Vanity Fair - Page 38/573

In consequence of Dobbin's victory, his character rose prodigiously in

the estimation of all his schoolfellows, and the name of Figs, which

had been a byword of reproach, became as respectable and popular a

nickname as any other in use in the school. "After all, it's not his

fault that his father's a grocer," George Osborne said, who, though a

little chap, had a very high popularity among the Swishtail youth; and

his opinion was received with great applause. It was voted low to sneer

at Dobbin about this accident of birth. "Old Figs" grew to be a name of

kindness and endearment; and the sneak of an usher jeered at him no

longer.

And Dobbin's spirit rose with his altered circumstances. He made

wonderful advances in scholastic learning. The superb Cuff himself, at

whose condescension Dobbin could only blush and wonder, helped him on

with his Latin verses; "coached" him in play-hours: carried him

triumphantly out of the little-boy class into the middle-sized form;

and even there got a fair place for him. It was discovered, that

although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly

quick. To the contentment of all he passed third in algebra, and got a

French prize-book at the public Midsummer examination. You should have

seen his mother's face when Telemaque (that delicious romance) was

presented to him by the Doctor in the face of the whole school and the

parents and company, with an inscription to Gulielmo Dobbin. All the

boys clapped hands in token of applause and sympathy. His blushes, his

stumbles, his awkwardness, and the number of feet which he crushed as

he went back to his place, who shall describe or calculate? Old Dobbin,

his father, who now respected him for the first time, gave him two

guineas publicly; most of which he spent in a general tuck-out for the

school: and he came back in a tail-coat after the holidays.

Dobbin was much too modest a young fellow to suppose that this happy

change in all his circumstances arose from his own generous and manly

disposition: he chose, from some perverseness, to attribute his good

fortune to the sole agency and benevolence of little George Osborne, to

whom henceforth he vowed such a love and affection as is only felt by

children--such an affection, as we read in the charming fairy-book,

uncouth Orson had for splendid young Valentine his conqueror. He flung

himself down at little Osborne's feet, and loved him. Even before they

were acquainted, he had admired Osborne in secret. Now he was his

valet, his dog, his man Friday. He believed Osborne to be the

possessor of every perfection, to be the handsomest, the bravest, the

most active, the cleverest, the most generous of created boys. He

shared his money with him: bought him uncountable presents of knives,

pencil-cases, gold seals, toffee, Little Warblers, and romantic books,

with large coloured pictures of knights and robbers, in many of which

latter you might read inscriptions to George Sedley Osborne, Esquire,

from his attached friend William Dobbin--the which tokens of homage

George received very graciously, as became his superior merit.