Oliver Twist

as duly reported by the workhouse authorities to the parish authorities. The parish authorities inquired with dignity of the workhouse authorities, whether there was no female then domiciled

endence of an elderly female, who received the culprits at and for the consideration of sevenpence-halfpenny per small head per week. Sevenpence-halfpenny's worth per week is a good round diet for a child; a great deal may be got for sevenpence-halfpenny, quite enough to overload its stomach, and make it uncomfortable. The elderly female was a woman of wisdom and experience; she knew what

hours before he was to have had his first comfortable bait of air. Unfortunately for, the experimental philosophy of the female to whose protecting care Oliver Twist was delivered over, a similar result usually attended the operation of her system; for at the very moment when the child had contrived to exist upon the smallest possible portion of the we

uld take it into their heads to ask troublesome questions, or the parishioners would rebelliously affix their signatures to a remonstrance. But these impertinences were speedily checked by the evidence of the surgeon, and the testimony of the beadle; the former of whom had always opened the body and found nothing inside (which was very

r's breast. It had had plenty of room to expand, thanks to the spare diet of the establishment; and perhaps to this circumstance may be attributed his having any ninth birth-day at all. Be this as it may, however, it was his ninth birthday; and he was keeping it in the coal-cellar with a select party of

the window in well-affected ecstasies of joy. '(Susan, take Oliver and them two brats upsta

hearted salutation in a kindred spirit, he gave the little wicket a tremendous shake,

s time,-'only think of that! That I should have forgotten that the gate was bolted on the

urtsey that might have softened the heart of a ch

the parish officers a waiting at your garden-gate, when they come here upon porochial business with the poro

two of the dear children as is so fond of you, that it

powers and his importance. He had displayed

it may be as you say; it may be. Lead the way in, Mrs.

is cocked hat and cane on the table before him. Mr. Bumble wiped from his forehead the perspiration which his walk had e

, with captivating sweetness. 'You've had a long walk, you know, or I woul

. Bumble, waving his right hand i

f the refusal, and the gesture that had accompanied it. 'Just

mble c

e drop,' said Mrs.

?' inquired

nts' Daffy, when they ain't well, Mr. Bumble,' replied Mrs. Mann as she opened a corner cu

nn?' inquired Bumble, following with his

' replied the nurse. 'I couldn't see 'em

shall take a early opportunity of mentioning it to the board, Mrs. Mann.' (He drew it towards him.) 'You feel as a mother,

out a leathern pocket-book. 'The child that was ha

Mann, inflaming her left eye

nding the most superlative, and, I may say, supernat'ral exertions on the part of this parish,' said Bumble, '

but added, after a moment's reflection, 'H

up with great pride, a

Mr. Bu

This was a T,-Twist, I named him. The next one comes will be Unwin, and the next Vilkins. I have g

literary character,

s. Mann.' He finished the gin-and-water, and added, 'Oliver being now too old to remain here, the board have de

ad by this time as much of the outer coat of dirt which encrusted his face and hands, removed,

gentleman, Oliver

ed between the beadle on the chair

me, Oliver?' said Mr. Bu

of Mrs. Mann, who had got behind the beadle's chair, and was shaking her fist at him with a furious countenance. He took

ith me?' inqui

Mr. Bumble. 'But she'll c

him a thousand embraces, and what Oliver wanted a great deal more, a piece of bread and butter, less he should seem too hungry when he got to the workhouse. With the slice of bread in his hand, and the little brown-cloth parish cap on his head, Oliver was then led away by Mr. Bumble from the wretched home where one kind word or look had never

f every quarter of a mile whether they were 'nearly there.' To these interrogations Mr. Bumble returned very brief and snappish replie

tion of a second slice of bread, when Mr. Bumble, who had handed him over to the care of an old woman, returned;

the matter, however; for Mr. Bumble gave him a tap on the head, with his cane, to wake him up: and another on the back to make him lively: and bidding him to follow, conducted him into a large white-washed

o or three tears that were lingering in his eyes; and s

oy?' said the gentle

hind, which made him cry. These two causes made him answer in a very low and hesitating voice; whereupon a gentleman in

high chair, 'listen to me. You

sir?' inquir

ht he was,' said the gentl

'You know you've got no father or mother, and t

lied Oliver, we

in the white waistcoat. And to be sure it was ve

r gentleman in a gruff voice; 'and pray for the people

d have been very like a Christian, and a marvellously good Christian too, if Oliver had pray

d, and taught a useful trade,' said the

rrow morning at six o'clock,' added

he direction of the beadle, and was then hurried away to a large ward; where, on a rough, hard bed, he sobbed

und him, that the board had that very day arrived at a decision which would exercise t

y established the rule, that all poor people should have the alternative (for they would compel nobody, not they), of being starved by a gradual process in the house, or by a quick one out of it. With this view, they contracted with the water-works to lay on an unlimited supply of water; and with a corn-factor to supply periodically small quantities of oatmeal; and issued three meals of thin gruel a day, with an onion twice a week, and half a roll of Sundays. They made a great many other wise and humane regulations, having reference to the ladies, which it is not necessary to repeat; k

he increase in the undertaker's bill, and the necessity of taking in the clothes of all the paupers, which fluttered loosely on their wasted, sh

pron for the purpose, and assisted by one or two women, ladled the gruel at mealtimes. Of this festive composition each boy had

ssiduously, with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon. Boys have generally excellent appetites. Oliver Twist and his companions suffered the tortures of slow starvation for three months: at last they got so voracious and wild with hunger, that one boy, who was tall for his age, and hadn't been used to that sort of thing (for his father had kept a small cook-shop

erved out; and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared; the boys whispered each other, and winked at Oliver; while his next neighbors nudged him. Child as h

ir, I want

ied astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for suppo

master at length,

eplied Oliver, '

ad with the ladle; pinioned him in his

Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement, a

r pardon, sir! Oliver Tw

art. Horror was depict

nd answer me distinctly. Do I understand that he asked for

ir,' repli

gentleman in the white waistcoat

was next morning pasted on the outside of the gate, offering a reward of five pounds to anybody who would take Oliver Twist off the hands of the

waistcoat, as he knocked at the gate and read the bill next morning: 'I never was m

should perhaps mar the interest of this narrative (supposing it to possess any at all), if I