He  was  not  to  be  touched  by  tears  or  poetry ;
but  absolutely  compelled  her  to  marry  a  reputa-
ble young  tradesman  ;  who  made  her  a  happy
woman  in  spite  of  herself,  and  of  all  the  rules  of
romance ;  and  what  is  more,  the  mother  of  seve-
ral children.  They  are  at  this  very  day  a  thri-
ving couple,  and  keep  a  snug  corner  shop,  just
opposite  the  figure  of  Peeping  Tom  at  Coventry.
I  will  not  fatigue  you  by  any  more  details  of
my  studies  at  Oxford,  though  they  were  not  al-


YOUNG  MAN  OF  GREAT  EXPECTATIONS.   137

ways  as  severe  as  these  ;  nor  did  I  always  pay
as  dear  for  my  lessons.  People  may  say  what
they  please,  a  studious  life  has  its  charms,  and
there  are  many  places  more  gloomy  than  the
cloisters  of  a  university.
To  be  brief,  then,  I  lived  on  in  my  usual  mis-
cellaneous manner,  gradually  getting  a  knowledge
of  good  and  evil,  until  I  had  attained  my  twenty-
first  year.  I  had  scarcely  come  of  age  when  I
heard  of  the  sudden  death  of  my  father.  The
shock  was  severe,  for  though  he  had  never  treat-
ed me  with  kindness,  still  he  was  my  father,  and

at  his  death  I  felt  myself  alone  in  the  world.
