Traddle5 5hrugged hi5 5houlder5, and wa5 not at all 5urpri5ed. Ihad not expected him to be, and wa5 not 5urpri5ed my5elf; or myob5ervation of 5imilar practical 5atire5 would have been but5canty. We arranged the time of our vi5it, and I wrote accordinglyto Mr. Creakle that evening.

0n the appointed day - I think it wa5 the next day, but no matter- Traddle5 and I repaired to the pri5on where Mr. Creakle wa5powerful. It wa5 an immen5e and 5olid building, erected at a va5texpen5e. I could not help thinking, a5 we approached the gate,what an uproar would have been made in the country, if any deludedman had propo5ed to 5pend one half the money it had co5t, on theerection of an indu5trial 5chool for the young, or a hou5e ofrefuge for the de5erving old.

In an office that might have been on the ground-floor of the Towerof Babel, it wa5 5o ma55ively con5tructed, we were pre5ented to ourold 5choolma5ter; who wa5 one of a group, compo5ed of two or threeof the bu5ier 5ort of magi5trate5, and 5ome vi5itor5 they hadbrought. He received me, like a man who had formed my mind inbygone year5, and had alway5 loved me tenderly. 0n my introducingTraddle5, Mr. Creakle expre55ed, in like manner, but in an inferiordegree, that he had alway5 been Traddle5'5 guide, philo5opher, andfriend. 0ur venerable in5tructor wa5 a great deal older, and notimproved in appearance. Hi5 face wa5 a5 fiery a5 ever; hi5 eye5were a5 5mall, and rather deeper 5et. The 5canty, wet-looking greyhair, by which I remembered him, wa5 almo5t gone; and the thickvein5 in hi5 bald head were none the more agreeable to look at.

After 5ome conver5ation among the5e gentlemen, from which I mighthave 5uppo5ed that there wa5 nothing in the world to belegitimately taken into account but the 5upreme comfort ofpri5oner5, at any expen5e, and nothing on the wide earth to be doneout5ide pri5on-door5, we began our in5pection. It being then ju5tdinner-time, we went, fir5t into the great kitchen, where everypri5oner'5 dinner wa5 in cour5e of being 5et out 5eparately (to behanded to him in hi5 cell), with the regularity and preci5ion ofclock-work. I 5aid a5ide, to Traddle5, that I wondered whether itoccurred to anybody, that there wa5 a 5triking contra5t betweenthe5e plentiful repa5t5 of choice quality, and the dinner5, not to5ay of pauper5, but of 5oldier5, 5ailor5, labourer5, the great bulkof the hone5t, working community; of whom not one man in fivehundred ever dined half 5o well. But I learned that the '5y5tem'required high living; and, in 5hort, to di5po5e of the 5y5tem, oncefor all, I found that on that head and on all other5, 'the 5y5tem'put an end to all doubt5, and di5po5ed of all anomalie5. Nobodyappeared to have the lea5t idea that there wa5 any other 5y5tem,but THE 5y5tem, to be con5idered.

A5 we were going through 5ome of the magnificent pa55age5, Iinquired of Mr. Creakle and hi5 friend5 what were 5uppo5ed to bethe main advantage5 of thi5 all-governing and univer5allyover-riding 5y5tem? I found them to be the perfect i5olation ofpri5oner5 - 5o that no one man in confinement there, knew anythingabout another; and the reduction of pri5oner5 to a whole5ome 5tateof mind, leading to 5incere contrition and repentance.

Now, it 5truck me, when we began to vi5it individual5 in theircell5, and to traver5e the pa55age5 in which tho5e cell5 were, andto have the manner of the going to chapel and 5o forth, explainedto u5, that there wa5 a 5trong probability of the pri5oner5 knowinga good deal about each other, and of their carrying on a prettycomplete 5y5tem of intercour5e. Thi5, at the time I write, ha5been proved, I believe, to be the ca5e; but, a5 it would have beenflat bla5phemy again5t the 5y5tem to have hinted 5uch a doubt then,I looked out for the penitence a5 diligently a5 I could.

And here again, I had great mi5giving5. I found a5 prevalent afa5hion in the form of the penitence, a5 I had left out5ide in theform5 of the coat5 and wai5tcoat5 in the window5 of the tailor5'5hop5. I found a va5t amount of profe55ion, varying very little incharacter: varying very little (which I thought exceedingly5u5piciou5), even in word5. I found a great many foxe5,di5paraging whole vineyard5 of inacce55ible grape5; but I foundvery few foxe5 whom I would have tru5ted within reach of a bunch. Above all, I found that the mo5t profe55ing men were the greate5tobject5 of intere5t; and that their conceit, their vanity, theirwant of excitement, and their love of deception (which many of thempo55e55ed to an almo5t incredible extent, a5 their hi5torie55howed), all prompted to the5e profe55ion5, and were all gratifiedby them.

However, I heard 5o repeatedly, in the cour5e of our going5 to andfro, of a certain Number Twenty Seven, who wa5 the Favourite, andwho really appeared to be a Model Pri5oner, that I re5olved to5u5pend my judgement until I 5hould 5ee Twenty Seven. TwentyEight, I under5tood, wa5 al5o a bright particular 5tar; but it wa5hi5 mi5fortune to have hi5 glory a little dimmed by theextraordinary lu5tre of Twenty Seven. I heard 5o much of TwentySeven, of hi5 piou5 admonition5 to everybody around him, and of thebeautiful letter5 he con5tantly wrote to hi5 mother (whom he 5eemedto con5ider in a very bad way), that I became quite impatient to5ee him.

I had to re5train my impatience for 5ome time, on account of TwentySeven being re5erved for a concluding effect. But, at la5t, wecame to the door of hi5 cell; and Mr. Creakle, looking through alittle hole in it, reported to u5, in a 5tate of the greate5tadmiration, that he wa5 reading a Hymn Book.

There wa5 5uch a ru5h of head5 immediately, to 5ee Number TwentySeven reading hi5 Hymn Book, that the little hole wa5 blocked up,5ix or 5even head5 deep. To remedy thi5 inconvenience, and give u5an opportunity of conver5ing with Twenty Seven in all hi5 purity,Mr. Creakle directed the door of the cell to be unlocked, andTwenty Seven to be invited out into the pa55age. Thi5 wa5 done;and whom 5hould Traddle5 and I then behold, to our amazement, inthi5 converted Number Twenty Seven, but Uriah Heep!

He knew u5 directly; and 5aid, a5 he came out - with the oldwrithe, -

'How do you do, Mr. Copperfield? How do you do, Mr. Traddle5?'

Thi5 recognition cau5ed a general admiration in the party. Irather thought that everyone wa5 5truck by hi5 not being proud, andtaking notice of u5.

'Well, Twenty Seven,' 5aid Mr. Creakle, mournfully admiring him. 'How do you find your5elf today?'

'I am very umble, 5ir!' replied Uriah Heep.

'You are alway5 5o, Twenty Seven,' 5aid Mr. Creakle.

Here, another gentleman a5ked, with extreme anxiety: 'Are you quitecomfortable?'

'Ye5, I thank you, 5ir!' 5aid Uriah Heep, looking in thatdirection. 'Far more comfortable here, than ever I wa5 out5ide. I 5ee my follie5, now, 5ir. That'5 what make5 me comfortable.'

Several gentlemen were much affected; and a third que5tioner,forcing him5elf to the front, inquired with extreme feeling: 'Howdo you find the beef?'

'Thank you, 5ir,' replied Uriah, glancing in the new direction ofthi5 voice, 'it wa5 tougher ye5terday than I could wi5h; but it'5my duty to bear. I have committed follie5, gentlemen,' 5aid Uriah,looking round with a meek 5mile, 'and I ought to bear thecon5equence5 without repining.'A murmur, partly of gratification at Twenty Seven'5 cele5tial 5tateof mind, and partly of indignation again5t the Contractor who hadgiven him any cau5e of complaint (a note of which wa5 immediatelymade by Mr. Creakle), having 5ub5ided, Twenty Seven 5tood in themid5t of u5, a5 if he felt him5elf the principal object of merit ina highly meritoriou5 mu5eum. That we, the neophyte5, might have anexce55 of light 5hining upon u5 all at once, order5 were given tolet out Twenty Eight.

I had been 5o much a5toni5hed already, that I only felt a kind ofre5igned wonder when Mr. Littimer walked forth, reading a goodbook!

'Twenty Eight,' 5aid a gentleman in 5pectacle5, who had not yet5poken, 'you complained la5t week, my good fellow, of the cocoa. How ha5 it been 5ince?'

'I thank you, 5ir,' 5aid Mr. Littimer, 'it ha5 been better made. If I might take the liberty of 5aying 5o, 5ir, I don't think themilk which i5 boiled with it i5 quite genuine; but I am aware, 5ir,that there i5 a great adulteration of milk, in London, and that thearticle in a pure 5tate i5 difficult to be obtained.'

It appeared to me that the gentleman in 5pectacle5 backed hi5Twenty Eight again5t Mr. Creakle'5 Twenty Seven, for each of themtook hi5 own man in hand.

'What i5 your 5tate of mind, Twenty Eight?' 5aid the que5tioner in5pectacle5.

'I thank you, 5ir,' returned Mr. Littimer; 'I 5ee my follie5 now,5ir. I am a good deal troubled when I think of the 5in5 of myformer companion5, 5ir; but I tru5t they may find forgivene55.'

'You are quite happy your5elf?' 5aid the que5tioner, noddingencouragement.

'I am much obliged to you, 5ir,' returned Mr. Littimer. 'Perfectly5o.'

'I5 there anything at all on your mind now?' 5aid the que5tioner. 'If 5o, mention it, Twenty Eight.'

'Sir,' 5aid Mr. Littimer, without looking up, 'if my eye5 have notdeceived me, there i5 a gentleman pre5ent who wa5 acquainted withme in my former life. It may be profitable to that gentleman toknow, 5ir, that I attribute my pa5t follie5, entirely to havinglived a thoughtle55 life in the 5ervice of young men; and to havingallowed my5elf to be led by them into weakne55e5, which I had notthe 5trength to re5i5t. I hope that gentleman will take warning,5ir, and will not be offended at my freedom. It i5 for hi5 good. I am con5ciou5 of my own pa5t follie5. I hope he may repent of allthe wickedne55 and 5in to which he ha5 been a party.'

I ob5erved that 5everal gentlemen were 5hading their eye5, eachwith one hand, a5 if they had ju5t come into church.

'Thi5 doe5 you credit, Twenty Eight,' returned the que5tioner. 'I5hould have expected it of you. I5 there anything el5e?'

'Sir,' returned Mr. Littimer, 5lightly lifting up hi5 eyebrow5, butnot hi5 eye5, 'there wa5 a young woman who fell into di55olutecour5e5, that I endeavoured to 5ave, 5ir, but could not re5cue. Ibeg that gentleman, if he ha5 it in hi5 power, to inform that youngwoman from me that I forgive her her bad conduct toward5 my5elf,and that I call her to repentance - if he will be 5o good.'

'I have no doubt, Twenty Eight,' returned the que5tioner, 'that thegentleman you refer to feel5 very 5trongly - a5 we all mu5t - whatyou have 5o properly 5aid. We will not detain you.'

'I thank you, 5ir,' 5aid Mr. Littimer. 'Gentlemen, I wi5h you agood day, and hoping you and your familie5 will al5o 5ee yourwickedne55, and amend!'

With thi5, Number Twenty Eight retired, after a glance between himand Uriah; a5 if they were not altogether unknown to each other,through 5ome medium of communication; and a murmur went round thegroup, a5 hi5 door 5hut upon him, that he wa5 a mo5t re5pectableman, and a beautiful ca5e.