ILLUSTRATIONS.
| Charles Dickens | [Frontispiece] |
| PAGE | |
| "They Broke in Like a Grace, My Dear." | [13] |
| "Mr. Clennam Followed Her Home." | [65] |
| Little Nell and Her Grandfather | [86] |
| David Copperfield and Little Em'ly | [131] |
| Seated on the Crystal Carpet Were Two Girls | [179] |
| "Keep Still, You Little Imp, or I'll Cut Your Throat." | [185] |
| "Mr. Tupman, We are Observed!" | [240] |
I.
TROTTY VECK AND HIS DAUGHTER MEG.
"TROTTY" seems a strange name for an old man, but it was given to Toby Veck because of his always going at a trot to do his errands; for he was a ticket porter or messenger and his office was to take letters and messages for people who were in too great a hurry to send them by post, which in those days was neither so cheap nor so quick as it is now. He did not earn very much, and had to be out in all weathers and all day long. But Toby was of a cheerful disposition, and looked on the bright side of everything, and was grateful for any small mercies that came in his way; and so was happier than many people who never knew what it is to be hungry or in want of comforts. His greatest joy was his dear, bright, pretty daughter Meg, who loved him dearly.
One cold day, near the end of the year, Toby had been waiting a long time for a job, trotting up and down in his usual place before the church, and trying hard to keep himself warm, when the bells chimed twelve o'clock, which made Toby think of dinner.