[00:00.56] Chapter six, Agnes's warnings.
[00:03.77] My time at Dr. Strong's school passed very quickly, and soon I was facing a new future out in the world.
[00:12.06] The only problem was I didn't know what I wanted to do.
[00:16.51] Now you've stopped being a school boy, you need a break.
[00:19.82] Clear your head.
[00:21.90] Why don't you go and visit that family with the strange name, suggested Aunt Betsy.
[00:28.17] You mean the Peggotties aunt, I cried.
[00:31.84] I should love to visit them.
[00:36.22] You could spend a night in London on the way, continued Aunt Betsy, see the sights.
[00:45.32] So, a few days later, I found myself on a coach heading for London.
[00:51.67] On the way, we passed Salem House.
[00:55.75] I stared at the high walls and shuddered as I thought of Mr. Krekel.
[01:01.86] How I would have loved to storm inside and let all of the boys escape, like freeing caged sparrows.
[01:12.53] I rented a room in a hotel near Charing Cross, amazed at my own daring.
[01:19.84] As I was waiting for supper, I saw a young man stride into the hotel, and I recognized him immediately.
[01:29.76] Stairforth, I cried with joy, hurrying over to his side.
[01:36.44] He looked at me blankly for a few seconds, and then suddenly realized who I was.
[01:43.52] Little Copperfield, he exclaimed with surprise.
[01:48.06] What are you doing here?
[01:51.86] I'm going down to Yarmouth to see Peggotty and Dan, I told him.
[01:57.63] Why don't you come with me?
[02:00.66] I've nothing to do, he agreed carelessly.
[02:06.05] So, why not?
[02:13.62] We arrived at Dan Peggotty's in the middle of a joyful celebration.
[02:20.47] What's happening? I asked, when I heard the laughter and saw the smiles on everyone's faces.
[02:29.12] Ham and Emily have just announced their engagement, cried Dan beaming with happiness.
[02:37.45] I was delighted for them, and Stairforth immediately made himself popular with everyone, giving compliments, telling stories and making us all laugh.
[02:52.07] It was after midnight when we left Dan's house and set out for our lodgings.
[02:59.88] Emily is very beautiful, said Stairforth thoughtfully.
[03:06.68] I agree, I grinned.
[03:09.03] She and Ham will make an excellent couple.
[03:13.73] Stairforth frowned.
[03:15.88] I'm not sure about that, he said.
[03:18.37] I don't think Ham is good enough for Emily.
[03:24.99] I stopped and eyed Stairforth with shock.
[03:29.04] That's a pretty harsh thing to say, I protested.
[03:34.46] A twinkle of laughter appeared in Stairforth's eyes, and I thought he was joking.
[03:40.51] But later I realized how stupid I had been not to realize what was happening.
[03:49.55] The following morning, I asked Stairforth if he wanted to come over to my childhood home with me.
[03:57.92] Thanks Copperfield, he replied quickly, but the sea is calling me.
[04:04.98] Stairforth was an excellent sailor, and he claimed to want to go sailing down the coast.
[04:14.33] Going back to my old house was a strange and sad experience.
[04:21.03] The garden had run wild, and half of the windows had been shut up.
[04:28.03] The mudstones had clearly moved on.
[04:37.50] The next day, and the next, I went walking near my old home, while Stairforth went sailing.
[04:49.56] One evening, I returned and was surprised to find Stairforth slumped in front of the fire, lost in thought.
[04:59.22] How was boating today? I asked him.
[05:04.08] My voice gave him a start and he looked gloomily into the fire.
[05:10.38] What's the matter? I asked.
[05:14.65] It's just me, Copperfield, he muttered.
[05:19.52] I'm feeling very low today.
[05:22.97] What do you mean? I asked, but he went on staring into the fire and didn't reply.
[05:32.48] I was puzzled by Stairforth's odd behavior, but he wasn't the only one who was acting strangely.
[05:41.63] Emily had suddenly become nervous and moody.
[05:48.49] One night, when we were all together, she suddenly burst out crying.
[05:55.81] You should have chosen someone better than me, she sobbed to Ham.
[06:02.24] I'm no good for you.
[06:06.84] I was amazed by this outburst.
[06:11.61] Ham and Emily seem to be so in love.
[06:16.25] Had something gone wrong between them?
[06:21.30] I just couldn't work it out.
[06:26.71] At last, I had to return to Dover to decide on my future.
[06:33.36] Aunt Betsy and I talked about what I was going to do, and eventually we decided that I should become a lawyer.
[06:44.52] I have arranged for us to visit the office of a law firm in London called Spenlow and Jakins, she told me one day.
[06:54.51] I'm hoping they'll offer you a job.
[07:02.51] To my excitement, Mr. Spenlow agreed to take me on.
[07:09.80] But there is one condition, he explained pleasantly.
[07:15.84] You need to pay £1,000 to cover our training costs.
[07:24.85] My heart sank.
[07:27.77] £1,000.
[07:32.93] It was a huge sum of money.
[07:37.23] Agreed, replied Aunt Betsy.
[07:42.83] I turned to her in astonishment.
[07:47.72] I can't let you pay, I insisted.
[07:51.99] I really can't.
[07:54.26] Nonsense, she replied.
[07:58.51] I shall spend my money as I wish.
[08:04.80] That same day, she found me a comfortable set of rooms overlooking the river Thames.
[08:15.50] I couldn't believe my luck.
[08:18.69] I was so grateful to Aunt Betsy for her kindness and generosity.
[08:26.93] Life in London was going to be good.
[08:31.99] It was in this happy state of mind that I received a surprise visitor.
[08:39.73] My good friend, Agnes Wickfield.
[08:47.47] I could instantly see from her face that something serious was troubling her.
[08:57.83] I'm very worried about one of your friends, she told me.
[09:04.18] I pulled the face, and who's that? I asked.
[09:11.14] Stairforth, she replied.
[09:14.62] Stairforth, I cried.
[09:17.66] What's the matter with him?
[09:22.73] All I'm saying is that I know he's kind and charming, but he's also rich and used to having everything he wants.
[09:33.36] I won't hear of it, I protested.
[09:37.51] Stairforth is one of my oldest friends.
[09:46.11] Agnes could see how strongly I felt, so she quickly dropped the subject and moved on.
[09:54.54] I also need to talk to you about Uriah Heap, she said.
[09:59.69] I'm scared that he has some kind of hold over my father, and he's using it to hurt him.
[10:07.67] I'm sure Uriah wants to become his partner in the firm.
[10:14.54] The worm! I declared with outrage, as I remembered Uriah's insistence that he was too humble ever to be Mr. Wickfield's partner.
[10:29.02] You must stop this happening, Agnes.
[10:34.17] I can't, she replied and she blushed.
[10:39.57] Uriah knows my father isn't as quick as he used to be, and he plays games with him.
[10:47.97] I guess that Uriah must have tricked Mr. Wickfield into making some bad mistakes in his work.
[10:57.55] Perhaps Uriah was threatening to reveal his errors to the outside world to ruin his legal career.
[11:06.50] I'll deal with Uriah, I seethed.
[11:11.21] Please don't do anything, Agnes begged me.
[11:16.12] It would just cause more trouble for my father.
[11:20.52] Be friendly towards Uriah, that way you may find out exactly what he's up to.
[11:31.97] I had to admit that Agnes was right.
[11:35.88] Uriah was a powerful enemy, and if I let him know how I felt, he would be on his guard.
[11:43.97] I promised to hold my temper and to try to discover what his plans were.
[11:54.01] Not long after this, Agnes and I were at a party where he too was a guest.
[12:01.74] His slimy behavior was almost unbearable that night.
[12:09.70] Whenever I spoke to Agnes, he hovered nearby, listening into our conversation.
[12:19.04] I could hardly bear it.
[12:22.95] But I remembered the promise I'd made to Agnes, and as the party drew to a close, I approached him.
[12:32.50] Uriah, I said, forcing myself to look friendly.
[12:38.87] Why don't you come back to my rooms for coffee?
[12:44.56] He leaped at the chance.
[12:48.57] Oh, what an honor it is for an humble person like myself to be invited to the rooms of such a person as yourself, he oozed.
[13:02.23] And so, a short time later that night, Uriah sat at my table.
[13:11.42] It's a shame about Mr. Wickfield, he said, pretending to sigh.
[13:20.13] He has got himself into so much trouble.
[13:25.77] He's very lucky to have me around to help him.
[13:31.55] And if I wasn't to help him, Uriah looked at me with a cold, calculating glare.
[13:42.12] Things would go very odd for him, very odd.
[13:51.37] Liar, I thought.
[13:55.82] You're the one who has got him into trouble.
[14:01.72] But it's not Mr. Wickfield I have my eye on, Uriah said, leaning forward and rubbing his clammy hands together.
[14:13.46] I have a soft spot for his daughter, Agnes.
[14:21.35] I felt my blood boil.
[14:25.80] Uriah had plans to marry Agnes?
[14:31.49] He wasn't fit to wipe dirt off her shoes.
[14:39.43] I thought of challenging him to a fight, but I resisted.
[14:48.62] Have you told Agnes of your feelings? I managed to say.
[14:55.11] Oh, no, replied Uriah.
[14:59.28] And I would appreciate it if you said nothing.
[15:04.67] Let's keep it as our little secret.
[15:11.12] And he smiled in a slimy, unpleasant way that made me shudder.
[15:19.08] I found it almost impossible to sleep that night.
[15:24.53] I tossed and turned, as the thought of Uriah scheming to marry Agnes was simply too horrible to consider.