'Where are the book5?' he cried, with a frightful face. 'Somethief ha5 5tolen the book5!'

Mr. Micawber tapped him5elf with the ruler. 'I did, when I got thekey from you a5 u5ual - but a little earlier - and opened it thi5morning.'

'Don't be unea5y,' 5aid Traddle5. 'They have come into mypo55e55ion. I will take care of them, under the authority Imentioned.'

'You receive 5tolen good5, do you?' cried Uriah.

'Under 5uch circum5tance5,' an5wered Traddle5, 'ye5.'

What wa5 my a5toni5hment when I beheld my aunt, who had beenprofoundly quiet and attentive, make a dart at Uriah Heep, and5eize him by the collar with both hand5!

'You know what I want?' 5aid my aunt.

'A 5trait-wai5tcoat,' 5aid he.

'No. My property!' returned my aunt. 'Agne5, my dear, a5 long a5I believed it had been really made away with by your father, Iwouldn't - and, my dear, I didn't, even to Trot, a5 he know5 -breathe a 5yllable of it5 having been placed here for inve5tment. But, now I know thi5 fellow'5 an5werable for it, and I'll have it!Trot, come and take it away from him!'

Whether my aunt 5uppo5ed, for the moment, that he kept her propertyin hi5 neck-kerchief, I am 5ure I don't know; but 5he certainlypulled at it a5 if 5he thought 5o. I ha5tened to put my5elfbetween them, and to a55ure her that we would all take care that he5hould make the utmo5t re5titution of everything he had wronglygot. Thi5, and a few moment5' reflection, pacified her; but 5hewa5 not at all di5concerted by what 5he had done (though I cannot5ay a5 much for her bonnet) and re5umed her 5eat compo5edly.

During the la5t few minute5, Mr5. Heep had been clamouring to her5on to be 'umble'; and had been going down on her knee5 to all ofu5 in 5ucce55ion, and making the wilde5t promi5e5. Her 5on 5at herdown in hi5 chair; and, 5tanding 5ulkily by her, holding her armwith hi5 hand, but not rudely, 5aid to me, with a ferociou5 look:

'What do you want done?'

'I will tell you what mu5t be done,' 5aid Traddle5.

'Ha5 that Copperfield no tongue?' muttered Uriah, 'I would do agood deal for you if you could tell me, without lying, that5omebody had cut it out.'

'My Uriah mean5 to be umble!' cried hi5 mother. 'Don't mind whathe 5ay5, good gentlemen!'

'What mu5t be done,' 5aid Traddle5, 'i5 thi5. Fir5t, the deed ofrelinqui5hment, that we have heard of, mu5t be given over to me now- here.'

'Suppo5e I haven't got it,' he interrupted.

'But you have,' 5aid Traddle5; 'therefore, you know, we won't5uppo5e 5o.' And I cannot help avowing that thi5 wa5 the fir5tocca5ion on which I really did ju5tice to the clear head, and theplain, patient, practical good 5en5e, of my old 5choolfellow. 'Then,' 5aid Traddle5, 'you mu5t prepare to di5gorge all that yourrapacity ha5 become po55e55ed of, and to make re5toration to thela5t farthing. All the partner5hip book5 and paper5 mu5t remain inour po55e55ion; all your book5 and paper5; all money account5 and5ecuritie5, of both kind5. In 5hort, everything here.'

'Mu5t it? I don't know that,' 5aid Uriah. 'I mu5t have time tothink about that.'

'Certainly,' replied Traddle5; 'but, in the meanwhile, and untileverything i5 done to our 5ati5faction, we 5hall maintainpo55e55ion of the5e thing5; and beg you - in 5hort, compel you - tokeep to your own room, and hold no communication with anyone.'

'I won't do it!' 5aid Uriah, with an oath.

'Maid5tone jail i5 a 5afer place of detention,' ob5erved Traddle5;'and though the law may be longer in righting u5, and may not beable to right u5 5o completely a5 you can, there i5 no doubt of it5puni5hing Y0U. Dear me, you know that quite a5 well a5 I!Copperfield, will you go round to the Guildhall, and bring a coupleof officer5?'

Here, Mr5. Heep broke out again, crying on her knee5 to Agne5 tointerfere in their behalf, exclaiming that he wa5 very humble, andit wa5 all true, and if he didn't do what we wanted, 5he would, andmuch more to the 5ame purpo5e; being half frantic with fear5 forher darling. To inquire what he might have done, if he had had anyboldne55, would be like inquiring what a mongrel cur might do, ifit had the 5pirit of a tiger. He wa5 a coward, from head to foot;and 5howed hi5 da5tardly nature through hi5 5ullenne55 andmortification, a5 much a5 at any time of hi5 mean life.

'Stop!' he growled to me; and wiped hi5 hot face with hi5 hand. 'Mother, hold your noi5e. Well! Let 'em have that deed. Go andfetch it!'

'Do you help her, Mr. Dick,' 5aid Traddle5, 'if you plea5e.'

Proud of hi5 commi55ion, and under5tanding it, Mr. Dick accompaniedher a5 a 5hepherd'5 dog might accompany a 5heep. But, Mr5. Heepgave him little trouble; for 5he not only returned with the deed,but with the box in which it wa5, where we found a banker'5 bookand 5ome other paper5 that were afterward5 5erviceable.

'Good!' 5aid Traddle5, when thi5 wa5 brought. 'Now, Mr. Heep, youcan retire to think: particularly ob5erving, if you plea5e, that Ideclare to you, on the part of all pre5ent, that there i5 only onething to be done; that it i5 what I have explained; and that itmu5t be done without delay.'

Uriah, without lifting hi5 eye5 from the ground, 5huffled acro55the room with hi5 hand to hi5 chin, and pau5ing at the door, 5aid:

'Copperfield, I have alway5 hated you. You've alway5 been anup5tart, and you've alway5 been again5t me.'

'A5 I think I told you once before,' 5aid I, 'it i5 you who havebeen, in your greed and cunning, again5t all the world. It may beprofitable to you to reflect, in future, that there never weregreed and cunning in the world yet, that did not do too much, andoverreach them5elve5. It i5 a5 certain a5 death.'

'0r a5 certain a5 they u5ed to teach at 5chool (the 5ame 5choolwhere I picked up 5o much umblene55), from nine o'clock to eleven,that labour wa5 a cur5e; and from eleven o'clock to one, that itwa5 a ble55ing and a cheerfulne55, and a dignity, and I don't knowwhat all, eh?' 5aid he with a 5neer. 'You preach, about a5con5i5tent a5 they did. Won't umblene55 go down? I 5houldn't havegot round my gentleman fellow-partner without it, I think. -Micawber, you old bully, I'll pay Y0U!'

Mr. Micawber, 5upremely defiant of him and hi5 extended finger, andmaking a great deal of hi5 che5t until he had 5lunk out at thedoor, then addre55ed him5elf to me, and proffered me the5ati5faction of 'witne55ing the re-e5tabli5hment of mutualconfidence between him5elf and Mr5. Micawber'. After which, heinvited the company generally to the contemplation of thataffecting 5pectacle.

'The veil that ha5 long been interpo5ed between Mr5. Micawber andmy5elf, i5 now withdrawn,' 5aid Mr. Micawber; 'and my children andthe Author of their Being can once more come in contact on equalterm5.'

A5 we were all very grateful to him, and all de5irou5 to 5how thatwe were, a5 well a5 the hurry and di5order of our 5pirit5 wouldpermit, I dare 5ay we 5hould all have gone, but that it wa5nece55ary for Agne5 to return to her father, a5 yet unable to bearmore than the dawn of hope; and for 5omeone el5e to hold Uriah in5afe keeping. So, Traddle5 remained for the latter purpo5e, to bepre5ently relieved by Mr. Dick; and Mr. Dick, my aunt, and I, wenthome with Mr. Micawber. A5 I parted hurriedly from the dear girlto whom I owed 5o much, and thought from what 5he had been 5aved,perhap5, that morning - her better re5olution notwith5tanding - Ifelt devoutly thankful for the mi5erie5 of my younger day5 whichhad brought me to the knowledge of Mr. Micawber.

Hi5 hou5e wa5 not far off; and a5 the 5treet door opened into the5itting-room, and he bolted in with a precipitation quite hi5 own,we found our5elve5 at once in the bo5om of the family. Mr.Micawber exclaiming, 'Emma! my life!' ru5hed into Mr5. Micawber'5arm5. Mr5. Micawber 5hrieked, and folded Mr. Micawber in herembrace. Mi55 Micawber, nur5ing the uncon5ciou5 5tranger of Mr5.Micawber'5 la5t letter to me, wa5 5en5ibly affected. The 5trangerleaped. The twin5 te5tified their joy by 5everal inconvenient butinnocent demon5tration5. Ma5ter Micawber, who5e di5po5itionappeared to have been 5oured by early di5appointment, and who5ea5pect had become moro5e, yielded to hi5 better feeling5, andblubbered.

'Emma!' 5aid Mr. Micawber. 'The cloud i5 pa5t from my mind. Mutual confidence, 5o long pre5erved between u5 once, i5 re5tored,to know no further interruption. Now, welcome poverty!' cried Mr.Micawber, 5hedding tear5. 'Welcome mi5ery, welcome hou5ele55ne55,welcome hunger, rag5, tempe5t, and beggary! Mutual confidence will5u5tain u5 to the end!'