unassuming scale; but you are aware that I have, in the course of my career, surmounted difficulties and conquered obstacles. You are not stranger to the fact, that there have been periods of my life, when it has been requisit that I should pause, until some expected events should turn up, when it has been necessary that I should fall back, before making what I trust I shall not be accused of presumption in terming - a spring. The present is one of those momentous stages in the life of man. You should find me, fallen back, for a spring, and I have every reason to believe that a vigorous leap will shortly the result.'
I was expressing my satisfaction, when Mrs Micawber came in, a little more slatternly than she used to be, or so she seemed now, to my unaccustomed eyes, but still with some preparation of herself for company, and with a pair of brown gloves on.
'My dear,' said Mr Micawber, leading her towards me, 'here is a gentleman of the name of Copperfield, who wishes to renew his acquaintance with you.'
I would have been better, as it turned out, to have led gently upto this announcement, for Mrs Micawber, being in a delicate state of health, was overcome by it, and was taken so unwell, that Mr Micawber was obliged, in great trepidation, to run down to the water-butt in the backyard, and draw a basin full of water to lave her brow with. She presently revived, however, and was really pleased to see me. We had half an hour's talk, all together, and I asked her about the twins, who, she said, were 'grown creatures'; and after Master and Miss Micawber whom she described as excellent giants, but they were not produced on that occasion.
Mr Micawber was very anxious that I should stay for dinner, I should not have been averse to do so, but I imagined and detected trouble in Mrs Micawber's eye. I therefore pleaded another engagement. Mr Micawber's spirits were lightened immediately. I resisted all persuasion to forego it.
Before leaving, I told them all, to fix a convenient day, when they would come to dine with me. Traddles would be fully occupied in coming days, and so, a distant day was fixed when they would come to dine with me.
Mr Micawber accompanied me to a corner of the street, being anxious to exchange a few words, in confidence.
'My dear Copperfield, I need hardly tell you that to have beneath our roof, under existing circumstances, a mind like that which gleam in your friend Traddles. With a washer woman, who exposes hard-bake for sale in her parlour window, and a bow street officer, you may imagine that his society is a consolation to myself and Mrs Micawber. I am at present in the sale of corn on commission. But it doesn't pay. But something is turning up, which may bring new prospect to me and my friend Mr Traddles. Mrs Micawber is expecting a new member to our infant group. Mrs Micawber's people are not satisfied with these state of things. But it is none of their business.'
Mr Micawber then shook hands with me, and left me.
END OF CHAPTER 27
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