CHAPTER 1. DAVID COPPERFIELD'S CHILDHOOD

CHAPTER 1. DAVID COPPERFIELD'S CHILDHOOD
David Copperfield was born at Blunderstone, in Suffolk, in the east of England. Saldly, he never met his
father because he died six months before David was born. David's mother was much younger than this
husband and suddenly, she found she was with a baby and without a husband.
Miss Betsey was David father's aunt and she hadn't spoken to him since he had been married because she
thought it was a mistake marrying with a very young girl. But when she heard that David's mother was
expecting a baby, she came to visit Blunderstone. She wanted to help Clara, David's mother, with the baby
while she was sure that it was going to be a girl. Then, David was born and after that, she never came back to
the house.
David's childhood was happy. His mother and Peggotty, the Copperfield's servant, were very kind with him.
When he was about eight, his mother started to go out with a gentleman called Mr Murdstone. A few months
later, Peggotty and David went to stay with her brother in Yarmouth a short holiday while Clara had been
marrying Mr Murdstone. After the trip, Peggotty told David the real reason why Clara had done in this period
of time. David was shocked and when they arrived at home, he didn't speak anything with his mother, so she
got sad. But then, his stepfather told him that if he didn't obey him, he would beat him. Since this, David was
very afraid of his stepfather.
A few days later, Mr Murdstone's sister arrived to help Clara in the house but finally, she stayed with them for
a long time and she also took complete control of the house, keeping the keys and checking that everything
was being done just as she wished.
CHAPTER 2. DAVID IS SENT AWAY TO SCHOOL
Mr Murdstone insisted on David's studying and so his mother gave him lessons. In the past, they enjoyed his
studies together but now both Mr and Miss Murdstone were present during his lessons, and somehow David
couldn't concentrate or remember what he had learnt.
One morning when David arrived in the sitting−room as usual for his lessons, he saw that Mr Murdstone had
a thin stick in his hand. The child was very afraid of it, and all of he had learnt disappeared immediately from
his mind, so he couldn't answer any of his mother's questions. Then his stepfather took him and went with him
upstairs while Clara was crying and David was shouting him not to beat him! When they arrived to David's
bedroom, Mr Murdstone held his arms and started hitting him with his stick. Above the noise of his screams,
he could hear his mother and Peggotty crying outside the door. Next, Mr Murdstone was gone and locked the
door. David was kept locked in that room five days and five nights and saw nobody except Mrs Murdstone,
who brought him food but never spoke to him. But during the fifth night he heard a strange noise at the
keyhole. It was Peggotty, trying to give him a message. She told him that the next day they were going to send
him away to boarding school
The next morning Miss Murdstone told David that why his wickedness he was going away to school. His
mother was only allowed to say a very quick goodbye to me, when the horse and driver arrived. Then, Mr
Barkis drove slowly out of Blunderstone. Peggotty gave him a purse with some money and cakes.
David stayed in his new school for three months until Christmas. There, he met some friends, like Tommy
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Traddles and James Steerforth. He also discovered that the headmaster of the school was a bad man, who had
a stick which he hit the boys, as Mr Murstone did.
When he returned to his house at Christmas, he saw that he had a new brother and his mother was very thin
and she looked ill. That was the last time he saw her
CHAPTER 3. DAVID THE ORPHAN
Two months later, Mr Creakle's wife told David that his mother had died in their house a few hours before.
Mrs Creakle packed his case herself and sent David home on the coach for the funeral.
Pergotty was waiting him in front of the house. He told him his that his mother had been ill for a long time
ago and her little child died a few hours later his mother died.
The Murdstones told Peggotty to leave, because they didn't want her servant any more, so Peggotty decided to
go to her brother's house in Yarmouth until she think what work to do next. She suggested taking David with
her for a holiday, and to his surprise The Murdstones agreed.
A few days later, Peggotty told David that she was going to marry with Mr Barkis, but he always could go to
their house when he wanted. When David returned to Blunderstone, the Murdstones told him that the school
was very expensive so they arranged for him to start work. He was sent to London, to work in a warehouse
near the river. His stepfather asked Mr Quinion, the manager, to find him somewhere to stay in London. He
introduced David to the Micawbers. They were poor but kind with him. David stayed with them some months.
He discovered that Mr Micawber didn't earn enough money to pay his creditors so he was sent to prison.
At the end, David decided to find his father's aunt, Miss Betsey Trotwood, and ask her to help him.
CHAPTER 4. DAVID AND HIS AUNT
David helped The Micawbers to pack all of their things because they were going to Dover and after that, he
went to the warehouse for his last day at work. In the evening, he packed his case and took the 10 shillings
Peggotty had once given him. He asked a tall man with a horse and a cart if he could take his case to the coach
station, and that was the last time he saw itso he had to go to his aunt's house walking for six days. When
David arrived, his aunt and his uncle were very kind with him and a few months later, they decided that David
had to go to the school in Canterbury. It was far from Dover so David stayed in Mr Wickfield's house who
was Miss Trotwood lawyer.
Years passed and David learnt a lot in that school, and then, the end of his schooldays came. Before deciding
what profession to choose, his aunt suggested that he should spend a month in London or travelling round the
country to consider his new decision.
CHAPTER 5. DAVID MEETS OLD FRIENDS AGAIN
First, David decided to go to London to stay at a hotel for a few nights and see all the sights of that city. One
day he met Steerforth, a child classmate and since that, they stayed together in the capital of England and
visited together Peggotty and all her family in Yarmouth.
When they returned to London, David celebrated a party in his house and after drinking some bottles of wine,
he looked very drunk. They went out to the Opera and after it finished, Steerforth had to take David to his
house and put on his pyjama.
Next day, David visited his friend Agnes, who was with The Wickfields and they stayed together for all day!
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In the afternoon, David met his aunt who told him if he would like to study to become as a lawyer. He
answered that it'll be a good job and he liked it, so his aunt introduced him to Mr Spenlow, an important
lawyer in the city, to teach him all the things he must know.
CHAPTER 6. DAVID FALLS IN LOVE
David met Uriah in London, who was the partner of The Wickfields and who was in love Miss Agnes. He
hoped to marry her one day.
A year passed since David first started work in Mr Spenlow's firm. He often went to courts with him, and
began to understand the details of some of the most difficult cases. Mr Spenlow was very kind with David and
they sometimes talked about their lives and problems. One day he invited him to his house for the weekend.
There, David met Dora, who was Mr Spenlow's daughter. She was very pretty, so David fell in love in a
second. He also met Miss Murdstone, who was her companion. The child was very surprised to meet another
time her and later, they talked about forget the past, but David told her that he could never forget what happen
in the past
In London, David stayed with Traddles who was another classmate in the past. They passed an afternoon
together and David discovered that he was staying in The Micawber's house!
Steerforth told David that Mr Barkis was very ill so David decided to go to Yarmouth to visit him and to stay
with Pergotty. When he arrived there, Mr Barkis died and some days later, Emily run away because she was in
love withSteerforth! Daniel, who adopted her and Ham in the past, was very sad and he decided to go out for
looking her!
CHAPTER 7. GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR DAVID
David was invited to Dora's birthday the following week, so he bought expensive new clothes and boots, and
hired a handsome white horse. He also bought some beautiful flowers to Dora for her birthday. In the party,
David met Miss Mills who was a friend of Dora. Next, David talked with Dora and kissed each other! They
were engaged!
Some days after this, David stayed with his aunt in Peggotty's house, and there, he discovered that his aunt
was now very poor and she and his husband were going to live with them for some days.
CHAPTER 8. DAVID'S NEW LIFE
With Agnes's encouragement David felt much stronger, and no longer depressed. He intended to work as hard
as he could, to help his aunt and to earn enough money to marry Dora. Peggotty returned to Yarmouth to look
after Ham, while Daniel was away. After David had taken her to the coach station and said goodbye to her, he
went to Miss Mill's house and visited Dora. He told her about his problems, and now, she could work for earn
much money for both of them, but then, Dora lied unconscious on the sofa. Miss Mills told him that she was
above the things of this world, which poor humans had to worry about, so she wasn't going to work because
she didn't understand why she had to do it!
Several months passed in this way while Dora and David wrote each other every day, and occasionally he was
able to visit her at Miss Mill's house. But one morning when he arrived at the office for work, Mr Spenlow
asked him to step into his office, where they could talk privately. There, he told him that Miss Murdstone had
found some letters that Dora and David had written each other. Mr Spenlow told David not to marry Dora and
not to go on with this way. David was very sad about these things, and the next hours he thought of poor
sweet Dora. The next day, David discovered that Mr Spenlow had died last night
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CHAPTER 9. DAVID GETS MARRIED
Some months later, David and Dora got married. A new life started together but problems became soon:
David worked as hard as he could while Dora didn't do anything and she didn't worry about the servant whom
stole some money and broke many things.
Early one morning, while he was walking in the garden, he saw Daniel Peggotty opening the gate and coming
towards him. He told David that he had found Emily and they were going to live in Australia to start a new
life.
CHAPTER 10. DEATH AND DISCOVERY
Traddles and David received strange letters from Mr Micawber, in which he asked them to go to Canterbury,
with David's aunt. At this meeting, he showed to all of them the proof of Uriah Heep's wickedness: he had
confused and lied to his partner so often that poor Mr Wickfield thought he had himself been dishonest; he
had sometimes copied Mr Wickfield's signature on to false documents and cheques; and for years he had been
stealing large amounts of money from Mr Wickfields and the firm
In the next few days, Traddles and Micawber worked very hard together to put right what Uriah had done.
They gave the money back to David's aunt and The Wickfields didn't owe anything more! Uriah and his
mother left Canterbury.
The Micawber family decided to go to Australia to start a new life, and there, Mr Micawber became an
important figure of business.
Finally, Dora died because she was very ill and David discovered that he always had loved Agnes, and she
confessed him the same thing! They got married and had some children, and became very happy. Traddles got
married too and became a judge. Miss Trotwood, Mr Dick and Peggotty got older but still very fit.
VOCABULARY
Beat: golpear
Stern: severo
Sobbing: sollozando
Fond: cariñoso
Delight: placer
Firm: firme
Frowning: frunciendo
Blush: sonrojar
Ashamed: avergonzado
Sharp: afilado
Hold: sostener
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Keyhole: ojo de la cerradura
Cart: carro
Willing: dispuesto
Dusty: polvoriento
Blow: golpe
Rub: frotar
Gladly: con mucho gusto
Mist: neblina
Forgetful: olvidadizo
Get rid of: deshacerse d algo
Coarse: áspero
Rough: accidentado
Owe: deber
Wage: salario
Own: poseer
Fare: tarifa
Disused: abandonado
Beggar: mendigo
Tear: rasgar
Bitterly: amargamente
Wrap: envolver
Blanket: manta
Lead: dirigir
Widow: viuda
Eager: ansioso
Wicked: perverso
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Inherited: heredado
Rise: levantarse
Delight: placer
Law court: juzgado
Humble: humilde
Blacken: nombre figurado
Engaged: prometido
Cheer up: animarse
Drowned: ahogado
Share: finanzas
Wise: sabio
Fetch: recoger
Steep: empinado
Clerks: oficinistas
Proof: prueba
Bribed: sobornado
Guess: adivinar
Be unable to do something: saber hacer algo
Hopeless: desesperado, inútil
Bent: doblar, torcer
Doubt: duda
Fault: fallo
Among: entre
Scent: olor
Edge: filo
Faint: desmayarse
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Search: búsqueda
Dull: gris
Grim: severo
At the bottom of: en la parte inferior de
Wishes: deseos
Wound: herida
Smooth: liso, suave
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