[00:28.93]Chapter 2: David is sent away to school
[00:35.69]I was very unhappy during this time.
[00:37.91]Mr Murdstone insisted on my studying, and so my mother gave me lessons.
[00:45.43]In the past she and I had enjoyed our studies together,
[00:49.78]and she had taught me a lot in her gentle way.
[00:53.95]But now both Mr and Miss Murdstone were present during my lessons,
[01:00.11]and somehow I could not concentrate or remember what I had learnt.
[01:06.05]My poor mother was very sympathetic,and tried to encourage me,sometimes even whispering the answer to me.
[01:16.12]But the Murdstones had sharp ears.
[01:20.03]"Clara,my love!" Mr Murdstone used to say crossly.  “
[01:24.19]"Remember!Be firm!You' re making the boy's character worse by helping him like that!"  “
[01:31.79]"Oh,Edward, I'm sorry,"my mother replied,looking embarrassed and hanging her head like a guilty child.  “
[01:42.44]One morning when I arrived in the sittingroom as usual for my lesson,
[01:48.66]I saw that Mr Murd stone had a thin stick in his hand. I could not take my eyes off it.
[01:57.82]"You must be very careful today, David," he said with his unpleasant smile,  “
[02:05.25]holding the stick in both hands. I knew what would happen then.
[02:11.81]A terrible fear took hold of me, and all that I had learnt disappeared immediately from my memory,
[02:20.30]so that I could not answer any of my mother's questions.
[02:25.28]Mr Murdstone got up from his chair.
[02:29.19]"Well David，"he said heavily, "I think you've worried your mother enough today.   “
[02:36.53]We'll go upstairs, boy. Come,"and he picked up the stick.
[02:43.17]I heard my mother crying as we went upstairs. "Please,Mr Murdstone!"I cried.
[02:51.52]"Don't beat me!I've tried to learn,really I have, sir!"  “
[02:56.81]But he did not listen to me. In my bedroom,he held my arms and started hitting me with the stick.
[03:05.57]I managed to get hold of his hand, and bit deep into it.
[03:11.08]He cried out angrily,and began to hit me as hard as he could.Above the noise of my screams,
[03:21.79]I could hear my mother and Peggotty crying outside the door.
[03:26.87]Then the next moment, he was gone. I heard him lock the door.
[03:33.66]And I was lying,sore and bleeding, on the floor. The whole house seemed suddenly very quiet.
[03:45.08]I stayed there for a time, without moving.
[03:51.61]In the evening Miss Murdstone brought me some bread and milk,
[03:57.39]which she left on the floor beside me,frowning angrily at me as she went out.
[04:04.10]I was kept locked in that room for five days and nights,
[04:09.90]and saw nobody except Miss Murdstone, who brought me food but never spoke to me.
[04:17.43]To a small boy, the five days seemed like years,
[04:23.91]and I can still remember how frightened and guilty I felt.
[04:29.91]But during the fifth night I heard a strange noise at the key-hole.
[04:36.71]It was Peggotty,trying to give me a message.
[04:40.78]"Master David,my dear,"she whispered, sobbing,"they are going to send you away to?boarding?school! Tomorrow!"  “
[04:51.24]"Oh Peggotty!" I cried."Then I won't see you and mother very often!"   “
[04:57.36]"No, my love. But don't forget, I'll take care of your mother. She needs her cross old Peggotty!   “
[05:08.16]I'll stay with her,although I hate these Murdstones.
[05:14.91]And remember,David, I love you as much as I love your mother,and more. And I'll Write to you."
[05:25.53]"Thank you，dear Peggotty!"I whispered back, tears rolling down my face."  “
[05:34.23]Will you write to your brother too,and Ham,and little Emily,  “
[05:38.83]and tell them I'm not as bad as the Murdstones think?
[05:44.11]And send my love to them,especially little Emily?"
[05:50.64]Peggotty promised to do what I asked.
[05:54.26]The next morning Miss Murdstone told me that because of my wickedness, I was going away to school.
[06:03.03]She had already packed my case for me.My mother was only allowed to say a very quick goodbye to me,
[06:11.52]when the horse and cart arrived the driver put my case on the cart, and we drove slowly out of Blunderstone.
[06:20.65]I was still sobbing loudly when suddenly I saw Peggotty running after us on the road.
[06:29.48]The driver stopped and waited for her.With difficulty she climbed up onto the cart.
[06:37.24]"Here, Master David!" she cried breathlessly.  “
[06:41.74]"A little present from me and your dear mother!Take care of yourself, my dear!"   “
[06:49.54]She put a small purse and a paper bag into my hands,
[06:54.75]and held me so close to her fat body that I thought I would never breathe again.
[07:01.51]Then she jumped down and ran back along the road to the village.
[07:08.06]As we continued our journey, I dried my tears and looked at what she had given me.
[07:15.70]The bag was full of Peggotty' s special cakes, and in the purse were eight bright shilling coins.
[07:24.73]Thinking of my mother and Peggotty made me start crying again,but just then the driver,Mr Barkis,began to talk to me.
[07:37.02]He was a large,red-faced man, who clearly found conversation difficult.
[07:44.52]"Did she make those cakes?" he asked slowly, having finished the one that I had offered him.  “
[07:55.83]"You mean Peggotty, sir? Yes, she does all our cooking."  “
[08:02.61]"Does she?" replied Mr Barkis with great interest.  “
[08:08.58]There was a long silence while heconsideredhis next question.
[08:15.56]"Does she have a young man?"he asked."You know,someone who wants to marry her?"  “
[08:26.88]"Peggotty?A young man?"I repeated,surprised."Oh no,she's never had any young men."  “
[08:38.09]"Ah!" replied Mr Barkis，looking very pleased. Again he thought for a long time before speaking.  “
[08:49.86]"Well,"he said at last,"perhaps if you write to her—will you be writing to her?You could give her a message from me.   “
[09:06.53]You could say 'Barkis is willing'.Would you do that?"
[09:15.30]"'Barkis is willing'," I repeated innocently, wondering what the message meant.  “‘
[09:24.55]"Yes,of course. But you could tell her yourself, Mr Barkis, when you return to Blunderstone tomorrow."  “
[09:32.41]
[09:45.65]After this conversation Mr Barkis was completely silent for the rest of the journey.
[09:53.90]When we arrived in Yarmouth,I bought paper at the hotel and wrote this letter to Peggotty:
[10:01.89]My dear Peggotty, I have arrived safely in Yarmouth. Barkis is willing. Please give my love to mother.
[10:13.46]Yours,David P.S. He says it's important—Barkis is willing.
[10:24.58]In Yarmouth I was put on the long－distance coach to London，and travelled all through the night.
[10:32.63]At the coach station in London I was collected by a teacher, Mr Mell,
[10:39.58]and taken to Salem House, the school which the Murdstones had chosen for me.
[10:46.22]The school was a large old building with a dusty playground,
[10:52.47]surrounded by a high brick wall. It looked strangely deserted.
[10:58.15]I was very surprised to find that none of the boys were there, and was told that they were all on holiday,
[11:07.32]and that I had been sent there during the holidays as a punishment for mywickedness.
[11:13.88]The headmaster and teachers were on holiday too,all except for Mr Mell, who had to look after me.
[11:23.06]I spent a whole month in thatmiserableplace,doing my lessons in the dirty,empty classroom,
[11:33.17]which smelt of old food and unwashed boys.
[11:36.83]Every evening I had to eat my supper with Mr Mell,and then go straight to bed.
[11:45.68]The worst thing was the sign I had to wear round my neck.
[11:49.82]It said: BE CAREFUL! HE BITES. I was only allowed to take it off when I went to bed.
[11:58.90]Although I was extremely lonely and unhappy at this time,I was not looking forward to meeting all the other boys.
[12:08.60]I felt sure they would laugh at me and especially at the sign I was forced to wear.
[12:14.79]But one day Mr Mell told me that the headmaster, Mr Creakle, had returned, and wanted to see me.
[12:24.00]So I went,trembling,to his part of the house.
[12:28.94]I realized at once that Mr Creakle lived much more comfortably than the boys or the teachers.
[12:35.86]He was a small,fat man with a purple nose,who was sitting in an armchair with a bottle and a glass in front of him.
[12:45.58]"So, this is the boy who bites, is it?" he asked unpleasantly."I know your stepfather, boy.  “
[12:54.24]He's a man of strong character,he is. He knows me,and I know him.
[13:02.77]Do you know me? Answer me,boy!"He pulled violently at my ear.
[13:09.05]"Not yet, sir," I answered, tears of pain in my eyes.  “
[13:15.71]"Ah,but you soon will!Oh yes, I have a strong character too,you'll see!" Hebangedhis hand hard on the table.  “
[13:28.56]I was very frightened，but I made myself ask the question I had beenconsideringfor a whole month.
[13:37.18]" Please, sir, I'm very sorry for what I did to Mr Murdstone. Could—could I take this sign off,before the other boys see it..."  “
[13:51.85]Mr Creakle gave a sudden,terrible shout and jumped out of his chair.
[13:58.26]I did not wait to see whether he was going to hit me, but ran out of his room and hid in my bed for the next hour.
[14:08.58]However, the boys were not as cruel to me as I had feared.
[14:15.95]I made a friend almost immediately, a boy called Tommy Traddles, who was known to be the unluckiest boy in the school.
[14:24.93]I was also noticed, and even smiled on, by the great James Steerforth,one of the oldest boys, at least six years older than me.
[14:37.44]He was a handsome,intelligent, curly-haired young man,
[14:43.15]who had become an important figure at the school,with great influence over the younger boys.
[14:49.15]"How much money have you got,Copperfield?" he asked me.  “
[14:54.10]"Eight shillings,Steerforth,"I answered,remembering the present my mother and Peggotty had given me.  “8
[15:02.06]"You'd better give it to me. I'll take care of it for you," he offered in a friendly way.  “
[15:09.69]I opened Peggotty's purse and turned it upside-down into his hand.
[15:15.16]"Perhaps you'd like to spend some of it now?"he suggested,smiling."  “
[15:20.68]A bottle of wine, a tin of biscuits, a few cakes, that sort of thing?  “
[15:27.66]I can go out whenever I like, so I can buy it for you."
[15:32.13]"Ye-es,that' s very kind of you,"I said, although I was a little worried that all my money would disappear.  “
[15:43.19]When we went upstairs to bed, I realized that all my money had been spent,
[15:50.25]as eight shillings' worth of food and drink was laid out on my bed in the moonlight.
[15:57.41]Of course I did not want to eat and drink it all by myself,
[16:03.33]so I invited Steerforth and the others tohelp themselves.
[16:08.43]The boys were very willing, and we spent a pleasant evening, sitting on our beds,whispering to each other.
[16:16.13]I discovered that the boys all hated Salem House, which they considered one of the worst schools in the country.
[16:26.85]They especially hated Mr Creakle,
[16:29.80]who was in the habit of beating them regularly with a heavy stick which he carried with him at all times.
[16:37.34]The only boy he dared not beat was Steerforth. I admired Steerforth even more when I heard this.
[16:46.36]When we were all too tired to stay awake, Steerforth got up to go.
[16:53.11]"Goodnight,young Copperfield, " he said, putting a hand on my head."I'll take care of you."  “
[17:01.00]"It's very kind of you，" I replied gratefully.  “
[17:05.10]"You haven't got a sister, have you?"he asked sleepily.  “
[17:09.65]
[17:14.77]If you had one, I'm sure she'd be a pretty, bright-eyed little girl. I would have liked to meet her."
[17:23.54]I thought of him a lot that night,with his laughing, handsome face, and his careless, confident manner.
[17:33.69]I could never have imagined what a dark shadow he would throw over the lives of people who were dear to me.
[17:42.51]I stayed at Salem House for three more months.Although one or two of the teachers,like Mr Mell, were kind to us boys,
[17:55.38]and tried to teach us properly,we were too afraid of Mr Creakle and his stick to concentrate on our studies.
[18:04.04]But Tommy Traddles and I cheered each other up if we were beaten,
[18:09.23]and I was lucky enough to be friendly with the great Steerforth,in spite ofthe difference in our ages.
[18:17.16]However, my home, even with the Murdstones there, seemed a much pleasanter place than school,
[18:25.76]and I was glad when the Christmas holidays arrived,
[18:29.35]and I was allowed to return to Blunderstone.
[18:32.55]I was a little surprised to find that my mother had a new baby, and I could see at once that she was not well.
[18:41.96]She looked tired and worried,and very thin. But she and Peggotty were delighted to see me,
[18:51.43]although they dared not show it if the Murdstones were present.
[18:55.82]My stepfather and his sister seemed to hate me even more than before, if that were possible,
[19:04.37]and they made my life quite miserable whenever they could.
[19:09.05]In fact, I was almost pleased when it was time to return to school, and see Traddles and Steerforth again.
[19:18.26]As the cart drove away,I remember my mother standing outside our house,with her baby in her arms, smiling sadly at me.
[19:30.19]That was the last time I saw her,and that is how I shall always remember her.