had finished, and we were going out to the schoolroom, I was
much surprised to hear Mr. Wickfield, in bidding her good
morning, address her as ‘Mrs. Strong’; and I was wondering could
she be Doctor Strong’s son’s wife, or could she be Mrs. Doctor
Strong, when Doctor Strong himself unconsciously enlightened
me.
‘By the by, Wickfield,’ he said, stopping in a passage with his
hand on my shoulder; ‘you have not found any suitable provision
for my wife’s cousin yet?’
‘No,’ said Mr. Wickfield. ‘No. Not yet.’
‘I could wish it done as soon as it can be done, Wickfield,’ said
Doctor Strong, ‘for Jack Maldon is needy, and idle; and of those
two bad things, worse things sometimes come. What does Doctor
Watts say,’ he added, looking at me, and moving his head to the
time of his quotation, ‘“Satan finds some mischief still, for idle
hands to do.”’
‘Egad, Doctor,’ returned Mr. Wickfield, ‘if Doctor Watts knew
mankind, he might have written, with as much truth, “Satan finds
some mischief still, for busy hands to do.” The busy people achieve
their full share of mischief in the world, you may rely upon it.
What have the people been about, who have been the busiest in
getting money, and in getting power, this century or two? No
mischief?’
‘Jack Maldon will never be very busy in getting either, I expect,’
said Doctor Strong, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
‘Perhaps not,’ said Mr. Wickfield; ‘and you bring me back to the
question, with an apology for digressing. No, I have not been able
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
f
David Copperfield
to dispose of Mr. Jack Maldon yet. I believe,’ he said this with
some hesitation, ‘I penetrate your motive, and it makes the thing
more difficult.’
‘My motive,’ returned Doctor Strong, ‘is to make some suitable
provision for a cousin, and an old playfellow, of Annie’s.’
‘Yes, I know,’ said Mr. Wickfield; ‘at home or abroad.’
‘Aye!’ replied the Doctor, apparently wondering why he
emphasized those words so much. ‘At home or abroad.’
‘Your own , you know,’ said Mr. Wickfield. ‘Or
abroad.’
‘Surely,’ the Doctor answered. ‘Surely. One or other.’
‘One or other? Have you no choice?’ asked Mr. Wickfield.
‘No,’ returned the Doctor.
‘No?’ with astonishment.
‘Not the least.’
‘No motive,’ said Mr. Wickfield, ‘for meaning abroad, and not at
home?’
‘No,’ returned the Doctor.
‘I am bound to believe you, and of course I do believe you,’ said
Mr. Wickfield. ‘It might have simplified my office very much, if I
had known it before. But I confess I entertained another
impression.’
Doctor Strong regarded him with a puzzled and doubting look,
which almost immediately subsided into a smile that gave me
great encouragement; for it was full of amiability and sweetness,
and there was a simplicity in it, and indeed in his whole manner,
when the studious, pondering frost upon it was got through, very
attractive and hopeful to a young scholar like me. Repeating ‘no’,
and ‘not the least’, and other short assurances to the same
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
f
David Copperfield
purport, Doctor Strong jogged on before us, at a queer, uneven
pace; and we followed: Mr. Wickfield, looking grave, I observed,
and shaking his head to himself, without knowing that I saw him.
The schoolroom was a pretty large hall, on th
