“My dear Copperfield,” he replied. “To a man possessed of the higher imaginative powers, the objection to legal studies is the amount of detail which they involve. Even in our professional correspondence,” said Mr. Micawber, glancing at some letters he was writing, “the mind is not at liberty to soar to any exalted form of expression. Still, it is a great pursuit. A great pursuit!”

He then told me that he had become the tenant of Uriah Heep’s old house; and that Mrs. Micawber would be delighted to receive me, once more, under her own roof.

“It is humble,” said Mr. Micawber, “⁠—to quote a favourite expression of my friend Heep; but it may prove the steppingstone to more ambitious domiciliary accommodation.”