PAGE 6
Paul Dombey
by
In the confidence of their own room that night Briggs said his head ached ready to split. Tozer didn’t say much, but he sighed a good deal, and told Paul to look out for his turn would come to-morrow. And Tozer was right. The next morning Miss Blimber called Dombey to her and gave him a great pile of books.
“These are yours, Dombey,” said Miss Blimber.
“All of ’em, ma’am?” said Paul.
“Yes,” returned Miss Blimber; “and Mr. Feeder will look you out some more very soon if you are as studious as I expect you will be, Dombey.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” said Paul.
“Now, don’t lose time, Dombey,” continued Miss Blimber, “for you have none to spare, but take them downstairs and begin directly.”
“Yes, ma’am,” answered Paul.
There were so many of them that, although Paul put one hand under the bottom book and his other hand and his chin on the top book and hugged them all closely, the middle book slipped out before he reached the door, and then they all tumbled down on the floor. Miss Blimber said, “Oh, Dombey, Dombey, this is really very careless,” and piled them up afresh for him; and this time by dint of balancing them with great nicety, Paul got out of the room and down a few stairs before two of them escaped again. But he held the rest so tight that he only left one more on the first floor and one in the passage; and when he had got the main body down into the school-room, he set off upstairs again to collect the stragglers. Having at last amassed the whole library and climbed into his place he fell to work, encouraged by a remark from Tozer to the effect that he was in for it now; which was the only interruption he received until breakfast time, for which meal he had no appetite, and when it was finished, he followed Miss Blimber upstairs.
“Now, Dombey, how have you got on with those books?” asked Miss Blimber.
They comprised a little English, and a deal of Latin, names of things, declensions of articles and nouns, exercises thereon, and preliminary rules; a trifle of orthography, a glance at ancient history, a wink or two at modern ditto, a few tables, two or three weights and measures, and a little general information. When poor Paul had spelt out number two, he found he had no idea of number one, fragments whereof obtruded themselves into number three, which slided into number four, which grafted itself on to number two. So that whether twenty Romuluses made a Remus, or hic, haec, hoc, was troy weight, or a verb always agreed with an ancient Briton, or three times four was Taurus, a bull, were open questions with him.
“Oh, Dombey, Dombey!” said Miss Blimber, “this is very shocking!”
“If you please,” said Paul, “I think if I might sometimes talk a little with old Glubb, I should be able to do better.”
“Nonsense, Dombey,” said Miss Blimber, “I couldn’t hear of it; and now take away the top book, if you please, Dombey, and return when you are master of the theme.”
From that time Paul gave his whole mind to the pursuit of knowledge and acquitted himself very well, but it was hard work, and only on Saturdays did he have time to draw a free breath.
Oh Saturdays, happy Saturdays, when Florence, still at Mrs. Pipchin’s, came at noon; they made up for all the other days!
It did not take long for the loving sister to discover that Paul needed help with the lessons over which he plodded so patiently, and so, procuring the books which he used, she kept pace with him in his studies, and every Saturday was able to assist him with his next week’s work, and thus he was kept from sinking underneath the burden which Cornelia Blimber piled upon his back.
It was not that Miss Blimber meant to be too hard upon him, or that Doctor Blimber meant to bear too heavily upon the young gentlemen in general, but comforted by the applause of the young gentlemen’s nearest relatives, and urged on by their blind vanity and ill-considered haste, it would have been strange if Doctor Blimber had discovered his mistake. Thus in the case of Paul. When Doctor Blimber said he made great progress and was naturally clever, Mr. Dombey was more bent than ever on his being forced and crammed.