At this mention of this terrible people, their implacable enemies, every young gentleman fastened his gaze upon the doctor, with an assumption of the deepest interest.  One of the number happened to be drinking, and when he caught the doctor’s eye glaring at him through the side of his tumbler, he left off so hastily that he was convulsed for some moments, and in the sequel ruined Doctor Blimber’s point, for at the critical part of the Roman tale, Johnson, unable to suppress it any longer, burst into such an overwhelming fit of coughing that, although both his immediate neighbours thumped him on the back, and Mr. Feeder himself held a glass of water to his lips, and the butler walked him up and down several times between his own chair and the sideboard, like a sentry, it was full five minutes before he was moderately composed, and then there was a profound silence.

“Gentlemen,” said Doctor Blimber, “rise for Grace!  Cornelia, lift Dombey down.  Johnson will repeat to me to-morrow morning before breakfast, without book, and from the Greek Testament, the first chapter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians.  We will resume our studies, Mr. Feeder, in half-an-hour.”

The young gentlemen bowed and withdrew.  Through the rest of the day’s routine of work Paul sat in a corner wondering whether Florence was thinking of him and what they were about at Mrs. Pipchin’s.

In the confidence of their own room that night Briggs said his head ached ready to split.  Tozer didn’t say much, but he sighed a good deal, and told Paul to look out for his turn would come to-morrow.  And Tozer was right.  The next morning Miss Blimber called Dombey to her and gave him a great pile of books.

“These are yours, Dombey,” said Miss Blimber.

“All of ’em, ma’am?” said Paul.

“Yes,” returned Miss Blimber; “and Mr. Feeder will look you out some more very soon if you are as studious as I expect you will be, Dombey.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” said Paul.

“Now, don’t lose time, Dombey,” continued Miss Blimber, “for you have none to spare, but take them downstairs and begin directly.”

“Yes, ma’am,” answered Paul.

There were so many of them that, although Paul put one hand under the bottom book and his other hand and his chin on the top book and hugged them all closely, the middle book slipped out before he reached the door, and then they all tumbled down on the floor.  Miss Blimber said, “Oh, Dombey, Dombey, this is really very careless,” and piled them up afresh for him; and this time by dint of balancing them with great nicety, Paul got out of the room and down a few stairs before two of them escaped again.  But he held the rest so tight that he only left one more on the first floor and one in the passage; and when he had got the main body down into the school-room, he set off upstairs again to collect the stragglers.  Having at last amassed the whole library and climbed into his place he fell to work, encouraged by a remark from Tozer to the effect that he was in for it now; which was the only interruption he received until breakfast time, for which meal he had no appetite, and when it was finished, he followed Miss Blimber upstairs.