I was born at Blunderstone, in Suffolk, or 'there by', as they say in Scotland. Not to meander myself, at present, I will go back to my birth. She always returned, with greater emphasis and with an instinctive knowledge of the strength of her objection, 'Let us have no meandering.' It was in vain to represent to her that some conveniences, tea perhaps included, resulted from this objectionable practice. I have understood that it was, to the last, her proudest boast, that she never had been on the water in her life, except upon a bridge and that over her tea (to which she was extremely partial) she, to the last, expressed her indignation at the impiety of mariners and others, who had the presumption to go 'meandering' about the world. It is a fact which will be long remembered as remarkable down there, that she was never drowned, but died triumphantly in bed, at ninety-two. The caul was won, I recollect, by an old lady with a hand-basket, who, very reluctantly, produced from it the stipulated five shillings, all in halfpence, and twopence halfpenny short - as it took an immense time and a great waste of arithmetic, to endeavour without any effect to prove to her. I was present myself, and I remember to have felt quite uncomfortable and confused, at a part of myself being disposed of in that way. Consequently the advertisement was withdrawn at a dead loss - for as to sherry, my poor dear mother's own sherry was in the market then - and ten years afterwards, the caul was put up in a raffle down in our part of the country, to fifty members at half-a-crown a head, the winner to spend five shillings. Whether sea-going people were short of money about that time, or were short of faith and preferred cork jackets, I don't know all I know is, that there was but one solitary bidding, and that was from an attorney connected with the bill-broking business, who offered two pounds in cash, and the balance in sherry, but declined to be guaranteed from drowning on any higher bargain.

I was born with a caul, which was advertised for sale, in the newspapers, at the low price of fifteen guineas. But I do not at all complain of having been kept out of this property and if anybody else should be in the present enjoyment of it, he is heartily welcome to keep it. On the second branch of the question, I will only remark, that unless I ran through that part of my inheritance while I was still a baby, I have not come into it yet. I need say nothing here, on the first head, because nothing can show better than my history whether that prediction was verified or falsified by the result.

David copperfield charles dickens