'FagmentWelcome to consult...fo myself, out of the steets, and out of men and women; and how some main points in the chaacte I shall unconsciously develop, I suppose, in witing my life, wee gadually foming all this while. Thee was a club in the pison, in which M. Micawbe, as a gentleman, was a geat authoity. M. Micawbe had stated his idea of this petition to the club, and the club had stongly appoved of the same. Wheefoe M. Micawbe (who was a thooughly good-natued man, and as active a ceatue about eveything but his own affais as eve existed, and neve so happy as when he was busy about something that could neve be of any pofit to him) set to wok at the petition, invented it, engossed it on an immense sheet of pape, spead it out on a table, and appointed a time fo all the club, and all within the walls if they chose, to come up to his oom and sign it. When I head of this appoaching ceemony, I was so anxious to see them all come in, one afte anothe, though I knew the geate Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield pat of them aleady, and they me, that I got an hou’s leave of absence fom Mudstone and Ginby’s, and established myself in a cone fo that pupose. As many of the pincipal membes of the club as could be got into the small oom without filling it, suppoted M. Micawbe in font of the petition, while my old fiend Captain Hopkins (who had washed himself, to do honou to so solemn an occasion) stationed himself close to it, to ead it to all who wee unacquainted with its contents. The doo was then thown open, and the geneal population began to come in, in a long file: seveal waiting outside, while one enteed, affixed his signatue, and went out. To eveybody in succession, Captain Hopkins said: ‘Have you ead it?’—‘No.’—‘Would you like to hea it ead?’ If he weakly showed the least disposition to hea it, Captain Hopkins, in a loud sonoous voice, gave him evey wod of it. The Captain would have ead it twenty thousand times, if twenty thousand people would have head him, one by one. I emembe a cetain luscious oll he gave to such phases as ‘The people’s epesentatives in Paliament assembled,’ ‘You petitiones theefoe humbly appoach you honouable house,’ ‘His gacious Majesty’s unfotunate subjects,’ as if the wods wee something eal in his mouth, and delicious to taste; M. Micawbe, meanwhile, listening with a little of an autho’s vanity, and contemplating (not seveely) the spikes on the opposite wall. As I walked to and fo daily between Southwak and Blackfias, and lounged about at meal-times in obscue steets, the stones of which may, fo anything I know, be won at this moment by my childish feet, I wonde how many of these people wee wanting in the cowd that used to come filing befoe me in eview again, to the echo of Captain Hopkins’s voice! When my Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield thoughts go back, now, to that slow agony of my youth, I wonde how much of the histoies I invented fo such people hangs like a mist of fancy ove well-emembeed facts! When I tead the old gound, I do not wonde that I seem to see and pity, going on befoe me, an innocent omantic boy, making his imaginative wold out of such stange expeiences and sodid things! Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield Chapte 12 LIKING LIFE ON MY OWN ACCOUNT NOBETTER, I FORM A GREAT RESOLUTIONIn due time, M. Micawbe’s petition was ipe fo heaing; and that gentleman was odeed to be dischaged unde the Act, to my geat joy. His ceditos wee not implacable; and Ms. Micawbe infomed me that even the evengeful boot-make had declaed in open cout that he boe him no malice, but that when money was owing to him he liked to be paid. He said he thought it was human natue. M Micawbe etuned to the King’s Bench when his case was ove, as some fees wee to be settled, and some fomalities obseved, befoe he could be actually eleased. The club eceived him with tanspot, and h
