GREAT STORIES IN EASY ENGLISH

DAVID COPPERFIELD Charles Dickens

Abridged and Simplified by

S.E. PACES

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CONTENTS Chapter

Page PART I

MY CHILDHOOD 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

I am born I begin to notice things I visit Mr. Peggotty at Yarmouth I return home and find a new father I am beaten I am sent to school

3 6 9 13 16 20

PART II

MY SCHOOL DAYS 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

I am on my way to school I reach Salem House My first term at Salem House I go home for the holidays My mother dies and Peggotty gets married

22 25 29 32 36

PART III

YOUTH 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

I wash bottles for a living I run away to Dover I begin a new life with my aunt I meet Mr. Wickfield and his daughter, Agnes I stay with the Wickfields and go to Dr. Strong's school

39 43 46 49 52

PART IV

MANHOOD 17. 18. 19.

I leave Dr. Strong's school I meet the Wickfields and Uriah Heep in London Dora

55 58 60

PART V

MARRIAGE 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

I become engaged I receive sad news I meet Miss Murdstone again I visit Canterbury again I marry Dora

63 65 69 73 76

PART VI

THE TRUTH COMES OUT 25. 26. 27. 28.

Mr. Micawber speaks out Mr. Micawber shows that Uriah Heep is a liar and a thief Traddles makes his report A happy end Questions and Language Practice

78 81 85 87 91

INTRODUCTION

C

DICKENS (1812-1870) was one of the greatest English novelists of the nineteenth century. His family was very poor. When Charles was twelve years old, his father was sent to prison for debt. Charles, for a short time, had to work in a factory. Later he became a journalist in London. He began to write novels and soon became a famous novelist. Most of Dickens's novels are about his own experiences of life. His own early poverty helped him to understand the lives of poor people. He wrote about them with understanding and sympathy. He showed the suffering caused by cruel laws, and in this way his books led to many social reforms. In "David Copperfield", you will find many of Dickens's early experiences. HARLES

David Copperfield

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David Copperfield

MY CHILDHOOD

PART I

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MY CHILDHOOD

1 I AM BORN

M

y name is David Copperfield and I am going to write the story of my life. I was born at Blunderstone near Yarmouth. My father died six months before my birth. The evening before I was born, my mother was sitting sadly by the fire. Looking up, she saw an elderly lady walking up the garden path. The lady came to the window, pressed her nose against the glass and cried, "Open the door!" My mother did so. "I'm Betsy Trotwood," the stranger said. "You haven't seen me before but I think you have heard about me." My mother remembered then. Betsy Trotwood was my father's aunt. She had been married but her husband was a bad man, so Miss Betsy had paid him to go away. Now she was living with a servant in a cottage by the sea at Dover. Miss Betsy had been fond of my father, but she quarrelled with him when he married my mother. "You've married a silly

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plaything, a wax doll," she said. After that, she never spoke to my father again. Nor had she come to our house. "Come in, please," my mother said to Miss Betsy. "You're Mrs. David Copperfield, aren't you?" Miss Betsy asked. "Yes," said my mother, looking sadly at her visitor. Then suddenly she began to cry. "Oh, don't do that, my dear," said Miss Betsy. "Don't cry! Crying won't help you."

My mother went on crying. She could not stop. Miss Betsy took my mother's face in her hands. "So young!" she said, "Why, you're only a baby yourself." Then she asked, "What's the name of your servant?" "Peggotty," said my mother. "Peggotty!" Miss Betsy called to our faithful servant, "Bring your mistress a cup of tea."

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Peggotty did so. "Drink this. It will do you good," Miss Betsy said kindly. My mother obeyed without a word. "Now, don't worry about the baby," Miss Betsy went on. "I'll take care of both of you. But I want you to promise me this: that you will name her Betsy Trotwood Copperfield." "It may not be a girl." "It will be a girl. It must be a girl. And you must give her my name. You'll find me a true friend to her." "Thank you," my mother said weakly. Then she felt so ill that she began to cry again. Peggotty came in for the teacups. She looked angrily at Miss Betsy and went out to fetch the doctor. Dr. Chillip came at once. My mother went upstairs to bed. Dr. Chillip stayed with her till I was born. When he came downstairs, he found Miss Betsy waiting for him. "How is she?" Miss Betsy asked. "Mrs. Copperfield is still very weak, but she'll be stronger in a day or two." "I don't mean Mrs. Copperfield. I mean the baby." "Oh! It's a boy!" This news made Miss Betsy very angry. She pushed up her bonnet. Holding it by the ribbons, she struck the doctor in the face with it! She then marched out of the house and never came back again. My mother told me all this, long after it had happened.

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2 I BEGIN TO NOTICE THINGS

T

ime passed. I learned to walk and to talk. I began to notice things. I remember my mother with her pretty hair and her youthful figure. I remember our faithful servant Peggotty, whose figure was not at all beautiful. Her eyes were as dark as night. Her cheeks were as red as apples. I remember the store-room. That always frigh-tened me because it was so dark inside. Perhaps a robber was hiding there behind those big barrels! The storeroom had a strange smell: the smell of soap, candles, coffee and pepper, all mixed together. I remember, and I always shall remember, my father's grave in the churchyard. It was all covered with green grass. The churchyard was filled with shady trees. It was full of peace. How quietly my father was sleeping there! I can remember the hens in our yard. How big they seemed to me then! How frightened I was when the geese came running towards me! How I ran! I can remember our garden. There were many fruit trees there: apple-trees, pear-trees, plum-trees and cherry-trees. I used to help my mother gather the fruit in a big basket. Then there was the sitting-room where we used to sit in the eveningómother, Peggotty and I. Peggotty was our friend as well as our servant.

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I remember that Peggotty and I were sitting there late one evening. Peggotty was sewing. I had been reading to her but now I was feeling sleepy. I sat watching her needle as it passed quickly in and out of the cloth. "Peggotty," I said suddenly, "were you ever married?" "Why, no!" she said. Then she asked me, "Whatever made you think of marriage, Davy?" Her voice was so sharp that it woke me up. "Were you ever married, Peggotty?" I asked her again. "You're a beautiful woman, aren't you?" "Me! Beautiful! No, Davy, I'm not beautiful." Peggotty went on with her sewing. I watched her. Then I asked. "Peggotty, if you marry a person, and that person dies, you may marry another person, mayn't you?" "You may if you like," Peggotty answered. Then she added, "I'm not saying that you should. Different people have different opinions." "What is your opinion, Peggotty?" "My opinion is that you should go on read-ing." She spoke rather sharply, I thought. "You aren't angry with me, Peggotty, are you?" "No, dear," she cried, opening her arms and holding me tight. At that moment, the door-bell rang. Peggotty and I went to the door. It was my mother. At her side was a tall and handsome gentleman. Several times, on Sunday mornings, he had

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walked home from church with us. His name was Mr. Murdstone. I did not like him at all. My mother was looking very pretty. She bent down and kissed me. Mr. Murdstone put his hand on my head but I pushed it away. "Good night," Mr. Murdstone said to me. "Good night," I answered, but I refused to shake hands with him. We went into the sitting-room. My mother was singing softly to herself. "I hope you've had a nice evening." Peggotty said in a rather angry voice. "Very nice," my mother answered her with a smile. Then she went upstairs, still singing softly. After that evening, Mr. Murdstone often came to see my mother. My mother always put on her prettiest dresses when he came. This seemed to make Peggotty angry. One day, Peggotty asked me if I would like to go with her to Yarmouth to visit her brother. "Would you like it?" she asked. "Is your brother nice?" I asked her. "Oh yes! He's very nice. You'll like him, Davy. And at Yarmouth, there's the sea and sand and boats and ships and fishermen. And there's Ham....." "Ham?" "Ham is my nephew. You can play with him." "Will mother let me go?" "Oh yes! I'm sure she will." When I asked my mother, she seemed pleased with the idea. Then at once, we began to prepare for our holiday at Yarmouth. The great day came. We set out.

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3 I VISIT MR. PEGGOTTY AT YARMOUTH We rode to Yarmouth in the carrier's cart. The carrier's horse was the laziest in the world. It went so slowly and it stopped so often. Peggotty had brought a basket of food for us, and we ate a lot. I slept a great deal. It was a long journey, but we arrived at last. Yarmouth seemed very strange to me. It was very flat. The sea came right upto the houses. It was hard to tell where the town

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ended and where the sea began. The streets were narrow and filled with sailors and fishermen. Everything and everybody smelled of fish. Suddenly Peggotty cried, "There's Ham! There's my Ham!" She jumped out of the cart and ran up to a young man who was waiting there.

Ham was a big fellow, fully six feet wall, with fair, curly hair and the face of a young boy. He took Peggotty in his arms. Then he put me on his back and my box under his arm. Peggotty, carrying her box, walked proudly at his side. We made our way through narrow streets and sandy lanes. Soon we came to the beach. Ham pointed and said, "There's our house, Master Davy!" I looked where he was pointing. I looked this way and that. I looked everywhere. I could not see a house anywhere. But there was, not far away, a large black boat with a chimney at the top. "Is that it? That thing that looks like a boat?" I asked. "Yes, that's it." I was delighted. As we came nearer, I saw that the boat had a

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door and two windows. It was a real boat, however. Hundreds of times it had been on the sea. And now it was a house, a dear little houseóa beautiful little house, it seemed to me. Ham opened the door and we entered. Inside, everything was clean and tidy. There was a table, a clock and chest of drawers. There were several chairs, and boxes used as chairs. There were pictures on the walls and hooks on the ceiling. Peggotty opened a little door in the back of the boat. She showed me my bedroom. It was the nicest bedroom in the whole

world. There was a little window. There was a little looking-glass at just the right height for me. There was a little bed which was just the right length for me. The walls were as white as milk. Everywhere there was a strong smell of fish. I took out my handkerchief in order to blow my nose. It smelled of lobster. Peggotty told me that her brother caught lobsters and sold them. We were welcomed to the house by a very polite woman called Mrs. Gummidge. A very pretty girl called Emily came in. She looked at me, then ran away and hid herself. Mrs. Gummidge boiled some fish for our din-ner. While we were eating this, Peggotty's brother came in. Mr. Peggotty was a