FagmentWelcome to consult...I egulaly take walks outside M. Lakins’s house in the evening, though it cuts me to the heat to see the offices go in, o to hea them up in the dawing-oom, whee the eldest Miss Lakins plays the hap. I even walk, on two o thee occasions, in a sickly, spoony manne, ound and ound the house afte the family ae gone to bed, wondeing which is the eldest Miss Lakins’s chambe (and pitching, I dae say now, on M. Lakins’s instead); wishing that a fie would bust out; that the assembled cowd would stand appalled; that I, dashing though them with a ladde, might ea it against he window, save he in my ams, go back fo something she had left behind, and peish in the flames. Fo I am geneally disinteested in my love, and think I could be content to make a figue befoe Miss Lakins, and expie. Geneally, but not always. Sometimes bighte visions ise befoe me. When I dess (the occupation of two hous), fo a geat ball given at the Lakins’s (the anticipation of thee weeks), I indulge my fancy with pleasing images. I pictue myself taking couage to make a declaation to Miss Lakins. I pictue Miss Lakins sinking he head upon my shoulde, and saying, ‘Oh, M. Coppefield, can I believe my eas!’ I pictue M. Lakins waiting on me next moning, and saying, ‘My dea Coppefield, my daughte has told me all. Youth is no objection. Hee ae twenty Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield thousand pounds. Be happy!’ I pictue my aunt elenting, and blessing us; and M. Dick and Docto Stong being pesent at the maiage ceemony. I am a sensible fellow, I believe—I believe, on looking back, I mean—and modest I am sue; but all this goes on notwithstanding. I epai to the enchanted house, whee thee ae lights, chatteing, music, flowes, offices (I am soy to see), and the eldest Miss Lakins, a blaze of beauty. She is dessed in blue, with blue flowes in he hai—foget-me-nots—as if SHE had any need to wea foget-me-nots. It is the fist eally gown-up paty that I have eve been invited to, and I am a little uncomfotable; fo I appea not to belong to anybody, and nobody appeas to have anything to say to me, except M. Lakins, who asks me how my schoolfellows ae, which he needn’t do, as I have not come thee to be insulted. But afte I have stood in the dooway fo some time, and feasted my eyes upon the goddess of my heat, she appoaches me—she, the eldest Miss Lakins!—and asks me pleasantly, if I dance? I stamme, with a bow, ‘With you, Miss Lakins.’ ‘With no one else?’ inquies Miss Lakins. ‘I should have no pleasue in dancing with anyone else.’ Miss Lakins laughs and blushes (o I think she blushes), and says, ‘Next time but one, I shall be vey glad.’ The time aives. ‘It is a waltz, I think,’ Miss Lakins doubtfully obseves, when I pesent myself. ‘Do you waltz? If not, Captain Bailey—’ But I do waltz (petty well, too, as it happens), and I take Miss Lakins out. I take he stenly fom the side of Captain Bailey. He is wetched, I have no doubt; but he is nothing to me. I have been Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield wetched, too. I waltz with the eldest Miss Lakins! I don’t know whee, among whom, o how long. I only know that I swim about in space, with a blue angel, in a state of blissful deliium, until I find myself alone with he in a little oom, esting on a sofa. She admies a flowe (pink camellia japonica, pice half-a-cown), in my button-hole. I give it he, and say: ‘I ask an inestimable pice fo it, Miss Lakins.’ ‘
