Phrasal verb: hold true (held true)

[Mister Micawber]

.
What are birds coming to? = 'What are birds becoming?' (here, 'Are birds getting weaker?'). The old man (who has been working all night trying to catch his big fish) is half-humorously castigating the bird for being so tired.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[toefl]