Page 596 - david-copperfield

young lady in my case with a barmaid, or anything of that
sort, if you please.’
‘Mr. Copperfull,’ returned Mrs. Crupp, ‘I’m a mother
myself, and not likely. I ask your pardon, sir, if I intrude.
I should never wish to intrude where I were not welcome.
But you are a young gentleman, Mr. Copperfull, and my ad-
wice to you is, to cheer up, sir, to keep a good heart, and to
know your own walue. If you was to take to something, sir,’
said Mrs. Crupp, ‘if you was to take to skittles, now, which
is healthy, you might find it divert your mind, and do you
good.’
With these words, Mrs. Crupp, affecting to be very care-
ful of the brandy - which was all gone - thanked me with
a majestic curtsey, and retired. As her figure disappeared
into the gloom of the entry, this counsel certainly present-
ed itself to my mind in the light of a slight liberty on Mrs.
Crupp’s part; but, at the same time, I was content to receive
it, in another point of view, as a word to the wise, and a
warning in future to keep my secret better.