Mr. Micawber was so very much struck by this happy rounding off with a quotation, that he indulged himself, and us, with a second reading of the sentence, under pretence of having lost his place.
"'It is not my intention,'" he continued, reading on, "'to enter on a detailed list, within the compass of the present epistle (though it is ready elsewhere), of the various malpractices of a minor nature, affecting the individual whom I have denominated Mr. W., to which I have been a tacitly consenting party. My object, when the contest within myself between stipend and no stipend, baker and no baker, existence and non-existence, ceased, was to take advantage of my opportunities to discover and expose the major malpractices committed, to that gentleman's grievous wrong and injury, by—Heep. Stimulated by the silent monitor within, and by a no less touching and appealing monitor without—to whom I will briefly refer as Miss W.—I entered on a not unlaborious task of clandestine investigation, protracted now, to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, over a period exceeding twelve calendar months.'"
He read this passage, as if it were from an Act of Parliament; and appeared majestically refreshed by the sound of the words.
"'My charges against—Heep,'" he read on, glancing at him, and drawing the ruler into a convenient position under his left arm, in case of need, "'are as follows.'"
We all held our breath, I think. I am sure Uriah held his.
"'First,'" said Mr. Micawber. "'When Mr. W.'s faculties and memory for business became, through, causes into which it is not necessary or expedient for me to enter, weakened and confused,—Heep—designedly perplexed and complicated the whole of the official transactions. When Mr. W. was least fit to enter on business,—Heep—was always at hand to force him to enter on it. He obtained Mr. W.'s signature under such circumstances to documents of importance, representing them to be other documents of no importance. He induced Mr. W. to empower him to draw out, thus, one particular sum of trust-money, amounting to twelve six fourteen, two, and nine, and employed it to meet pretended business charges and deficiencies which were either already provided for, or had never really existed. He gave this proceeding, throughout, the appearance of having originated in Mr. W.'s own dishonest intention, and of having been accomplished by Mr. W.'s own dishonest act; and has used it, ever since, to torture and constrain him.'"
"You shall prove this, you Copperfield!" said Uriah, with a threatening shake of the head. "All in good time!"
"Ask—Heep—Mr. Traddles, who lived in his house after him," said Mr. Micawber, breaking off from the letter; "will you?"
"The fool himself—and lives there now," said Uriah, disdainfully.
"Ask—Heep—if he ever kept a pocket-book in that house," said Mr. Micawber; "will you?"
I saw Uriah's lank hand stop, involuntarily, in the scraping of his chin.
"Or ask him," said Mr. Micawber, "if he ever burnt one there. If he says yes, and asks you where the ashes are, refer him to Wilkins Micawber, and he will hear of something not at all to his advantage!"
The triumphant flourish with which Mr. Micawber delivered himself of these words, had a powerful effect in alarming the mother; who cried out, in much agitation:
