The narrator recalls his childhood; he is now in custody by his stepfather in his room. He had been living with his mother, Peggotty the only maid of his house, his very stern stepfather Mr. Murdstone, and Mr. Mudstone's eccentric elder sister Miss Mudstone in his late father's house when he was forced to go Salem House, the boarding school near London. Now he came home after the stay during a semester. .................... His mother grumbles to Peggotty about Miss Mudstone as she criticizes Peggotty.
....................... "Haven't you heard her say, over and over again, that on this account she wishes to spare me a great deal of trouble, which she thinks I am not suited for, andisn't she up early and late, and going to and fro continually?anddoesn't she do all sorts of things, and grope into all sorts of places, coal-holes and pantries and I don't know where, that can't be very agreeable?anddo you mean to insinuate that to insinuate that there is not a sort of devotion in that?" [David Copperfield by Charles Dickens] I'd like to know "isn't she up," "doesn't she do," and "do you mean" is connected with "Haven't you heard" by blue "and"s. And I'd like to know what role "and" before "I don't know where" plays. Thank you in advance for your help.
Top answer
Yes, the blue "and"s connect the speaker's stream of questions. "coal-holes and pantries and I don't know where" means "coal-holes and pantries and other places that I don't know about, or can't think of right now, or don't care to explicitly state".
— GPY
Free · every Monday
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
Yes, the blue "and"s connect the speaker's stream of questions.
"coal-holes and pantries and I don't know where" means "coal-holes and pantries and other places that I don't know about, or can't think of right now, or don't care to explicitly state".
park sang joonThank you, GPY, for another so very kind answer from you. Then I was wondering if "a place/ places" is implied before "I don't know where."
Not specifically, no. "... and I don't know where" is used in an informal idiomatic way. Probably we shouldn't worry too much about exact grammatical explanations.