[00:00.21] Chapter nine, The shipwreck.
[00:02.76] Then, at last, I had a stroke of luck.
[00:07.21] Mr. Micawber wrote to me from Mr. Wickfield's, suggesting that my aunt and I should come down to Canterbury.
[00:15.87] Mysteriously, he hinted that he had some very important news for us.
[00:23.87] I tried not to raise my hopes too high.
[00:28.08] What had he managed to discover?
[00:33.23] When we arrived at Mr. Wickfield's house, we found Mr. Micawber and Uriah deep in conversation.
[00:43.25] "What a surprise!" said Mr. Micawber, throwing his arms in the air and pretending he didn't know we were coming.
[00:52.44] "A surprise indeed," purred Uriah.
[00:56.90] "How fortunate we are to have such fine guests in our humble company."
[01:05.70] "Mr. Wickfield is not well at the moment," said Mr. Micawber, "but Agnes would be delighted to see you all."
[01:15.47] He hurried out and returned a few moments later with Agnes.
[01:20.11] Uriah beamed at Agnes and then turned to Mr. Micawber.
[01:24.62] "Leave us alone now," he instructed darkly.
[01:32.72] But Mr. Micawber didn't move.
[01:35.75] "I have told you to go," ordered Uriah sharply.
[01:42.10] But Mr. Micawber reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a letter.
[01:49.87] "In front of these witnesses, I announce that this document proves beyond doubt that Uriah Heap is a forger and a cheat!" he declared.
[02:02.30] Uriah spluttered with fury.
[02:05.35] "So, this is a plot!" he shrieked, glaring at me.
[02:11.22] "I'll get even with you, and then you'll be sorry."
[02:16.64] He lunged at Mr. Micawber, trying to snatch the letter, but Mr. Micawber stood firm.
[02:28.25] "I will now read the charges against Uriah Heap," Mr. Micawber announced solemnly.
[02:37.03] The atmosphere in the room was electric.
[02:42.30] As Mr. Micawber read out what Uriah had done, we listened in astonishment.
[02:51.17] We knew he was a liar, but no one had suspected how treacherous he had been.
[02:58.59] He had been cheating and stealing from all of Mr. Wickfield's clients.
[03:07.29] Aunt Betsy was one of them.
[03:11.39] She had not lost her fortune after all.
[03:15.35] Uriah had stolen it.
[03:19.72] She had trusted Mr. Wickfield, and so she had never reproached him or tried to discover what had happened to her money.
[03:32.21] As the list of his crimes grew longer, Uriah's face twisted with rage.
[03:39.13] Gone was any pretense of humbleness.
[03:44.51] "I've always hated you, Copperfield!" he burst out.
[03:49.95] "You always thought you were so high and mighty, but you're just a nobody!"
[03:59.96] "You hated everyone, Uriah," I said.
[04:04.60] "You pretended to be a friend and then you cheated and lied.
[04:11.01] Well, now you have been found out."
[04:17.60] "But I'm not going to tell you anything more," snarled Uriah.
[04:24.67] "We'll see about that," said my aunt briskly.
[04:35.54] I was delighted that Uriah was no longer able to threaten Agnes and Mr. Wickfield.
[04:44.38] All the stolen money was found, and Mr. Wickfield escaped the public shame that he had so feared.
[04:55.22] I continued in my career as a writer, and I was even able to marry my dear pretty Dora.
[05:06.35] But my happiness did not last.
[05:11.43] Dora loved me, but she had never had to look after herself in her life, and she expected me to do everything.
[05:23.18] Soon, our household became as wildly disorganized as the Micawber's.
[05:33.50] Dora wept bitterly at every unpaid bill, but it was quite beyond her to pay it.
[05:44.33] Then our first baby died, and Dora became ill.
[05:49.79] She grew paler and weaker with every day and seemed to fade away in front of me.
[05:59.37] I was powerless to stop it.
[06:02.78] She died one evening in late autumn, and I fell into the deepest pit of despair.
[06:14.30] If it hadn't been for Agnes's support and kindness, my life would have been completely unbearable.
[06:26.31] Over the next few weeks, I decided that I needed to go away.
[06:33.82] Maybe if I left England, the pain might gradually fade.
[06:41.97] Before I set out, I paid a visit to the Pegattis at Yarmouth.
[06:49.31] Ever since Emily had left, Dan had been searching for her, and Ham had stayed at home alone.
[06:59.51] The weather was wild and windy as I arrived in Yarmouth, and the storm gathered strength as evening fell.
[07:09.21] Later that night, I was woken by shouts of, "There's a shipwreck close by!
[07:15.01] It's breaking up!"
[07:18.82] Everyone was running down to the beach in a wild panic, and I joined them.
[07:25.93] Through the lashing wind and rain, I could see a ship tossing madly in the gale.
[07:33.64] Its back was broken, and it would soon break up entirely.
[07:40.68] Then I spotted Ham in the crowd.
[07:44.47] He had got out his boat and was about to set off into the storm.
[07:51.23] "Ham!" I yelled above the wind.
[07:55.52] "Stop!
[07:57.98] You can't go out there!
[08:00.98] You'll be killed!"
[08:04.89] "There's one last sailor clinging to the wreck!" Ham shouted back.
[08:10.75] "Someone has to go out there and save him!"
[08:16.12] I watched in horror as Ham rode towards the wreck, his boat almost swamped by the violent waves.
[08:26.39] I saw him leap from his boat onto the wreck and stretch out his hand to the poor sailor.
[08:34.31] But then the wreck suddenly shuddered and split in two, and Ham disappeared in a swirl of foam.
[08:46.67] A little while later, his body was washed up on the shore.
[08:53.20] Ham had given his life to save another.
[08:58.71] Soon after, the body of the last sailor washed up too.
[09:08.20] I stared down at the dead man's face and went rigid with shock.
[09:15.91] I knew him only too well.
[09:19.82] It was Stairforth.