'FagmentWelcome to consult...in) have eve since, by association, been symbolical to me of silence and etiement. about five-and-twenty boys wee studiously engaged at thei books when we went in, but they ose to give the Docto good moning, and emained standing when they saw M. Wickfield and me. ‘A new boy, young gentlemen,’ said the Docto; ‘Totwood Coppefield.’ One Adams, who was the head-boy, then stepped out of his place and welcomed me. He looked like a young clegyman, in his white cavat, but he was vey affable and good-humoued; and he showed me my place, and pesented me to the mastes, in a gentlemanly way that would have put me at my ease, if anything could. It seemed to me so long, howeve, since I had been among such boys, o among any companions of my own age, except Mick Walke and Mealy Potatoes, that I felt as stange as eve I have done in my life. I was so conscious of having passed though scenes of which they could have no knowledge, and of having acquied expeiences foeign to my age, appeaance, and Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield condition as one of them, that I half believed it was an impostue to come thee as an odinay little schoolboy. I had become, in the Mudstone and Ginby time, howeve shot o long it may have been, so unused to the spots and games of boys, that I knew I was awkwad and inexpeienced in the commonest things belonging to them. Whateve I had leant, had so slipped away fom me in the sodid caes of my life fom day to night, that now, when I was examined about what I knew, I knew nothing, and was put into the lowest fom of the school. But, toubled as I was, by my want of boyish skill, and of book-leaning too, I was made infinitely moe uncomfotable by the consideation, that, in what I did know, I was much fathe emoved fom my companions than in what I did not. My mind an upon what they would think, if they knew of my familia acquaintance with the King’s Bench Pison? Was thee anything about me which would eveal my poceedings in connexion with the Micawbe family—all those pawnings, and sellings, and suppes—in spite of myself? Suppose some of the boys had seen me coming though Cantebuy, waywon and agged, and should find me out? What would they say, who made so light of money, if they could know how I had scaped my halfpence togethe, fo the puchase of my daily saveloy and bee, o my slices of pudding? How would it affect them, who wee so innocent of London life, and London steets, to discove how knowing I was (and was ashamed to be) in some of the meanest phases of both? All this an in my head so much, on that fist day at Docto Stong’s, that I felt distustful of my slightest look and gestue; shunk within myself whensoeve I was appoached by one of my new schoolfellows; and huied off the minute school was ove, afaid of committing myself in my esponse to any Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield fiendly notice o advance. But thee was such an influence in M. Wickfield’s old house, that when I knocked at it, with my new school-books unde my am, I began to feel my uneasiness softening away. As I went up to my aiy old oom, the gave shadow of the staicase seemed to fall upon my doubts and feas, and to make the past moe indistinct. I sat thee, studily conning my books, until dinne-time (we wee out of school fo good at thee); and went down, hopeful of becoming a passable sot of boy yet. Agnes was in the dawing-oom, waiting fo he fathe, who was detained by someone in his office. She met me with he pleasant smile, and asked me how I liked the school. I told he I should like it vey much, I hoped; but I was a little stange to it at fist. ‘You have neve been to school,’ I said, ‘have you?’ ‘Oh yes! Evey day.’ ‘Ah, but you mean he
