'FagmentWelcome to consult..., that my sitting-oom might be aied, and puged of his pesence. Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield Chapte 26 I FALL INTO CAPTIVITY Isaw no moe of Uiah Heep, until the day when Agnes left town. I was at the coach office to take leave of he and see he go; and thee was he, etuning to Cantebuy by the same conveyance. It was some small satisfaction to me to obseve his spae, shot-waisted, high-shouldeed, mulbey-coloued geatcoat peched up, in company with an umbella like a small tent, on the edge of the back seat on the oof, while Agnes was, of couse, inside; but what I undewent in my effots to be fiendly with him, while Agnes looked on, pehaps deseved that little ecompense. At the coach window, as at the dinne-paty, he hoveed about us without a moment’s intemission, like a geat vultue: goging himself on evey syllable that I said to Agnes, o Agnes said to me. In the state of touble into which his disclosue by my fie had thown me, I had thought vey much of the wods Agnes had used in efeence to the patneship. ‘I did what I hope was ight. Feeling sue that it was necessay fo papa’s peace that the sacifice should be made, I enteated him to make it.’ A miseable foeboding that she would yield to, and sustain heself by, the same feeling in efeence to any sacifice fo his sake, had oppessed me eve since. I knew how she loved him. I knew what the devotion of he natue was. I knew fom he own lips that she egaded heself as the innocent cause of his eos, and as owing him a geat debt she adently desied to pay. I had no consolation in seeing how diffeent she was fom this detestable Rufus with Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield the mulbey-coloued geat-coat, fo I felt that in the vey diffeence between them, in the self-denial of he pue soul and the sodid baseness of his, the geatest dange lay. All this, doubtless, he knew thooughly, and had, in his cunning, consideed well. Yet I was so cetain that the pospect of such a sacifice afa off, must destoy the happiness of Agnes; and I was so sue, fom he manne, of its being unseen by he then, and having cast no shadow on he yet; that I could as soon have injued he, as given he any waning of what impended. Thus it was that we pated without explanation: she waving he hand and smiling faewell fom the coach window; he evil genius withing on the oof, as if he had he in his clutches and tiumphed. I could not get ove this faewell glimpse of them fo a long time. When Agnes wote to tell me of he safe aival, I was as miseable as when I saw he going away. Wheneve I fell into a thoughtful state, this subject was sue to pesent itself, and all my uneasiness was sue to be edoubled. Hadly a night passed without my deaming of it. It became a pat of my life, and as insepaable fom my life as my own head. I had ample leisue to efine upon my uneasiness: fo Steefoth was at Oxfod, as he wote to me, and when I was not at the Commons, I was vey much alone. I believe I had at this time some luking distust of Steefoth. I wote to him most affectionately in eply to his, but I think I was glad, upon the whole, that he could not come to London just then. I suspect the tuth to be, that the influence of Agnes was upon me, undistubed by the sight of him; and that it was the moe poweful with me, because she had so lage a shae in my thoughts and inteest. Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield In the meantime, days and weeks slipped away. I was aticled to Spenlow and Jokins. I had nine
