My Pleasure Reading. Summary №6

Chapters 41 - 48

David receives a reply from Dora's aunts and arranges a meeting. The aunts allow David to see Dora and also say that they have no objections against their marriage. However, Dora cannot bear the thought of housekeeping and cooking. Agnes, her father, and the Heeps come for a visit to London. David takes Agnes to meet Dora. Agnes and Dora become friends, and Dora asks David why he wants to marry her when he has been so close to Agnes. Agnes tells David that she will never marry Uriah. Besides, David receives a letter from Mrs. Micawber saying that Mr. Micawber has changed very much. He is secretive, mean with money and cold towards his children.

The time passes and now David is 21 years old. He makes reports on Parliamentary debates for newspapers and writes other pieces for magazines. Besides, he marries Dora and the couple starts their new married life. Dora and David try to learn the housekeeping, but do not succeed in it. David realizes that Dora will never be a true partner for him, and moreover, he cannot share his thoughts and feelings with her and must take care of her throughout their lives. But he doesn’t mind because he loves her very much.

One day, passing Mrs. Steerforth house David meets Littimer who tells him he has been travelling with Steerforth and Little Em’ly in continental Europe. At first, everything was good, but after some time, Steerforth became tired of her, and left Little Em'ly with Littimer in a villa in Naples. Steerforth told Littimer to marry Em'ly himself, but she ran away and Littimer has seen nothing of her since. David tells what he has learned to Mr. Peggotty, who is in London. They decide to search for Martha to ask her to help find Little Em'ly. Eventually they find her and share their information about Emily. Martha promises to contact them if she hears anything or sees Emily. Coming home late at night, David sees a man outside of his aunt's house and discovers that it is the same man he saw bothering her before in London. She explains that the man is her husband who everyone believes has been dead for many years. She explains how he betrayed her and that he appears from time to time to demand money from her. She tells David that she never wants to discuss this painful subject again.

David publishes his first book, which brings him a success. However, his life with Dora becomes worse, with Dora unable to manage their home properly. But David hopes that a baby would help Dora become more serious. She becomes pregnant, but the baby is either miscarries or born dead. Dora becomes ill, and loses the ability to walk. David has to carry her up and down the stairs.