David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Chapter 48 Page 15

me by being in that condition, that I felt it was of no use repeating this kind of effort, though never so mildly, and I must take some other course.

What other course was left to take? To ‘form her mind’?

This was a common phrase of words which had a fair and promising sound, and I resolved to form Dora’s mind.

I began immediately. When Dora was very childish, and I would have infinitely preferred to humour her, I tried to be grave — and disconcerted her, and myself too. I talked to her on the subjects which occupied my thoughts; and I read Shakespeare to her — and fatigued her to the last degree. I accustomed myself to giving her, as it were quite casually, little scraps of useful information, or sound opinion — and