ng fit of coughing that, although both his immediate neighbours
thumped him on the back, and Mr. Feeder himself held a glass of water to
his lips, and the butler walked him up and down several times between his
own chair and the sideboard, like a sentry, it was full five minutes
before he was moderately composed, and then there was a profound silence.

"Gentlemen," said Doctor Blimber, "rise for Grace! Cornelia, lift Dombey
down. Johnson will repeat to me to-morrow morning before breakfast,
without book, and from the Greek Testament, the first chapter of Saint
Paul to the Ephesians. We will resume our studies, Mr. Feeder, in
half-an-hour."

The young gentlemen bowed and withdrew. Through the rest of the day's
routine of work Paul sat in a corner wondering whether Florence was
thinking of him and what they were about at Mrs. Pipchin's.

In the confidence of their own room that night Briggs said his head ached
ready to split. Tozer didn't say much, but he sighed a good deal, and told
Paul to look out for his turn would come to-morrow. And Tozer was right.
The next morning Miss Blimber called Dombey to her and gave him a great
pile of books.

"These are yours, Dombey," said Miss Blimber.

"All of 'em, ma'am?" said Paul.

"Yes," returned Miss Blimber; "and Mr. Feeder will look you out some more
very soon if you are as studious as I expect you will be, Dombey."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Paul.

"Now, don't lose time, Dombey," continued Miss Blimber, "for you have none
to spare, but take them downstairs and begin directly."

"Yes, ma'am," answered Paul.

There were so many of them that, although Paul put one hand under the
bottom book and his other hand and his chin on the top book and hugged
them all closely, the middle book slipped out before he reached the door,
and then they all tumbled down on the floor. Miss Blimber said, "Oh,
Dombey, Dombey, this is really very careless," and piled them up afresh
for him; and this time by dint of balancing them with great nicety, Paul
got out of the room and down a few stairs before two of them escaped
again. But he held the rest so tight that he only left one more on the
first floor and one in the passage; and when he had got the main body down
into the school-room, he set off upstairs again to collect the stragglers.
Having at last amassed the whole library and climbed into his place he
fell to work, encouraged by a remark from Tozer to the effect that he was
in for it now;