Dora Spenlow and her aunts' guarded courtship arrangements

Dora Spenlow and her aunts, Miss Lavinia Spenlow and Miss Clarissa Spenlow, are joined by bereavement and by an older family estrangement, but their relationship is shaped most visibly by the rules they impose on Dora's courtship with David Copperfield. After Francis Spenlow dies, they take Dora into their home at Putney; when David seeks to visit her, they allow access only on terms that keep them informed and preserve their authority to judge the match. Their care for their niece and their close supervision of her relationship with David operate together rather than separately.

Family Estrangement and Dora's Move

The aunts had been distant from their brother for many years, though the account makes clear that the breach began not with an outright quarrel but with a disagreement over family hospitality. At Dora's christening, they had been invited to tea and believed they should have been invited to dinner. They conveyed their objection in writing and concluded that it would be better for everyone if they stayed away. The phrase they used then returns in their later dealings with David, linking the old family dispute to the new question of Dora's happiness.

Francis Spenlow's death changes the sisters' place in Dora's life. During the weeks after the funeral, Dora is described as grieving intensely, and her aunts emerge from retirement to propose that she come and live with them in Putney. She accepts while weeping, asking that Julia Mills and Jip accompany her as well. The move places Dora in her aunts' household at a vulnerable moment and makes them her immediate family guardians. David, who has been waiting anxiously for news of her, now has to approach them to maintain contact.

Considering David's Suit

David writes to the aunts about his wish to see Dora. Their reply does not grant an unqualified meeting: they invite him to call on a specified day, with a confidential friend if he chooses, so they can discuss his request in person. David attends with Thomas Traddles. The aunts explain that they have considered his letter and discussed it with Dora, but they do not assume that his declared affection is proof of a settled or suitable commitment. They say they have no doubt that he believes he likes Dora, while reserving judgment about how much reality lies behind his feelings.

Their stated method is observation. They will admit David's visits so that they can assess the feeling for themselves, rather than recognize a positive engagement in advance. This distinction matters: the sisters do not reject him, but neither do they let his private understanding of the relationship determine Dora's status. Their decision makes access possible while keeping the question of commitment open, and it turns courtship into something that must be witnessed and evaluated within the family.

Rules for Visits and Communication

The conditions are specific. David must give his word of honour that he will have no communication of any kind with Dora without the aunts' knowledge, and that no project concerning her will be entertained without first being submitted to them and receiving their concurrence. Miss Lavinia initially presents the terms on behalf of both sisters; when she mentions their agreement, Miss Clarissa corrects her to make clear that the concurrence must include her as well. The exchange shows that the sisters act together, while also attending carefully to who has authority in their joint decision.

David accepts the restrictions immediately and asks Thomas Traddles to witness his promise. The aunts then establish a regular pattern for his presence: dinner with them every Sunday at three, and tea during the week at half past six. Their arrangement does not simply prohibit contact; it channels it into known visits at stated times and places. The rules leave Dora's relationship with David under family observation and require him to deal with the aunts as well as with Dora.

A Guarded Reunion and Its Meaning

Once the terms are settled, Miss Lavinia takes David into another room. Dora is there, stopping her ears behind a door, with her face turned toward the wall; Jip is in a plate-warmer with his head wrapped in a towel. The episode brings the formal negotiation to a personal conclusion. Dora has remained close by while the adults discuss the conditions of David's access, and the reunion that follows includes both her and Jip. David's joy at seeing her does not cancel the aunts' restrictions: it occurs only after they have authorized the visits and received his promise.

The sisters' approach thus combines welcome with restraint. They give Dora a home after her father's death and permit David to enter her life, but they insist that affection be tested through supervised familiarity rather than treated as an accomplished engagement. Their repeated appeal to what will serve everyone's happiness recalls the earlier family rupture, when the same sort of reasoning justified separation from their brother's household. Here, however, the aunts use their authority to admit David under conditions, not to exclude him outright. The relationship is consequently defined by a negotiated opening: Dora and David are reunited, while the aunts retain the right to observe, regulate, and assess the courtship.