David Copperfield

As David sits in his room, thinking sadly about the cold welcome he has received, Clara and Peggotty enter. David is unable to explain what's wrong to his mother, and Clara accuses Peggotty of turning David against her. She grows more and more upset until Mr. Murdstone enters and reminds her to be "firm." He then sends Clara and Peggotty downstairs—though not before scolding the latter for mistakenly referring to Clara as "Mrs. Copperfield." Now alone with David, Mr. Murdstone threatens his stepson, saying that he deals with "obstinate horses and dogs" by beating them. He then orders David to wash his face and follow him downstairs.

David comes downstairs to hear Mr. Murdstone consoling Clara. Reflecting on this in the present, David says he might have grown into an entirely different person, and even been grateful to Mr. Murdstone, if his stepfather had simply reassured him that he was still loved and appreciated in his own home.

After dinner, Mr. Murdstone's sister, Miss Murdstone, arrives. She is a stern-looking, unattractive, and "metallic" woman, who, upon meeting David, remarks that he lacks manners. By the following morning, it is clear that she intends to stay in the house permanently; at breakfast, she announces that Clara is "much too pretty and thoughtless" to occupy herself with housework, and takes charge of the household keys.

Miss Murdstone has been acting as housekeeper for some time when Clara finally objects. She says that she knows she lacks the Murdstones' "firmness"—a quality David describes as "another name for tyranny"—but says that it is nevertheless "hard" not to have a voice in household affairs. Her protests are derailed, however, first by Mr. Murdstone objecting to her description of the house as "hers," and then by Miss Murdstone threatening to leave. Mr. Murdstone scolds his wife for not appreciating his attempts to "form her character," and Clara apologizes and drops the issue. From that point on, however, Miss Murdstone threatens to leave whenever she needs to bend Clara to her will.

Time passes, and David continues to be unhappy. Church now frightens him, because of the Murdstones' dour and unforgiving approach to religion. Clara also seems to be growing sickly looking and sad, and David wonders if anyone other than him remembers how she used to look and act.

During this time, David is being tutored by Clara. The lessons terrify David, because Mr. Murdstone and Miss Murdstone are also present and use the sessions as a way of keeping Clara in line. On one particular day, David is especially thrown off by the Murdstones' presence and repeatedly botches his reading. Finally, Miss Murdstone scolds Clara for hinting at the correct answers, and Mr. Murdstone "takes the book, throws it at [David] or boxes [his] ears with it, and turns [him] out of the room." Other days, David manages to make it through his lessons without mishaps, but he is never allowed to enjoy his free time, as Miss Murdstone feels he should always be given work to do.

David's one consolation during this period is the library left behind by his father. He reads these novels voraciously, loses himself in their characters, and even begins to associate the stories with places and objects in his own neighborhood.

One morning, David comes downstairs to find Clara, Miss Murdstone, and Mr. Murdstone already assembled. Mr. Murdstone, holding a cane, defends the wisdom of beating children to Clara, and then warns David that he must be especially "careful" during his coming lesson. David, however, makes several mistakes, causing his mother to become distressed and Mr. Murdstone to escort David from the room. David begs Mr. Murdstone not to flog him and explains why he can't concentrate on his studies. The two struggle, and David manages to bite his stepfather's hand, but this only angers Mr. Murdstone, who beats David "as if he would have beaten [him] to death."

Mr. Murdstone leaves David locked in his bedroom. He remains there, frightened and angry, for the next several days; Miss Murdstone brings him meals and allows him out for evening prayers, but he is otherwise left alone. When five days have passed, David hears Peggotty whispering to him from outside the door. Peggotty reassures David that Clara is not angry with him, but says that he is going to be sent to a boarding school outside London the following day. She further explains that she has been avoiding David in an effort to protect him, but promises to take care of his mother while he is gone. The exchange leaves a lasting impression on David, and Peggotty fills "a vacancy in [his] heart."

Miss Murdstone fetches David from his room the next morning and brings him downstairs, where Clara urges him to "try to be better" in the future. However, she embraces her son before he leaves, over the objections of Miss Murdstone. David is then taken away in a cart driven by Barkis.