David Copperfield
Chapter 25: Good and Bad Angels
by Charles Dickens
Agnes warns David to be cautious of Steerforth. Uriah reveals his intentions towards Agnes.
Agnes warns David to be cautious of Steerforth. Uriah reveals his intentions towards Agnes.
Will and Carol attend a part at Sam Clark's house where they are introduced to the young up and comers of Gopher Prairie. Carol finds the conservative opinions of Gopher Prairie's citizens to be contrary to her own.
A profile of Henry M. Flagler published in 1925 in a Florida magazine. This profile was the first in a series called "The Ten Greatest Men of Florida," which the magazine described as a reader-requested series on the "men who had done the most toward the progress and development of Florida."
George and Myra decide to throw a dinner party the local "intellects".
Having been with his garrison for a period, the recovered Captain Phoebus arrives in Notre Dame as the crowd gathers for punishment of Esmeralda. Upon seeing Captain Phoebus, the condemned Esmeralda collapses just before she is rescued by Quasimoto.
Jane’s driver is late picking her up from the station at Millcote. When she finally arrives at Thornfield it is nighttime. Although she cannot distinguish much of the house’s facade from among the shadows, she finds the interior “cosy and agreeable.” Mrs. Fairfax, a prim, elderly woman, is waiting for Jane. It turns out that Mrs. Fairfax is not, as Jane had assumed from their correspondence, the owner of Thornfield, but rather the housekeeper. Thornfield’s owner, Mr. Rochester, travels regularly and leaves much of the manor’s management to Mrs. Fairfax. Jane learns that she will be tutoring Adèle, an eight-year-old French girl whose mother was a singer and dancer. Mrs. Fairfax also tells Jane about Rochester, saying that he is an eccentric man whose family has a history of extreme and violent behavior. Suddenly, Jane hears a peal of strange, eerie laughter echoing through the house, and Mrs. Fairfax summons someone named Grace, whom she orders to make less noise and to “remember directions.” When Grace leaves, Mrs. Fairfax explains that she is a rather unbalanced and unpredictable seamstress who works in the house.
Achilles and Hector finally meet on the field of battle.
Preparations for Jane and Rochester’s wedding do not run smoothly. Mrs. Fairfax treats Jane coldly because she doesn’t realize that Jane was already engaged to Rochester when she allowed him to kiss her. But even after she learns the truth, Mrs. Fairfax maintains her disapproval of the marriage. Jane feels unsettled, almost fearful, when Rochester calls her by what will soon be her name, Jane Rochester. Jane explains that everything feels impossibly ideal, like a fairy-tale or a daydream. Rochester certainly tries to turn Jane into a Cinderella-like figure: he tells her he will dress her in jewels and in finery befitting her new social station, at which point Jane becomes terrified and self-protective. She has a premonitory feeling that the wedding will not happen, and she decides to write her uncle, John Eyre, who is in Madeira. Jane reasons that if John Eyre were to make her his heir, her inheritance might put her on more equal footing with Rochester, which would make her feel less uncomfortable about the marriage.
Jekyll’s explanation of events. (Longmans, Green and co., 1886)
The narrator describes his favorite road at New Smyrna. He mentions the river that runs along the road and the birds he has seen there.
Jane goes to Ferndean. From a distance, she sees Rochester reach a hand out of the door, testing for rain. His body looks the same, but his face is desperate and disconsolate. Rochester returns inside, and Jane approaches the house. She knocks, and Mary answers the door. Inside, Jane carries a tray to Rochester, who is unable to see her. When he realizes that Jane is in the room with him, he thinks she must be a ghost or spirit speaking to him. When he catches her hand, he takes her in his arms, and she promises never to leave him. The next morning they walk through the woods, and Jane tells Rochester about her experiences the previous year. She has to assure him that she is not in love with St. John. He asks her again to marry him, and she says yes—they are now free from the specter of Bertha Mason. Rochester tells Jane that a few nights earlier, in a moment of desperation, he called out her name and thought he heard her answer. She does not wish to upset him or excite him in his fragile condition, and so she does not tell him about hearing his voice at Moor House.
The Achaeans once again have the upper hand. Hector and Paris prepare to re-enter the field of battle.
After a run-in with a group of beggars, Gringoire is take before the "King".
The author shares some of his Christmas experiences and memories regarding the meaning of the Christmas tree.
Amelia fools everyone but Dobbin. Rawdon's disappointment amuses Becky.
Du Bois discusses Albany, the heart of the Black Belt of the South.
After a conversation with Bresnahan, Carol's opinion of Will becomes more critical. A visit from Will's friends causes tension in the Kennicott home, eventually resulting in a extreme request by Carol. Bea's departure leaves Carol doing all the housework. Will's proposal of building a new house only leaves Carol more frustrated than before.
With certain defeat looming over the Greeks, Agamemnon presents an offer to Achilles.
Years have passed. The narrator reveals what Dorian’s life has become.
Rochester has been gone for a week, and Jane is dismayed to learn that he may choose to depart for continental Europe without returning to Thornfield—according to Mrs. Fairfax, he could be gone for more than a year. A week later, however, Mrs. Fairfax receives word that Rochester will arrive in three days with a large group of guests. While she waits, Jane continues to be amazed by the apparently normal relations the strange, self-isolated Grace Poole enjoys with the rest of the staff. Jane also overhears a conversation in which a few of the servants discuss Grace’s high pay, and Jane is certain that she doesn’t know the entire truth about Grace Poole’s role at Thornfield. Rochester arrives at last, accompanied by a party of elegant and aristocratic guests. Jane is forced to join the group but spends the evening watching them from a window seat. Blanche Ingram and her mother are among the party’s members, and they treat Jane with disdain and cruelty. Jane tries to leave the party, but Rochester stops her. He grudgingly allows her to go when he sees the tears brimming in her eyes. He informs her that she must come into the drawing room every evening during his guests’ stay at Thornfield. As they part, Rochester nearly lets slip more than he intends. “Good-night, my—” he says, before biting his lip.
Becky continues to the people of Vanity Fair with her charm, but many question the source of her wealth. Rawdon's debts catch up with him.
The Camel's Back, a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the tale of a man in love, Perry Parkhurst, who presents his girlfriend with an ultimatum: get married or end the relationship forever. After ending the relationship, a heartbroken Parkhurst attends the Citrus Ball in a camel costume, determined to win her back.
Jack, Mulford, and Rose make plans. Rose is frustrated by her aunt's ignorance. The boat faces danger.
Zeus fills the Achaeans with fear before sending an important message to Hector. Odysseus Diomedes inspire the Achaeans fight courageously.
On the way to Boston, the narrator strikes up a conversation with another man regarding racial issues. Once in Boston, they continue to debate and discuss the social/racial problems of the day. The narrator comes upon several other interesting characters.