Page 556 - david-copperfield

him announced as Mr. Traddles! My mind flew back to Sa-
lem House; and could it be Tommy, I thought, who used to
draw the skeletons!
I looked for Mr. Traddles with unusual interest. He was a
sober, steady-looking young man of retiring manners, with
a comic head of hair, and eyes that were rather wide open;
and he got into an obscure corner so soon, that I had some
difficulty in making him out. At length I had a good view
of him, and either my vision deceived me, or it was the old
unfortunate Tommy.
I made my way to Mr. Waterbrook, and said, that I be-
lieved I had the pleasure of seeing an old schoolfellow
there.
‘Indeed!’ said Mr. Waterbrook, surprised. ‘You are too
young to have been at school with Mr. Henry Spiker?’
‘Oh, I don’t mean him!’ I returned. ‘I mean the gentle-
man named Traddles.’
‘Oh! Aye, aye! Indeed!’ said my host, with much dimin-
ished interest. ‘Possibly.’
‘If it’s really the same person,’ said I, glancing towards
him, ‘it was at a place called Salem House where we were
together, and he was an excellent fellow.’
‘Oh yes. Traddles is a good fellow,’ returned my host nod-
ding his head with an air of toleration. ‘Traddles is quite a
good fellow.’
‘It’s a curious coincidence,’ said I.
‘It is really,’ returned my host, ‘quite a coincidence, that
Traddles should be here at all: as Traddles was only invited
this morning, when the place at table, intended to be oc-