Summary Chapter 15




David spends a good deal of time flying a kite with Mr. Dick. David notices that Mr. Dick’s mind becomes lucid when flying a kite. Otherwise, when he’s busy writing his memorial, Mr. Dick invariably aborts it on account of his troubled mind which is obsessed with the beheading of King Charles the First. Subsequently, much of the kite is made up of Mr. Dick’s discarded papers upon which an account of the beheading of King Charles the First is legible.

One day, Miss Betsey asks David whether he’d like to attend school in Canterbury. When David expresses his eagerness to attend, Miss Betsey informs David that they will see to the business the first thing tomorrow. Alas, Mr. Dick objects to David’s departure. But when told that he may visit David on Wednesdays and that David will visit Mr. Dick on Saturdays, Mr. Dick drops his objection.

With Miss Betsey at the helm of a pony drawn carriage, she and David arrive at an old, impressive looking house in Canterbury. There, a red-haired, cadaverous-looking 15 year old servant named Uriah Heep attends to the pony and carriage; Miss Betsey and David go inside to meet with Mr. Wickfield. A lawyer, a steward of the estates of a rich gentleman of the county, and a good friend of Miss Betsey, Mr. Wickfield welcomes Miss Betsey. When told that David is Miss Betsey’s great-nephew and that they are looking for a school where David might attend, Mr. Wickfield proposes that he and Miss Betsey go out directly and take a look at a school, not to mention David’s boarding accommodations, which Mr. Wickfield has in mind. Subsequently, Mr. Wickfield and Miss Betsey go out while David remains behind.

While David waits in Mr. Wickfield’s office, he gets the distinct impression that he is being watched by Uriah Heep who has a recessed office of his own in a passage that connects to Mr. Wickfield’s office. Indeed, David finds Uriah Heep’s scrutiny so creepy that he is relieved when his great-aunt and Mr. Wickfield return. Presently, David learns that though the school is satisfactory, David’s boarding accommodations remains a problem. When Mr. Wickfield proposes that David stay under own his roof, Miss Betsey objects. Mr. Wickfield insists, however, and eventually persuades Miss Betsey to agree. By and by, citing her fear that she would never find her way home in the dark, Miss Betsey turns down Mr. Wickfield’s proposal that she stay for dinner, and makes an abrupt departure for Dover.

Presently, David is shown his own room by Agnes, Mr. Wickfield’s daughter. Throughout the evening, Agnes is so attentive to her father’s need, that David gets the impression that Mr. Wickfield would be utterly lost without her.

Before he goes to bed, David finds an opportunity to explore Canturbury. When he returns, he is greeted by Uriah Heep. They shake hands. Alas, Uriah’s hand is so clammy that David desperately tries to rub himself clean of it.



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