11 David Copperfield
vated land, ‘on the first responsibility becoming due, have
been successful in our harvest, or we might not have got our
harvest in. Labour, I believe, is sometimes difficult to obtain
in that portion of our colonial possessions where it will be
our lot to combat with the teeming soil.’
‘Arrange it in any way you please, sir,’ said my aunt.
‘Madam,’ he replied, ‘Mrs. Micawber and myself are
deeply sensible of the very considerate kindness of our
friends and patrons. What I wish is, to be perfectly business-
like, and perfectly punctual. Turning over, as we are about
to turn over, an entirely new leaf; and falling back, as we are
now in the act of falling back, for a Spring of no common
magnitude; it is important to my sense of self-respect, be-
sides being an example to my son, that these arrangements
should be concluded as between man and man.’
I don’t know that Mr. Micawber attached any meaning
to this last phrase; I don’t know that anybody ever does, or
did; but he appeared to relish it uncommonly, and repeated,
with an impressive cough, ‘as between man and man’.
‘I propose,’ said Mr. Micawber, ‘Bills - a convenience to
the mercantile world, for which, I believe, we are originally
indebted to the Jews, who appear to me to have had a devil-
ish deal too much to do with them ever since - because they
are negotiable. But if a Bond, or any other description of se-
curity, would be preferred, I should be happy to execute any
such instrument. As between man and man.’
MY aunt observed, that in a case where both parties
were willing to agree to anything, she took it for granted
there would be no difficulty in settling this point. Mr. Mi-