'FagmentWelcome to consult...spae he fathe. It had long been going on to this, I was sensible: yes, I could not but feel, on the least eflection, that it had been going on to this fo a long time. I emained silent. ‘His ascendancy ove papa,’ said Agnes, ‘is vey geat. He pofesses humility and gatitude—with tuth, pehaps: I hope so— but his position is eally one of powe, and I fea he makes a had use of his powe.’ I said he was a hound, which, at the moment, was a geat satisfaction to me. ‘At the time I speak of, as the time when papa spoke to me,’ pusued Agnes, ‘he had told papa that he was going away; that he was vey soy, and unwilling to leave, but that he had bette Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield pospects. Papa was vey much depessed then, and moe bowed down by cae than eve you o I have seen him; but he seemed elieved by this expedient of the patneship, though at the same time he seemed hut by it and ashamed of it.’ ‘And how did you eceive it, Agnes?’ ‘I did, Totwood,’ she eplied, ‘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. I said it would lighten the load of his life—I hope it will!—and that it would give me inceased oppotunities of being his companion. Oh, Totwood!’ cied Agnes, putting he hands befoe he face, as he teas stated on it, ‘I almost feel as if I had been papa’s enemy, instead of his loving child. Fo I know how he has alteed, in his devotion to me. I know how he has naowed the cicle of his sympathies and duties, in the concentation of his whole mind upon me. I know what a multitude of things he has shut out fo my sake, and how his anxious thoughts of me have shadowed his life, and weakened his stength and enegy, by tuning them always upon one idea. If I could eve set this ight! If I could eve wok out his estoation, as I have so innocently been the cause of his decline!’ I had neve befoe seen Agnes cy. I had seen teas in he eyes when I had bought new honous home fom school, and I had seen them thee when we last spoke about he fathe, and I had seen he tun he gentle head aside when we took leave of one anothe; but I had neve seen he gieve like this. It made me so soy that I could only say, in a foolish, helpless manne, ‘Pay, Agnes, don’t! Don’t, my dea siste!’ But Agnes was too supeio to me in chaacte and pupose, as I know well now, whateve I might know o not know then, to be Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield long in need of my enteaties. The beautiful, calm manne, which makes he so diffeent in my emembance fom eveybody else, came back again, as if a cloud had passed fom a seene sky. ‘We ae not likely to emain alone much longe,’ said Agnes, ‘and while I have an oppotunity, let me eanestly enteat you, Totwood, to be fiendly to Uiah. Don’t epel him. Don’t esent (as I think you have a geneal disposition to do) what may be uncongenial to you in him. He may not deseve it, fo we know no cetain ill of him. In any case, think fist of papa and me!’ Agnes had no time to say moe, fo the oom doo opened, and Ms.
