Dover: Time And Space In David Copperfield

Miss Betsey Trotwood was married to a charming person younger than herself.  But she found him a wife- beater, and one day he threw her out of a window by stairs.  She got a separation from him after paying him a compensation.  He went with the money to India.  It was first heard that he was riding elephants in India, and later that he was dead.  Miss Betsey took her maiden name, purchased a cottage in Dover, a seaside town, and settled herself there with Mr Dick, an invalid and a maid servant, Janet.

David, standing at the garden gate looked into the parlour and found that there was nobody.   He looked upwards and saw a window through which he could see a florid pleasant looking gentleman with a grey head, who shut up one eye in a grotesque manner, nodded his head several times at David, then laughed and went away.

 

David was disturbed by this, and was thinking of slinking off, when there came out of the house a lady with her handkerchief tied over her cap, and a pair of gardening gloves on her hands wearing a gardening apron, and carrying a great knife.  David recognised her as Miss Betsey because she came out of the house exactly as David's mother had told him.

'Go away!' said Miss Betsey, shaking her head, and making a distant chop in the air with her knife.  'Go along!  No boys here!'

David watched her, with his heart at his lips, as she marched to a corner of her garden, and stooped to dig up some little root there.  Then without a scrap of courage, but with a great deal of desperation, David went slowly in and stood beside her, touching her with his finger.

'If you please ma'am,' he began.  She started and looked up.

'If you please, aunt.'

'Eh?' exclaimed Miss Betsey in a tone of amazement.

'If you please, aunt.  I am your nephew.'

Oh, lord!' said Miss Betsey.  And sat flat down in the garden-path.

'I am David Copperfield, of Blunderstone, in Suffolk where you came, on the night I was born, and saw my dear mama.  I have been very unhappy since she died.  I have been slighted, and taught nothing, and thrown upon myself, and put to work not fit for me.  It made me to run away to you.  I was robbed at first setting out, and have walked all the way, and have never slept in a bed since I began my journey.'  

David's self-support gave way all at once, and with a movement of his hands, intended to show his ragged state, and call it to witness that he had suffered something, he broke into a passion of crying, which had been pent up within him all the week.

Miss Betsey sat on the gravel for sometime, staring at the boy.  In a hurry she caught hold of him; took him into the parlour; unlocked a cupboard; brought out several bottles; and poured out the contents into his mouth.  They tasted aniseed, anchovy sauce and salad dressing.  He was still hysterical, and unable to control his sobs, she put him on a sofa, with a shawl under his head, and the handkerchief from her own head under his feet.  All this time she ejaculated, at intervals, 'Mercy on us!'.

She rang the bell and called 'Janet' and asked her to bring Mr Dick.  The man who looked at David with one eye came down.

'Mr Dick,' said Miss Betsey, 'nobody can be prudent than you.  You have heard me mention David Copperfield?'

'David Copperfield?' said Mr Dick, who did not appear to remember much about it.

'Now don't pretend not to have memory, because you and I know better.'

Now Dick agreed that he remembered.  Miss Betsey introduced David to Mr Dick.  Miss Betsey asked him what she should do with David. The answer came: 

'Wash him.'

Janet was called to prepare for bath.  When the three of them were engaged in discussion as to preparation of bath David got enough opportunity to observe them closely.

David's aunt Miss Betsey was a tall, hard featured lady, but she was handsome.  She had a very quick bright eyes.  She was grey, and her hair was arranged in two plain divisions, under a mob cap with 

side-pieces fastening under the chin.  Her dress was of lavender colour.  She wore at her side, a gentleman's gold watch.

Mr Dick was grey-headed and florid, his grey eyes prominent and large, with a strange kind of watery brightness in them.  He was dressed in a loose grey morning coat and waist coat, and white trousers, and had his watch in his fob, and his money in his pockets, which he rattled as if he were proud of it.

Janet was a pretty blooming girl of nineteen or twenty, and perfect picture of neatness.  She was one of many proteges of Miss Betsey.

Janet had gone away to get the bath ready.  Miss Betsey became in one moment rigid with indignation and had hardly voice to cry out 'Janet! Donkeys!'

Janet came running up the stairs as if the house were in flames, darted out on a little piece of green in front, and warned off two saddle-donkeys, lady-ridden, that had presumed to set hoof upon it, while Miss Betsey, rushing out of the house, seized the bridle of a third animal laden with a bestriding a child, turned him, led him forth from those sacred precincts, and boxed the ears of the unlucky urchin who had dared to profane that hallowed ground.

Bath was a great comfort.  David began to feel acute pain in his limbs from continuous walk, and lying out in the fields, and was so tired and low that he could hardly keep himself awake for five minutes.  Miss Betsey and Janet enrobed him in a shirt and a pair of trousers of Mr Dick, and tied up in two or three shawls.  Feeling very lazy he soon lay down on the sofa again and fell asleep.

It might have been a dream, David awoke to see that his aunt had come and bent over him, put his hair away from his face, and laid his hair more comfortably, and had then stood looking at him, and said, 'pretty poor fellow'.

Soon after David awoke, they dined off a roast fowl, and a pudding; David sitting at a table, like a trussed bird; and his aunt in profound silence.  David was anxious to know what she was going to do with him.  She occassionally fixed her eyes on him and said, 'Mercy upon us!' which did not relieve his anxiety.

The cloth being drawn, and sherry being put upon the table, Miss Betsey sent up for Mr Dick.  He came.  She requested him to attend to David's story, which she elicited from the latter, piecemeal, by a series of questions. 

David repeated his story to Dick.  During this she kept her eyes on Mr Dick, who would have gone to sleep, but for that.  After the story was finished, she began to ask questions.  A discussion followed between Mr Dick and Miss Betsey.  Why did Clara married a murderer (implying Mr Murdstone).  She fell in love was, Mr Dick's answer.  Then there was an extension from him. 'For pleasure.'  [Mr Dick said this only out of his observations.  The hypothesis about dopamine the feelgood neurotransmitter was not available in those times.]  Clara in her prime of youth could not resist the play of dopamine.

Then she had commented on David Copperfield the elder, 'as always running after wax-dolls.'

Then came her wild fancy about David's unborn sister Miss Betsey whose godmother she might have been. 

Then came her aspersions on  Peggotty - 'and that woman with pagan name, she goes on and get married.  Because she has not seen enough of evils attending such things.  And that her husband is one of those Poker (implying that Peggotty may loose the game).  

At this, David interfered, as he could not bear to hear his old nurse so decried, and told that she was indeed mistaken.  Peggotty was the best, truest, the most faithful, most devoted, most self denying friend and servant in the world; who had ever loved him dearly, who had ever loved his mother dearly, who had held his mother's dying head upon her arm, and on whose face his mother had imprinted her last grateful kiss.  At this time David broke down, but continued that her home was his home, and all that she had was his own, and that he would have gone to her for shelter, but for her humble situation, that it would bring some trouble on her.  David broke down again, and laid his face in his hands on the table.

Miss Betsey understood her mistake and said: 

'Well, well!  The child is right to stand by those who stood by him.'  

Miss Betsey had laid her hand on David's shoulder, and the impulse was upon him to embrace her and beseech her protection.  But the unfortunate donkeys who trespassed her property put an end to the drama.

Until tea-time there was that talk about the tresspass of donkeys, and her determination to bring an action on all donkey proprietors of Dover to get it redressed.

Now, the next question came to Mr Dick.   

'What would you do with him?'

'Put him to bed.'  The answer came.

Janet!' said Miss Betsey, 'if the bed is ready, we'll take him upto it.'

When the room was ready David was taken upstairs.  The room was at the top of the house, overlooking the sea, on which the moon was shining brilliantly.  

Lying in the snow white sheets, David thought of his past few days under the sky without a roof over him, and hoped that bygone days, be bygone; and never return.

Next morning, Miss Betsey was musing profoundly over the breakfast table.  David was sure that he had been the subject of her reflections.  She told him that she had written to Mr Murdstone of his arrival.  To a question whether he shall be sent with Murdstone, Miss Betsey said that we shall see.

His aunt told him about Mr Dick.  Richard Babley had been with her for the last ten years.  He was a distant connection of hers.  His brother had been a proud fool.  Mr Dick had been left in his care by their father.  But the brother did not want Dick's presence in his house.  So he sent him away to a private asylum.  Since Miss Betsey found that he was not insane, she made an offer to his proud brother: That she would take care of him.  Let him have his little income, and come and stay with her.  After many squabbling he agreed, and he had been here ever since.

Dick had a favourite sister, a good creature and very kind to him.  But she did what they all do.  She took a husband and the husband made her wretched.  Mr Dick was deeply hurt.  The fear of his unkind brother and the tragedy of her favourite sister threw him into a fever.  He used to compare this to King Charles's fate.  He had been writing a Memorial about his own history.  He warned Trot against calling him by Richard Babley.  The generosity of his aunt very much impressed Trotwood.

Miss Betsey told David that Mr Murdstone was expected next day.

On that day David waited with sinking hopes and rising fears.  He found that his aunt was more imperious on that day.  It was pretty late in the afternoon.  Dinner had been postponed on account of Mr Murdstone's arrival.  Miss Betsey ordered the dinner to be ready.  Suddenly she gave a loud alarm 'donkeys!'

David saw Miss Murdstone driving a donkey over the green and stopping in front of the house looking about her.  Miss Betsey instantly started her war against the donkeys.  The coolness with which Miss Murdstone looked about her made Miss Betsey motionless for a moment.  David seized the opportunity to tell her that it was Miss Murdstone.  Behind her stood the donkey carrying Mr Murdstone.  Since the war was already started, the donkey stood resisting, all his four legs planted different ways.  Janet tried to pull him round the bridle, Miss Murdstone struck at Janet with her parasol, and several boys who had come to see the drama shouted vigorously.  From among them Miss Betsey caught hold of the inveterate offender; but he escaped and began to dodge, and whooped away with his nailed boots in the flower beds.  Miss Murdstone now dismounted.  They began to wait Miss Betsey to receive them.  But she took no notice of them.  The donkeys were brought under control by Janet.

David wanted to leave the scene, but his aunt did not permit him.  She pushed him into a corner and made him sit in a chair.  Mr Murdstone and his sister Jane Murdstone now entered, and the war of word ushered in.

Miss Betsey brought her turf into the play and Miss Murdstone haughtily booked into it.  Timely intervention of her brother dodged it.  Without mincing words Miss Betsey told Mr Murdstone that it would have been better and happier if he had left David's mother alone.

Miss Murdstone agreed with her.  Miss Betsey took comfort that they were birds of same feather.

Mr Murdstone said that he came in person because he found it an act of justice, and because of his respect to Miss Trotwood.  He continued that David had run away from his friends and occupation.  Miss Murdstone intervened and said that David's appearance was perfectly scandalous and disgraceful.  Interrupting he Mr Murdstone said that David had been a domestic trouble and uneasiness.  He had a sullen disposition.  He and his sister tried to correct him, but in vain.  Then came the opinion of Miss Murdstone that of all boys in the world David was the worst boy.

Mr Murdstone stated that he had his own opinions about how to bring up a boy based upon his knowledge and his means.  So he placed him in a respectable business.  It did not please him and he ran away and came here as a vagabond in rags.  He also stated that Miss Betsey was abetting him in this.

Miss Betsey at first took the case of a respectable business.  She asked him whether David had been his own boy, would he have put him to that respectable business?

Miss Murdstone said that if he had been her brother's own boy, his character would have been altogether different.

Then came the question from Miss Betsey: If his mother had been alive, would he have still gone to the respectable business?

Clara would have disputed nothing which we decided as best, said Murdstones together.

Miss Betsey asked whether the poor child's annuity died with her.  And whether there has been no settlements about the property upon her boy.

Mr Murdstone replied that the annuity died with her and the property had been left to her unconditionally by her first husband.

When Clara took the disastrous step of marrying Mr Murdstone did anyone put a word for the boy? asked Miss Betsey.

Mr Murdstone said that Clara loved her second husband and trusted her implicitly.

Miss Betsey said that his late wife was most unworldly, most unhappy and most unfortunate baby.

Mr Murdstone was there to take David back, and to dispose of him as he thought proper and to deal with him as he thought right.  He suspected that Miss Betsey had some idea in abetting him in his running away.  So he cautioned her against it.  If she did it she had done it for ever, he threatened.

Miss Betsey asked Miss Murdstone whether she had anything to add.  She said she had nothing.

Miss Betsey asked David whether he was ready to go with Murdstones.  David's answer was a big No.  He said that both of them disliked him.  They were not at all kind to him.  They had made his mother, who always loved him dearly, unhappy.  Peggotty was well aware of it.  He prayed to his aunt not to send him with Murdstones.

Miss Betsey asked Mr Dick what she would do with him.

'Have him measured for a suit of clothes.' came the reply.

Miss Betsey expressed her thanks to Mr Dick, pulled David towards her, and said to Mr Murdstone that she would take a chance with the boy.  She said plainly that she did not believe a word of what he said about the boy.  He told him that it was a woeful day when he came in Clara's way.  He came smooth, sweet and silky.  He dotted her son tenderly.  When he was sure that he had made fool of her, he began to break her in the name of training.  In the name of training he deluded her life away.  Like a tyrant he broke her heart.  He and his instrument made the most of it.  That they had used the boy an instrument to torment her.

Mr Murdstone had a smile on his face, but his colour had gone in a moment and he seemed to breath as if he had been running.

Miss Betsey said them goodbye and warned them against trespassing of her lawns.

Miss Murdstone without a word in answer, discreetly put her arms through her brother's and walked haughtily 

out of the cottage.

Miss Trotwood, in consultation with Mr Dick changed the name of David Copperfield to Trotwood Copperfield.

New garments were purchased for Trotwood Copperfield, Betsey Trotwood had become his guardian.

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