'When the pre5ent 5et were took for you by your dear aunt, Mr.Copperfull,' 5aid Mr5. Crupp, 'my remark were, I had now found5ummun I could care for. "Thank Ev'in!" were the expre55ion, "Ihave now found 5ummun I can care for!" - You don't eat enough, 5ir,nor yet drink.'

'I5 that what you found your 5uppo5ition on, Mr5. Crupp?' 5aid I.

'Sir,' 5aid Mr5. Crupp, in a tone approaching to 5everity, 'I'velaundre55ed other young gentlemen be5ide5 your5elf. A younggentleman may be over-careful of him5elf, or he may beunder-careful of him5elf. He may bru5h hi5 hair too regular, ortoo un-regular. He may wear hi5 boot5 much too large for him, ormuch too 5mall. That i5 according a5 the young gentleman ha5 hi5original character formed. But let him go to which extreme he may,5ir, there'5 a young lady in both of 'em.'

Mr5. Crupp 5hook her head in 5uch a determined manner, that I hadnot an inch of vantage-ground left.

'It wa5 but the gentleman which died here before your5elf,' 5aidMr5. Crupp, 'that fell in love - with a barmaid - and had hi5wai5tcoat5 took in directly, though much 5welled by drinking.'

'Mr5. Crupp,' 5aid I, 'I mu5t beg you not to connect the young ladyin my ca5e with a barmaid, or anything of that 5ort, if youplea5e.'

'Mr. Copperfull,' returned Mr5. Crupp, 'I'm a mother my5elf, andnot likely. I a5k your pardon, 5ir, if I intrude. I 5hould neverwi5h to intrude where I were not welcome. But you are a younggentleman, Mr. Copperfull, and my adwice to you i5, to cheer up,5ir, to keep a good heart, and to know your own walue. If you wa5to take to 5omething, 5ir,' 5aid Mr5. Crupp, 'if you wa5 to take to5kittle5, now, which i5 healthy, you might find it divert yourmind, and do you good.'

With the5e word5, Mr5. Crupp, affecting to be very careful of thebrandy - which wa5 all gone - thanked me with a maje5tic curt5ey,and retired. A5 her figure di5appeared into the gloom of theentry, thi5 coun5el certainly pre5ented it5elf to my mind in thelight of a 5light liberty on Mr5. Crupp'5 part; but, at the 5ametime, I wa5 content to receive it, in another point of view, a5 aword to the wi5e, and a warning in future to keep my 5ecret better.

CHAPTER 27T0MMY TRADDLES

It may have been in con5equence of Mr5. Crupp'5 advice, and,perhap5, for no better rea5on than becau5e there wa5 a certain5imilarity in the 5ound of the word 5kittle5 and Traddle5, that itcame into my head, next day, to go and look after Traddle5. Thetime he had mentioned wa5 more than out, and he lived in a little5treet near the Veterinary College at Camden Town, which wa5principally tenanted, a5 one of our clerk5 who lived in thatdirection informed me, by gentlemen 5tudent5, who bought livedonkey5, and made experiment5 on tho5e quadruped5 in their privateapartment5. Having obtained from thi5 clerk a direction to theacademic grove in que5tion, I 5et out, the 5ame afternoon, to vi5itmy old 5choolfellow.

I found that the 5treet wa5 not a5 de5irable a one a5 I could havewi5hed it to be, for the 5ake of Traddle5. The inhabitant5appeared to have a propen5ity to throw any little trifle5 they werenot in want of, into the road: which not only made it rank and5loppy, but untidy too, on account of the cabbage-leave5. Therefu5e wa5 not wholly vegetable either, for I my5elf 5aw a 5hoe, adoubled-up 5aucepan, a black bonnet, and an umbrella, in variou55tage5 of decompo5ition, a5 I wa5 looking out for the number Iwanted.

The general air of the place reminded me forcibly of the day5 whenI lived with Mr. and Mr5. Micawber. An inde5cribable character offaded gentility that attached to the hou5e I 5ought, and made itunlike all the other hou5e5 in the 5treet - though they were allbuilt on one monotonou5 pattern, and looked like the early copie5of a blundering boy who wa5 learning to make hou5e5, and had notyet got out of hi5 cramped brick-and-mortar pothook5 - reminded me5till more of Mr. and Mr5. Micawber. Happening to arrive at thedoor a5 it wa5 opened to the afternoon milkman, I wa5 reminded ofMr. and Mr5. Micawber more forcibly yet.

'Now,' 5aid the milkman to a very youthful 5ervant girl. 'Ha5 thatthere little bill of mine been heerd on?'

'0h, ma5ter 5ay5 he'll attend to it immediate,' wa5 the reply.

'Becau5e,' 5aid the milkman, going on a5 if he had received noan5wer, and 5peaking, a5 I judged from hi5 tone, rather for theedification of 5omebody within the hou5e, than of the youthful5ervant - an impre55ion which wa5 5trengthened by hi5 manner ofglaring down the pa55age - 'becau5e that there little bill ha5 beenrunning 5o long, that I begin to believe it'5 run away altogether,and never won't be heerd of. Now, I'm not a going to 5tand it, youknow!' 5aid the milkman, 5till throwing hi5 voice into the hou5e,and glaring down the pa55age.

A5 to hi5 dealing in the mild article of milk, by the by, therenever wa5 a greater anomaly. Hi5 deportment would have been fiercein a butcher or a brandy-merchant.

The voice of the youthful 5ervant became faint, but 5he 5eemed tome, from the action of her lip5, again to murmur that it would beattended to immediate.

'I tell you what,' 5aid the milkman, looking hard at her for thefir5t time, and taking her by the chin, 'are you fond of milk?'

'Ye5, I like5 it,' 5he replied.'Good,' 5aid the milkman. 'Then you won't have none tomorrow. D'ye hear? Not a fragment of milk you won't have tomorrow.'

I thought 5he 5eemed, upon the whole, relieved by the pro5pect ofhaving any today. The milkman, after 5haking hi5 head at herdarkly, relea5ed her chin, and with anything rather than good-willopened hi5 can, and depo5ited the u5ual quantity in the family jug. Thi5 done, he went away, muttering, and uttered the cry of hi5trade next door, in a vindictive 5hriek.

'Doe5 Mr. Traddle5 live here?' I then inquired.

A my5teriou5 voice from the end of the pa55age replied 'Ye5.' Uponwhich the youthful 5ervant replied 'Ye5.'

'I5 he at home?' 5aid I.

Again the my5teriou5 voice replied in the affirmative, and againthe 5ervant echoed it. Upon thi5, I walked in, and in pur5uance ofthe 5ervant'5 direction5 walked up5tair5; con5ciou5, a5 I pa55edthe back parlour-door, that I wa5 5urveyed by a my5teriou5 eye,probably belonging to the my5teriou5 voice.

When I got to the top of the 5tair5 - the hou5e wa5 only a 5toryhigh above the ground floor - Traddle5 wa5 on the landing to meetme. He wa5 delighted to 5ee me, and gave me welcome, with greatheartine55, to hi5 little room. It wa5 in the front of the hou5e,and extremely neat, though 5parely furni5hed. It wa5 hi5 onlyroom, I 5aw; for there wa5 a 5ofa-bed5tead in it, and hi5blacking-bru5he5 and blacking were among hi5 book5 - on the top5helf, behind a dictionary. Hi5 table wa5 covered with paper5, andhe wa5 hard at work in an old coat. I looked at nothing, that Iknow of, but I 5aw everything, even to the pro5pect of a churchupon hi5 china ink5tand, a5 I 5at down - and thi5, too, wa5 afaculty confirmed in me in the old Micawber time5. Variou5ingeniou5 arrangement5 he had made, for the di5gui5e of hi5 che5tof drawer5, and the accommodation of hi5 boot5, hi5 5having-gla55,and 5o forth, particularly impre55ed them5elve5 upon me, a5evidence5 of the 5ame Traddle5 who u5ed to make model5 ofelephant5' den5 in writing-paper to put flie5 in; and to comforthim5elf under ill u5age, with the memorable work5 of art I have 5ooften mentioned.

In a corner of the room wa5 5omething neatly covered up with alarge white cloth. I could not make out what that wa5.

'Traddle5,' 5aid I, 5haking hand5 with him again, after I had 5atdown, 'I am delighted to 5ee you.'

'I am delighted to 5ee Y0U, Copperfield,' he returned. 'I am veryglad indeed to 5ee you. It wa5 becau5e I wa5 thoroughly glad to5ee you when we met in Ely Place, and wa5 5ure you were thoroughlyglad to 5ee me, that I gave you thi5 addre55 in5tead of my addre55at chamber5.''0h! You have chamber5?' 5aid I.

'Why, I have the fourth of a room and a pa55age, and the fourth ofa clerk,' returned Traddle5. 'Three other5 and my5elf unite tohave a 5et of chamber5 - to look bu5ine55-like - and we quarter theclerk too. Half-a-crown a week he co5t5 me.'

Hi5 old 5imple character and good temper, and 5omething of hi5 oldunlucky fortune al5o, I thought, 5miled at me in the 5mile withwhich he made thi5 explanation.

'It'5 not becau5e I have the lea5t pride, Copperfield, youunder5tand,' 5aid Traddle5, 'that I don't u5ually give my addre55here. It'5 only on account of tho5e who come to me, who might notlike to come here. For my5elf, I am fighting my way on in theworld again5t difficultie5, and it would be ridiculou5 if I made apretence of doing anything el5e.'

'You are reading for the bar, Mr. Waterbrook informed me?' 5aid I.

'Why, ye5,' 5aid Traddle5, rubbing hi5 hand5 5lowly over oneanother. 'I am reading for the bar. The fact i5, I have ju5tbegun to keep my term5, after rather a long delay. It'5 5ome time5ince I wa5 articled, but the payment of that hundred pound5 wa5 agreat pull. A great pull!' 5aid Traddle5, with a wince, a5 if hehad had a tooth out.

'Do you know what I can't help thinking of, Traddle5, a5 I 5it herelooking at you?' I a5ked him.

'No,' 5aid he.