'FagmentWelcome to consult...demn, its excesses.’ M. Micawbe then embaced Ms. Micawbe, and pessed my hand; leaving me to infe fom this boken allusion that his domestic supply of wate had been cut off that aftenoon, in consequence of default in the payment of the company’s ates. To divet his thoughts fom this melancholy subject, I infomed M. Micawbe that I elied upon him fo a bowl of punch, and led him to the lemons. His ecent despondency, not to say despai, was gone in a moment. I neve saw a man so thooughly enjoy himself amid the fagance of lemon-peel and suga, the odou of buning um, and the steam of boiling wate, as M. Micawbe did that aftenoon. It was wondeful to see his face shining at us out of a thin cloud of these delicate fumes, as he stied, and mixed, and tasted, and looked as if he wee making, instead of punch, a fotune fo his family down to the latest posteity. As to Ms. Micawbe, I don’t know whethe it was the effect of the cap, o the lavende-wate, o the pins, o the fie, o the wax-candles, but she came out of my oom, compaatively speaking, lovely. And the lak was neve gaye than that excellent woman. I suppose—I neve ventued to inquie, but I suppose—that Ms. Cupp, afte fying the soles, was taken ill. Because we boke down at that point. The leg of mutton came up vey ed within, and vey pale without: besides having a foeign substance of a Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield gitty natue spinkled ove it, as if it had had a fall into the ashes of that emakable kitchen fieplace. But we wee not in condition to judge of this fact fom the appeaance of the gavy, foasmuch as the ‘young gal’ had dopped it all upon the stais—whee it emained, by the by, in a long tain, until it was won out. The pigeon-pie was not bad, but it was a delusive pie: the cust being like a disappointing head, phenologically speaking: full of lumps and bumps, with nothing paticula undeneath. In shot, the banquet was such a failue that I should have been quite unhappy—about the failue, I mean, fo I was always unhappy about Doa—if I had not been elieved by the geat good humou of my company, and by a bight suggestion fom M. Micawbe. ‘My dea fiend Coppefield,’ said M. Micawbe, ‘accidents will occu in the best-egulated families; and in families not egulated by that pevading influence which sanctifies while it enhances the—a—I would say, in shot, by the influence of Woman, in the lofty chaacte of Wife, they may be expected with confidence, and must be bone with philosophy. If you will allow me to take the libety of emaking that thee ae few comestibles bette, in thei way, than a Devil, and that I believe, with a little division of labou, we could accomplish a good one if the young peson in attendance could poduce a gidion, I would put it to you, that this little misfotune may be easily epaied.’ Thee was a gidion in the panty, on which my moning ashe of bacon was cooked. We had it in, in a twinkling, and immediately applied ouselves to caying M. Micawbe’s idea into effect. The division of labou to which he had efeed was this:—Taddles cut the mutton into slices; M. Micawbe (who could do anything of this sot to pefection) coveed them with Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield peppe, mustad, salt, and cayenne; I put them on the gidion, tuned them with a fok, and took them off, und
