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Storytime for Grownups

David Copperfield: Chapter 37

14 May 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the premise of Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups?

0.031 - 29.717 Faith Moore

Hello and welcome to Storytime for Grownups. I'm Faith Moore and this season we're reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Each episode I'll read a few chapters from the book, pausing from time to time to give brief explanations so it's easier to follow along. It's like an audiobook with built-in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's Storytime!

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40.058 - 67.423 Faith Moore

Hello, welcome back. I hope that you are in your cozy chair with your cup of tea, at least in your mind. I always hope that this podcast can be the cozy chair, can be the lovely cup of tea for you. I know it is for me. I just absolutely love to be here with you. I love to read these books. I love to get your emails. I love to talk about these books with you. It's just joy.

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67.523 - 90.684 Faith Moore

It's the same kind of joy that I feel in my cozy chair with my cup of tea. And it really is kind of like we're all there together in a cozy room talking about this book. And one of the things that's been so great about reading a longer book is that I feel like we're really kind of enmeshed in the world of David Copperfield. And these characters are really becoming our friends.

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90.704 - 108.459 Faith Moore

They're becoming real. They're kind of leaping off the page and walking around, at least as far as I'm concerned. That's how I feel. And it's really cool. So I like that we're reading a longer book this time, and I hope that you do too. And we have lots and lots more to read, so I don't have to be saying to you at this point, oh, we're getting close to the end, because we're not.

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108.559 - 128.955 Faith Moore

We are going to keep reading this book all the way through until the middle of August. So... Stick with us. We've got lots more David Copperfield to read. So let's do that. I don't have any extra or new announcements. So all of the usual things apply. Please make sure that you're subscribed to the show. Please tap the five stars if you're enjoying it.

129.035 - 148.183 Faith Moore

Please leave a positive review in your podcast player if you have a couple of seconds. All of those things just help new people to find the show. And I love new people. I love it when people join up. And I love it when I get emails saying, oh, I just found your show. It's the best. So please do that. And if you're interested in other ways to support the show, you can scroll into the show notes.

148.203 - 166.308 Faith Moore

There's lots of options. You can buy some merch. That'll help. You can leave a tip in the tip jar. That's always appreciated. And you can also become a member of our online community, The Drawing Room. And all of that stuff is there. There's a few other links that might be of interest. So scroll into the show notes if you have a couple minutes and just take a look at what's there.

166.348 - 183.464 Faith Moore

You might find something that interests you. Okay, well, let's just get into it. Let's rejoin the world of David Copperfield and all of our friends. So last time we read chapter 36. Today is going to be chapter 37. So let's just review what happened last time and then we'll talk for a bit. So here is the recap.

183.844 - 204.65 Faith Moore

Alright, so where we left off, David shows up at Dr. Strong's house eager and excited to get a paying job. He feels a sense of himself as this kind of hero striding forth in his life, ready to work hard and earn the chance to marry Dora. Dr. Strong is as kind and generous as ever and agrees to take David on as his secretary for 70 pounds a year.

Chapter 2: How does David Copperfield's character evolve in Chapter 37?

941.627 - 964.761 Faith Moore

So I think we have to ask ourselves, what is Uriah up to here? It seems very likely that Uriah knows what Mr. McCobber is like in terms of money. And if you listen to the terms under which Uriah has hired Mr. McCobber, I think you'll probably start to feel even worse, right? Because Mr. McCobber says, "'My friend Heap has not fixed the positive remuneration at too high a figure.'"

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964.741 - 981.482 Faith Moore

but he has made a great deal in the way of extrication from the pressure of pecuniary difficulties contingent on the value of my services, and on the value of those services I pin my faith. Okay, so what this means is that Uriah hasn't offered Mr. Macawber like a normal, fair salary.

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981.802 - 1004.248 Faith Moore

Instead, he has told him that if Mr. Macawber does good work for him, he will help Mr. Macawber pay off his debts and keep him out of debt. So basically, Mr. Macawber is now beholden to Uriah. And if Uriah decides that he wants to screw Mr. McCauper over for some reason, or use Mr. McCauper to get to someone else, then Uriah now has the means to do that, okay?

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1004.268 - 1021.326 Faith Moore

So Mr. McCauper is potentially getting himself into a pretty bad situation here, even though it seems like actually he's finally found himself a steady paying job. And maybe it will be fine, but I would say we are concerned for Mr. McCauper. So as usual, there are a lot of balls up in the air.

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1021.306 - 1042.416 Faith Moore

But I think the most immediate things that we're wondering about after this chapter are what will happen when David reveals his changed circumstances to Dora? And also what will happen when Mr. McCobber goes to work for Uriah Heep, right? That's what we're wondering about now. So let's keep reading and find out if we get any answers to our questions. But of course, don't forget to write to me.

1042.476 - 1058.796 Faith Moore

It's faithkmore.com and click on contact. Or you can scroll into the show notes and click the link that's there. Look at all the other links while you're at it. And send me an email. I would love to know what you think of this chapter. You're never, ever bothering me. I love your emails so much. So please do get in touch and tell me your thoughts.

1059.937 - 1085.766 Faith Moore

All right, let's get started with Chapter 37 of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. It's story time! Chapter 37 A Little Cold Water My new life had lasted for more than a week, and I was stronger than ever in those tremendous practical resolutions that I felt the crisis required.

Chapter 3: What challenges does David face with his new job?

1086.507 - 1100.47 Faith Moore

I continued to walk extremely fast and to have a general idea that I was getting on. I made it a rule to take as much out of myself as I possibly could in my way of doing everything to which I applied my energies. I made a perfect victim of myself.

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1100.45 - 1119.977 Faith Moore

i even entertained some idea of putting myself on a vegetable diet vaguely conceiving that in becoming a graminivorous animal meaning an animal that eats only grass i should sacrifice to dora as yet little dora was quite unconscious of my desperate firmness otherwise than as my letters darkly shadowed it forth

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1119.957 - 1141.594 Faith Moore

but another saturday came and on that saturday evening she was to be at miss mills's and when mr mills had gone to his whist club telegraphed to me in the street by a bird-cage in the drawing-room middle window i was to go there to tea by this time we were quite settled down in buckingham street where mr dick continued his copying in a state of absolute felicity

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1141.574 - 1157.962 Faith Moore

My aunt had obtained a signal victory over Mrs. Krupp by paying her off, throwing the first pitcher she planted on the stairs out of window, and protecting in person, up and down the staircase, a supernumerary whom she engaged from the outer world. A supernumerary is like an extra member of staff.

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1158.804 - 1166.637 Faith Moore

These vigorous measures struck such terror to the breast of Mrs. Krupp that she subsided into her own kitchen under the impression that my aunt was mad.

1167.207 - 1189.215 Faith Moore

my aunt being supremely indifferent to mrs crupp's opinion and everybody else's and rather favoring than discouraging the idea mrs crupp of late the bold became within a few days so faint-hearted that rather than encounter my aunt upon the staircase she would endeavor to hide her portly form behind doors leaving visible however a wide margin of flannel petticoat or would shrink into dark corners

1189.195 - 1209.297 Faith Moore

this gave my aunt such unspeakable satisfaction that i believe she took a delight in prowling up and down with her bonnet insanely perched on the top of her head at times when mrs crupp was likely to be in the way my aunt being uncommonly neat and ingenious made so many little improvements in our domestic arrangements that i seemed to be richer instead of poorer

1209.277 - 1227.988 Faith Moore

among the rest she converted the pantry into a dressing-room for me and purchased and embellished a bedstead for my occupation which looked as like a bookcase in the daytime as a bedstead could I was the object of her constant solicitude, and my poor mother herself could not have loved me better or studied more how to make me happy.

1228.869 - 1249.054 Faith Moore

Peggy had considered herself highly privileged in being allowed to participate in these labors, and, although she still retained something of her old sentiment of awe in reference to my aunt, had received so many marks of encouragement and confidence that they were the best friends possible. But the time had now come—I am speaking of the Saturday when I was to take tea at Mrs. Mills's—

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