it of black, with strings at
his knees, and stockings below them. He had a bald head, highly
polished, a deep voice, and a chin so very double that it was a wonder
how he ever managed to shave into the creases.

Mrs. Blimber was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that
did quite as well.

As to Miss Blimber, there was no light nonsense about her. She was dry
and sandy with working in the graves of dead languages.

Mr. Feeder, B.A., Dr. Blimber's assistant, was a kind of human barrel-
organ, with a list of tunes at which he was continually working, over
and over again, without any variation.

Under the forcing system at Dr. Blimber's a young gentleman usually took
leave of his spirits in three weeks; he had all the cares of the world
on his head in three months, and he conceived bitter sentiments against
his parents or guardians in four.

The doctor was sitting in his study when Mr. Dombey and Paul arrived.
"And how do you do, sir?" he said to Mr. Dombey. "And how is my little
friend?" It seemed to Paul as if the great clock in the hall took this
up, and went on saying, "how, is, my, lit-tle friend? how, is, my,
lit-tle friend?" over and over again.

Paul was handed over to Miss Blimber at once to be "brought on."

"Cornelia," said the doctor. "Dombey will be your charge at first. Bring
him on, Cornelia, bring him on."

It was hard work, for no sooner had Paul mastered subject A than he was
immediately provided with subject B, from which we passed to C, and even
D. Often he felt giddy and confused, and drowsy and dull.

But there were always the Saturdays when Florence came at noon to fetch
him, and never would she, in any weather, stay away. Florence brought
the school-books he was studying, and every Saturday night would
patiently assist him through so much as they could anticipate together
of his next week's work. And this saved him, possibly, from sinking
underneath the burden which the fair Cornelia Blimber piled upon his
back.

It was not that Miss Blimber meant to be too hard upon him, or that Dr.
Blimber meant to bear too heavily on the young gentlemen in general. But
when Dr. Blimber said that Paul made great progress, and was naturally
clever, Mr. Dombey was more bent than ever on his being forced and
crammed.

Such spirits as he had at the outset Paul soon lost, of course. But he
retained all that was strange, and odd, and thoughtful in his character;
and Mrs. Blimber thought him "o