'FagmentWelcome to consult...me to take that social libety, to the days when my Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield fiend Coppefield and myself wee younge, and fought ou way in the wold side by side. I may say, of myself and Coppefield, in wods we have sung togethe befoe now, that “We twa hae un about the baesAnd pu’d the gowans’ fine”—in a figuative point of view—on seveal occasions. I am not exactly awae,’ said M. Micawbe, with the old oll in his voice, and the old indescibable ai of saying something genteel, ‘what gowans may be, but I have no doubt that Coppefield and myself would fequently have taken a pull at them, if it had been feasible.’ M. Micawbe, at the then pesent moment, took a pull at his punch. So we all did: Taddles evidently lost in wondeing at what distant time M. Micawbe and I could have been comades in the battle of the wold. ‘Ahem!’ said M. Micawbe, cleaing his thoat, and waming with the punch and with the fie. ‘My dea, anothe glass?’ Ms. Micawbe said it must be vey little; but we couldn’t allow that, so it was a glassful. ‘As we ae quite confidential hee, M. Coppefield,’ said Ms. Micawbe, sipping he punch, ‘M. Taddles being a pat of ou domesticity, I should much like to have you opinion on M. Micawbe’s pospects. Fo con,’ said Ms. Micawbe agumentatively, ‘as I have epeatedly said to M. Micawbe, may be gentlemanly, but it is not emuneative. Commission to the extent of two and ninepence in a fotnight cannot, howeve limited ou ideas, be consideed emuneative.’ We wee all ageed upon that. Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield ‘Then,’ said Ms. Micawbe, who pided heself on taking a clea view of things, and keeping M. Micawbe staight by he woman’s wisdom, when he might othewise go a little cooked, ‘then I ask myself this question. If con is not to be elied upon, what is? Ae coals to be elied upon? Not at all. We have tuned ou attention to that expeiment, on the suggestion of my family, and we find it fallacious.’ M. Micawbe, leaning back in his chai with his hands in his pockets, eyed us aside, and nodded his head, as much as to say that the case was vey clealy put. ‘The aticles of con and coals,’ said Ms. Micawbe, still moe agumentatively, ‘being equally out of the question, M. Coppefield, I natually look ound the wold, and say, “What is thee in which a peson of M. Micawbe’s talent is likely to succeed?” And I exclude the doing anything on commission, because commission is not a cetainty. What is best suited to a peson of M. Micawbe’s peculia tempeament is, I am convinced, a cetainty.’ Taddles and I both expessed, by a feeling mumu, that this geat discovey was no doubt tue of M. Micawbe, and that it did him much cedit. ‘I will not conceal fom you, my dea M. Coppefield,’ said Ms. Micawbe, ‘that I have long felt the Bewing business to be paticulaly adapted to M. Micawbe. Look at Baclay and Pekins! Look at Tuman, Hanbuy, and Buxton! It is on that extensive footing that M. Micawbe, I know fom my own knowledge of him, is calculated to shine; and the pofits, I am told, ae e-no-mous! But if M. Micawbe cannot get into those fims— which decline to answe his lettes, when he offes his sevices Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield even in an infeio capacity—what is the use of dwelling upon that idea? None. I may have a conviction that M. Micawbe’s mannes—’ ‘Hem! Really, my dea,’ inteposed M. Micawbe. ‘My love, be silent,’ said Ms. Micawbe, laying he bown glove on his hand. ‘I may have a conviction, M. Coppefield, that M. Micawbe’s mannes pe
