diff options
| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-14 20:07:15 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-14 20:07:15 -0700 |
| commit | 4594e6daef4357c2cc934fc35411f5dcf5adc334 (patch) | |
| tree | ec486009da2328e714f4cc69d9d69570d4408275 | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h.zip | bin | 0 -> 1568103 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/37121-h.htm | 2717 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus002.png | bin | 0 -> 400350 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus007.jpg | bin | 0 -> 96688 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus011.jpg | bin | 0 -> 71110 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus017.jpg | bin | 0 -> 100373 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus019.jpg | bin | 0 -> 155092 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus027.jpg | bin | 0 -> 119913 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus033.jpg | bin | 0 -> 101313 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus037.jpg | bin | 0 -> 162230 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus039.jpg | bin | 0 -> 84425 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus055.jpg | bin | 0 -> 165536 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus061.jpg | bin | 0 -> 97731 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121-h/images/illus065.jpg | bin | 0 -> 96432 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121.txt | 2618 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 37121.zip | bin | 0 -> 48329 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 |
19 files changed, 5351 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/37121-h.zip b/37121-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..05df5fa --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h.zip diff --git a/37121-h/37121-h.htm b/37121-h/37121-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8ab3574 --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/37121-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2717 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<!-- $Id: header.txt 236 2009-12-07 18:57:00Z vlsimpson $ --> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Charles Dickens' Children Stories, by Charles Dickens' granddaughter. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> + +body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + +p {margin-top: .75em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .75em;} + +hr {width: 33%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; clear: both;} + +p.cap:first-letter { float: left; clear: left; + margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; + padding:0; + line-height: .85em; font-size: 250%; } + +.pagenum {position: absolute; left: 92%; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;} + +.big {font-size: 125%;} +.huge {font-size: 150%;} +.giant {font-size: 200%;} + +.blockquot {margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;} + +.center {text-align: center;} + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + +.caption {text-align: center;} + +.figcenter {margin: auto; text-align: center;} + + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +Project Gutenberg's Charles Dickens' Children Stories, by Charles Dickens + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Charles Dickens' Children Stories + +Author: Charles Dickens + +Release Date: August 18, 2011 [EBook #37121] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHARLES DICKENS' CHILDREN STORIES *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, David E. Brown and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus002.png" alt="" /></div> + +<p class="center"><span style="margin-left: -17em;"><i>Frontispiece.</i></span></p> + +<p class="caption"><span class="big">LITTLE NELL AND HER GRANDFATHER.</span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">CHARLES DICKENS'</span></p> + +<p class="center"><span class="giant"><span class="smcap">Children Stories</span></span></p> +<p> </p> +<p class="center"><span class="big">RE-TOLD BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTER</span><br /> +AND OTHERS</p> +<p> </p> +<p class="center">WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS</p> +<p> </p> +<p class="center"><span class="big">PHILADELPHIA<br /> +HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY</span></p> + +<p> </p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p> + +<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1900, by</span><br /> +HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY</p> + + + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">TROTTY VECK AND HIS DAUGHTER MEG.</span></p> + +<p> </p> +<p class="cap">"TROTTY" seems a strange name for an old man, but it was given to Toby +Veck because of his always going at a trot to do his errands; for he was +a porter, and carried letters and messages for people who were in too +great a hurry to send them by the post. He did not earn very much, and +had to be out in all weathers and all day long. But Toby was of a +cheerful disposition, and looked on the bright side of everything. His +greatest joy was his dear daughter Meg, who loved him dearly.</p> + +<p>One cold day Toby had been trotting up and down in his usual place +before the church, when the bells chimed twelve o'clock, which made Toby +think of dinner.</p> + +<p>"There's nothing," he remarked, "more regular in coming round than +dinner-time, and nothing less regular in coming round than dinner. +That's the great difference between 'em." He went on talking to himself +never noticing who was coming near to him.</p> + +<p>"Why, father, father," said a pleasant voice, and Toby turned to find +his daughter's sweet, bright eyes close to his.</p> + +<p>"Why, pet," said he, kissing her, "what's-to-do? I didn't expect you +to-day, Meg."</p> + +<p>"Neither did I expect to come, father," said Meg, smiling. "But here I +am! And not alone, not alone!"</p> + +<p>"Why, you don't mean to say," observed Trotty, looking curiously at the +covered basket she carried, "that you?——"</p> + +<p>"Smell it, father dear," said Meg; "only smell it, and guess what it +is."</p> + +<p>Toby took the shortest possible sniff at the edge of the basket. "Why, +it's hot," he said.</p> + +<p>But to Meg's great delight he could not guess what it was that smelt so +good. At last he exclaimed in triumph, "Why, what am I a-thinking of? +It's tripe!"</p> + +<p>And it was.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>Just as Toby was about to sit down to his dinner on the doorsteps of a +big house close by, the chimes rang out again, and Toby took off his hat +and said, "Amen."</p> + +<p>"Amen to the bells, father?"</p> + +<p>"They broke in like a grace, my dear," said Trotty, "they'd say a good +one if they could, I'm sure. Many's the kind thing they say to me. How +often have I heard them bells say, 'Toby Veck, Toby Veck, keep a good +heart, Toby!' A millions times? More!"</p> + +<p>"Well, I never!" cried Meg.</p> + +<p>While Toby ate his unexpected dinner with immense relish, Meg told him +how her lover Richard, a young blacksmith, had brought his dinner to +share with her, and had begged her to marry him on New Year's Day, "the +best and happiest day of the whole year."</p> + +<p>"So," went on Meg, "I wanted to make this a sort of holiday to you, as +well as a dear and happy day to me, father, and I made a little treat +and brought it to surprise you."</p> + +<p>Just then, Richard himself came up to persuade Toby to agree to their +plan; and almost at the same moment, a footman came out of the house and +ordered them all off the steps, and some gentleman came out who called +up Trotty, and gave him a letter to carry.</p> + +<p>Toby trotted off to a very grand house, where he was told to take the +letter in to the gentleman. While he was waiting, he heard the letter +read. It was from Alderman Cute, to tell Sir Joseph Bowley that one of +his tenants named Will Fern who had come to London to try and get work, +had been brought before him charged with sleeping in a shed, and asking +if Sir Joseph wished him to be dealt leniently with or otherwise. To +Toby's great disappointment the answer was given that Will Fern might be +sent to prison as a vagabond, though his only fault was poverty. On his +way home, Toby ran against a man dressed like a countryman, carrying a +fair-haired little girl. The man asked him the way to Alderman Cute's +house.</p> + +<p>"It's impossible," cried Toby, "that your name is Will Fern?"</p> + +<p>"That's my name," said the man.</p> + +<p>Thereupon Toby told him what he had just heard, and said "Don't go +there."</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus007.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">TROTTY VECK'S DINNER.</span><br/> +TOBY TOOK A SNIFF AT THE EDGE OF THE BASKET.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>Poor Will told him how he could not make a living in the country, and +had come to London with his orphan niece to try and find a friend of her +mother's and to endeavor to get some work, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> wishing Toby a happy +New Year, was about to trudge wearily off again, when Trotty caught his +hand saying—</p> + +<p>"Stay! The New Year never can be happy to me if I see the child and you +go wandering away without a shelter for your heads. Come home with me. +I'm a poor man, living in a poor place, but I can give you lodging for +one night and never miss it," and lifting up the pretty little one, he +trotted towards home, and rushing in, he set the child down before his +daughter. The little girl ran into her arms at once, while Trotty ran +round the room, saying, "Here we are and here we go. Here, Uncle Will, +come to the fire. Meg, my precious darling, where's the kettle? Here it +is and here it goes, and it'll bile in no time!"</p> + +<p>"Why, father!" said Meg, "you're crazy to-night, I think. Poor little +feet, how cold they are!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, they're warmer now!" exclaimed the child. "They're quite warm now!"</p> + +<p>"No, no, no," said Meg. "We haven't rubbed 'em half enough. And when +they're done, we'll brush out the damp hair; and we'll bring some color +to the poor pale face with fresh water; and then we'll be so gay and +brisk and happy!"</p> + +<p>The child sobbing, clasped her round the neck, saying, "O Meg, O dear +Meg!"</p> + +<p>"Good gracious me!" said Meg, presently, "father's crazy! He's put the +dear child's bonnet on the kettle, and hung the lid behind the door!"</p> + +<p>Trotty hastily repaired this mistake, and went off to find some tea and +a rasher of bacon he fancied "he had seen lying somewhere on the +stairs." He soon came back and made the tea, and before long they were +all enjoying the meal.</p> + +<p>After tea Meg took Lilian to bed, and Toby showed Will Fern where he was +to sleep. Then he went to sit by the fire and read his paper, and fell +asleep, to have a wonderful dream so terrible and sad, that it was a +great relief when he woke to find Meg sitting near him, putting some +ribbons on her simple gown for her wedding, and looking so happy and +young and blooming, that he jumped up to clasp her in his arms.</p> + +<p>But somebody came rushing in between them, crying,—"No! Not even you. +The first kiss of Meg in the New Year is mine. Meg, my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> precious prize, +a happy year! A life of happy years, my darling wife!"</p> + +<p>Then in came Lilian and Will Fern, and a band of music with a flock of +neighbors burst into the room, shouting, "A Happy New Year, Meg." "A +happy wedding!" "Many of 'em," and the Drum stepped forward and said—</p> + +<p>"Trotty Veck, it's got about that your daughter is to be married +to-morrow. And there ain't a soul that knows you both that don't wish +you both all the happiness the New Year can bring. And here we are, to +play it in and dance it in accordingly." Then Mrs. Chickenstalker came +in (a good-humored, comely woman, who, to the delight of all, turned out +to be the friend of Lilian's mother for whom Will Fern had come to +look), to wish Meg joy, and then the music struck up, and Trotty, making +Meg and Richard second couple, led off Mrs. Chickenstalker down the +dance, and danced it in a step unknown before or since, founded on his +own peculiar trot.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">TINY TIM.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">THERE was once a man who did not like Christmas. His name was Scrooge, +and he was a hard sour-tempered man of business, intent only on saving +and making money, and caring nothing for anyone. He paid the poor, +hard-working clerk in his office as little as he could possibly get the +work done for, and lived on as little as possible himself, alone, in two +dismal rooms. He was never merry or comfortable, or happy, and he hated +other people to be so, and that was the reason why he hated Christmas, +because people will be happy at Christmas, you know, if they possibly +can.</p> + +<p>Well, it was Christmas eve, a very cold and foggy one, and Mr. Scrooge, +having given his poor clerk unwilling permission to spend Christmas day +at home, locked up his office and went home himself in a very bad +temper. After having taken some gruel as he sat over a miserable fire in +his dismal room, he got into bed, and had some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> wonderful and +disagreeable dreams, to which we will leave him, whilst we see how Tiny +Tim, the son of his poor clerk, spent Christmas day.</p> + +<p>The name of this clerk was Bob Cratchet. He had a wife and five other +children beside Tim, who was a weak and delicate little cripple, gentle +and patient and loving, with a sweet face of his own, which no one could +help looking at.</p> + +<p>It was Mr. Cratchet's delight to carry his little boy out on his +shoulder to see the shops and the people; and to-day he had taken him to +church for the first time.</p> + +<p>"Whatever has got your precious father, and your brother Tiny Tim!" +exclaimed Mrs. Cratchet, "here's dinner all ready to be dished up. I've +never known him so late on Christmas day before."</p> + +<p>"Here he is, mother!" cried Belinda, and "here he is!" cried the other +children, as Mr. Cratchet came in, his long comforter hanging three feet +from under his threadbare coat; for cold as it was the poor clerk had no +top-coat. Tiny Tim was perched on his father's shoulder.</p> + +<p>"And how did Tim behave?" asked Mrs. Cratchet.</p> + +<p>"As good as gold and better," replied his father. "He told me, coming +home, that he hoped the people in church, who saw he was a cripple, +would be pleased to remember on Christmas day who it was who made the +lame to walk."</p> + +<p>"Bless his sweet heart!" said the mother in a trembling voice.</p> + +<p>Dinner was waiting to be dished up. Mrs. Cratchet proudly placed a goose +upon the table. Belinda brought in the apple sauce, and Peter the mashed +potatoes; the other children set chairs, Tim's as usual close to his +father's; and Tim was so excited that he rapped the table with his +knife, and carried "Hurrah." After the goose came the pudding, all +ablaze, with its sprig of holly in the middle, and was eaten to the last +morsel; then apples and oranges were set upon the table, and a shovelful +of chestnuts on the fire, and Mr. Cratchet served round some hot sweet +stuff out of a jug as they closed round the fire, and said, "A Merry +Christmas to us all, my dears, God bless us." "God bless us, every one," +echoed Tiny Tim, and then they drank each other's health, and Mr. +Scrooge's health, and told stories and sang songs.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus011.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">TINY TIM.</span><br/> +TINY TIM WAS PERCHED ON HIS FATHER'S SHOULDER.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>Now in one of Mr. Scrooge's dreams on Christmas eve a Christmas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> spirit +showed him his clerk's home; he saw them all, heard them drink his +health, and he took special note of Tiny Tim himself.</p> + +<p>How Mr. Scrooge spent Christmas day we do not know; but on Christmas +night he had more dreams, and the spirit took him again to his clerk's +poor home.</p> + +<p>Upstairs, the father, with his face hidden in his hands, sat beside a +little bed, on which lay a tiny figure, white and still. "Tiny Tim died +because his father was too poor to give him what was necessary to make +him well; <i>you</i> kept him poor," said the dream-spirit to Mr. Scrooge. +The father kissed the cold, little face on the bed, and went +down-stairs, where the sprays of holly still remained about the humble +room; and taking his hat, went out, with a wistful glance at the little +crutch in the corner as he shut the door. Mr. Scrooge saw all this, but, +wonderful to relate, he woke the next morning feeling as he had never +felt in his life before.</p> + +<p>"Why, I am as light as a feather, and as happy as an angel, and as merry +as a schoolboy," he said to himself. "I hope everybody had a merry +Christmas, and here's a happy New Year to all the world."</p> + +<p>Poor Bob Cratchet crept into the office a few minutes late, expecting to +be scolded for it, but his master was there with his back to a good +fire, and actually smiling, and he shook hands with his clerk, telling +him heartily he was going to raise his salary, and asking quite +affectionately after Tiny Tim! "And mind you make up a good fire in your +room before you set to work, Bob," he said, as he closed his own door.</p> + +<p>Bob could hardly believe his eyes and ears, but it was all true. Such +doings as they had on New Year's day had never been seen before in the +Cratchet's home, nor such a turkey as Mr. Scrooge sent them for dinner. +Tiny Tim had his share too, for Tiny Tim did not die, not a bit of it. +Mr. Scrooge was a second father to him from that day, he wanted for +nothing, and grew up strong and hearty. Mr. Scrooge loved him, and well +he might, for was it not Tiny Tim who had unconsciously, through the +Christmas dream-spirit, touched his hard heart, and caused him to become +a good and happy man?</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">LITTLE DOMBEY.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">LITTLE DOMBEY was the son of a rich city merchant, a cold, stern, and +pompous man, whose life and interests were entirely absorbed in his +business. He was so desirous of having a son to associate with himself +in the business, and make the house once more Dombey & Son in fact, as +it was in name, that the little boy who was at last born to him was +eagerly welcomed.</p> + +<p>There was a pretty little girl six years old, but her father had taken +little notice of her. Of what use was a girl to Dombey & Son? She could +not go into the business.</p> + +<p>Little Dombey's mother died when he was born, but the event did not +greatly disturb Mr. Dombey; and since his son lived, what did it matter +to him that his little daughter Florence was breaking her heart in +loneliness for the mother who had loved and cherished her!</p> + +<p>During the first few months of his life, little Dombey grew and +flourished; and as soon as he was old enough to take notice, there was +no one he loved so well as his sister Florence.</p> + +<p>In due time the baby was taken to church, and baptized by the name of +Paul (his father's name). A grand and stately christening it was, +followed by a grand and stately feast; and little Paul was declared by +his godmother to be "an angel, and the perfect picture of his own papa."</p> + +<p>But from that time Paul seemed to waste and pine; his healthy and +thriving babyhood had received a check, and as for illnesses, "There +never was a blessed dear so put upon," his nurse said.</p> + +<p>By the time he was five years old, though he had the prettiest, sweetest +little face in the world, there was always a patient, wistful look upon +it, and he was thin and tiny and delicate. He soon got tired, and had +such old-fashioned ways of speaking and doing things, that his nurse +often shook her head sadly over him.</p> + +<p>When he sat in his little arm-chair with his father, after dinner, they +were a strange pair,—so like, and so unlike each other.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>"What is money, papa?" asked Paul on one of these occasions, crossing +his tiny arms as well as he could—just as his father's were crossed.</p> + +<p>"Why, gold, silver and copper; you know what it is well enough, Paul," +answered his father.</p> + +<p>"Oh yes; I mean, what can money do?"</p> + +<p>"Anything, everything—almost," replied Mr. Dombey, taking one of his +son's wee hands.</p> + +<p>Paul drew his hand gently away. "It didn't save me my mamma, and it +can't make me strong and big," said he.</p> + +<p>"Why, you <i>are</i> strong and big, as big as such little people usually +are," returned Mr. Dombey.</p> + +<p>"No," replied Paul, sighing; "when Florence was as little as me, she was +strong and tall, and did not get tired of playing as I do. I am so tired +sometimes, papa."</p> + +<p>Mr. Dombey's anxiety was aroused, and the doctor was sent for to examine +Paul.</p> + +<p>"The child is hardly so stout as we could wish," said the doctor; "his +mind is too big for his body, he thinks too much—let him try sea +air—sea air does wonders for children."</p> + +<p>So it was arranged that Florence, Paul, and nurse should go to Brighton, +and stay in the house of a lady named Mrs. Pipchin, who kept a very +select boarding-house for children.</p> + +<p>There is no doubt that, apart from his importance to the house of Dombey +& Son, little Paul had crept into his father's heart, cold though it +still was towards his daughter, colder than ever now, for there was in +it a sort of unacknowledged jealousy of the warm love lavished on her by +Paul, which he himself was unable to win.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Pipchin was a marvellously ugly old lady, with a hook nose and +stern cold eyes.</p> + +<p>"Well, Master Paul, how do you think you will like me?" said Mrs. +Pipchin, seeing the child intently regarding her.</p> + +<p>"I don't think I shall like you at all," replied Paul, shaking his head. +"I want to go away. I do not like your house."</p> + +<p>Paul did not like Mrs. Pipchin, but he would sit in his arm-chair and +look at her. Her ugliness seemed to fascinate him.</p> + +<p>As the weeks went by little Paul grew more healthy-looking, but he did +not seem any stronger, and could not run about out of doors.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> A little +carriage was therefore got for him, in which he could be wheeled down to +the beach, where he would pass the greater part of the day. He took a +great fancy to a queer crab-faced old man, smelling of sea-weed, who +wheeled his carriage, and held long conversations with him; but Florence +was the only child companion whom he ever cared to have with him, though +he liked to watch other children playing in the distance.</p> + +<p>"I love you, Floy," he said one day to her.</p> + +<p>Florence laid her head against his pillow, and whispered how much +stronger he was growing.</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes, I know, I am a great deal better," said Paul, "a very great +deal better. Listen, Floy; what is it the sea keeps saying?"</p> + +<p>"Nothing, dear, it is only the rolling of the waves you hear."</p> + +<p>"Yes, but they are always saying something, and always the same thing. +What place is over there, Floy?"</p> + +<p>She told him there was another country opposite, but Paul said he did +not mean that, he meant somewhere much farther away, oh, much farther +away—and often he would break off in the midst of their talk to listen +to the sea and gaze out towards that country "farther away."</p> + +<p>After having lived at Brighton for a year, Paul was certainly much +stronger, though still thin and delicate. And on one of his weekly +visits, Mr. Dombey explained to Mrs. Pipchin, with pompous +condescension, that Paul's weak health having kept him back in his +studies, he had made arrangements to place him at the educational +establishment of Dr. Blimber, which was close by. Florence was, for the +present, to remain under Mrs. Pipchin's care, and see her brother every +week.</p> + +<p>Dr. Blimber's school was a great hot-house for the forcing of boy's +brains; and Dr. Blimber promised speedily to make a man of Paul.</p> + +<p>"Shall you like to be made a man of, my son?" asked Mr. Dombey.</p> + +<p>"I'd rather be a child and stay with Floy," answered Paul.</p> + +<p>Miss Blimber, the doctor's daughter, a learned lady in spectacles, was +his special tutor, and from morning till night his poor little brains +were forced and crammed till his head was heavy and always had a dull +ache in it, and his small legs grew weak again—every day he looked a +little thinner and a little paler, and became more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> old-fashioned than +ever in his looks and ways—"old-fashioned" was a distinguishing title +which clung to him. He was gentle and polite to every one—always +looking out for small kindnesses which he might do to any inmate of the +house. "The oddest and most old-fashioned child in the world," Dr. +Blimber would say to his daughter; "but bring him on, Cornelia—bring +him on."</p> + +<p>And Cornelia did bring him on; and Florence, seeing how pale and weary +the little fellow looked when he came to her on Saturdays, and how he +could not rest from anxiety about his lessons, would lighten his labors +a little, and ease his mind by helping him to prepare his week's work. +But one day, when his lessons were over, little Paul laid his weary and +aching head against the knee of a schoolfellow of whom he was very fond; +and the first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was that the +window was open, his face and hair were wet with water, and that Dr. +Blimber and the usher were both standing looking at him.</p> + +<p>"Ah, that's well," said Dr. Blimber, as Paul opened his eyes, "and how +is my little friend now?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, quite well, thank you, sir," answered Paul, but when he got up +there seemed something the matter with the floor, and the walls were +dancing about, and Dr. Blimber's head was twice its natural size. He was +put to bed, and presently the doctor came and said he was not to do any +more lessons for the present.</p> + +<p>In a few days Paul was able to get up and creep about the house. He +wondered sometimes why every one looked at and spoke so very kindly to +him, and was more than ever careful to do any little kindnesses he could +think of for them: even the rough, ugly dog Diogenes, who lived in the +yard, came in for a share of his attentions.</p> + +<p>There was a party at Dr. Blimber's on the evening before the boys went +home. Paul sat in a corner of the sofa all the evening, and every one +was very kind to him indeed, it was quite extraordinary, Paul thought, +and he was very happy; he liked to see how pretty Florence was, and how +every one admired and wished to dance with her. After resting for a +night at Mrs. Pipchin's house, little Paul went home, and was carried +straight upstairs to his bed.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus017.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">LITTLE PAUL AND FLORENCE.</span><br/> +A LITTLE CARRIAGE WAS GOT FOR HIM.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>He lay in his bed day after day quite happily and patiently, content<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> +to watch and talk to Florence. He would tell her his dreams, and how he +always saw the sunlit ripples of a river rolling, rolling fast in front +of him; sometimes he seemed to be rocking in a little boat on the water, +and its motion lulled him to rest, and then he would be floating away, +away to that shore farther off, which he could not see. One day he told +Florence that the water was rippling brighter and faster than ever, and +that he could not see anything else.</p> + +<p>"My own boy, cannot you see your poor father?" said Mr. Dombey, bending +over him.</p> + +<p>"Oh yes, but don't be so sorry, dear papa. I am so happy,—good-bye, +dear papa." Presently he opened his eyes again, and said, "Floy, mamma +is like you, I can see her. Come close to me, Floy, and tell them," +whispered the dying boy, "that the face of the picture of Christ on the +staircase at school is not divine enough; the light from it is shining +on me now, and the water is shining too, and rippling so fast, so fast."</p> + +<p>The evening light shone into the room, but little Paul's spirit had gone +out on the rippling water, and the Divine Face was shining on him from +the farther shore.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">THE RUNAWAY COUPLE.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">"SUPPOSING a young gentleman not eight years old was to run away with a +fine young woman of seven, would you consider that a queer start? That +there is a start as I—the boots at the Holly-Tree Inn—have seen with +my own eyes; and I cleaned the shoes they ran away in, and they was so +little that I couldn't get my hand into 'em.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus019.jpg" alt="" /></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">THE RUNAWAY COUPLE.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p>"Master Harry Walmers's father, he lived at the Elms, away by Shooter's +Hill, six or seven miles from London. He was uncommon proud of Master +Harry, as was his only child; but he didn't spoil him neither. He was a +gentleman that had a will of his own, and an eye of his own, and that +would be minded. Consequently, though <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>he made quite a companion of +the fine bright boy, still he kept the command over him, and the child +<i>was</i> a child. I was under gardener there at that time I and one morning +Master Harry, he comes to me and says—</p> + +<p>"'Cobbs, how should you spell Norah, if you were asked?' and he took out +his little knife and began cutting that name in print all over the +fence. The next day as it might be, he stops, along with Miss Norah, +where I was hoeing weeds in the gravel, and says, speaking up—</p> + +<p>"'Cobbs, I like you! Why do I like you do you think, Cobbs? Because Norah +likes you.'</p> + +<p>"'Indeed, sir,' says I. 'That's very gratifying.'</p> + +<p>"'Gratifying, Cobbs?' says Master Harry. 'It's better than a million of +the brightest diamonds, to be liked by Norah. You're going away ain't +you, Cobbs? Then you shall be our head gardener when we're married.' And +he tucks her, in her little sky-blue mantle, under his arm, and walks +away.</p> + +<p>"I was the boots at this identical Holly-Tree Inn when one summer +afternoon the coach drives up, and out of the coach gets these two +children. The young gentleman gets out; hands his lady out; gives the +guard something for himself; says to my governor, the landlord: 'We're +to stop here to-night, please. Sitting room and two bed-rooms will be +required. Mutton chops and cherry pudding for two!' and tucks her under +his arm, and walks into the house, much bolder than brass.</p> + +<p>"I had seen 'em without their seeing me, and I gave the governor my +views of the expedition they was upon. 'Cobbs,' says the governor, 'if +this is so, I must set off myself and quiet their friends' minds. In +which case you must keep your eye upon 'em, and humor 'em, until I come +back. But before I take these measures, Cobbs, I should wish you to find +out from themselves whether your opinion is correct.'</p> + +<p>"So I goes upstairs, and there I finds Master Harry on an e-nor-mous +sofa a-drying the eyes of Miss Norah with his pocket handkercher. Their +little legs was entirely off the ground, of course, and it really is not +possible to express how small them children looked. 'It's Cobbs! it's +Cobbs!' cries Master Harry, and he comes a-runing to me, and catching +hold of my hand. Miss Norah, she comes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> running to me on t'other side, +and catching hold of my t'other hand, and they both jump for joy. And +what I had took to be the case was the case.</p> + +<p>"'We're going to be married, Cobbs, at Gretna Green,' says the boy. +'We've run away on purpose. Norah has been in rather low spirits, Cobbs; +but she'll be happy now we have found you to be our friend.'</p> + +<p>"I give you my word and honor upon it that, by way of luggage the lady +had got a parasol, a smelling-bottle, a round and a half of cold +buttered toast, eight peppermint drops, and a doll's hair-brush. The +gentleman had got about a dozen yards of string, a knife, three or four +sheets of writing-paper folded up surprisingly small, a orange, and a +chaney mug with his name on it.</p> + +<p>"'What may be the exact nature of your plans, sir?' says I.</p> + +<p>"'To go on,' replies the boy, 'in the morning, and be married +to-morrow.'</p> + +<p>"'Just so, sir. Well, sir, if you will excuse my having the freedom to +give an opinion, what I should recommend would be this. I'm acquainted +with a pony, sir, which would take you and Mrs. Harry Walmers junior to +the end of your journey in a very short space of time. I am not +altogether sure, sir, that the pony will be at liberty to-morrow, but +even if you had to wait for him it might be worth your while.'</p> + +<p>"They clapped their hands and jumped for joy, and called me 'Good +Cobbs!' and 'Dear Cobbs!' and says I, 'Is there anything you want at +present, sir?'</p> + +<p>"'We should like some cakes after dinner,' answers Mr. Harry, 'and two +apples—and jam. With dinner we should like to have toast and water. But +Norah has always been accustomed to half a glass of currant wine at +dessert, and so have I.'</p> + +<p>"'They shall be ordered, sir,' I answered, and away I went; and the way +in which all the women in the house went on about that boy and his bold +spirit was a thing to see. They climbed up all sorts of places to get a +look at him, and they peeped, seven deep, through the keyhole.</p> + +<p>"In the evening, after the governor had set off for the Elms, I went into +the room to see how the run-away couple was getting on. The gentleman +was on the window seat, supporting the lady in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> arms. She had tears +upon her face, and was lying very tired and half asleep, with her head +upon his shoulder.</p> + +<p>"'Mrs. Harry Walmers junior fatigued, sir?'</p> + +<p>"'Yes, she's tired, Cobbs; she's been in low spirits again; she isn't +used to being in a strange place, you see. Could you bring a Norfolk +biffin, Cobbs? I think that would do her good.'</p> + +<p>"Well, I fetched the biffin, and Master Harry fed her with a spoon; but +the lady being heavy with sleep and rather cross, I suggested bed, and +called a chambermaid, but Master Harry must needs escort her himself, +and carry the candle for her. After embracing her at her own door he +retired to his room, where I softly locked him in.</p> + +<p>"They consulted me at breakfast (they had ordered sweet milk and water, +and toast and currant jelly, over night) about the pony, and I told 'em +that it did unfortunately happen that the pony was half clipped, but +that he'd be finished clipping in the course of the day, and that +to-morrow morning at eight o'clock he would be ready. My own opinion is +that Mrs. Harry Walmers junior was beginning to give in. She hadn't had +her hair curled when she went to bed, and she didn't seem quite up to +brushing it herself, and it getting into her eyes put her out. But +nothing put out Mr. Harry. He sat behind his breakfast cup tearing away +at the jelly, as if he'd been his own father.</p> + +<p>"In the course of the morning, Master Harry rung the bell,—it was +surprising how that there boy did carry on,—and said in a sprightly +way, 'Cobbs, is there any good walks in the neighborhood?'</p> + +<p>"'Yes, sir, there's Love Lane.'</p> + +<p>"'Get out with you, Cobbs!'—that was that there mite's +expression—'you're joking.'</p> + +<p>"'Begging your pardon, sir, there really is a Love Lane, and a pleasant +walk it is; and proud shall I be to show it to yourself and Mrs. Harry +Walmers junior.'</p> + +<p>"Well, I took him down Love Lane to the water meadows, and there Master +Harry would have drowned himself in another minute a getting out a +water-lily for her. But they was tired out. All being so new and strange +to them, they were as tired as tired could be. And they laid down on a +bank of daisies and fell asleep.</p> + +<p>"They woke up at last, and then one thing was getting pretty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> clear to +me, namely, that Mrs. Harry Walmers junior's temper was on the move. +When Master Harry took her round the waist, she said he 'teased her so'; +and when he says, 'Norah, my young May moon, your Harry tease you?' she +tells him, 'Yes, and I want to go home.'</p> + +<p>"A boiled fowl, and baked bread and butter pudding, brought Mrs. Walmers +up a little; but I could have wished, I must privately own, to have seen +her more sensible to the voice of love and less abandoning herself to +the currants in the pudding. However, Master Harry, he kep' up, and his +noble heart was as fond as ever. Mrs. Walmers turned very sleepy about +dusk, and began to cry. Therefore, Mrs. Walmers went off to bed as per +yesterday; and Master Harry ditto repeated.</p> + +<p>"About eleven at night comes back the governor in a chaise, along of +Master Harry's father and a elderly lady. And Master Harry's door being +unlocked by me, Master Harry's father goes in, goes up to the bedside, +bends gently down, and kisses the little sleeping face. Then he stands +looking at it for a moment, looking wonderfully like it; and then he +gently shakes the little shoulder. 'Harry, my dear boy! Harry!'</p> + +<p>"Master Harry starts up and looks at his pa. Such is the honor of that +mite, that he looks at me, too, to see whether he has brought me into +trouble.</p> + +<p>"'I am not angry, my child. I only want you to dress yourself and come +home.'</p> + +<p>"'Yes, Pa.' Master Harry dresses himself quick.</p> + +<p>"'Please may I—please, dear pa—may I—kiss Norah before I go?'</p> + +<p>"Master Harry's father he takes Master Harry in his hand, and I leads +the way with the candle to that other bedroom where the elderly lady is +seated by the bed, and poor little Mrs. Harry Walmers junior is fast +asleep. There the father lifts the boy up to the pillow, and he lays his +little face down for an instant by the little warm face of poor little +Mrs. Harry Walmers junior, and gently draws it to him.</p> + +<p>"And that's all about it. Master Harry's father drove away in the chaise +having hold of Master Harry's hand. The elderly lady Mrs. Harry Walmers +junior that was never to be (she married a captain long after and went +to India) went off next day."</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">POOR JO!</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">JO was a crossing-sweeper; every day he swept up the mud, and begged for +pennies from the people who passed. Poor Jo wasn't pretty and he wasn't +clean. His clothes were only a few poor rags that hardly protected him +from the cold and the rain. He had never been to school, and he could +neither write nor read—could not even spell his own name.</p> + +<p>Poor Jo! He was ugly and dirty and ignorant; but he knew one thing, that +it was wicked to tell a lie, and knowing this, he always told the truth. +One other thing poor Jo knew too well, and that was what being hungry +means. For little Jo was very poor. He lived in Tom-all-Alones, one of +the most horrible places in all London. The people who live in this +dreadful den are the poorest of London poor. All miserably clad, all +dirty, all very hungry. They know and like Jo, for he is always willing +to go on errands for them, and does them many little acts of kindness.</p> + +<p>No one in Tom-all-Alones is spoken of by his name. Thus it is that if +you inquired there for a boy named Jo, you would be asked whether you +meant Carrots, or the Colonel, or Gallows, or young Chisel, or Terrier +Tip, or Lanky, or the Brick.</p> + +<p>Jo was generally called Toughy, although a few superior persons who +affected a dignified style of speaking called him "the tough subject."</p> + +<p>Jo used to say he had never had but one friend.</p> + +<p>It was one cold Winter night, when he was shivering in a door-way near +his crossing, that a dark-haired, rough-bearded man turned to look at +him, and then came back and began to talk to him.</p> + +<p>"Have you a friend, boy?" he asked presently.</p> + +<p>"No, never 'ad none."</p> + +<p>"Neither have I. Not one. Take this, and Good-night," and so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> saying the +man, who looked very poor and shabby, put into Jo's hand the price of a +supper and a night's lodging.</p> + +<p>Often afterwards the stranger would stop to talk with Jo, and give him +money, Jo firmly believed, whenever he had any to give. When he had +none, he would merely say, "I am as poor as you are to-day, Jo," and +pass on.</p> + +<p>One day, Jo was fetched away from his crossing to a public-house, where +the Coroner was holding an Inquest—an "Inkwich" Jo called it.</p> + +<p>"Did the boy know the deceased?" asked the Coroner.</p> + +<p>Indeed Jo had known him; it was his only friend who was dead.</p> + +<p>"He was very good to me, he was," was all poor Jo could say.</p> + +<p>The next day they buried the dead man in the churchyard hard by.</p> + +<p>But that night there came a slouching figure through the court to the +iron gate. It stood looking in for a little while, then with an old +broom it softly swept the step and made the archway clean. It was poor +Jo; and as he went away, he softly said to himself, "He was very good to +me, he was."</p> + +<p>Now, there happened to be at the Inquest a kind-hearted little man named +Snagsby, and he pitied Jo so much that he gave him half-a-crown.</p> + +<p>Jo was very sad after the death of his one friend. The more so as his +friend had died in great poverty and misery, with no one near him to +care whether he lived or not.</p> + +<p>A few days after the funeral, while Jo was still living on Mr. Snagsby's +half-crown, he was standing at his crossing as the day closed in, when a +lady, closely veiled and plainly dressed, came up to him.</p> + +<p>"Are you the boy Jo who was examined at the Inquest?" she asked.</p> + +<p>"That's me," said Jo.</p> + +<p>"Come farther up the court, I want to speak to you."</p> + +<p>"Wot, about him as was dead? Did you know him?"</p> + +<p>"How dare you ask me if I knew him?"</p> + +<p>"No offence, my lady," said Jo humbly.</p> + +<p>"Listen and hold your tongue. Show me the place where he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> lived, then +where he died, then where they buried him. Go in front of me, don't look +back once, and I'll pay you well."</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus027.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">JO AND THE POLICEMAN.</span><br/> +"I'M ALWAYS A MOVING ON."</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>Jo takes her to each of the places she wants to see. Then she draws off +her glove, and Jo sees that she has sparkling rings on her fingers. She +drops a coin into his hand and is gone. Jo holds the coin to the light +and sees to his joy that it is a golden sovereign.</p> + +<p>But people in Jo's position in life find it hard to change a sovereign, +for who will believe that they can come by it honestly? So poor little +Jo didn't get much of the sovereign for himself, for, as he afterwards +told Mr. Snagsby—</p> + +<p>"I had to pay five bob down in Tom-all-Alones before they'd square it +for to give me change, and then a young man he thieved another five +while I was asleep, and a boy he thieved ninepence, and the landlord he +stood drains round with a lot more of it."</p> + +<p>As time went on Jo's troubles began in earnest. The police turned him +away from his crossing, and wheresoever they met him ordered him "to +move on."</p> + +<p>Once a policeman, angry to find that Jo hadn't moved on, seized him by +the arm and dragged him down to Mr. Snagsby's.</p> + +<p>"What's the matter, constable?" asked Mr. Snagsby.</p> + +<p>"This boy's as obstinate a young gonoph as I know: although repeatedly +told to, he won't move on."</p> + +<p>"I'm always amoving on," cried Jo. "Oh, my eye, where am I to move to?"</p> + +<p>"My instructions don't go to that," the constable answered; "my +instructions are that you're to keep moving on. Now the simple question +is, sir," turning to Mr. Snagsby, "whether you know him. He says you +do."</p> + +<p>"Yes, I know him."</p> + +<p>"Very well, I leave him here; but mind you keep moving on."</p> + +<p>The constable then moved on himself, leaving Jo at Mr. Snagsby's. There +was a little tea-party there that evening, and when Jo was at last +allowed to go, Mr. Snagsby followed him to the door and filled his hands +with the remains of the little feast they had had upstairs.</p> + +<p>And now Jo began to find life harder and rougher than ever. He lost his +crossing altogether, and spent day after day in moving on. He remembered +a poor woman he had once done a kindness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> to, who had told him she lived +at St. Albans, and that a lady there had been very good to her. "Perhaps +she'll be good to me," thought Jo, and he started off to go to St. +Albans.</p> + +<p>One Saturday night Jo reached that town very tired and very ill. Happily +for him the woman met him and took him into her cottage. While he was +resting there a lady came in and asked him very kindly what was the +matter.</p> + +<p>"I'm abeing froze and then burnt up, and then froze and burnt up again, +ever so many times over in an hour. And my head's all sleepy, and all +agoing round like, and I'm so dry, and my bones is nothing half so much +bones as pain."</p> + +<p>"Where are you going?"</p> + +<p>"Somewheres," replied Jo, "I'm a-being moved on, I am."</p> + +<p>"Well, to-night you must come with me, and I'll make you comfortable." +So Jo went with the lady to a great house not far off, and there they +made a bed for him, and brought him tempting wholesome food. Everyone +was very kind to him, but something frightened Jo, and he felt he could +not stay there, and he ran out into the cold night air. Where he went he +could never remember, for when he next came to his senses he found +himself in a hospital. He stayed there for some weeks, and was then +discharged, though still weak and ill. He was very thin, and when he +drew a breath his chest was very painful. "It draws," said Jo, "as heavy +as a cart."</p> + +<p>Now, a certain young doctor who was very kind to poor people, was +walking through Tom-all-Alones one morning, when he saw a ragged figure +coming along, crouching close to the dirty wall. It was Jo. The young +doctor took pity on Jo. "Come with me," he said, "and I will find you a +better place than this to stay in," for he saw that the lad was very, +very ill. So Jo was taken to a clean little room, and bathed, and had +clean clothes, and good food, and kind people about him once more, but +he was too ill now, far too ill, for anything to do him any good.</p> + +<p>"Let me lie here quiet," said poor Jo, "and be so kind anyone as is +passin' nigh where I used to sweep, as to say to Mr. Snagsby as Jo, wot +he knew once, is amoving on."</p> + +<p>One day the young doctor was sitting by him, when suddenly Jo made a +strong effort to get out of bed.</p> + +<p>"Stay, Jo—where now?"</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>"It's time for me to go to that there burying-ground."</p> + +<p>"What burying-ground, Jo?"</p> + +<p>"Where they laid him as was very good to me, very good to me indeed he +was. It's time for me to go down to that there burying-ground, sir, and +ask to be put along of him. I wants to go there and be buried. Will you +promise to have me took there and laid along with him?"</p> + +<p>"I will indeed."</p> + +<p>"Thankee, sir. There's a step there as I used to sweep with my broom. +It's turned very dark, sir, is there any light coming?"</p> + +<p>"It's coming fast, Jo."</p> + +<p>Then silence for a while.</p> + +<p>"Jo, my poor fellow——!"</p> + +<p>"I can hear you, sir, in the dark."</p> + +<p>"Jo, can you say what I say?"</p> + +<p>"I'll say anything you say, sir, for I knows it's good."</p> + +<p>"Our Father."</p> + +<p>"Our Father—yes, that's very good, sir."</p> + +<p>"Which art in Heaven."</p> + +<p>"Art in Heaven. Is the light a-coming, sir?"</p> + +<p>"It's close at hand. Hallowed be Thy name."</p> + +<p>"Hallowed be Thy"—</p> + +<p>The light had come. Oh yes! the light had come, for Jo was dead.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">THE LITTLE KENWIGS.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">MRS. KENWIGS was the wife of an ivory turner, and though they only had a +very humble home of two rooms in a dingy-looking house in a small +street, they had great pretensions to being "genteel." The little Miss +Kenwigs had their flaxen hair plaited into pig-tails and tied with blue +ribbons, and wore little white trousers with frills round their ankles, +the highest fashion of that day; besides being dressed with such +elegance, the two eldest girls<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> went twice a week to a dancing school. +Mrs. Kenwigs, too, had an uncle who collected the water rate, and she +was therefore considered a person of great distinction, with quite the +manners of a lady. On the eighth anniversary of their wedding day, Mr. +and Mrs. Kenwigs invited a party of friends to supper to celebrate the +occasion. The four eldest children were to be allowed to sit up to +supper, and the uncle, Mr. Lillyvick, had promised to come. The baby was +put to bed in a little room lent by one of the lady guests, and a little +girl hired to watch him. All the company had assembled when a ring was +heard, and Morleena, whose name had been <i>invented by Mrs. Kenwigs</i> +specially for her, ran down to open the door and lead in her +distinguished great-uncle, then the supper was brought in.</p> + +<p>The table was cleared; Mr. Lillyvick established in the arm-chair by the +fireside; the four little girls arranged on a small form in front of the +company with their flaxen tails towards them; Mrs. Kenwigs was suddenly +dissolved in tears and sobbed out—</p> + +<p>"They are so beautiful!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, dear," said all the ladies, "so they are; it's very natural you +should feel proud of that; but don't give way, don't."</p> + +<p>"I can—not help it, and it don't signify," sobbed Mrs. Kenwigs: "oh! +they're too beautiful to live, much too beautiful."</p> + +<p>On hearing this dismal prophecy, all four little girls screamed until +their light flaxen tails vibrated again, and rushed to bury their heads +in their mother's lap.</p> + +<p>At length she was soothed, and the children calmed down; while the +ladies and gentlemen all said they were sure they would live for many +many years, and there was no occasion for their mother's distress: and +as the children were not so remarkably lovely, this was quite true.</p> + +<p>Then Mr. Lillyvick talked to the company about his niece's marriage, and +said graciously that he had always found Mr. Kenwigs a very honest, +well-behaved, upright, and respectable sort of man, and shook hands with +him, and then Morleena and her sisters kissed their uncle and most of +the guests.</p> + +<p>Then Miss Petowker, who could sing and recite in a way that brought +tears to Mrs. Kenwigs' eyes, remarked—</p> + +<p>"Oh, dear Mrs. Kenwigs, while Mr. Noggs is making that punch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> to drink +happy returns in, do let Morleena go through that figure dance before +Mr. Lillyvick."</p> + +<p>"Well, I'll tell you what," said Mrs. Kenwigs. "Morleena shall do the +steps, if uncle can persuade Miss Petowker to recite us the +'Blood-Drinker's Burial' afterwards."</p> + +<p>Everyone clapped their hands and stamped their feet at this proposal, +but Miss Petowker said, "You know I dislike doing anything professional +at private parties."</p> + +<p>"Oh, but not here!" said Mrs. Kenwigs. "You might as well be going +through it in your own room: besides, the occasion."</p> + +<p>"I can't resist that," interrupted Miss Petowker, "anything in my humble +power, I shall be delighted to do."</p> + +<p>In reality Mrs. Kenwigs and Miss Petowker had arranged all the +entertainment between them beforehand, but had settled that a little +pressing on each side would look more natural. Then Miss Petowker hummed +a tune, and Morleena danced. It was a very beautiful figure, with a +great deal of work for the arms, and gained much applause. Then Miss +Petowker was entreated to begin her recitation, so she let down her back +hair, and went through the performance with great spirit, and died +raving mad in the arms of a bachelor friend who was to rush out and +catch her at the words "in death expire," to the great delight of the +audience and the terror of the little Kenwigses, who were nearly +frightened into fits.</p> + +<p>Just as the punch was ready, a knock at the door startled them all. But +it was only a friend of Mr. Noggs, who lived upstairs, and who had come +down to say that Mr. Noggs was wanted.</p> + +<p>Mr. Noggs hurried out, saying he would be back soon, and presently +startled them all by rushing in, snatching up a candle and a tumbler of +hot punch, and darting out again.</p> + +<p>Now, it happened unfortunately that the tumbler of punch was the very +one that Mr. Lillyvick was just going to lift to his lips, and the great +man—the rich relation—who had it in his power to make Morleena and her +sisters heiresses—and whom everyone was most anxious to please—was +offended.</p> + +<p>Poor Mr. Kenwigs endeavored to soothe him, but only made matters worse. +Mr. Lillyvick demanded his hat, and was only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> induced to remain by Mrs. +Kenwigs' tears and the entreaties of the entire company.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus033.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">THE LITTLE KENWIGS.</span><br/> +"THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL."</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>"There, Kenwigs," said Mr. Lillyvick, "and let me tell you, to show you +how much out of temper I was, that if I had gone away without another +word, it would have made no difference respecting that pound or two +which I shall leave among your children when I die."</p> + +<p>"Morleena Kenwigs," cried her mother, "go down on your knees to your +dear uncle, and beg him to love you all his life through; for he's more +an angel than a man, and I've always said so."</p> + +<p>Just as all were happy again, everyone was startled by a rapid +succession of the loudest and shrillest shrieks, apparently coming from +the room where the baby was asleep.</p> + +<p>"My baby, my blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed baby! My own darling, +sweet, innocent Lillyvick! Let me go-o-o-o," screamed Mrs. Kenwigs.</p> + +<p>Mr. Kenwigs rushed out, and was met at the door of the bedroom by a +young man with the baby (upside down) in his arms, who came out so +quickly that he knocked Mr. Kenwigs down; handing the child to his +mother, he said, "Don't be alarmed, it's all out, it's all over—the +little girl, being tired, I suppose, fell asleep and set her hair on +fire. I heard her cries and ran up in time to prevent her setting fire +to anything else. The child is not hurt: I took it off the bed myself +and brought it here to convince you."</p> + +<p>After they had all talked over this last excitement, and discussed +little Lillyvick's deliverer, the collector pulled out his watch and +announced that it was nearly two o'clock, and as the poor children had +been for some time obliged to keep their little eyes open with their +little forefingers, the company took leave, declaring they had never +spent such a delightful evening, and that they wished Mr. and Mrs. +Kenwigs had a wedding-day once a week.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">LITTLE DORRIT.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">MANY years ago, when people could be put in prison for debt, a poor +gentleman, who was unfortunate enough to lose all his money, was brought +to the Marshalsea prison. As there seemed no prospect of being able to +pay his debts, his wife and their two little children came to live there +with him. The elder child was a boy of three; the younger a little girl +of two years old, and not long afterwards another little girl was born. +The three children played in the courtyard, and were happy, on the +whole, for they were too young to remember a happier state of things.</p> + +<p>But the youngest child, who had never been outside the prison walls, was +a thoughtful little creature, and wondered what the outside world could +be like. Her great friend, the turnkey, who was also her godfather, +became very fond of her, and as soon as she could walk and talk, he +bought a little arm-chair and stood it by his fire at the lodge, and +coaxed her with cheap toys to come and sit with him.</p> + +<p>One day, she was sitting in the lodge gazing wistfully up at the sky +through the barred window. The turnkey, after watching her some time, +said:—</p> + +<p>"Thinking of the fields, ain't you?"</p> + +<p>"Where are they?" she asked.</p> + +<p>"Why, they're—over there, my dear," said the turnkey, waving his key +vaguely, "just about there."</p> + +<p>"Does anybody open them and shut them? Are they locked?"</p> + +<p>"Well," said the turnkey, discomfited, "not in general."</p> + +<p>"Are they pretty, Bob?" She called him Bob, because he wished it.</p> + +<p>"Lovely. Full of flowers. There's buttercups, and there's daisies, and +there's—" here he hesitated, not knowing the names of many +flowers—"there's dandelions, and all manner of games."</p> + +<p>"Is it very pleasant to be there, Bob?"</p> + +<p>"Prime," said the turnkey.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>"Was father ever there?"</p> + +<p>"Hem!" coughed the turnkey. "O yes, he was there, sometimes."</p> + +<p>"Is he sorry not to be there now?"</p> + +<p>"N—not particular," said the turnkey.</p> + +<p>"Nor any of the people?" she asked, glancing at the listless crowd +within. "O are you quite sure and certain, Bob?"</p> + +<p>At this point, Bob gave in and changed the subject. But after this chat, +the turnkey and little Amy would go out on his free Sunday afternoons to +some meadows or green lanes, and she would pick grass and flowers to +bring home, while he smoked his pipe.</p> + +<p>When Amy was only eight years old, her mother died, and the poor father +was more helpless and broken-down than ever, and as Fanny was a careless +child, and Edward idle, the little one, who had the bravest and truest +heart, was inspired by her love and unselfishness to be the little +mother of the forlorn family, and struggled to get some little education +for herself and her brother and sister. She went as often as she could +to an evening school outside, and managed to get her brother and sister +sent to a day-school at intervals, during three or four years. At +thirteen, she could read and keep accounts. Once, amongst the debtors, a +dancing-master came in, and as Fanny had a great desire to learn +dancing, little Amy went timidly to the new prisoner, and said,</p> + +<p>"If you please, I was born here, sir."</p> + +<p>"Oh! You are the young lady, are you?" said he.</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir."</p> + +<p>"And what can I do for you?"</p> + +<p>"Nothing for me, sir, thank you; but if, while you stay here, you could +be so kind as to teach my sister cheap."</p> + +<p>"My child, I'll teach her for nothing," said the dancing-master.</p> + +<p>Fanny was a very apt pupil, and the good-natured dancing-master went on +giving her lessons even after his release, and Amy was so emboldened +with the success of her attempt that, when a milliner came in, she went +to her on her own behalf, and begged her to teach her.</p> + +<p>"I am afraid you are so weak, you see," the milliner objected.</p> + +<p>"I don't think I am weak, ma'am."</p> + +<p>"And you are so very, very little, you see," the milliner still +objected.</p> + + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus037.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">THE BLIND TOY MAKER.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus039.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">LITTLE DORRIT AND MAGGIE.</span><br/> +"SHE HAS NEVER GROWN OLDER SINCE."</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>"Yes, I am afraid I am very little indeed," returned the child, and +began to sob, so that the milliner was touched, and took her in hand and +made her a clever workwoman.</p> + +<p>But the father could not bear the idea that his children should work for +their living, so they had to keep it all secret. Fanny became a dancer, +and lived with a poor old uncle, who played the clarionet at the small +theatre where Fanny was engaged. Amy, or little Dorrit as she was +generally called, her father's name being Dorrit, earned small sums by +going out to do needlework. She got Edward into a great many situations, +but he was an idle, careless fellow, and always came back to be a burden +and care to his poor little sister. At last she saved up enough to send +him out to Canada.</p> + +<p>"God bless you, dear Tip" (his name had been shortened to Tip), "don't +be too proud to come and see us when you have made your fortune," she +said.</p> + +<p>But Tip only went as far as Liverpool, and appeared once more before his +poor little second mother, in rags, and with no shoes.</p> + +<p>In the end, after another trial, Tip returned telling Amy, that this +time he was "one of the regulars."</p> + +<p>"Oh! Don't say you are a prisoner, Tip. Don't, don't!"</p> + +<p>But he was—and Amy nearly broke her heart. So with all these cares and +worries struggling bravely on, little Dorrit passed the first twenty-two +years of her life. Then the son of a lady, Mrs. Clennem, to whose house +Amy went to do needlework, was interested in the pale, patient little +creature, and learning her history resolved to do his best to try and +get her father released, and to help them all.</p> + +<p>One day when he was walking home with little Dorrit a voice was heard +calling, "Little Mother, Little Mother," and a strange figure came +bouncing up to them and fell down, scattering her basketful of potatoes +on the ground. "Oh Maggie," said Little Dorrit, "what a clumsy child you +are!"</p> + +<p>She was about eight and twenty, with large bones, large features, large +hands and feet, large eyes and no hair. Little Dorrit told Mr. Clennem +that Maggie was the grand-daughter of her old nurse, and that her +grandmother had been very unkind to her and beat her. "When Maggie was +ten years old, she had a fever, and she has never grown older since."</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>"Ten years old," said Maggie. "But what a nice hospital! So comfortable +wasn't it? Such a Ev'nly place! Such beds there is there! Such +lemonades! Such oranges! Such delicious broth and wine! Such chicking! +Oh, <span class="smcap">AIN'T</span> it a delightful place to stop at!"</p> + +<p>"Then when she came out, her grandmother did not know what to do with +her, and was very unkind. But after some time, Maggie tried to improve, +and was very attentive and industrious, and now she can earn her own +living entirely, sir!"</p> + +<p>Little Dorrit did not say who had taken pains to teach and encourage the +poor half-witted creature, but Mr. Clennem guessed from the name Little +Mother, and the fondness of the poor creature for Amy.</p> + +<p>Thanks to Mr. Clennem, a great change took place in the fortunes of the +family, and not long after this wretched night, it was discovered that +Mr. Dorrit was owner of a large property, and they became very rich.</p> + +<p>When, in his turn, Mr. Clennem became a prisoner in the Marshalsea +little Dorrit came to comfort and console him, and after many changes of +fortune, she became his wife, and they lived happy ever after.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">THE BLIND TOY-MAKER.</span></p> +<p> </p> + + +<p class="cap">CALEB PLUMMER and his blind daughter lived alone in a little cracked +nutshell of a house. They were toy-makers, and their house was stuck +like a toadstool on to the premises of Messrs. Gruff & Tackleton, the +Toy Merchants for whom they worked,—the latter of whom was himself both +Gruff and Tackleton in one.</p> + +<p>I am saying that Caleb and his blind daughter lived here. I should say +Caleb did, his daughter lived in an enchanted palace, which her father's +love had created for her. She did not know that the ceilings were +cracked, the plaster tumbling down, and the wood work rotten; that +everything was old and ugly and poverty-stricken about her and that her +father was a grey-haired stooping old man,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> and the master for whom they +worked a hard and brutal taskmaster;—oh, dear no, she fancied a pretty, +cosy, compact little home full of tokens of a kind master's care, a +smart, brisk, gallant-looking father, and a handsome and noble-looking +Toy Merchant who was an angel of goodness.</p> + +<p>This was all Caleb's doings. When his blind daughter was a baby he had +determined in his great love and pity for her, that her deprivation +should be turned into a blessing, and her life as happy as he could make +it. And she was happy; everything about her she saw with her father's +eyes, in the rainbow-coloured light with which it was his care and +pleasure to invest it.</p> + +<p>Bertha sat busily at work, making a doll's frock, whilst Caleb bent over +the opposite side of the table painting a doll's house.</p> + +<p>"You were out in the rain last night in your beautiful new great-coat," +said Bertha.</p> + +<p>"Yes, in my beautiful new great-coat," answered Caleb, glancing to where +a roughly made garment of sack-cloth was hung up to dry.</p> + +<p>"How glad I am you bought it, father."</p> + +<p>"And of such a tailor! quite a fashionable tailor, a bright blue cloth, +with bright buttons; it's a deal too good a coat for me."</p> + +<p>"Too good!" cried the blind girl, stopping to laugh and clap her +hands—"as if anything was too good for my handsome father, with his +smiling face, and black hair, and his straight figure."</p> + +<p>Caleb began to sing a rollicking song.</p> + +<p>"What, you are singing, are you?" growled a gruff voice, as Mr. +Tackleton put his head in at the door. "<i>I</i> can't afford to sing, I hope +you can afford to work too. Hardly time for both, I should say."</p> + +<p>"You don't see how the master is winking at me," whispered Caleb in his +daughter's ear—"such a joke, pretending to scold, you know."</p> + +<p>The blind girl laughed and nodded, and taking Mr. Tackleton's reluctant +hand, kissed it gently. "What is the idiot doing?" grumbled the Toy +Merchant, pulling his hand roughly away.</p> + +<p>"I am thanking you for the beautiful little tree," replied Bertha, +bringing forward a tiny rose-tree in blossom, which Caleb had made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> her +believe was her master's gift, though he himself had gone without a meal +or two to buy it.</p> + +<p>"Here's Bedlam broke loose. What does the idiot mean?" snarled Mr. +Tackleton; and giving Caleb some rough orders, he departed without the +politeness of a farewell.</p> + +<p>"If you could only have seen him winking at me all the time, pretending +to be so rough to escape thanking," exclaimed Caleb, when the door was +shut.</p> + +<p>Now a very sad and curious thing had happened. Caleb, in his love for +Bertha, had so successfully deceived her as to the real character of Mr. +Tackleton, that she had fallen in love, not with her master, but with +what she imagined him to be, and was happy in an innocent belief in his +affection for her; but one day she accidently heard he was going to be +married, and could not hide from her father the pain and bewilderment +she felt at the news.</p> + +<p>"Bertha, my dear," said Caleb at length, "I have a confession to make to +you; hear me kindly though I have been cruel to you." "You cruel to me!" +cried Bertha, turning her sightless face towards him. "Not meaning it, +my child! and I never suspected it till the other day. I have concealed +things from you which would have given pain, I have invented things to +please you, and have surrounded you with fancies."</p> + +<p>"But living people are not fancies, father, you cannot change them."</p> + +<p>"I have done so, my child, God forgive me! Bertha, the man who is +married to-day is a hard master to us both, ugly in his looks and in his +nature, and hard and heartless as he can be."</p> + +<p>"Oh heavens! how blind I have been, how could you father, and I so +helpless!" Poor Caleb hung his head.</p> + +<p>"Answer me father," said Bertha. "What is my home like?"</p> + +<p>"A poor place, Bertha, a very poor and bare place! indeed as little able +to keep out wind and weather as my sackcloth coat."</p> + +<p>"And the presents that I took such care of, that came at my wish, and +were so dearly welcome?" Caleb did not answer.</p> + +<p>"I see, I understand," said Bertha, "and now I am looking at you, at my +kind, loving compassionate father, tell me what is he like?"</p> + +<p>"An old man, my child, thin, bent, grey-haired, worn-out with hard work +and sorrow, a weak, foolish, deceitful old man."</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>The blind girl threw herself on her knees before him, and took his grey +head in her arms. "It is my sight, it is my sight restored," she cried. +"I have been blind, but now I see, I have never till now truly seen my +father. Father, there is not a grey hair on your head that shall be +forgotten in my prayers and thanks to Heaven."</p> + +<p>"My Bertha!" sobbed Caleb, "and the brisk smart father in the blue +coat—he's gone, my child."</p> + +<p>"Dearest father, no, he's not gone, nothing is gone. I have been happy +and contented, but I shall be happier and more contented still, now that +I know what you are. I am <i>not</i> blind, father, any longer."</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">LITTLE NELL.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">THE house was one of those receptacles for old and curious things, which +seem to crouch in odd corners of the town; and in the old, dark, murky +rooms, there lived alone together an old man and a child—his +grandchild, little Nell. Solitary and monotonous as was her life, the +innocent and cheerful spirit of the child found happiness in all things, +and through the dim rooms of the old curiosity shop little Nell went +singing, moving with gay and lightsome step.</p> + +<p>But gradually over the old man, to whom she was so tenderly attached, +there stole a sad change. He became thoughtful, dejected, and wretched. +He had no sleep or rest but that which he took by day in his easy chair; +for every night, and all night long, he was away from home.</p> + +<p>At last a raging fever seized him, and as he lay delirious or insensible +through many weeks, Nell learned that the house which sheltered them was +theirs no longer; that in the future they would be very poor; that they +would scarcely have bread to eat.</p> + +<p>At length the old man began to mend, but his mind was weakened. As the +time drew near when they must leave the house, he made no reference to +the necessity of finding other shelter. But a change came upon him one +evening, as he and Nell sat silently together.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>"Let us speak softly, Nell," he said. "Hush! for if they knew our +purpose they would say that I was mad, and take thee from me. We will +not stop here another day. We will travel afoot through the fields and +woods, and trust ourselves to God in the places where He dwells."</p> + +<p>The child's heart beat high with hope and confidence. To her it seemed +that they might beg their way from door to door in happiness, so that +they were together.</p> + +<p>When the day began to glimmer they stole out of the house, and passing +into the street stood still.</p> + +<p>"Which way?" asked the child.</p> + +<p>The old man looked irresolutely and helplessly at her, and shook his +head. It was plain that she was thenceforth his guide and leader. The +child felt it, but had no doubts or misgivings, and putting her hand in +his, led him gently away.</p> + +<p>They passed through the long, deserted streets, until these streets +dwindled away, and the open country was about them. They walked all day, +and slept that night at a small cottage where beds were let to +travellers. The sun was setting on the second day of their journey, +when, following a path which led to the town where they were to spend +the night, they fell in with two travelling showmen, bound for the races +at a neighboring town.</p> + +<p>They made two long days' journey with their new companions. The men were +rough and strange in their ways, but they were kindly, too; and in the +bewildering noise and movement of the race-course, where she tried to +sell some little nosegays, Nell would have clung to them for protection, +had she not learned that these men suspected that she and the old man +had left their home secretly, and that they meant to take steps to have +them sent back and taken care of. Separation from her grandfather was +the greatest evil Nell could dread. She seized her opportunity to evade +the watchfulness of the two men, and hand in hand she and the old man +fled away together.</p> + +<p>That night they reached a little village in a woody hollow. The village +schoolmaster, attracted by the child's sweetness and modesty, gave them +a lodging for the night; nor would he let them leave him until two days +more had passed.</p> + +<p>They journeyed on when the time came that they must wander<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> forth again, +by pleasant country lanes. The afternoon had worn away into a beautiful +evening, when they came to a caravan drawn up by the road. It was a +smart little house upon wheels, and at the door sat a stout and +comfortable lady, taking tea. The tea-things were set out upon a drum, +covered with a white napkin. And there, as if at the most convenient +table in the world, sat this roving lady, taking her tea and enjoying +the prospect. Of this stout lady Nell ventured to ask how far it was to +the neighboring town. And the lady, noticing that the tired child could +hardly repress a tear at hearing that eight weary miles lay still before +them, not only gave them tea, but offered to take them on in the +caravan.</p> + +<p>Now this lady of the caravan was the owner of a wax-work show, and her +name was Mrs. Jarley. She offered Nell employment in pointing out the +figures in the wax-work show to the visitors who came to see it, +promising in return both board and lodging for the child and her +grandfather, and some small sum of money. This offer Nell was thankful +to accept, and for some time her life and that of the poor, vacant, fond +old man, passed quietly and almost happily.</p> + +<p>One night Nell and her grandfather went out to walk. A terrible +thunder-storm coming on, they were forced to take refuge in a small +public-house where men played cards. The old man watched them with +increasing interest and excitement, until his whole appearance underwent +a complete change. His face was flushed and eager, his teeth set. He +seized Nell's little purse, and in spite of her entreaties joined in the +game, gambling with such a savage thirst for gain that the distressed +and frightened child could almost better have borne to see him dead. The +night was far advanced before the play came to an end, and they were +forced to remain where they were until the morning. And in the night the +child was awakened from her troubled sleep to find a figure in the room. +It was her grandfather himself, his white face pinched and sharpened by +the greediness which made his eyes unnaturally bright, counting the +money of which his hands were robbing her.</p> + +<p>Evening after evening, after that night, the old man would steal away, +not to return until the night was far spent, demanding, wildly, money. +And at last there came an hour when the child overheard him, tempted +beyond his feeble powers of resistence, undertake to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> find more money to +feed the desperate passion which had laid hold upon his weakness by +robbing Mrs. Jarley.</p> + +<p>That night the child took her grandfather by the hand and led him forth; +sustained by one idea—that they were flying from disgrace and crime, +and that her grandfather's preservation must depend solely upon her +firmness; the old man following as though she had been an angel +messenger sent to lead him where she would.</p> + +<p>They slept in the open air that night, and on the following morning some +men offered to take them a long distance on their barge. These men, +though they were not unkindly, drank and quarrelled among themselves, to +Nell's inexpressible terror. It rained, too, heavily, and she was wet +and cold. At last they reached the great city whither the barge was +bound, and here they wandered up and down, being now penniless, and +watched the faces of those who passed, to find among them a ray of +encouragement or hope.</p> + +<p>They laid down that night, and the next night too, with nothing between +them and the sky; a penny loaf was all they had had that day, and when +the third morning came, it found the child much weaker, yet she made no +complaint. Faint and spiritless as they were, the streets were +insupportable; and the child, throughout the remainder of that hard day, +compelled herself to press on, that they might reach the country. +Evening was drawing on; they were dragging themselves through the last +street. Seeing a traveller on foot before them, she shot on before her +grandfather and began in a few faint words to implore the stranger's +help. He turned his head, the child uttered a wild shriek, and fell +senseless at his feet. It was the village schoolmaster who had been so +kind to them before.</p> + +<p>The good man took her in his arms and carried her quickly to a little +inn hard by, where she was tenderly put to bed and where a doctor +arrived with all speed. The schoolmaster, as it appeared, was on his way +to a new home. And when the child had recovered somewhat from her +exhaustion, it was arranged that she and her grandfather should +accompany him to the village whither he was bound, and that he should +endeavor to find them some humble occupation by which they could +subsist.</p> + +<p>It was a secluded village, lying among the quiet country scenes Nell +loved. And here, her grandfather being tranquil and at rest, a great +peace fell upon the spirit of the child. Often she would steal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> into the +church, and sit down among the quiet figures carved upon the tombs. What +if the spot awakened thoughts of death? It would be no pain to sleep +here. For the time was drawing nearer every day when Nell was to rest +indeed. She never murmured or complained, but faded like a light upon a +summer's evening and died. Day after day and all day long, the old man, +broken-hearted and with no love or care for anything in life, would sit +beside her grave with her straw hat and the little basket she had been +used to carry, waiting till she should come to him again. At last they +found him lying dead upon the stone. And in the church where they had +often prayed and mused and lingered, hand in hand, the child and the old +man slept together.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">LITTLE DAVID COPPERFIELD.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">LITTLE DAVID COPPERFIELD lived with his mother in a pretty house in the +village of Blunderstone in Suffolk. His father died before David could +remember anything and he had neither brothers nor sisters. He was fondly +loved by his pretty young mother, and their kind, good servant Peggotty, +and David was a very happy little fellow. They had very few friends, and +the only relation Mrs. Copperfield talked about was an aunt of David's +father, a tall and rather terrible old lady, from all accounts. One +visitor, a tall dark gentleman, David did not like at all, and he was +rather inclined to be jealous that his mother should be friendly with +the stranger.</p> + +<p>One day Peggotty, the servant, asked David if he would like to go with +her on a visit to her brother at Yarmouth.</p> + +<p>"Is your brother an agreeable man, Peggotty?" he enquired.</p> + +<p>"Oh, what an agreeable man he is!" cried Peggotty. "Then there's the +sea, and the boats and ships, and the fishermen, and the beach. And 'Am +to play with."</p> + +<p>Ham was her nephew. David was quite anxious to go when he heard of all +these delights; but his mother, what would she do all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> alone? Peggotty +told him his mother was going to pay a visit to some friends, and would +be sure to let him go. So all was arranged, and they were to start the +next day in the carrier's cart. When they arrived at Yarmouth, they +found Ham waiting to meet them. He was a great strong fellow, six feet +high, and took David on his back and the box under his arm to carry both +to the house. David was delighted to find that this house was made of a +real big black boat, with a door and windows cut in the side, and an +iron funnel sticking out of the roof for a chimney. Inside, it was very +cosy and clean, and David had a tiny bedroom in the stern. He was very +much pleased to find a dear little girl, about his own age, to play +with, and soon discovered that she and Ham were orphans, children of Mr. +Peggotty's brother and sister, whose fathers had been drowned at sea, so +kind Mr. Peggotty had taken them to live with him. David was very happy +in this queer house, playing on the beach with Em'ly, as they called the +little girl, and told her all about his happy home; and she told him how +her father had been drowned at sea before she came to live with her +uncle. David said he thought Mr. Peggotty must be a very good man.</p> + +<p>"Good!" said Em'ly. "If ever I was to be a lady, I'd give him a sky-blue +coat with diamond buttons, nankeen trousers, a red velvet waistcoat, a +cocked hat, a large gold watch, a silver pipe, and a box of money!"</p> + +<p>David was quite sorry to leave these kind people and his dear little +companion, but still he was glad to think he should get back to his own +dear mamma. When he reached home, however, he found a great change. His +mother was married to the dark man David did not like, whose name was +Mr. Murdstone, and he was a stern, hard man, who had no love for little +David, and did not allow his mother to pet and indulge him as she had +done before. Mr. Murdstone's sister came to live with them, and as she +was even more difficult to please than her brother, and disliked boys, +David's life was no longer a happy one. He had always had lessons with +his mother, and as she was patient and gentle, he had enjoyed learning +to read, but now he had a great many very hard lessons to do, and was so +frightened and shy when Mr. and Miss Murdstone were in the room, that he +did not get on at all well, and was continually in disgrace. His only +pleasure was to go up into the little room at the top of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> house +where he had found a number of books that had belonged to his own +father, and he would sit and read Robinson Crusoe, and many tales of +travels and adventures.</p> + +<p>But one day he got into sad trouble over his lessons, and Mr. Murdstone +was very angry, and took him away from his mother and beat him with a +cane. David had never been beaten in his life before, and was so +maddened by pain and rage that he bit Mr. Murdstone's hand! Now, indeed, +he had done something to deserve the punishment, and Mr. Murdstone in a +fury, beat him savagely, and left him sobbing and crying on the floor. +David was kept locked up in his room for some days, seeing no one but +Miss Murdstone, who brought him his food. At last, one night, he heard +his name whispered at the key hole.</p> + +<p>"Is that you, Peggotty?" he asked, groping his way to the door.</p> + +<p>"Yes, my precious Davy. Be as soft as a mouse or the cat will hear us."</p> + +<p>David understood she meant Miss Murdstone, whose room was quite near. +"How's mamma, Peggotty dear? Is she very angry with me?" he whispered.</p> + +<p>"No—not very," she said.</p> + +<p>"What is going to be done with me, dear Peggotty, do you know?" asked +poor David, who had been wondering all these long, lonely days.</p> + +<p>"School—near London—"</p> + +<p>"When, Peggotty?"</p> + +<p>"To-morrow," answered Peggotty.</p> + +<p>"Shan't I see mamma?"</p> + +<p>"Yes—morning," she said, and went on to promise David she would always +love him, and take the greatest care of his dear mamma, and write him +every week.</p> + +<p>The next morning David saw his mother, very pale and with red eyes. He +ran to her arms and begged her to forgive him.</p> + +<p>"Oh, Davy," she said, "that you should hurt anyone I love! I forgive +you, Davy, but it grieves me so that you should have such bad passions +in your heart. Try to be better, pray to be better."</p> + +<p>David was very unhappy that his mother should think him so wicked, and +though she kissed him, and said, "I forgive you, my dear boy, God bless +you," he cried so bitterly when he was on his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> way in the carrier's +cart, that his pocket handkerchief had to be spread out on the horse's +back to dry.</p> + +<p>After they had gone a little way the cart stopped, and Peggotty came +running up, with a parcel of cakes and a purse for David. After giving +him a good hug, she ran off.</p> + +<p>Davy found three bright shillings in the purse, and two half-crowns +wrapped in paper on which was written, in his mother's hand—"For Davy. +With my love."</p> + +<p>Davy shared his cakes with the carrier, who asked if Peggotty made them, +and David told him yes, she did all their cooking. The carrier looked +thoughtful, and then asked David if he would send a message to Peggotty +from him. David agreed, and the message was "Barkis is willing." While +David was waiting for the coach at Yarmouth, he wrote to Peggotty:</p> + +<p>"<span class="smcap">My Dear Peggotty</span>,—I have come here safe. Barkis is willing. My love to +mamma.—Yours affectionately."</p> + +<p>"<i>P. S.</i>—He says he particularly wanted you to know <i>Barkis is +willing</i>."</p> + +<p>At Yarmouth he found dinner was ordered for him, and felt very shy at +having a table all to himself, and very much alarmed when the waiter +told him he had seen a gentleman fall down dead, after drinking some of +their beer. David said he would have some water, and was quite grateful +to the waiter for drinking the ale that had been ordered for him, for +fear the people of the hotel should be offended. He also helped David to +eat his dinner and accepted one of his bright shillings.</p> + +<p>When they got to Salem House, as the School was called, David found that +he had been sent before the holidays were over as a punishment, and was +also to wear a placard on his back, on which was written—"Take care of +him. He bites." This made David miserable, and he dreaded the return of +the boys.</p> + +<p>Some of the boys teased David by pretending he was a dog, calling him +Towser, and patting and stroking him; but, on the whole, it was not so +bad as David had expected. The head boy, Steerforth, promised to take +care of him, and David loved him dearly, and thought him a great hero. +Steerforth took a great fancy to the pretty bright-eyed little fellow, +and David became a favorite with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> all the boys, by telling them all he +could remember of the tales he had read.</p> + +<p>One day David had a visit from Mr. Peggotty and Ham, who had brought two +enormous lobsters, a huge crab, and a large canvas bag of shrimps, as +they "remembered he was partial to a relish with his meals."</p> + +<p>David was proud to introduce his friend Steerforth to these kind simple +friends, and told them how good Steerforth was to him, and the "relish" +was much appreciated by the boys at supper that night.</p> + +<p>When he got home for the holidays David found he had a little baby +brother, and his mother and Peggotty were very much pleased to see him +again. Mr. and Miss Murdstone were out, and David sat with his mother +and Peggotty, and told them all about his school and Steerforth, and +took the little baby in his arms and nursed it lovingly. But when the +Murdstones came back they showed plainly they disliked him, and thought +him in the way, and scolded him, and would not allow him to touch the +baby, or even to sit with Peggotty in the kitchen, so he was not sorry +when the time came for him to go back to school, except for leaving his +dear mamma and the baby.</p> + +<p>About two months after he had been back at school he was sent for one +day and told that his dear mamma had died! The wife of the head-master +was very kind and gentle to the desolate little boy, and the boys were +very sorry for him.</p> + +<p>David went home the next day, and heard that the dear baby had died too. +Peggotty received him with great tenderness, and told him about his +mother's illness and how she had sent a loving message.</p> + +<p>"Tell my dearest boy that his mother, as she lay here, blessed him not +once, but a thousand times," and she had prayed to God to protect and +keep her fatherless boy.</p> + +<p>Mr. Murdstone did not take any notice of poor little David, nor had Miss +Murdstone a word of kindness for the orphan. Peggotty was to leave in a +month, and, to their great joy, David was allowed to go with her on a +visit to Mr. Peggotty. On their way David found out that the mysterious +message he had given to Peggotty meant that Barkis wanted to marry her, +and Peggotty had consented. Everyone in Mr. Peggotty's cottage was +pleased to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> David, and did their best to comfort him. Little Em'ly +was at school when he arrived, and he went out to meet her, but when he +saw her coming along, her blue eyes bluer, and her bright face prettier +than ever, he pretended not to know her, and was passing by, when Em'ly +laughed and ran away, so of course he was obliged to run and catch her +and try to kiss her, but she would not let him, saying she was not a +baby now. But she was kind to him all the same, and when they spoke +about the loss of his dear mother, David saw that her eyes were full of +tears.</p> + +<p>During this visit Peggotty was married to Mr. Barkis, and had a nice +little house of her own, and Davy spent the night before he was to +return home in a little room in the roof.</p> + +<p>"Young or old, Davy dear, so long as I have this house over my head," +said Peggotty, "you shall find it as if I expected you here directly +every minute. I shall keep it as I used to keep your old little room, my +darling, and if you was to go to China, you might think of its being +kept just the same all the time you were away."</p> + +<p>David felt how good and true a friend she was, and thanked her as well +as he could, for they had brought him to the gate of his home, and +Peggotty had him clasped in her arms.</p> + +<p>How utterly wretched and forlorn he felt! He found he was not to go back +to school any more, and wandered about sad and solitary, neglected and +uncared for. Peggotty's weekly visits were his only comfort. No one took +any pains with him, and he had no friends near who could help him.</p> + +<p>At last one day, after some weary months had passed, Mr. Murdstone told +him he was to go to London and earn his own living. There was a place +for him at Murdstone & Grinby's, a firm in the wine trade. His lodging +and clothes would be provided for him by his step-father, and he would +earn enough for his food and pocket money. The next day David was sent +up to London with the manager, dressed in a shabby little white hat with +black crape round it for his mother, a black jacket, and hard, stiff +corduroy trousers, a little fellow of ten years old to fight his own +battles in the world!</p> + +<p>His place, he found, was one of the lowest, with boys of no education +and in quite an inferior station to himself—his duties were to wash +bottles, stick on labels, and so on. David was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> utterly miserable at +being degraded in this way, and shed bitter tears, as he feared he would +forget all he had learnt at school. His lodging, one bare little room, +was in the house of some people named Micawber, shiftless, careless, +good-natured people, who were always in debt and difficulties. David +felt great pity for their misfortunes and did what he could to help poor +Mrs. Micawber to sell her books and other little things she could spare, +to buy food for herself, her husband, and their four children. If he had +not been a very innocent-minded, good little boy, he might easily have +fallen into bad ways at this time. But God took care of the orphan boy +and kept him from harm.</p> + +<p>The troubles of the Micawbers increased more and more, until at last +they were obliged to leave London. The last Sunday the Micawbers were in +town David dined with them. After he had seen them off the next morning +by the coach, he wrote to Peggotty to ask her if she knew where his +aunt, Miss Betsy Trotwood, lived, and to borrow half a guinea; for he +had resolved to run away from Murdstone & Grinby's, and go to his aunt +and tell her his story. Peggotty wrote, enclosing the half-guinea, and +saying she only knew Miss Trotwood lived near Dover, but whether in that +place itself, or at Folkestone, Sandgate, or Hythe, she could not tell. +Hearing that all these places were close together, David made up his +mind to start. As he had received his week's wages in advance, he waited +till the following Saturday, thinking it would not be honest to go +before. He went out to look for some one to carry his box to the coach +office, and unfortunately employed a wicked young man who not only ran +off with his box, but robbed him of his half-guinea, leaving poor David +in dire distress. In despair, he started off to walk to Dover, and was +forced to sell his waistcoat to buy some bread. The first night he found +his way to his old school at Blackheath, and slept on a haystack close +by, feeling some comfort in the thought of the boys being near. He knew +Steerforth had left, or he would have tried to see him.</p> + +<p>On he trudged the next day and sold his jacket for one shilling and +fourpence. He was afraid to buy anything but bread or to spend any money +on a bed or a shelter for the night. After six days, he arrived at +Dover, ragged, dusty, and half-dead with hunger and fatigue. But here, +at first, he could get no tidings of his aunt, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> in despair, was +going to try some of the other places Peggotty had mentioned, when the +driver of a fly dropped his horsecloth, and as David was handing it up +to him, he saw something kind in the man's face that encouraged him to +ask once more if he knew where Miss Trotwood lived.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus055.jpg" alt="" /></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">LITTLE DAVID COPPERFIELD.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p>The man directed him towards some houses on the heights, and thither +David toiled; a forlorn little creature, without a jacket or waistcoat, +his white hat crushed out of shape, his shoes worn out, his shirt and +trousers torn and stained, his pretty curly hair tangled, his face and +hands sunburnt, and covered with dust. Lifting his big, wistful eyes to +one of the windows above, he saw a pleasant faced gentleman with grey +hair, who nodded at him several times, then shook his head and went +away. David was just turning away to think what he should do, when a +tall, erect, elderly lady, with a gardening apron on and a knife in her +hand, came out of the house, and began to dig up a root in the garden.</p> + +<p>"Go away," she cried. "Go away. No boys here."</p> + +<p>But David felt desperate. Going in softly, he stood beside her, and +touched her with his finger, and said timidly, "If you please, ma'am—" +and when she looked up, he went on—</p> + +<p>"Please, aunt, I am your nephew."</p> + +<p>"Oh, Lord!" she exclaimed in astonishment, and sat flat down on the +path, staring at him, while he went on—</p> + +<p>"I am David Copperfield, of Blunderstone, in Suffolk, where you came the +night I was born, and saw my dear mamma. I have been unhappy since she +died. I have been slighted and taught nothing, and thrown upon myself, +and put to work not fit for me. It made me run away to you. I was robbed +at first starting out and have walked all the way, and have never slept +in a bed since I began the journey." Here he broke into a passion of +crying, and his aunt jumped up and took him into the house, where she +put him on the sofa and sent the servant to ask "Mr. Dick" to come down. +The gentleman whom David had seen at the window came in and was told who +the ragged little object on the sofa was.</p> + +<p>"Now here you see young David Copperfield, and the question is What +shall I do with him?"</p> + +<p>"Do with him?" answered Mr. Dick. Then, after some consideration,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> and +looking at David, he said, "Well, if I was you, I would wash him!"</p> + +<p>David knelt down to say his prayers that night in a pleasant room facing +the sea, and as he lay in the clean, snow-white bed, he prayed he might +never be homeless again, and might never forget the homeless.</p> + +<p>The next morning his aunt told him she had written to Mr. Murdstone, and +at last Mr. and Miss Murdstone arrived.</p> + +<p>Mr. Murdstone told Miss Betsy that David was a very bad, stubborn, +violent-tempered boy, whom he had tried to improve, but could not +succeed. If Miss Trotwood chose to protect and encourage him now, she +must do it always, for he had come to fetch him away.</p> + +<p>"Are you ready to go, David?" asked his aunt.</p> + +<p>But David answered no, and begged and prayed her for his father's sake +to befriend and protect him, for neither Mr. nor Miss Murdstone had ever +liked him or been kind to him.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Dick," said Miss Trotwood, "what shall I do with this child?"</p> + +<p>Mr. Dick considered. "Have him measured for a suit of clothes directly."</p> + +<p>"Mr. Dick," said Miss Trotwood, "your common sense is invaluable."</p> + +<p>Then she pulled David towards her, and said to Mr. Murdstone, "You can +go when you like. I'll take my chance with the boy. If he's all you say +he is I can at least do as much for him as you have done. But I don't +believe a word of it."</p> + +<p>Some clothes were bought for him that same day and marked "Trotwood +Copperfield," for his aunt wished to call him by her name.</p> + +<p>Now David felt his troubles were over, and he began quite a new life, +well cared for and kindly treated. He was sent to a very nice school in +Canterbury, where his aunt left him with these words, which David never +forgot.</p> + +<p>"Trot, be a credit to yourself, to me, and Mr. Dick, and Heaven be with +you. Never be mean in anything, never be false, never be cruel. Avoid +these three vices, Trot, and I shall always be hopeful of you."</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>David did his best to show his gratitude to his dear aunt by studying +hard, and trying to be all she could wish.</p> + +<p>When you are older you can read how he grew up to be a good, clever man, +and met again all his old friends, and made many new ones.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">JENNY WREN.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">ONE day, a great many years ago, a gentleman ran up the steps of a tall +house in the neighborhood of St. Mary Axe.</p> + +<p>The gentleman knocked and rang several times before any one came, but at +last an old man opened the door. "What were you up to that you did not +hear me?" said Mr. Fledgeby irritably.</p> + +<p>"I was taking the air at the top of the house, sir," said the old man +meekly, "it being a holiday. What might you please to want, sir?"</p> + +<p>"Humph! Holiday indeed," grumbled his master, who was a toy merchant +amongst other things. He then seated himself and gave the old man—a Jew +and Riah by name—directions about the dressing of some dolls, and, as +he rose to go, exclaimed—</p> + +<p>"By the bye, how <i>do</i> you take the air? Do you stick your head out of a +chimney-pot?"</p> + +<p>"No, sir, I have made a little garden on the roof."</p> + +<p>"Let's look at it," said Mr. Fledgeby.</p> + +<p>"Sir, I have company there," returned Riah hesitating, "but will you +please come up and see them?"</p> + +<p>Mr. Fledgeby nodded, and the old man led the way up flight after flight +of stairs, till they arrived at the house-top. Seated on a carpet, and +leaning against a chimney-stack, were two girls bending over books. Some +creepers were trained round the chimney-pots, and evergreens were placed +round the roof, and a few more books, a basket of gaily colored scraps, +and bits of tinsel, lay near. One of the girls rose on seeing that Riah +had brought a visitor, but the other remarked, "I'm the person of the +house downstairs, but I can't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> get up, whoever you are, because my back +is bad, and my legs are queer."</p> + +<p>"This is my master," said Riah speaking to the two girls, "and this," he +added, turning to Mr. Fledgeby, "is Miss Jenny Wren; she lives in this +house, and is a clever little dressmaker for little people. Her friend +Lizzie," continued Riah, introducing the second girl. "They are good +girls, both, and as busy as they are good; in spare moments they come up +here, and take to book learning."</p> + +<p>"Humph!" said Mr. Fledgeby, looking round, "Humph!" He was so much +surprised that apparently he couldn't get beyond that word.</p> + +<p>Lizzie, the elder of these two girls, was strong and handsome, but the +little Jenny Wren, whom she so loved and protected, was small, and +deformed, though she had a beautiful little face, and the longest and +loveliest golden hair in the world, which fell about her like a cloak of +shining curls, as though to hide the poor little misshapen figure.</p> + +<p>The Jew Riah, as well as Lizzie, was always kind and gentle to Jenny +Wren, who called him godfather. She had a father, who shared her poor +little rooms, whom she called her child, for he was a bad, drunken, +disreputable old man, and the poor girl had to care for him, and earn +money to keep them both. Sometimes the two girls, Jenny helping herself +along with a crutch, would go and walk about the fashionable streets. As +they walked along, Jenny would tell her friend of the fancies she had +when sitting alone at her work. "I imagine birds till I can hear them +sing," she said one day, "and flowers till I can smell them. And oh! the +beautiful children that come to me, in the early mornings! They are +quite different to other children, not like me, never cold, or anxious, +or tired, or hungry, never any pain; they come in numbers, in long +bright slanting rows, all dressed in white, with shiny heads. 'Who is +this in pain?' they say, and they sweep around and about me, take me up +in their arms, and I feel so light, and all the pain goes. I know they +are coming a long way off, by hearing them say, 'Who is this in pain?' +and I answer, 'Oh my blessed children, it's poor me! have pity on me, +and take me up and then the pain will go.'"</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus061.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">JENNIE WREN.</span><br/> +"THE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN THAT COME TO ME."</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>Lizzie sat stroking and brushing the beautiful hair, when they were at +home again, and as she kissed her good-night, a miserable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> old man +stumbled into the room. "How's my Jenny Wren, best of children?" he +mumbled, as he shuffled unsteadily towards her, but Jenny pointed her +small finger towards him exclaiming—"Go along with you, you bad, +wicked, old child, you troublesome, wicked, old thing, <i>I</i> know where +you have been; ain't you ashamed of yourself, you disgraceful boy?" +"Yes; my dear, yes," stammered the tipsy old father, tumbling into a +corner. One day when Jenny was on her way home with Riah, they came on a +small crowd of people. A tipsy man had been knocked down and badly +hurt—"Let us see what it is!" said Jennie. The next moment she +exclaimed—"Oh, gentlemen—gentlemen, he is my child, he belongs to me, +my poor, bad, old child!"</p> + +<p>"Your child—belongs to you—" repeated the man who was about to lift +the helpless figure on to a stretcher. "Aye, it's old Dolls—tipsy old +Dolls—" cried some one in the crowd, for it was by this name that they +knew the old man.</p> + +<p>"He's her father, sir," said Riah in a low tone to the doctor who was +now bending over the stretcher.</p> + +<p>"So much the worse," answered the doctor, "for the man is dead."</p> + +<p>Yes, "Mr. Dolls" was dead, and many were the dresses which the weary +fingers of the sorrowful little worker must make in order to pay for his +humble funeral, and buy a black frock for herself. Often the tears +rolled down on to her work. "My poor child," she said to Riah, "my poor +old child, and to think I scolded him so."</p> + +<p>"You were always a good, brave, patient girl," returned Riah, "always +good and patient, however tired."</p> + +<p>And so the poor little "person of the house" was left alone but for the +faithful affection of the kind Jew, and her friend Lizzie. Her room grew +pretty comfortable, for she was in great request in her "profession" as +she called it, and there was now no one to spend and waste her earnings. +But nothing could make her life otherwise than a suffering one till the +happy morning, when her child-angels visited her for the last time and +carried her away to the land where all such pain as hers is healed for +evermore.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">PIP'S ADVENTURE.</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p class="cap">ALL that little Philip Pirrip, usually called Pip, knew about his father +and mother, and five little brothers, was from seeing their tombstones +in the churchyard. He was taken care of by his sister, who was twenty +years older than himself. She had married a blacksmith, named Joe +Gargery, a kind, good man, while she, unfortunately, was a hard, stern +woman, and treated her little brother and her amiable husband with great +harshness. They lived in a marshy part of the country, about twenty +miles from the sea.</p> + +<p>One cold raw day towards evening, when Pip was about six years old, he +wandered into the churchyard, and trying to make out what he could of +the inscriptions on his family tombstones, and the darkness coming on, +he felt very lonely and frightened, and began to cry.</p> + +<p>"Hold your noise!" cried a terrible voice, and a man started up from +among the graves close to him. "Keep still, you little imp, or I'll cut +your throat!"</p> + +<p>He was a dreadful looking man, dressed in coarse grey cloth, with a +great iron on his leg. Wet, muddy and miserable, his teeth chattered in +his head, as he seized Pip by the chin.</p> + +<p>"Oh! don't cut my throat, sir," cried Pip, in terror.</p> + +<p>"Tell us your name!" said the man. "Quick!"</p> + +<p>"Pip, sir."</p> + +<p>"Once more," said the man, staring at him. "Give it mouth."</p> + +<p>"Pip. Pip, sir."</p> + +<p>"Show us where you live," said the man. "Point out the place."</p> + +<p>Pip showed him the village, about a mile or more from the church.</p> + +<p>The man looked at him for a moment, and then turned him upside down and +emptied his pockets. He found nothing in them but a piece of bread, +which he ate ravenously.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>"Now lookee here," said the man. "Where's your mother?"</p> + +<p>"There, sir," said Pip.</p> + +<p>At this the man started to run away, but stopped and looked over his +shoulder.</p> + +<p>"There, sir," explained Pip, showing him the tombstone.</p> + +<p>"Oh, and is that your father along of your mother?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir," said Pip.</p> + +<p>"Ha!" muttered the man, "then who d'ye live with—supposin' you're +kindly let to live, which I han't made up my mind about?"</p> + +<p>"My sister, sir, Mrs. Joe Gargery, wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, +sir."</p> + +<p>"Blacksmith, eh?" said the man, and looked down at his leg. Then he +seized the trembling little boy by both arms, and glaring down at him, +he said,—</p> + +<p>"Now lookee here, the question being whether you're to be let to +live—You know what a file is?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir."</p> + +<p>"And you know what wittles is?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir."</p> + +<p>"You get me a file, and you get me wittles—you bring 'em both to me." +All this time he was tilting poor Pip backwards till he was dreadfully +frightened and giddy.</p> + +<p>"You bring me, to-morrow morning early, that file and them wittles—You +do it, and you never dare to say a word or dare to make a sign +concerning your having seen such a person as me, or any person sumever, +and you shall be let to live." Then he let him go, saying—"You remember +what you've undertook, and you get home."</p> + +<p>Pip ran home without stopping. Joe was sitting in the chimney corner, +and told him Mrs. Joe had been out to look for him, and taken Tickler +with her. Tickler was a cane, and Pip was rather depressed by this piece +of news.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Joe came in almost directly, and after having given Pip a taste of +Tickler, she sat down to prepare the tea, and cutting a huge slice of +bread and butter, she gave half of it to Joe and half to Pip. Pip +managed, after some time, to slip his down the leg of his trousers, and +Joe, thinking he had swallowed it, was dreadfully alarmed and begged him +not to bolt his food like that. "Pip, old <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>chap, you'll do yourself a +mischief,—it'll stick somewhere, you can't have chewed it, Pip. You +know, Pip, you and me is always friends, and I'd be the last to tell +upon you at any time, but such a—such a most uncommon bolt as that."</p> + +<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/illus065.jpg" alt="" /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></div> +<p class="caption"><span class="big">PIP AND THE CONVICT.</span><br/> +HALF DEAD WITH COLD AND HUNGER.</p> +<p> </p> + +<p>"Been bolting his food, has he?" cried Mrs. Joe.</p> + +<p>"You know, old chap," said Joe, "I bolted myself when I was your +age—frequent—and as a boy I've been among many bolters; but I never +see your bolting equal yet, Pip, and it's a mercy you ain't bolted +dead."</p> + +<p>Poor Pip passed a wretched night, thinking of the dreadful promise he +had made, and as soon as it was beginning to get light outside he got up +and crept downstairs.</p> + +<p>As quickly as he could he took some bread, some cheese, about half a jar +of mince-meat he tied up in a handkerchief, with the slice of bread and +butter, some brandy from a stone bottle, a meat bone with very little on +it, and a pork pie, which he found on an upper shelf. Then he got a file +from among Joe's tools, and ran for the marshes.</p> + +<p>Pip found the man waiting for him, half dead with cold and hunger, and +he ate the food in such a ravenous way that Pip, in spite of his terror, +was quite pitiful over him, and said, "I am glad you enjoy it."</p> + +<p>"Thankee, my boy, I do."</p> + +<p>Pip watched him trying to file the iron off his leg, and then, being +afraid of stopping longer away from home, he ran off.</p> + +<p>Pip passed a wretched morning expecting every moment that the +disappearance of the pie would be found out. But Mrs. Joe was too much +taken up with preparing the dinner, for they were expecting visitors.</p> + +<p>Just at the end of the dinner Pip thought his time had come to be found +out, for his sister said graciously to her guests—</p> + +<p>"You must taste a most delightful and delicious present I have had. It's +a pie, a savory pork pie."</p> + +<p>Pip could bear it no longer, and ran for the door, and there ran head +foremost into a party of soldiers with their muskets, one of whom held +out a pair of handcuffs to him saying—"Here you are, look sharp, come +on." But they had not come for him, they only wanted Joe to mend the +handcuffs, for they were on the search for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> two convicts who had escaped +and were somewhere hid in the marshes. This turned the attention of Mrs. +Joe from the disappearance of the pie without which she had come back, +in great astonishment. When the handcuffs were mended the soldiers went +off, accompanied by Joe and one of the visitors, and Joe took Pip and +carried him on his back.</p> + +<p>Pip whispered, "I hope, Joe, we shan't find them," and Joe answered "I'd +give a shilling if they had cut and run, Pip."</p> + +<p>But the soldiers soon caught them, and one was Pip's miserable +acquaintance, and once when the man looked at Pip, the child shook his +head to try and let him know he had said nothing.</p> + +<p>But the convict, without looking at anyone, told the Sergeant he wanted +to say something to prevent other people being under suspicion, and said +he had taken some "wittles" from the blacksmith's. "It was some broken +wittles, that's what it was, and a dram of liquor, and a pie."</p> + +<p>"Have you happened to miss such an article as a pie, blacksmith?" +enquired the Sergeant.</p> + +<p>"My wife did, at the very moment when you came in."</p> + +<p>"So," said the convict, looking at Joe, "you're the blacksmith, are you? +Then I'm sorry to say, I've eat your pie."</p> + +<p>"God knows you're welcome to it," said Joe. "We don't know what you have +done, but we wouldn't have you starved to death for it, poor miserable +fellow creature. Would us, Pip?"</p> + +<p>Then the boat came, and the convicts were taken back to prison, and Joe +carried Pip home.</p> + +<p>Some years after, some mysterious friend sent money for Pip to be +educated and brought up as a gentleman, but it was only when Pip was +quite grown up that he discovered this mysterious friend was the +wretched convict who had frightened him so dreadfully that cold, dark +Christmas Eve.</p> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="huge">TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:</span></p> +<p> </p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been retained from the original.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Punctuation has been corrected without note.</span><br /> +<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Obvious typographical errors have been corrected as follows:</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Page 7: Fren changed to Fern</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Page 25: Joe changed to Jo</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Page 31: DORRITT changed to DORRIT</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Page 34: needlwork changed to needlework</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Page 40: distresed changed to distressed</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Page 41: grandfaather changed to grandfather</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Page 56: hugh changed to huge</span></p> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Charles Dickens' Children Stories, by +Charles Dickens + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHARLES DICKENS' CHILDREN STORIES *** + +***** This file should be named 37121-h.htm or 37121-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/7/1/2/37121/ + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, David E. Brown and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + + +</pre> + +</body> +</html> diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus002.png b/37121-h/images/illus002.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f4332ef --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus002.png diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus007.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus007.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4757c71 --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus007.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus011.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus011.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..48be050 --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus011.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus017.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus017.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..55ce10b --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus017.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus019.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus019.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b532ea2 --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus019.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus027.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus027.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..0effd19 --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus027.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus033.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus033.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..72cf84c --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus033.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus037.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus037.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..635f753 --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus037.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus039.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus039.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..84e272a --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus039.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus055.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus055.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..27e3126 --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus055.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus061.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus061.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..0cbe5af --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus061.jpg diff --git a/37121-h/images/illus065.jpg b/37121-h/images/illus065.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d99ffdb --- /dev/null +++ b/37121-h/images/illus065.jpg diff --git a/37121.txt b/37121.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..28f9a7b --- /dev/null +++ b/37121.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2618 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Charles Dickens' Children Stories, by Charles Dickens + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Charles Dickens' Children Stories + +Author: Charles Dickens + +Release Date: August 18, 2011 [EBook #37121] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHARLES DICKENS' CHILDREN STORIES *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, David E. Brown and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + + + [Illustration: _Frontispiece._ + LITTLE NELL AND HER GRANDFATHER.] + + + + + CHARLES DICKENS' + + CHILDREN STORIES + + RE-TOLD BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTER + AND OTHERS + + WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS + + PHILADELPHIA + HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY + + + COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY + HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY + + + + +TROTTY VECK AND HIS DAUGHTER MEG. + + +"Trotty" seems a strange name for an old man, but it was given to Toby +Veck because of his always going at a trot to do his errands; for he was +a porter, and carried letters and messages for people who were in too +great a hurry to send them by the post. He did not earn very much, and +had to be out in all weathers and all day long. But Toby was of a +cheerful disposition, and looked on the bright side of everything. His +greatest joy was his dear daughter Meg, who loved him dearly. + +One cold day Toby had been trotting up and down in his usual place +before the church, when the bells chimed twelve o'clock, which made Toby +think of dinner. + +"There's nothing," he remarked, "more regular in coming round than +dinner-time, and nothing less regular in coming round than dinner. +That's the great difference between 'em." He went on talking to himself +never noticing who was coming near to him. + +"Why, father, father," said a pleasant voice, and Toby turned to find +his daughter's sweet, bright eyes close to his. + +"Why, pet," said he, kissing her, "what's-to-do? I didn't expect you +to-day, Meg." + +"Neither did I expect to come, father," said Meg, smiling. "But here I +am! And not alone, not alone!" + +"Why, you don't mean to say," observed Trotty, looking curiously at the +covered basket she carried, "that you?----" + +"Smell it, father dear," said Meg; "only smell it, and guess what it +is." + +Toby took the shortest possible sniff at the edge of the basket. "Why, +it's hot," he said. + +But to Meg's great delight he could not guess what it was that smelt so +good. At last he exclaimed in triumph, "Why, what am I a-thinking of? +It's tripe!" + +And it was. + +Just as Toby was about to sit down to his dinner on the doorsteps of a +big house close by, the chimes rang out again, and Toby took off his hat +and said, "Amen." + +"Amen to the bells, father?" + +"They broke in like a grace, my dear," said Trotty, "they'd say a good +one if they could, I'm sure. Many's the kind thing they say to me. How +often have I heard them bells say, 'Toby Veck, Toby Veck, keep a good +heart, Toby!' A millions times? More!" + +"Well, I never!" cried Meg. + +While Toby ate his unexpected dinner with immense relish, Meg told him +how her lover Richard, a young blacksmith, had brought his dinner to +share with her, and had begged her to marry him on New Year's Day, "the +best and happiest day of the whole year." + +"So," went on Meg, "I wanted to make this a sort of holiday to you, as +well as a dear and happy day to me, father, and I made a little treat +and brought it to surprise you." + +Just then, Richard himself came up to persuade Toby to agree to their +plan; and almost at the same moment, a footman came out of the house and +ordered them all off the steps, and some gentleman came out who called +up Trotty, and gave him a letter to carry. + +Toby trotted off to a very grand house, where he was told to take the +letter in to the gentleman. While he was waiting, he heard the letter +read. It was from Alderman Cute, to tell Sir Joseph Bowley that one of +his tenants named Will Fern who had come to London to try and get work, +had been brought before him charged with sleeping in a shed, and asking +if Sir Joseph wished him to be dealt leniently with or otherwise. To +Toby's great disappointment the answer was given that Will Fern might be +sent to prison as a vagabond, though his only fault was poverty. On his +way home, Toby ran against a man dressed like a countryman, carrying a +fair-haired little girl. The man asked him the way to Alderman Cute's +house. + +"It's impossible," cried Toby, "that your name is Will Fern?" + +"That's my name," said the man. + +Thereupon Toby told him what he had just heard, and said "Don't go +there." + + [Illustration: TROTTY VECK'S DINNER. + TOBY TOOK A SNIFF AT THE EDGE OF THE BASKET.] + +Poor Will told him how he could not make a living in the country, and +had come to London with his orphan niece to try and find a friend of her +mother's and to endeavor to get some work, and wishing Toby a happy +New Year, was about to trudge wearily off again, when Trotty caught his +hand saying-- + +"Stay! The New Year never can be happy to me if I see the child and you +go wandering away without a shelter for your heads. Come home with me. +I'm a poor man, living in a poor place, but I can give you lodging for +one night and never miss it," and lifting up the pretty little one, he +trotted towards home, and rushing in, he set the child down before his +daughter. The little girl ran into her arms at once, while Trotty ran +round the room, saying, "Here we are and here we go. Here, Uncle Will, +come to the fire. Meg, my precious darling, where's the kettle? Here it +is and here it goes, and it'll bile in no time!" + +"Why, father!" said Meg, "you're crazy to-night, I think. Poor little +feet, how cold they are!" + +"Oh, they're warmer now!" exclaimed the child. "They're quite warm now!" + +"No, no, no," said Meg. "We haven't rubbed 'em half enough. And when +they're done, we'll brush out the damp hair; and we'll bring some color +to the poor pale face with fresh water; and then we'll be so gay and +brisk and happy!" + +The child sobbing, clasped her round the neck, saying, "O Meg, O dear +Meg!" + +"Good gracious me!" said Meg, presently, "father's crazy! He's put the +dear child's bonnet on the kettle, and hung the lid behind the door!" + +Trotty hastily repaired this mistake, and went off to find some tea and +a rasher of bacon he fancied "he had seen lying somewhere on the +stairs." He soon came back and made the tea, and before long they were +all enjoying the meal. + +After tea Meg took Lilian to bed, and Toby showed Will Fern where he was +to sleep. Then he went to sit by the fire and read his paper, and fell +asleep, to have a wonderful dream so terrible and sad, that it was a +great relief when he woke to find Meg sitting near him, putting some +ribbons on her simple gown for her wedding, and looking so happy and +young and blooming, that he jumped up to clasp her in his arms. + +But somebody came rushing in between them, crying,--"No! Not even you. +The first kiss of Meg in the New Year is mine. Meg, my precious prize, +a happy year! A life of happy years, my darling wife!" + +Then in came Lilian and Will Fern, and a band of music with a flock of +neighbors burst into the room, shouting, "A Happy New Year, Meg." "A +happy wedding!" "Many of 'em," and the Drum stepped forward and said-- + +"Trotty Veck, it's got about that your daughter is to be married +to-morrow. And there ain't a soul that knows you both that don't wish +you both all the happiness the New Year can bring. And here we are, to +play it in and dance it in accordingly." Then Mrs. Chickenstalker came +in (a good-humored, comely woman, who, to the delight of all, turned out +to be the friend of Lilian's mother for whom Will Fern had come to +look), to wish Meg joy, and then the music struck up, and Trotty, making +Meg and Richard second couple, led off Mrs. Chickenstalker down the +dance, and danced it in a step unknown before or since, founded on his +own peculiar trot. + + + + +TINY TIM. + + +There was once a man who did not like Christmas. His name was Scrooge, +and he was a hard sour-tempered man of business, intent only on saving +and making money, and caring nothing for anyone. He paid the poor, +hard-working clerk in his office as little as he could possibly get the +work done for, and lived on as little as possible himself, alone, in two +dismal rooms. He was never merry or comfortable, or happy, and he hated +other people to be so, and that was the reason why he hated Christmas, +because people will be happy at Christmas, you know, if they possibly +can. + +Well, it was Christmas eve, a very cold and foggy one, and Mr. Scrooge, +having given his poor clerk unwilling permission to spend Christmas day +at home, locked up his office and went home himself in a very bad +temper. After having taken some gruel as he sat over a miserable fire in +his dismal room, he got into bed, and had some wonderful and +disagreeable dreams, to which we will leave him, whilst we see how Tiny +Tim, the son of his poor clerk, spent Christmas day. + +The name of this clerk was Bob Cratchet. He had a wife and five other +children beside Tim, who was a weak and delicate little cripple, gentle +and patient and loving, with a sweet face of his own, which no one could +help looking at. + +It was Mr. Cratchet's delight to carry his little boy out on his +shoulder to see the shops and the people; and to-day he had taken him to +church for the first time. + +"Whatever has got your precious father, and your brother Tiny Tim!" +exclaimed Mrs. Cratchet, "here's dinner all ready to be dished up. I've +never known him so late on Christmas day before." + +"Here he is, mother!" cried Belinda, and "here he is!" cried the other +children, as Mr. Cratchet came in, his long comforter hanging three feet +from under his threadbare coat; for cold as it was the poor clerk had no +top-coat. Tiny Tim was perched on his father's shoulder. + +"And how did Tim behave?" asked Mrs. Cratchet. + +"As good as gold and better," replied his father. "He told me, coming +home, that he hoped the people in church, who saw he was a cripple, +would be pleased to remember on Christmas day who it was who made the +lame to walk." + +"Bless his sweet heart!" said the mother in a trembling voice. + +Dinner was waiting to be dished up. Mrs. Cratchet proudly placed a goose +upon the table. Belinda brought in the apple sauce, and Peter the mashed +potatoes; the other children set chairs, Tim's as usual close to his +father's; and Tim was so excited that he rapped the table with his +knife, and carried "Hurrah." After the goose came the pudding, all +ablaze, with its sprig of holly in the middle, and was eaten to the last +morsel; then apples and oranges were set upon the table, and a shovelful +of chestnuts on the fire, and Mr. Cratchet served round some hot sweet +stuff out of a jug as they closed round the fire, and said, "A Merry +Christmas to us all, my dears, God bless us." "God bless us, every one," +echoed Tiny Tim, and then they drank each other's health, and Mr. +Scrooge's health, and told stories and sang songs. + + [Illustration: TINY TIM. + TINY TIM WAS PERCHED ON HIS FATHER'S SHOULDER.] + +Now in one of Mr. Scrooge's dreams on Christmas eve a Christmas spirit +showed him his clerk's home; he saw them all, heard them drink his +health, and he took special note of Tiny Tim himself. + +How Mr. Scrooge spent Christmas day we do not know; but on Christmas +night he had more dreams, and the spirit took him again to his clerk's +poor home. + +Upstairs, the father, with his face hidden in his hands, sat beside a +little bed, on which lay a tiny figure, white and still. "Tiny Tim died +because his father was too poor to give him what was necessary to make +him well; _you_ kept him poor," said the dream-spirit to Mr. Scrooge. +The father kissed the cold, little face on the bed, and went +down-stairs, where the sprays of holly still remained about the humble +room; and taking his hat, went out, with a wistful glance at the little +crutch in the corner as he shut the door. Mr. Scrooge saw all this, but, +wonderful to relate, he woke the next morning feeling as he had never +felt in his life before. + +"Why, I am as light as a feather, and as happy as an angel, and as merry +as a schoolboy," he said to himself. "I hope everybody had a merry +Christmas, and here's a happy New Year to all the world." + +Poor Bob Cratchet crept into the office a few minutes late, expecting to +be scolded for it, but his master was there with his back to a good +fire, and actually smiling, and he shook hands with his clerk, telling +him heartily he was going to raise his salary, and asking quite +affectionately after Tiny Tim! "And mind you make up a good fire in your +room before you set to work, Bob," he said, as he closed his own door. + +Bob could hardly believe his eyes and ears, but it was all true. Such +doings as they had on New Year's day had never been seen before in the +Cratchet's home, nor such a turkey as Mr. Scrooge sent them for dinner. +Tiny Tim had his share too, for Tiny Tim did not die, not a bit of it. +Mr. Scrooge was a second father to him from that day, he wanted for +nothing, and grew up strong and hearty. Mr. Scrooge loved him, and well +he might, for was it not Tiny Tim who had unconsciously, through the +Christmas dream-spirit, touched his hard heart, and caused him to become +a good and happy man? + + + + +LITTLE DOMBEY. + + +Little Dombey was the son of a rich city merchant, a cold, stern, and +pompous man, whose life and interests were entirely absorbed in his +business. He was so desirous of having a son to associate with himself +in the business, and make the house once more Dombey & Son in fact, as +it was in name, that the little boy who was at last born to him was +eagerly welcomed. + +There was a pretty little girl six years old, but her father had taken +little notice of her. Of what use was a girl to Dombey & Son? She could +not go into the business. + +Little Dombey's mother died when he was born, but the event did not +greatly disturb Mr. Dombey; and since his son lived, what did it matter +to him that his little daughter Florence was breaking her heart in +loneliness for the mother who had loved and cherished her! + +During the first few months of his life, little Dombey grew and +flourished; and as soon as he was old enough to take notice, there was +no one he loved so well as his sister Florence. + +In due time the baby was taken to church, and baptized by the name of +Paul (his father's name). A grand and stately christening it was, +followed by a grand and stately feast; and little Paul was declared by +his godmother to be "an angel, and the perfect picture of his own papa." + +But from that time Paul seemed to waste and pine; his healthy and +thriving babyhood had received a check, and as for illnesses, "There +never was a blessed dear so put upon," his nurse said. + +By the time he was five years old, though he had the prettiest, sweetest +little face in the world, there was always a patient, wistful look upon +it, and he was thin and tiny and delicate. He soon got tired, and had +such old-fashioned ways of speaking and doing things, that his nurse +often shook her head sadly over him. + +When he sat in his little arm-chair with his father, after dinner, they +were a strange pair,--so like, and so unlike each other. + +"What is money, papa?" asked Paul on one of these occasions, crossing +his tiny arms as well as he could--just as his father's were crossed. + +"Why, gold, silver and copper; you know what it is well enough, Paul," +answered his father. + +"Oh yes; I mean, what can money do?" + +"Anything, everything--almost," replied Mr. Dombey, taking one of his +son's wee hands. + +Paul drew his hand gently away. "It didn't save me my mamma, and it +can't make me strong and big," said he. + +"Why, you _are_ strong and big, as big as such little people usually +are," returned Mr. Dombey. + +"No," replied Paul, sighing; "when Florence was as little as me, she was +strong and tall, and did not get tired of playing as I do. I am so tired +sometimes, papa." + +Mr. Dombey's anxiety was aroused, and the doctor was sent for to examine +Paul. + +"The child is hardly so stout as we could wish," said the doctor; "his +mind is too big for his body, he thinks too much--let him try sea +air--sea air does wonders for children." + +So it was arranged that Florence, Paul, and nurse should go to Brighton, +and stay in the house of a lady named Mrs. Pipchin, who kept a very +select boarding-house for children. + +There is no doubt that, apart from his importance to the house of Dombey +& Son, little Paul had crept into his father's heart, cold though it +still was towards his daughter, colder than ever now, for there was in +it a sort of unacknowledged jealousy of the warm love lavished on her by +Paul, which he himself was unable to win. + +Mrs. Pipchin was a marvellously ugly old lady, with a hook nose and +stern cold eyes. + +"Well, Master Paul, how do you think you will like me?" said Mrs. +Pipchin, seeing the child intently regarding her. + +"I don't think I shall like you at all," replied Paul, shaking his head. +"I want to go away. I do not like your house." + +Paul did not like Mrs. Pipchin, but he would sit in his arm-chair and +look at her. Her ugliness seemed to fascinate him. + +As the weeks went by little Paul grew more healthy-looking, but he did +not seem any stronger, and could not run about out of doors. A little +carriage was therefore got for him, in which he could be wheeled down to +the beach, where he would pass the greater part of the day. He took a +great fancy to a queer crab-faced old man, smelling of sea-weed, who +wheeled his carriage, and held long conversations with him; but Florence +was the only child companion whom he ever cared to have with him, though +he liked to watch other children playing in the distance. + +"I love you, Floy," he said one day to her. + +Florence laid her head against his pillow, and whispered how much +stronger he was growing. + +"Oh, yes, I know, I am a great deal better," said Paul, "a very great +deal better. Listen, Floy; what is it the sea keeps saying?" + +"Nothing, dear, it is only the rolling of the waves you hear." + +"Yes, but they are always saying something, and always the same thing. +What place is over there, Floy?" + +She told him there was another country opposite, but Paul said he did +not mean that, he meant somewhere much farther away, oh, much farther +away--and often he would break off in the midst of their talk to listen +to the sea and gaze out towards that country "farther away." + +After having lived at Brighton for a year, Paul was certainly much +stronger, though still thin and delicate. And on one of his weekly +visits, Mr. Dombey explained to Mrs. Pipchin, with pompous +condescension, that Paul's weak health having kept him back in his +studies, he had made arrangements to place him at the educational +establishment of Dr. Blimber, which was close by. Florence was, for the +present, to remain under Mrs. Pipchin's care, and see her brother every +week. + +Dr. Blimber's school was a great hot-house for the forcing of boy's +brains; and Dr. Blimber promised speedily to make a man of Paul. + +"Shall you like to be made a man of, my son?" asked Mr. Dombey. + +"I'd rather be a child and stay with Floy," answered Paul. + +Miss Blimber, the doctor's daughter, a learned lady in spectacles, was +his special tutor, and from morning till night his poor little brains +were forced and crammed till his head was heavy and always had a dull +ache in it, and his small legs grew weak again--every day he looked a +little thinner and a little paler, and became more old-fashioned than +ever in his looks and ways--"old-fashioned" was a distinguishing title +which clung to him. He was gentle and polite to every one--always +looking out for small kindnesses which he might do to any inmate of the +house. "The oddest and most old-fashioned child in the world," Dr. +Blimber would say to his daughter; "but bring him on, Cornelia--bring +him on." + +And Cornelia did bring him on; and Florence, seeing how pale and weary +the little fellow looked when he came to her on Saturdays, and how he +could not rest from anxiety about his lessons, would lighten his labors +a little, and ease his mind by helping him to prepare his week's work. +But one day, when his lessons were over, little Paul laid his weary and +aching head against the knee of a schoolfellow of whom he was very fond; +and the first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was that the +window was open, his face and hair were wet with water, and that Dr. +Blimber and the usher were both standing looking at him. + +"Ah, that's well," said Dr. Blimber, as Paul opened his eyes, "and how +is my little friend now?" + +"Oh, quite well, thank you, sir," answered Paul, but when he got up +there seemed something the matter with the floor, and the walls were +dancing about, and Dr. Blimber's head was twice its natural size. He was +put to bed, and presently the doctor came and said he was not to do any +more lessons for the present. + +In a few days Paul was able to get up and creep about the house. He +wondered sometimes why every one looked at and spoke so very kindly to +him, and was more than ever careful to do any little kindnesses he could +think of for them: even the rough, ugly dog Diogenes, who lived in the +yard, came in for a share of his attentions. + +There was a party at Dr. Blimber's on the evening before the boys went +home. Paul sat in a corner of the sofa all the evening, and every one +was very kind to him indeed, it was quite extraordinary, Paul thought, +and he was very happy; he liked to see how pretty Florence was, and how +every one admired and wished to dance with her. After resting for a +night at Mrs. Pipchin's house, little Paul went home, and was carried +straight upstairs to his bed. + + [Illustration: LITTLE PAUL AND FLORENCE. + A LITTLE CARRIAGE WAS GOT FOR HIM.] + +He lay in his bed day after day quite happily and patiently, content +to watch and talk to Florence. He would tell her his dreams, and how he +always saw the sunlit ripples of a river rolling, rolling fast in front +of him; sometimes he seemed to be rocking in a little boat on the water, +and its motion lulled him to rest, and then he would be floating away, +away to that shore farther off, which he could not see. One day he told +Florence that the water was rippling brighter and faster than ever, and +that he could not see anything else. + +"My own boy, cannot you see your poor father?" said Mr. Dombey, bending +over him. + +"Oh yes, but don't be so sorry, dear papa. I am so happy,--good-bye, +dear papa." Presently he opened his eyes again, and said, "Floy, mamma +is like you, I can see her. Come close to me, Floy, and tell them," +whispered the dying boy, "that the face of the picture of Christ on the +staircase at school is not divine enough; the light from it is shining +on me now, and the water is shining too, and rippling so fast, so fast." + +The evening light shone into the room, but little Paul's spirit had gone +out on the rippling water, and the Divine Face was shining on him from +the farther shore. + + + + +THE RUNAWAY COUPLE. + + +"Supposing a young gentleman not eight years old was to run away with a +fine young woman of seven, would you consider that a queer start? That +there is a start as I--the boots at the Holly-Tree Inn--have seen with +my own eyes; and I cleaned the shoes they ran away in, and they was so +little that I couldn't get my hand into 'em. + + [Illustration: THE RUNAWAY COUPLE.] + +"Master Harry Walmers's father, he lived at the Elms, away by Shooter's +Hill, six or seven miles from London. He was uncommon proud of Master +Harry, as was his only child; but he didn't spoil him neither. He was a +gentleman that had a will of his own, and an eye of his own, and that +would be minded. Consequently, though he made quite a companion of +the fine bright boy, still he kept the command over him, and the child +_was_ a child. I was under gardener there at that time I and one morning +Master Harry, he comes to me and says-- + +"'Cobbs, how should you spell Norah, if you were asked?' and he took out +his little knife and began cutting that name in print all over the +fence. The next day as it might be, he stops, along with Miss Norah, +where I was hoeing weeds in the gravel, and says, speaking up-- + +"'Cobbs, I like you! Why do I like you do you think, Cobbs? Because Norah +likes you.' + +"'Indeed, sir,' says I. 'That's very gratifying.' + +"'Gratifying, Cobbs?' says Master Harry. 'It's better than a million of +the brightest diamonds, to be liked by Norah. You're going away ain't +you, Cobbs? Then you shall be our head gardener when we're married.' And +he tucks her, in her little sky-blue mantle, under his arm, and walks +away. + +"I was the boots at this identical Holly-Tree Inn when one summer +afternoon the coach drives up, and out of the coach gets these two +children. The young gentleman gets out; hands his lady out; gives the +guard something for himself; says to my governor, the landlord: 'We're +to stop here to-night, please. Sitting room and two bed-rooms will be +required. Mutton chops and cherry pudding for two!' and tucks her under +his arm, and walks into the house, much bolder than brass. + +"I had seen 'em without their seeing me, and I gave the governor my +views of the expedition they was upon. 'Cobbs,' says the governor, 'if +this is so, I must set off myself and quiet their friends' minds. In +which case you must keep your eye upon 'em, and humor 'em, until I come +back. But before I take these measures, Cobbs, I should wish you to find +out from themselves whether your opinion is correct.' + +"So I goes upstairs, and there I finds Master Harry on an e-nor-mous +sofa a-drying the eyes of Miss Norah with his pocket handkercher. Their +little legs was entirely off the ground, of course, and it really is not +possible to express how small them children looked. 'It's Cobbs! it's +Cobbs!' cries Master Harry, and he comes a-runing to me, and catching +hold of my hand. Miss Norah, she comes running to me on t'other side, +and catching hold of my t'other hand, and they both jump for joy. And +what I had took to be the case was the case. + +"'We're going to be married, Cobbs, at Gretna Green,' says the boy. +'We've run away on purpose. Norah has been in rather low spirits, Cobbs; +but she'll be happy now we have found you to be our friend.' + +"'I give you my word and honor upon it that, by way of luggage the lady +had got a parasol, a smelling-bottle, a round and a half of cold +buttered toast, eight peppermint drops, and a doll's hair-brush. The +gentleman had got about a dozen yards of string, a knife, three or four +sheets of writing-paper folded up surprisingly small, a orange, and a +chaney mug with his name on it. + +"'What may be the exact nature of your plans, sir?' says I. + +"'To go on,' replies the boy, 'in the morning, and be married +to-morrow.' + +"'Just so, sir. Well, sir, if you will excuse my having the freedom to +give an opinion, what I should recommend would be this. I'm acquainted +with a pony, sir, which would take you and Mrs. Harry Walmers junior to +the end of your journey in a very short space of time. I am not +altogether sure, sir, that the pony will be at liberty to-morrow, but +even if you had to wait for him it might be worth your while.' + +"They clapped their hands and jumped for joy, and called me 'Good +Cobbs!' and 'Dear Cobbs!' and says I, 'Is there anything you want at +present, sir?' + +"'We should like some cakes after dinner,' answers Mr. Harry, 'and two +apples--and jam. With dinner we should like to have toast and water. But +Norah has always been accustomed to half a glass of currant wine at +dessert, and so have I.' + +"'They shall be ordered, sir,' I answered, and away I went; and the way +in which all the women in the house went on about that boy and his bold +spirit was a thing to see. They climbed up all sorts of places to get a +look at him, and they peeped, seven deep, through the keyhole. + +"In the evening, after the governor had set off for the Elms, I went into +the room to see how the run-away couple was getting on. The gentleman +was on the window seat, supporting the lady in his arms. She had tears +upon her face, and was lying very tired and half asleep, with her head +upon his shoulder. + +"'Mrs. Harry Walmers junior fatigued, sir?' + +"'Yes, she's tired, Cobbs; she's been in low spirits again; she isn't +used to being in a strange place, you see. Could you bring a Norfolk +biffin, Cobbs? I think that would do her good.' + +"Well, I fetched the biffin, and Master Harry fed her with a spoon; but +the lady being heavy with sleep and rather cross, I suggested bed, and +called a chambermaid, but Master Harry must needs escort her himself, +and carry the candle for her. After embracing her at her own door he +retired to his room, where I softly locked him in. + +"They consulted me at breakfast (they had ordered sweet milk and water, +and toast and currant jelly, over night) about the pony, and I told 'em +that it did unfortunately happen that the pony was half clipped, but +that he'd be finished clipping in the course of the day, and that +to-morrow morning at eight o'clock he would be ready. My own opinion is +that Mrs. Harry Walmers junior was beginning to give in. She hadn't had +her hair curled when she went to bed, and she didn't seem quite up to +brushing it herself, and it getting into her eyes put her out. But +nothing put out Mr. Harry. He sat behind his breakfast cup tearing away +at the jelly, as if he'd been his own father. + +"In the course of the morning, Master Harry rung the bell,--it was +surprising how that there boy did carry on,--and said in a sprightly +way, 'Cobbs, is there any good walks in the neighborhood?' + +"'Yes, sir, there's Love Lane.' + +"'Get out with you, Cobbs!'--that was that there mite's +expression--'you're joking.' + +"'Begging your pardon, sir, there really is a Love Lane, and a pleasant +walk it is; and proud shall I be to show it to yourself and Mrs. Harry +Walmers junior.' + +"Well, I took him down Love Lane to the water meadows, and there Master +Harry would have drowned himself in another minute a getting out a +water-lily for her. But they was tired out. All being so new and strange +to them, they were as tired as tired could be. And they laid down on a +bank of daisies and fell asleep. + +"They woke up at last, and then one thing was getting pretty clear to +me, namely, that Mrs. Harry Walmers junior's temper was on the move. +When Master Harry took her round the waist, she said he 'teased her so'; +and when he says, 'Norah, my young May moon, your Harry tease you?' she +tells him, 'Yes, and I want to go home.' + +"A boiled fowl, and baked bread and butter pudding, brought Mrs. Walmers +up a little; but I could have wished, I must privately own, to have seen +her more sensible to the voice of love and less abandoning herself to +the currants in the pudding. However, Master Harry, he kep' up, and his +noble heart was as fond as ever. Mrs. Walmers turned very sleepy about +dusk, and began to cry. Therefore, Mrs. Walmers went off to bed as per +yesterday; and Master Harry ditto repeated. + +"About eleven at night comes back the governor in a chaise, along of +Master Harry's father and a elderly lady. And Master Harry's door being +unlocked by me, Master Harry's father goes in, goes up to the bedside, +bends gently down, and kisses the little sleeping face. Then he stands +looking at it for a moment, looking wonderfully like it; and then he +gently shakes the little shoulder. 'Harry, my dear boy! Harry!' + +"Master Harry starts up and looks at his pa. Such is the honor of that +mite, that he looks at me, too, to see whether he has brought me into +trouble. + +"'I am not angry, my child. I only want you to dress yourself and come +home.' + +"'Yes, Pa.' Master Harry dresses himself quick. + +"'Please may I--please, dear pa--may I--kiss Norah before I go?' + +"Master Harry's father he takes Master Harry in his hand, and I leads +the way with the candle to that other bedroom where the elderly lady is +seated by the bed, and poor little Mrs. Harry Walmers junior is fast +asleep. There the father lifts the boy up to the pillow, and he lays his +little face down for an instant by the little warm face of poor little +Mrs. Harry Walmers junior, and gently draws it to him. + +"And that's all about it. Master Harry's father drove away in the chaise +having hold of Master Harry's hand. The elderly lady Mrs. Harry Walmers +junior that was never to be (she married a captain long after and went +to India) went off next day." + + + + +POOR JO! + + +Jo was a crossing-sweeper; every day he swept up the mud, and begged for +pennies from the people who passed. Poor Jo wasn't pretty and he wasn't +clean. His clothes were only a few poor rags that hardly protected him +from the cold and the rain. He had never been to school, and he could +neither write nor read--could not even spell his own name. + +Poor Jo! He was ugly and dirty and ignorant; but he knew one thing, that +it was wicked to tell a lie, and knowing this, he always told the truth. +One other thing poor Jo knew too well, and that was what being hungry +means. For little Jo was very poor. He lived in Tom-all-Alones, one of +the most horrible places in all London. The people who live in this +dreadful den are the poorest of London poor. All miserably clad, all +dirty, all very hungry. They know and like Jo, for he is always willing +to go on errands for them, and does them many little acts of kindness. + +No one in Tom-all-Alones is spoken of by his name. Thus it is that if +you inquired there for a boy named Jo, you would be asked whether you +meant Carrots, or the Colonel, or Gallows, or young Chisel, or Terrier +Tip, or Lanky, or the Brick. + +Jo was generally called Toughy, although a few superior persons who +affected a dignified style of speaking called him "the tough subject." + +Jo used to say he had never had but one friend. + +It was one cold Winter night, when he was shivering in a door-way near +his crossing, that a dark-haired, rough-bearded man turned to look at +him, and then came back and began to talk to him. + +"Have you a friend, boy?" he asked presently. + +"No, never 'ad none." + +"Neither have I. Not one. Take this, and Good-night," and so saying the +man, who looked very poor and shabby, put into Jo's hand the price of a +supper and a night's lodging. + +Often afterwards the stranger would stop to talk with Jo, and give him +money, Jo firmly believed, whenever he had any to give. When he had +none, he would merely say, "I am as poor as you are to-day, Jo," and +pass on. + +One day, Jo was fetched away from his crossing to a public-house, where +the Coroner was holding an Inquest--an "Inkwich" Jo called it. + +"Did the boy know the deceased?" asked the Coroner. + +Indeed Jo had known him; it was his only friend who was dead. + +"He was very good to me, he was," was all poor Jo could say. + +The next day they buried the dead man in the churchyard hard by. + +But that night there came a slouching figure through the court to the +iron gate. It stood looking in for a little while, then with an old +broom it softly swept the step and made the archway clean. It was poor +Jo; and as he went away, he softly said to himself, "He was very good to +me, he was." + +Now, there happened to be at the Inquest a kind-hearted little man named +Snagsby, and he pitied Jo so much that he gave him half-a-crown. + +Jo was very sad after the death of his one friend. The more so as his +friend had died in great poverty and misery, with no one near him to +care whether he lived or not. + +A few days after the funeral, while Jo was still living on Mr. Snagsby's +half-crown, he was standing at his crossing as the day closed in, when a +lady, closely veiled and plainly dressed, came up to him. + +"Are you the boy Jo who was examined at the Inquest?" she asked. + +"That's me," said Jo. + +"Come farther up the court, I want to speak to you." + +"Wot, about him as was dead? Did you know him?" + +"How dare you ask me if I knew him?" + +"No offence, my lady," said Jo humbly. + +"Listen and hold your tongue. Show me the place where he lived, then +where he died, then where they buried him. Go in front of me, don't look +back once, and I'll pay you well." + + [Illustration: JO AND THE POLICEMAN. + "I'M ALWAYS A MOVING ON."] + +Jo takes her to each of the places she wants to see. Then she draws off +her glove, and Jo sees that she has sparkling rings on her fingers. She +drops a coin into his hand and is gone. Jo holds the coin to the light +and sees to his joy that it is a golden sovereign. + +But people in Jo's position in life find it hard to change a sovereign, +for who will believe that they can come by it honestly? So poor little +Jo didn't get much of the sovereign for himself, for, as he afterwards +told Mr. Snagsby-- + +"I had to pay five bob down in Tom-all-Alones before they'd square it +for to give me change, and then a young man he thieved another five +while I was asleep, and a boy he thieved ninepence, and the landlord he +stood drains round with a lot more of it." + +As time went on Jo's troubles began in earnest. The police turned him +away from his crossing, and wheresoever they met him ordered him "to +move on." + +Once a policeman, angry to find that Jo hadn't moved on, seized him by +the arm and dragged him down to Mr. Snagsby's. + +"What's the matter, constable?" asked Mr. Snagsby. + +"This boy's as obstinate a young gonoph as I know: although repeatedly +told to, he won't move on." + +"I'm always amoving on," cried Jo. "Oh, my eye, where am I to move to?" + +"My instructions don't go to that," the constable answered; "my +instructions are that you're to keep moving on. Now the simple question +is, sir," turning to Mr. Snagsby, "whether you know him. He says you +do." + +"Yes, I know him." + +"Very well, I leave him here; but mind you keep moving on." + +The constable then moved on himself, leaving Jo at Mr. Snagsby's. There +was a little tea-party there that evening, and when Jo was at last +allowed to go, Mr. Snagsby followed him to the door and filled his hands +with the remains of the little feast they had had upstairs. + +And now Jo began to find life harder and rougher than ever. He lost his +crossing altogether, and spent day after day in moving on. He remembered +a poor woman he had once done a kindness to, who had told him she lived +at St. Albans, and that a lady there had been very good to her. "Perhaps +she'll be good to me," thought Jo, and he started off to go to St. +Albans. + +One Saturday night Jo reached that town very tired and very ill. Happily +for him the woman met him and took him into her cottage. While he was +resting there a lady came in and asked him very kindly what was the +matter. + +"I'm abeing froze and then burnt up, and then froze and burnt up again, +ever so many times over in an hour. And my head's all sleepy, and all +agoing round like, and I'm so dry, and my bones is nothing half so much +bones as pain." + +"Where are you going?" + +"Somewheres," replied Jo, "I'm a-being moved on, I am." + +"Well, to-night you must come with me, and I'll make you comfortable." +So Jo went with the lady to a great house not far off, and there they +made a bed for him, and brought him tempting wholesome food. Everyone +was very kind to him, but something frightened Jo, and he felt he could +not stay there, and he ran out into the cold night air. Where he went he +could never remember, for when he next came to his senses he found +himself in a hospital. He stayed there for some weeks, and was then +discharged, though still weak and ill. He was very thin, and when he +drew a breath his chest was very painful. "It draws," said Jo, "as heavy +as a cart." + +Now, a certain young doctor who was very kind to poor people, was +walking through Tom-all-Alones one morning, when he saw a ragged figure +coming along, crouching close to the dirty wall. It was Jo. The young +doctor took pity on Jo. "Come with me," he said, "and I will find you a +better place than this to stay in," for he saw that the lad was very, +very ill. So Jo was taken to a clean little room, and bathed, and had +clean clothes, and good food, and kind people about him once more, but +he was too ill now, far too ill, for anything to do him any good. + +"Let me lie here quiet," said poor Jo, "and be so kind anyone as is +passin' nigh where I used to sweep, as to say to Mr. Snagsby as Jo, wot +he knew once, is amoving on." + +One day the young doctor was sitting by him, when suddenly Jo made a +strong effort to get out of bed. + +"Stay, Jo--where now?" + +"It's time for me to go to that there burying-ground." + +"What burying-ground, Jo?" + +"Where they laid him as was very good to me, very good to me indeed he +was. It's time for me to go down to that there burying-ground, sir, and +ask to be put along of him. I wants to go there and be buried. Will you +promise to have me took there and laid along with him?" + +"I will indeed." + +"Thankee, sir. There's a step there as I used to sweep with my broom. +It's turned very dark, sir, is there any light coming?" + +"It's coming fast, Jo." + +Then silence for a while. + +"Jo, my poor fellow----!" + +"I can hear you, sir, in the dark." + +"Jo, can you say what I say?" + +"I'll say anything you say, sir, for I knows it's good." + +"Our Father." + +"Our Father--yes, that's very good, sir." + +"Which art in Heaven." + +"Art in Heaven. Is the light a-coming, sir?" + +"It's close at hand. Hallowed be Thy name." + +"Hallowed be Thy"-- + +The light had come. Oh yes! the light had come, for Jo was dead. + + + + +THE LITTLE KENWIGS. + + +Mrs. Kenwigs was the wife of an ivory turner, and though they only had a +very humble home of two rooms in a dingy-looking house in a small +street, they had great pretensions to being "genteel." The little Miss +Kenwigs had their flaxen hair plaited into pig-tails and tied with blue +ribbons, and wore little white trousers with frills round their ankles, +the highest fashion of that day; besides being dressed with such +elegance, the two eldest girls went twice a week to a dancing school. +Mrs. Kenwigs, too, had an uncle who collected the water rate, and she +was therefore considered a person of great distinction, with quite the +manners of a lady. On the eighth anniversary of their wedding day, Mr. +and Mrs. Kenwigs invited a party of friends to supper to celebrate the +occasion. The four eldest children were to be allowed to sit up to +supper, and the uncle, Mr. Lillyvick, had promised to come. The baby was +put to bed in a little room lent by one of the lady guests, and a little +girl hired to watch him. All the company had assembled when a ring was +heard, and Morleena, whose name had been _invented by Mrs. Kenwigs_ +specially for her, ran down to open the door and lead in her +distinguished great-uncle, then the supper was brought in. + +The table was cleared; Mr. Lillyvick established in the arm-chair by the +fireside; the four little girls arranged on a small form in front of the +company with their flaxen tails towards them; Mrs. Kenwigs was suddenly +dissolved in tears and sobbed out-- + +"They are so beautiful!" + +"Oh, dear," said all the ladies, "so they are; it's very natural you +should feel proud of that; but don't give way, don't." + +"I can--not help it, and it don't signify," sobbed Mrs. Kenwigs: "oh! +they're too beautiful to live, much too beautiful." + +On hearing this dismal prophecy, all four little girls screamed until +their light flaxen tails vibrated again, and rushed to bury their heads +in their mother's lap. + +At length she was soothed, and the children calmed down; while the +ladies and gentlemen all said they were sure they would live for many +many years, and there was no occasion for their mother's distress: and +as the children were not so remarkably lovely, this was quite true. + +Then Mr. Lillyvick talked to the company about his niece's marriage, and +said graciously that he had always found Mr. Kenwigs a very honest, +well-behaved, upright, and respectable sort of man, and shook hands with +him, and then Morleena and her sisters kissed their uncle and most of +the guests. + +Then Miss Petowker, who could sing and recite in a way that brought +tears to Mrs. Kenwigs' eyes, remarked-- + +"Oh, dear Mrs. Kenwigs, while Mr. Noggs is making that punch to drink +happy returns in, do let Morleena go through that figure dance before +Mr. Lillyvick." + +"Well, I'll tell you what," said Mrs. Kenwigs. "Morleena shall do the +steps, if uncle can persuade Miss Petowker to recite us the +'Blood-Drinker's Burial' afterwards." + +Everyone clapped their hands and stamped their feet at this proposal, +but Miss Petowker said, "You know I dislike doing anything professional +at private parties." + +"Oh, but not here!" said Mrs. Kenwigs. "You might as well be going +through it in your own room: besides, the occasion." + +"I can't resist that," interrupted Miss Petowker, "anything in my humble +power, I shall be delighted to do." + +In reality Mrs. Kenwigs and Miss Petowker had arranged all the +entertainment between them beforehand, but had settled that a little +pressing on each side would look more natural. Then Miss Petowker hummed +a tune, and Morleena danced. It was a very beautiful figure, with a +great deal of work for the arms, and gained much applause. Then Miss +Petowker was entreated to begin her recitation, so she let down her back +hair, and went through the performance with great spirit, and died +raving mad in the arms of a bachelor friend who was to rush out and +catch her at the words "in death expire," to the great delight of the +audience and the terror of the little Kenwigses, who were nearly +frightened into fits. + +Just as the punch was ready, a knock at the door startled them all. But +it was only a friend of Mr. Noggs, who lived upstairs, and who had come +down to say that Mr. Noggs was wanted. + +Mr. Noggs hurried out, saying he would be back soon, and presently +startled them all by rushing in, snatching up a candle and a tumbler of +hot punch, and darting out again. + +Now, it happened unfortunately that the tumbler of punch was the very +one that Mr. Lillyvick was just going to lift to his lips, and the great +man--the rich relation--who had it in his power to make Morleena and her +sisters heiresses--and whom everyone was most anxious to please--was +offended. + +Poor Mr. Kenwigs endeavored to soothe him, but only made matters worse. +Mr. Lillyvick demanded his hat, and was only induced to remain by Mrs. +Kenwigs' tears and the entreaties of the entire company. + + [Illustration: THE LITTLE KENWIGS. + "THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL."] + +"There, Kenwigs," said Mr. Lillyvick, "and let me tell you, to show you +how much out of temper I was, that if I had gone away without another +word, it would have made no difference respecting that pound or two +which I shall leave among your children when I die." + +"Morleena Kenwigs," cried her mother, "go down on your knees to your +dear uncle, and beg him to love you all his life through; for he's more +an angel than a man, and I've always said so." + +Just as all were happy again, everyone was startled by a rapid +succession of the loudest and shrillest shrieks, apparently coming from +the room where the baby was asleep. + +"My baby, my blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed baby! My own darling, +sweet, innocent Lillyvick! Let me go-o-o-o," screamed Mrs. Kenwigs. + +Mr. Kenwigs rushed out, and was met at the door of the bedroom by a +young man with the baby (upside down) in his arms, who came out so +quickly that he knocked Mr. Kenwigs down; handing the child to his +mother, he said, "Don't be alarmed, it's all out, it's all over--the +little girl, being tired, I suppose, fell asleep and set her hair on +fire. I heard her cries and ran up in time to prevent her setting fire +to anything else. The child is not hurt: I took it off the bed myself +and brought it here to convince you." + +After they had all talked over this last excitement, and discussed +little Lillyvick's deliverer, the collector pulled out his watch and +announced that it was nearly two o'clock, and as the poor children had +been for some time obliged to keep their little eyes open with their +little forefingers, the company took leave, declaring they had never +spent such a delightful evening, and that they wished Mr. and Mrs. +Kenwigs had a wedding-day once a week. + + + + +LITTLE DORRIT. + + +Many years ago, when people could be put in prison for debt, a poor +gentleman, who was unfortunate enough to lose all his money, was brought +to the Marshalsea prison. As there seemed no prospect of being able to +pay his debts, his wife and their two little children came to live there +with him. The elder child was a boy of three; the younger a little girl +of two years old, and not long afterwards another little girl was born. +The three children played in the courtyard, and were happy, on the +whole, for they were too young to remember a happier state of things. + +But the youngest child, who had never been outside the prison walls, was +a thoughtful little creature, and wondered what the outside world could +be like. Her great friend, the turnkey, who was also her godfather, +became very fond of her, and as soon as she could walk and talk, he +bought a little arm-chair and stood it by his fire at the lodge, and +coaxed her with cheap toys to come and sit with him. + +One day, she was sitting in the lodge gazing wistfully up at the sky +through the barred window. The turnkey, after watching her some time, +said:-- + +"Thinking of the fields, ain't you?" + +"Where are they?" she asked. + +"Why, they're--over there, my dear," said the turnkey, waving his key +vaguely, "just about there." + +"Does anybody open them and shut them? Are they locked?" + +"Well," said the turnkey, discomfited, "not in general." + +"Are they pretty, Bob?" She called him Bob, because he wished it. + +"Lovely. Full of flowers. There's buttercups, and there's daisies, and +there's--" here he hesitated, not knowing the names of many +flowers--"there's dandelions, and all manner of games." + +"Is it very pleasant to be there, Bob?" + +"Prime," said the turnkey. + +"Was father ever there?" + +"Hem!" coughed the turnkey. "O yes, he was there, sometimes." + +"Is he sorry not to be there now?" + +"N--not particular," said the turnkey. + +"Nor any of the people?" she asked, glancing at the listless crowd +within. "O are you quite sure and certain, Bob?" + +At this point, Bob gave in and changed the subject. But after this chat, +the turnkey and little Amy would go out on his free Sunday afternoons to +some meadows or green lanes, and she would pick grass and flowers to +bring home, while he smoked his pipe. + +When Amy was only eight years old, her mother died, and the poor father +was more helpless and broken-down than ever, and as Fanny was a careless +child, and Edward idle, the little one, who had the bravest and truest +heart, was inspired by her love and unselfishness to be the little +mother of the forlorn family, and struggled to get some little education +for herself and her brother and sister. She went as often as she could +to an evening school outside, and managed to get her brother and sister +sent to a day-school at intervals, during three or four years. At +thirteen, she could read and keep accounts. Once, amongst the debtors, a +dancing-master came in, and as Fanny had a great desire to learn +dancing, little Amy went timidly to the new prisoner, and said, + +"If you please, I was born here, sir." + +"Oh! You are the young lady, are you?" said he. + +"Yes, sir." + +"And what can I do for you?" + +"Nothing for me, sir, thank you; but if, while you stay here, you could +be so kind as to teach my sister cheap." + +"My child, I'll teach her for nothing," said the dancing-master. + +Fanny was a very apt pupil, and the good-natured dancing-master went on +giving her lessons even after his release, and Amy was so emboldened +with the success of her attempt that, when a milliner came in, she went +to her on her own behalf, and begged her to teach her. + +"I am afraid you are so weak, you see," the milliner objected. + +"I don't think I am weak, ma'am." + +"And you are so very, very little, you see," the milliner still +objected. + + [Illustration: THE BLIND TOY MAKER.] + + [Illustration: LITTLE DORRIT AND MAGGIE. + "SHE HAS NEVER GROWN OLDER SINCE."] + +"Yes, I am afraid I am very little indeed," returned the child, and +began to sob, so that the milliner was touched, and took her in hand and +made her a clever workwoman. + +But the father could not bear the idea that his children should work for +their living, so they had to keep it all secret. Fanny became a dancer, +and lived with a poor old uncle, who played the clarionet at the small +theatre where Fanny was engaged. Amy, or little Dorrit as she was +generally called, her father's name being Dorrit, earned small sums by +going out to do needlework. She got Edward into a great many situations, +but he was an idle, careless fellow, and always came back to be a burden +and care to his poor little sister. At last she saved up enough to send +him out to Canada. + +"God bless you, dear Tip" (his name had been shortened to Tip), "don't +be too proud to come and see us when you have made your fortune," she +said. + +But Tip only went as far as Liverpool, and appeared once more before his +poor little second mother, in rags, and with no shoes. + +In the end, after another trial, Tip returned telling Amy, that this +time he was "one of the regulars." + +"Oh! Don't say you are a prisoner, Tip. Don't, don't!" + +But he was--and Amy nearly broke her heart. So with all these cares and +worries struggling bravely on, little Dorrit passed the first twenty-two +years of her life. Then the son of a lady, Mrs. Clennem, to whose house +Amy went to do needlework, was interested in the pale, patient little +creature, and learning her history resolved to do his best to try and +get her father released, and to help them all. + +One day when he was walking home with little Dorrit a voice was heard +calling, "Little Mother, Little Mother," and a strange figure came +bouncing up to them and fell down, scattering her basketful of potatoes +on the ground. "Oh Maggie," said Little Dorrit, "what a clumsy child you +are!" + +She was about eight and twenty, with large bones, large features, large +hands and feet, large eyes and no hair. Little Dorrit told Mr. Clennem +that Maggie was the grand-daughter of her old nurse, and that her +grandmother had been very unkind to her and beat her. "When Maggie was +ten years old, she had a fever, and she has never grown older since." + +"Ten years old," said Maggie. "But what a nice hospital! So comfortable +wasn't it? Such a Ev'nly place! Such beds there is there! Such +lemonades! Such oranges! Such delicious broth and wine! Such chicking! +Oh, AIN'T it a delightful place to stop at!" + +"Then when she came out, her grandmother did not know what to do with +her, and was very unkind. But after some time, Maggie tried to improve, +and was very attentive and industrious, and now she can earn her own +living entirely, sir!" + +Little Dorrit did not say who had taken pains to teach and encourage the +poor half-witted creature, but Mr. Clennem guessed from the name Little +Mother, and the fondness of the poor creature for Amy. + +Thanks to Mr. Clennem, a great change took place in the fortunes of the +family, and not long after this wretched night, it was discovered that +Mr. Dorrit was owner of a large property, and they became very rich. + +When, in his turn, Mr. Clennem became a prisoner in the Marshalsea +little Dorrit came to comfort and console him, and after many changes of +fortune, she became his wife, and they lived happy ever after. + + + + +THE BLIND TOY-MAKER. + + +Caleb Plummer and his blind daughter lived alone in a little cracked +nutshell of a house. They were toy-makers, and their house was stuck +like a toadstool on to the premises of Messrs. Gruff & Tackleton, the +Toy Merchants for whom they worked,--the latter of whom was himself both +Gruff and Tackleton in one. + +I am saying that Caleb and his blind daughter lived here. I should say +Caleb did, his daughter lived in an enchanted palace, which her father's +love had created for her. She did not know that the ceilings were +cracked, the plaster tumbling down, and the wood work rotten; that +everything was old and ugly and poverty-stricken about her and that her +father was a grey-haired stooping old man, and the master for whom they +worked a hard and brutal taskmaster;--oh, dear no, she fancied a pretty, +cosy, compact little home full of tokens of a kind master's care, a +smart, brisk, gallant-looking father, and a handsome and noble-looking +Toy Merchant who was an angel of goodness. + +This was all Caleb's doings. When his blind daughter was a baby he had +determined in his great love and pity for her, that her deprivation +should be turned into a blessing, and her life as happy as he could make +it. And she was happy; everything about her she saw with her father's +eyes, in the rainbow-coloured light with which it was his care and +pleasure to invest it. + +Bertha sat busily at work, making a doll's frock, whilst Caleb bent over +the opposite side of the table painting a doll's house. + +"You were out in the rain last night in your beautiful new great-coat," +said Bertha. + +"Yes, in my beautiful new great-coat," answered Caleb, glancing to where +a roughly made garment of sack-cloth was hung up to dry. + +"How glad I am you bought it, father." + +"And of such a tailor! quite a fashionable tailor, a bright blue cloth, +with bright buttons; it's a deal too good a coat for me." + +"Too good!" cried the blind girl, stopping to laugh and clap her +hands--"as if anything was too good for my handsome father, with his +smiling face, and black hair, and his straight figure." + +Caleb began to sing a rollicking song. + +"What, you are singing, are you?" growled a gruff voice, as Mr. +Tackleton put his head in at the door. "_I_ can't afford to sing, I hope +you can afford to work too. Hardly time for both, I should say." + +"You don't see how the master is winking at me," whispered Caleb in his +daughter's ear--"such a joke, pretending to scold, you know." + +The blind girl laughed and nodded, and taking Mr. Tackleton's reluctant +hand, kissed it gently. "What is the idiot doing?" grumbled the Toy +Merchant, pulling his hand roughly away. + +"I am thanking you for the beautiful little tree," replied Bertha, +bringing forward a tiny rose-tree in blossom, which Caleb had made her +believe was her master's gift, though he himself had gone without a meal +or two to buy it. + +"Here's Bedlam broke loose. What does the idiot mean?" snarled Mr. +Tackleton; and giving Caleb some rough orders, he departed without the +politeness of a farewell. + +"If you could only have seen him winking at me all the time, pretending +to be so rough to escape thanking," exclaimed Caleb, when the door was +shut. + +Now a very sad and curious thing had happened. Caleb, in his love for +Bertha, had so successfully deceived her as to the real character of Mr. +Tackleton, that she had fallen in love, not with her master, but with +what she imagined him to be, and was happy in an innocent belief in his +affection for her; but one day she accidently heard he was going to be +married, and could not hide from her father the pain and bewilderment +she felt at the news. + +"Bertha, my dear," said Caleb at length, "I have a confession to make to +you; hear me kindly though I have been cruel to you." "You cruel to me!" +cried Bertha, turning her sightless face towards him. "Not meaning it, +my child! and I never suspected it till the other day. I have concealed +things from you which would have given pain, I have invented things to +please you, and have surrounded you with fancies." + +"But living people are not fancies, father, you cannot change them." + +"I have done so, my child, God forgive me! Bertha, the man who is +married to-day is a hard master to us both, ugly in his looks and in his +nature, and hard and heartless as he can be." + +"Oh heavens! how blind I have been, how could you father, and I so +helpless!" Poor Caleb hung his head. + +"Answer me father," said Bertha. "What is my home like?" + +"A poor place, Bertha, a very poor and bare place! indeed as little able +to keep out wind and weather as my sackcloth coat." + +"And the presents that I took such care of, that came at my wish, and +were so dearly welcome?" Caleb did not answer. + +"I see, I understand," said Bertha, "and now I am looking at you, at my +kind, loving compassionate father, tell me what is he like?" + +"An old man, my child, thin, bent, grey-haired, worn-out with hard work +and sorrow, a weak, foolish, deceitful old man." + +The blind girl threw herself on her knees before him, and took his grey +head in her arms. "It is my sight, it is my sight restored," she cried. +"I have been blind, but now I see, I have never till now truly seen my +father. Father, there is not a grey hair on your head that shall be +forgotten in my prayers and thanks to Heaven." + +"My Bertha!" sobbed Caleb, "and the brisk smart father in the blue +coat--he's gone, my child." + +"Dearest father, no, he's not gone, nothing is gone. I have been happy +and contented, but I shall be happier and more contented still, now that +I know what you are. I am _not_ blind, father, any longer." + + + + +LITTLE NELL. + + +The house was one of those receptacles for old and curious things, which +seem to crouch in odd corners of the town; and in the old, dark, murky +rooms, there lived alone together an old man and a child--his +grandchild, little Nell. Solitary and monotonous as was her life, the +innocent and cheerful spirit of the child found happiness in all things, +and through the dim rooms of the old curiosity shop little Nell went +singing, moving with gay and lightsome step. + +But gradually over the old man, to whom she was so tenderly attached, +there stole a sad change. He became thoughtful, dejected, and wretched. +He had no sleep or rest but that which he took by day in his easy chair; +for every night, and all night long, he was away from home. + +At last a raging fever seized him, and as he lay delirious or insensible +through many weeks, Nell learned that the house which sheltered them was +theirs no longer; that in the future they would be very poor; that they +would scarcely have bread to eat. + +At length the old man began to mend, but his mind was weakened. As the +time drew near when they must leave the house, he made no reference to +the necessity of finding other shelter. But a change came upon him one +evening, as he and Nell sat silently together. + +"Let us speak softly, Nell," he said. "Hush! for if they knew our +purpose they would say that I was mad, and take thee from me. We will +not stop here another day. We will travel afoot through the fields and +woods, and trust ourselves to God in the places where He dwells." + +The child's heart beat high with hope and confidence. To her it seemed +that they might beg their way from door to door in happiness, so that +they were together. + +When the day began to glimmer they stole out of the house, and passing +into the street stood still. + +"Which way?" asked the child. + +The old man looked irresolutely and helplessly at her, and shook his +head. It was plain that she was thenceforth his guide and leader. The +child felt it, but had no doubts or misgivings, and putting her hand in +his, led him gently away. + +They passed through the long, deserted streets, until these streets +dwindled away, and the open country was about them. They walked all day, +and slept that night at a small cottage where beds were let to +travellers. The sun was setting on the second day of their journey, +when, following a path which led to the town where they were to spend +the night, they fell in with two travelling showmen, bound for the races +at a neighboring town. + +They made two long days' journey with their new companions. The men were +rough and strange in their ways, but they were kindly, too; and in the +bewildering noise and movement of the race-course, where she tried to +sell some little nosegays, Nell would have clung to them for protection, +had she not learned that these men suspected that she and the old man +had left their home secretly, and that they meant to take steps to have +them sent back and taken care of. Separation from her grandfather was +the greatest evil Nell could dread. She seized her opportunity to evade +the watchfulness of the two men, and hand in hand she and the old man +fled away together. + +That night they reached a little village in a woody hollow. The village +schoolmaster, attracted by the child's sweetness and modesty, gave them +a lodging for the night; nor would he let them leave him until two days +more had passed. + +They journeyed on when the time came that they must wander forth again, +by pleasant country lanes. The afternoon had worn away into a beautiful +evening, when they came to a caravan drawn up by the road. It was a +smart little house upon wheels, and at the door sat a stout and +comfortable lady, taking tea. The tea-things were set out upon a drum, +covered with a white napkin. And there, as if at the most convenient +table in the world, sat this roving lady, taking her tea and enjoying +the prospect. Of this stout lady Nell ventured to ask how far it was to +the neighboring town. And the lady, noticing that the tired child could +hardly repress a tear at hearing that eight weary miles lay still before +them, not only gave them tea, but offered to take them on in the +caravan. + +Now this lady of the caravan was the owner of a wax-work show, and her +name was Mrs. Jarley. She offered Nell employment in pointing out the +figures in the wax-work show to the visitors who came to see it, +promising in return both board and lodging for the child and her +grandfather, and some small sum of money. This offer Nell was thankful +to accept, and for some time her life and that of the poor, vacant, fond +old man, passed quietly and almost happily. + +One night Nell and her grandfather went out to walk. A terrible +thunder-storm coming on, they were forced to take refuge in a small +public-house where men played cards. The old man watched them with +increasing interest and excitement, until his whole appearance underwent +a complete change. His face was flushed and eager, his teeth set. He +seized Nell's little purse, and in spite of her entreaties joined in the +game, gambling with such a savage thirst for gain that the distressed +and frightened child could almost better have borne to see him dead. The +night was far advanced before the play came to an end, and they were +forced to remain where they were until the morning. And in the night the +child was awakened from her troubled sleep to find a figure in the room. +It was her grandfather himself, his white face pinched and sharpened by +the greediness which made his eyes unnaturally bright, counting the +money of which his hands were robbing her. + +Evening after evening, after that night, the old man would steal away, +not to return until the night was far spent, demanding, wildly, money. +And at last there came an hour when the child overheard him, tempted +beyond his feeble powers of resistence, undertake to find more money to +feed the desperate passion which had laid hold upon his weakness by +robbing Mrs. Jarley. + +That night the child took her grandfather by the hand and led him forth; +sustained by one idea--that they were flying from disgrace and crime, +and that her grandfather's preservation must depend solely upon her +firmness; the old man following as though she had been an angel +messenger sent to lead him where she would. + +They slept in the open air that night, and on the following morning some +men offered to take them a long distance on their barge. These men, +though they were not unkindly, drank and quarrelled among themselves, to +Nell's inexpressible terror. It rained, too, heavily, and she was wet +and cold. At last they reached the great city whither the barge was +bound, and here they wandered up and down, being now penniless, and +watched the faces of those who passed, to find among them a ray of +encouragement or hope. + +They laid down that night, and the next night too, with nothing between +them and the sky; a penny loaf was all they had had that day, and when +the third morning came, it found the child much weaker, yet she made no +complaint. Faint and spiritless as they were, the streets were +insupportable; and the child, throughout the remainder of that hard day, +compelled herself to press on, that they might reach the country. +Evening was drawing on; they were dragging themselves through the last +street. Seeing a traveller on foot before them, she shot on before her +grandfather and began in a few faint words to implore the stranger's +help. He turned his head, the child uttered a wild shriek, and fell +senseless at his feet. It was the village schoolmaster who had been so +kind to them before. + +The good man took her in his arms and carried her quickly to a little +inn hard by, where she was tenderly put to bed and where a doctor +arrived with all speed. The schoolmaster, as it appeared, was on his way +to a new home. And when the child had recovered somewhat from her +exhaustion, it was arranged that she and her grandfather should +accompany him to the village whither he was bound, and that he should +endeavor to find them some humble occupation by which they could +subsist. + +It was a secluded village, lying among the quiet country scenes Nell +loved. And here, her grandfather being tranquil and at rest, a great +peace fell upon the spirit of the child. Often she would steal into the +church, and sit down among the quiet figures carved upon the tombs. What +if the spot awakened thoughts of death? It would be no pain to sleep +here. For the time was drawing nearer every day when Nell was to rest +indeed. She never murmured or complained, but faded like a light upon a +summer's evening and died. Day after day and all day long, the old man, +broken-hearted and with no love or care for anything in life, would sit +beside her grave with her straw hat and the little basket she had been +used to carry, waiting till she should come to him again. At last they +found him lying dead upon the stone. And in the church where they had +often prayed and mused and lingered, hand in hand, the child and the old +man slept together. + + + + +LITTLE DAVID COPPERFIELD. + + +Little David Copperfield lived with his mother in a pretty house in the +village of Blunderstone in Suffolk. His father died before David could +remember anything and he had neither brothers nor sisters. He was fondly +loved by his pretty young mother, and their kind, good servant Peggotty, +and David was a very happy little fellow. They had very few friends, and +the only relation Mrs. Copperfield talked about was an aunt of David's +father, a tall and rather terrible old lady, from all accounts. One +visitor, a tall dark gentleman, David did not like at all, and he was +rather inclined to be jealous that his mother should be friendly with +the stranger. + +One day Peggotty, the servant, asked David if he would like to go with +her on a visit to her brother at Yarmouth. + +"Is your brother an agreeable man, Peggotty?" he enquired. + +"Oh, what an agreeable man he is!" cried Peggotty. "Then there's the +sea, and the boats and ships, and the fishermen, and the beach. And 'Am +to play with." + +Ham was her nephew. David was quite anxious to go when he heard of all +these delights; but his mother, what would she do all alone? Peggotty +told him his mother was going to pay a visit to some friends, and would +be sure to let him go. So all was arranged, and they were to start the +next day in the carrier's cart. When they arrived at Yarmouth, they +found Ham waiting to meet them. He was a great strong fellow, six feet +high, and took David on his back and the box under his arm to carry both +to the house. David was delighted to find that this house was made of a +real big black boat, with a door and windows cut in the side, and an +iron funnel sticking out of the roof for a chimney. Inside, it was very +cosy and clean, and David had a tiny bedroom in the stern. He was very +much pleased to find a dear little girl, about his own age, to play +with, and soon discovered that she and Ham were orphans, children of Mr. +Peggotty's brother and sister, whose fathers had been drowned at sea, so +kind Mr. Peggotty had taken them to live with him. David was very happy +in this queer house, playing on the beach with Em'ly, as they called the +little girl, and told her all about his happy home; and she told him how +her father had been drowned at sea before she came to live with her +uncle. David said he thought Mr. Peggotty must be a very good man. + +"Good!" said Em'ly. "If ever I was to be a lady, I'd give him a sky-blue +coat with diamond buttons, nankeen trousers, a red velvet waistcoat, a +cocked hat, a large gold watch, a silver pipe, and a box of money!" + +David was quite sorry to leave these kind people and his dear little +companion, but still he was glad to think he should get back to his own +dear mamma. When he reached home, however, he found a great change. His +mother was married to the dark man David did not like, whose name was +Mr. Murdstone, and he was a stern, hard man, who had no love for little +David, and did not allow his mother to pet and indulge him as she had +done before. Mr. Murdstone's sister came to live with them, and as she +was even more difficult to please than her brother, and disliked boys, +David's life was no longer a happy one. He had always had lessons with +his mother, and as she was patient and gentle, he had enjoyed learning +to read, but now he had a great many very hard lessons to do, and was so +frightened and shy when Mr. and Miss Murdstone were in the room, that he +did not get on at all well, and was continually in disgrace. His only +pleasure was to go up into the little room at the top of the house +where he had found a number of books that had belonged to his own +father, and he would sit and read Robinson Crusoe, and many tales of +travels and adventures. + +But one day he got into sad trouble over his lessons, and Mr. Murdstone +was very angry, and took him away from his mother and beat him with a +cane. David had never been beaten in his life before, and was so +maddened by pain and rage that he bit Mr. Murdstone's hand! Now, indeed, +he had done something to deserve the punishment, and Mr. Murdstone in a +fury, beat him savagely, and left him sobbing and crying on the floor. +David was kept locked up in his room for some days, seeing no one but +Miss Murdstone, who brought him his food. At last, one night, he heard +his name whispered at the key hole. + +"Is that you, Peggotty?" he asked, groping his way to the door. + +"Yes, my precious Davy. Be as soft as a mouse or the cat will hear us." + +David understood she meant Miss Murdstone, whose room was quite near. +"How's mamma, Peggotty dear? Is she very angry with me?" he whispered. + +"No--not very," she said. + +"What is going to be done with me, dear Peggotty, do you know?" asked +poor David, who had been wondering all these long, lonely days. + +"School--near London--" + +"When, Peggotty?" + +"To-morrow," answered Peggotty. + +"Shan't I see mamma?" + +"Yes--morning," she said, and went on to promise David she would always +love him, and take the greatest care of his dear mamma, and write him +every week. + +The next morning David saw his mother, very pale and with red eyes. He +ran to her arms and begged her to forgive him. + +"Oh, Davy," she said, "that you should hurt anyone I love! I forgive +you, Davy, but it grieves me so that you should have such bad passions +in your heart. Try to be better, pray to be better." + +David was very unhappy that his mother should think him so wicked, and +though she kissed him, and said, "I forgive you, my dear boy, God bless +you," he cried so bitterly when he was on his way in the carrier's +cart, that his pocket handkerchief had to be spread out on the horse's +back to dry. + +After they had gone a little way the cart stopped, and Peggotty came +running up, with a parcel of cakes and a purse for David. After giving +him a good hug, she ran off. + +Davy found three bright shillings in the purse, and two half-crowns +wrapped in paper on which was written, in his mother's hand--"For Davy. +With my love." + +Davy shared his cakes with the carrier, who asked if Peggotty made them, +and David told him yes, she did all their cooking. The carrier looked +thoughtful, and then asked David if he would send a message to Peggotty +from him. David agreed, and the message was "Barkis is willing." While +David was waiting for the coach at Yarmouth, he wrote to Peggotty: + +MY DEAR PEGGOTTY,--I have come here safe. Barkis is willing. My love to +mamma.--Yours affectionately." + +"_P. S._--He says he particularly wanted you to know _Barkis is +willing_." + +At Yarmouth he found dinner was ordered for him, and felt very shy at +having a table all to himself, and very much alarmed when the waiter +told him he had seen a gentleman fall down dead, after drinking some of +their beer. David said he would have some water, and was quite grateful +to the waiter for drinking the ale that had been ordered for him, for +fear the people of the hotel should be offended. He also helped David to +eat his dinner and accepted one of his bright shillings. + +When they got to Salem House, as the School was called, David found that +he had been sent before the holidays were over as a punishment, and was +also to wear a placard on his back, on which was written--"Take care of +him. He bites." This made David miserable, and he dreaded the return of +the boys. + +Some of the boys teased David by pretending he was a dog, calling him +Towser, and patting and stroking him; but, on the whole, it was not so +bad as David had expected. The head boy, Steerforth, promised to take +care of him, and David loved him dearly, and thought him a great hero. +Steerforth took a great fancy to the pretty bright-eyed little fellow, +and David became a favorite with all the boys, by telling them all he +could remember of the tales he had read. + +One day David had a visit from Mr. Peggotty and Ham, who had brought two +enormous lobsters, a huge crab, and a large canvas bag of shrimps, as +they "remembered he was partial to a relish with his meals." + +David was proud to introduce his friend Steerforth to these kind simple +friends, and told them how good Steerforth was to him, and the "relish" +was much appreciated by the boys at supper that night. + +When he got home for the holidays David found he had a little baby +brother, and his mother and Peggotty were very much pleased to see him +again. Mr. and Miss Murdstone were out, and David sat with his mother +and Peggotty, and told them all about his school and Steerforth, and +took the little baby in his arms and nursed it lovingly. But when the +Murdstones came back they showed plainly they disliked him, and thought +him in the way, and scolded him, and would not allow him to touch the +baby, or even to sit with Peggotty in the kitchen, so he was not sorry +when the time came for him to go back to school, except for leaving his +dear mamma and the baby. + +About two months after he had been back at school he was sent for one +day and told that his dear mamma had died! The wife of the head-master +was very kind and gentle to the desolate little boy, and the boys were +very sorry for him. + +David went home the next day, and heard that the dear baby had died too. +Peggotty received him with great tenderness, and told him about his +mother's illness and how she had sent a loving message. + +"Tell my dearest boy that his mother, as she lay here, blessed him not +once, but a thousand times," and she had prayed to God to protect and +keep her fatherless boy. + +Mr. Murdstone did not take any notice of poor little David, nor had Miss +Murdstone a word of kindness for the orphan. Peggotty was to leave in a +month, and, to their great joy, David was allowed to go with her on a +visit to Mr. Peggotty. On their way David found out that the mysterious +message he had given to Peggotty meant that Barkis wanted to marry her, +and Peggotty had consented. Everyone in Mr. Peggotty's cottage was +pleased to see David, and did their best to comfort him. Little Em'ly +was at school when he arrived, and he went out to meet her, but when he +saw her coming along, her blue eyes bluer, and her bright face prettier +than ever, he pretended not to know her, and was passing by, when Em'ly +laughed and ran away, so of course he was obliged to run and catch her +and try to kiss her, but she would not let him, saying she was not a +baby now. But she was kind to him all the same, and when they spoke +about the loss of his dear mother, David saw that her eyes were full of +tears. + +During this visit Peggotty was married to Mr. Barkis, and had a nice +little house of her own, and Davy spent the night before he was to +return home in a little room in the roof. + +"Young or old, Davy dear, so long as I have this house over my head," +said Peggotty, "you shall find it as if I expected you here directly +every minute. I shall keep it as I used to keep your old little room, my +darling, and if you was to go to China, you might think of its being +kept just the same all the time you were away." + +David felt how good and true a friend she was, and thanked her as well +as he could, for they had brought him to the gate of his home, and +Peggotty had him clasped in her arms. + +How utterly wretched and forlorn he felt! He found he was not to go back +to school any more, and wandered about sad and solitary, neglected and +uncared for. Peggotty's weekly visits were his only comfort. No one took +any pains with him, and he had no friends near who could help him. + +At last one day, after some weary months had passed, Mr. Murdstone told +him he was to go to London and earn his own living. There was a place +for him at Murdstone & Grinby's, a firm in the wine trade. His lodging +and clothes would be provided for him by his step-father, and he would +earn enough for his food and pocket money. The next day David was sent +up to London with the manager, dressed in a shabby little white hat with +black crape round it for his mother, a black jacket, and hard, stiff +corduroy trousers, a little fellow of ten years old to fight his own +battles in the world! + +His place, he found, was one of the lowest, with boys of no education +and in quite an inferior station to himself--his duties were to wash +bottles, stick on labels, and so on. David was utterly miserable at +being degraded in this way, and shed bitter tears, as he feared he would +forget all he had learnt at school. His lodging, one bare little room, +was in the house of some people named Micawber, shiftless, careless, +good-natured people, who were always in debt and difficulties. David +felt great pity for their misfortunes and did what he could to help poor +Mrs. Micawber to sell her books and other little things she could spare, +to buy food for herself, her husband, and their four children. If he had +not been a very innocent-minded, good little boy, he might easily have +fallen into bad ways at this time. But God took care of the orphan boy +and kept him from harm. + +The troubles of the Micawbers increased more and more, until at last +they were obliged to leave London. The last Sunday the Micawbers were in +town David dined with them. After he had seen them off the next morning +by the coach, he wrote to Peggotty to ask her if she knew where his +aunt, Miss Betsy Trotwood, lived, and to borrow half a guinea; for he +had resolved to run away from Murdstone & Grinby's, and go to his aunt +and tell her his story. Peggotty wrote, enclosing the half-guinea, and +saying she only knew Miss Trotwood lived near Dover, but whether in that +place itself, or at Folkestone, Sandgate, or Hythe, she could not tell. +Hearing that all these places were close together, David made up his +mind to start. As he had received his week's wages in advance, he waited +till the following Saturday, thinking it would not be honest to go +before. He went out to look for some one to carry his box to the coach +office, and unfortunately employed a wicked young man who not only ran +off with his box, but robbed him of his half-guinea, leaving poor David +in dire distress. In despair, he started off to walk to Dover, and was +forced to sell his waistcoat to buy some bread. The first night he found +his way to his old school at Blackheath, and slept on a haystack close +by, feeling some comfort in the thought of the boys being near. He knew +Steerforth had left, or he would have tried to see him. + +On he trudged the next day and sold his jacket for one shilling and +fourpence. He was afraid to buy anything but bread or to spend any money +on a bed or a shelter for the night. After six days, he arrived at +Dover, ragged, dusty, and half-dead with hunger and fatigue. But here, +at first, he could get no tidings of his aunt, and, in despair, was +going to try some of the other places Peggotty had mentioned, when the +driver of a fly dropped his horsecloth, and as David was handing it up +to him, he saw something kind in the man's face that encouraged him to +ask once more if he knew where Miss Trotwood lived. + + [Illustration: LITTLE DAVID COPPERFIELD.] + +The man directed him towards some houses on the heights, and thither +David toiled; a forlorn little creature, without a jacket or waistcoat, +his white hat crushed out of shape, his shoes worn out, his shirt and +trousers torn and stained, his pretty curly hair tangled, his face and +hands sunburnt, and covered with dust. Lifting his big, wistful eyes to +one of the windows above, he saw a pleasant faced gentleman with grey +hair, who nodded at him several times, then shook his head and went +away. David was just turning away to think what he should do, when a +tall, erect, elderly lady, with a gardening apron on and a knife in her +hand, came out of the house, and began to dig up a root in the garden. + +"Go away," she cried. "Go away. No boys here." + +But David felt desperate. Going in softly, he stood beside her, and +touched her with his finger, and said timidly, "If you please, ma'am--" +and when she looked up, he went on-- + +"Please, aunt, I am your nephew." + +"Oh, Lord!" she exclaimed in astonishment, and sat flat down on the +path, staring at him, while he went on-- + +"I am David Copperfield, of Blunderstone, in Suffolk, where you came the +night I was born, and saw my dear mamma. I have been unhappy since she +died. I have been slighted and taught nothing, and thrown upon myself, +and put to work not fit for me. It made me run away to you. I was robbed +at first starting out and have walked all the way, and have never slept +in a bed since I began the journey." Here he broke into a passion of +crying, and his aunt jumped up and took him into the house, where she +put him on the sofa and sent the servant to ask "Mr. Dick" to come down. +The gentleman whom David had seen at the window came in and was told who +the ragged little object on the sofa was. + +"Now here you see young David Copperfield, and the question is What +shall I do with him?" + +"Do with him?" answered Mr. Dick. Then, after some consideration, and +looking at David, he said, "Well, if I was you, I would wash him!" + +David knelt down to say his prayers that night in a pleasant room facing +the sea, and as he lay in the clean, snow-white bed, he prayed he might +never be homeless again, and might never forget the homeless. + +The next morning his aunt told him she had written to Mr. Murdstone, and +at last Mr. and Miss Murdstone arrived. + +Mr. Murdstone told Miss Betsy that David was a very bad, stubborn, +violent-tempered boy, whom he had tried to improve, but could not +succeed. If Miss Trotwood chose to protect and encourage him now, she +must do it always, for he had come to fetch him away. + +"Are you ready to go, David?" asked his aunt. + +But David answered no, and begged and prayed her for his father's sake +to befriend and protect him, for neither Mr. nor Miss Murdstone had ever +liked him or been kind to him. + +"Mr. Dick," said Miss Trotwood, "what shall I do with this child?" + +Mr. Dick considered. "Have him measured for a suit of clothes directly." + +"Mr. Dick," said Miss Trotwood, "your common sense is invaluable." + +Then she pulled David towards her, and said to Mr. Murdstone, "You can +go when you like. I'll take my chance with the boy. If he's all you say +he is I can at least do as much for him as you have done. But I don't +believe a word of it." + +Some clothes were bought for him that same day and marked "Trotwood +Copperfield," for his aunt wished to call him by her name. + +Now David felt his troubles were over, and he began quite a new life, +well cared for and kindly treated. He was sent to a very nice school in +Canterbury, where his aunt left him with these words, which David never +forgot. + +"Trot, be a credit to yourself, to me, and Mr. Dick, and Heaven be with +you. Never be mean in anything, never be false, never be cruel. Avoid +these three vices, Trot, and I shall always be hopeful of you." + +David did his best to show his gratitude to his dear aunt by studying +hard, and trying to be all she could wish. + +When you are older you can read how he grew up to be a good, clever man, +and met again all his old friends, and made many new ones. + + + + +JENNY WREN. + + +One day, a great many years ago, a gentleman ran up the steps of a tall +house in the neighborhood of St. Mary Axe. + +The gentleman knocked and rang several times before any one came, but at +last an old man opened the door. "What were you up to that you did not +hear me?" said Mr. Fledgeby irritably. + +"I was taking the air at the top of the house, sir," said the old man +meekly, "it being a holiday. What might you please to want, sir?" + +"Humph! Holiday indeed," grumbled his master, who was a toy merchant +amongst other things. He then seated himself and gave the old man--a Jew +and Riah by name--directions about the dressing of some dolls, and, as +he rose to go, exclaimed-- + +"By the bye, how _do_ you take the air? Do you stick your head out of a +chimney-pot?" + +"No, sir, I have made a little garden on the roof." + +"Let's look at it," said Mr. Fledgeby. + +"Sir, I have company there," returned Riah hesitating, "but will you +please come up and see them?" + +Mr. Fledgeby nodded, and the old man led the way up flight after flight +of stairs, till they arrived at the house-top. Seated on a carpet, and +leaning against a chimney-stack, were two girls bending over books. Some +creepers were trained round the chimney-pots, and evergreens were placed +round the roof, and a few more books, a basket of gaily colored scraps, +and bits of tinsel, lay near. One of the girls rose on seeing that Riah +had brought a visitor, but the other remarked, "I'm the person of the +house downstairs, but I can't get up, whoever you are, because my back +is bad, and my legs are queer." + +"This is my master," said Riah speaking to the two girls, "and this," he +added, turning to Mr. Fledgeby, "is Miss Jenny Wren; she lives in this +house, and is a clever little dressmaker for little people. Her friend +Lizzie," continued Riah, introducing the second girl. "They are good +girls, both, and as busy as they are good; in spare moments they come up +here, and take to book learning." + +"Humph!" said Mr. Fledgeby, looking round, "Humph!" He was so much +surprised that apparently he couldn't get beyond that word. + +Lizzie, the elder of these two girls, was strong and handsome, but the +little Jenny Wren, whom she so loved and protected, was small, and +deformed, though she had a beautiful little face, and the longest and +loveliest golden hair in the world, which fell about her like a cloak of +shining curls, as though to hide the poor little misshapen figure. + +The Jew Riah, as well as Lizzie, was always kind and gentle to Jenny +Wren, who called him godfather. She had a father, who shared her poor +little rooms, whom she called her child, for he was a bad, drunken, +disreputable old man, and the poor girl had to care for him, and earn +money to keep them both. Sometimes the two girls, Jenny helping herself +along with a crutch, would go and walk about the fashionable streets. As +they walked along, Jenny would tell her friend of the fancies she had +when sitting alone at her work. "I imagine birds till I can hear them +sing," she said one day, "and flowers till I can smell them. And oh! the +beautiful children that come to me, in the early mornings! They are +quite different to other children, not like me, never cold, or anxious, +or tired, or hungry, never any pain; they come in numbers, in long +bright slanting rows, all dressed in white, with shiny heads. 'Who is +this in pain?' they say, and they sweep around and about me, take me up +in their arms, and I feel so light, and all the pain goes. I know they +are coming a long way off, by hearing them say, 'Who is this in pain?' +and I answer, 'Oh my blessed children, it's poor me! have pity on me, +and take me up and then the pain will go.'" + + [Illustration: JENNIE WREN. + "THE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN THAT COME TO ME."] + +Lizzie sat stroking and brushing the beautiful hair, when they were at +home again, and as she kissed her good-night, a miserable old man +stumbled into the room. "How's my Jenny Wren, best of children?" he +mumbled, as he shuffled unsteadily towards her, but Jenny pointed her +small finger towards him exclaiming--"Go along with you, you bad, +wicked, old child, you troublesome, wicked, old thing, _I_ know where +you have been; ain't you ashamed of yourself, you disgraceful boy?" +"Yes; my dear, yes," stammered the tipsy old father, tumbling into a +corner. One day when Jenny was on her way home with Riah, they came on a +small crowd of people. A tipsy man had been knocked down and badly +hurt--"Let us see what it is!" said Jennie. The next moment she +exclaimed--"Oh, gentlemen--gentlemen, he is my child, he belongs to me, +my poor, bad, old child!" + +"Your child--belongs to you--" repeated the man who was about to lift +the helpless figure on to a stretcher. "Aye, it's old Dolls--tipsy old +Dolls--" cried some one in the crowd, for it was by this name that they +knew the old man. + +"He's her father, sir," said Riah in a low tone to the doctor who was +now bending over the stretcher. + +"So much the worse," answered the doctor, "for the man is dead." + +Yes, "Mr. Dolls" was dead, and many were the dresses which the weary +fingers of the sorrowful little worker must make in order to pay for his +humble funeral, and buy a black frock for herself. Often the tears +rolled down on to her work. "My poor child," she said to Riah, "my poor +old child, and to think I scolded him so." + +"You were always a good, brave, patient girl," returned Riah, "always +good and patient, however tired." + +And so the poor little "person of the house" was left alone but for the +faithful affection of the kind Jew, and her friend Lizzie. Her room grew +pretty comfortable, for she was in great request in her "profession" as +she called it, and there was now no one to spend and waste her earnings. +But nothing could make her life otherwise than a suffering one till the +happy morning, when her child-angels visited her for the last time and +carried her away to the land where all such pain as hers is healed for +evermore. + + + + +PIP'S ADVENTURE. + + +All that little Philip Pirrip, usually called Pip, knew about his father +and mother, and five little brothers, was from seeing their tombstones +in the churchyard. He was taken care of by his sister, who was twenty +years older than himself. She had married a blacksmith, named Joe +Gargery, a kind, good man, while she, unfortunately, was a hard, stern +woman, and treated her little brother and her amiable husband with great +harshness. They lived in a marshy part of the country, about twenty +miles from the sea. + +One cold raw day towards evening, when Pip was about six years old, he +wandered into the churchyard, and trying to make out what he could of +the inscriptions on his family tombstones, and the darkness coming on, +he felt very lonely and frightened, and began to cry. + +"Hold your noise!" cried a terrible voice, and a man started up from +among the graves close to him. "Keep still, you little imp, or I'll cut +your throat!" + +He was a dreadful looking man, dressed in coarse grey cloth, with a +great iron on his leg. Wet, muddy and miserable, his teeth chattered in +his head, as he seized Pip by the chin. + +"Oh! don't cut my throat, sir," cried Pip, in terror. + +"Tell us your name!" said the man. "Quick!" + +"Pip, sir." + +"Once more," said the man, staring at him. "Give it mouth." + +"Pip. Pip, sir." + +"Show us where you live," said the man. "Point out the place." + +Pip showed him the village, about a mile or more from the church. + +The man looked at him for a moment, and then turned him upside down and +emptied his pockets. He found nothing in them but a piece of bread, +which he ate ravenously. + +"Now lookee here," said the man. "Where's your mother?" + +"There, sir," said Pip. + +At this the man started to run away, but stopped and looked over his +shoulder. + +"There, sir," explained Pip, showing him the tombstone. + +"Oh, and is that your father along of your mother?" + +"Yes, sir," said Pip. + +"Ha!" muttered the man, "then who d'ye live with--supposin' you're +kindly let to live, which I han't made up my mind about?" + +"My sister, sir, Mrs. Joe Gargery, wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, +sir." + +"Blacksmith, eh?" said the man, and looked down at his leg. Then he +seized the trembling little boy by both arms, and glaring down at him, +he said,-- + +"Now lookee here, the question being whether you're to be let to +live--You know what a file is?" + +"Yes, sir." + +"And you know what wittles is?" + +"Yes, sir." + +"You get me a file, and you get me wittles--you bring 'em both to me." +All this time he was tilting poor Pip backwards till he was dreadfully +frightened and giddy. + +"You bring me, to-morrow morning early, that file and them wittles--You +do it, and you never dare to say a word or dare to make a sign +concerning your having seen such a person as me, or any person sumever, +and you shall be let to live." Then he let him go, saying--"You remember +what you've undertook, and you get home." + +Pip ran home without stopping. Joe was sitting in the chimney corner, +and told him Mrs. Joe had been out to look for him, and taken Tickler +with her. Tickler was a cane, and Pip was rather depressed by this piece +of news. + +Mrs. Joe came in almost directly, and after having given Pip a taste of +Tickler, she sat down to prepare the tea, and cutting a huge slice of +bread and butter, she gave half of it to Joe and half to Pip. Pip +managed, after some time, to slip his down the leg of his trousers, and +Joe, thinking he had swallowed it, was dreadfully alarmed and begged him +not to bolt his food like that. "Pip, old chap, you'll do yourself a +mischief,--it'll stick somewhere, you can't have chewed it, Pip. You +know, Pip, you and me is always friends, and I'd be the last to tell +upon you at any time, but such a--such a most uncommon bolt as that." + + [Illustration: PIP AND THE CONVICT. + HALF DEAD WITH COLD AND HUNGER.] + +"Been bolting his food, has he?" cried Mrs. Joe. + +"You know, old chap," said Joe, "I bolted myself when I was your +age--frequent--and as a boy I've been among many bolters; but I never +see your bolting equal yet, Pip, and it's a mercy you ain't bolted +dead." + +Poor Pip passed a wretched night, thinking of the dreadful promise he +had made, and as soon as it was beginning to get light outside he got up +and crept downstairs. + +As quickly as he could he took some bread, some cheese, about half a jar +of mince-meat he tied up in a handkerchief, with the slice of bread and +butter, some brandy from a stone bottle, a meat bone with very little on +it, and a pork pie, which he found on an upper shelf. Then he got a file +from among Joe's tools, and ran for the marshes. + +Pip found the man waiting for him, half dead with cold and hunger, and +he ate the food in such a ravenous way that Pip, in spite of his terror, +was quite pitiful over him, and said, "I am glad you enjoy it." + +"Thankee, my boy, I do." + +Pip watched him trying to file the iron off his leg, and then, being +afraid of stopping longer away from home, he ran off. + +Pip passed a wretched morning expecting every moment that the +disappearance of the pie would be found out. But Mrs. Joe was too much +taken up with preparing the dinner, for they were expecting visitors. + +Just at the end of the dinner Pip thought his time had come to be found +out, for his sister said graciously to her guests-- + +"You must taste a most delightful and delicious present I have had. It's +a pie, a savory pork pie." + +Pip could bear it no longer, and ran for the door, and there ran head +foremost into a party of soldiers with their muskets, one of whom held +out a pair of handcuffs to him saying--"Here you are, look sharp, come +on." But they had not come for him, they only wanted Joe to mend the +handcuffs, for they were on the search for two convicts who had escaped +and were somewhere hid in the marshes. This turned the attention of Mrs. +Joe from the disappearance of the pie without which she had come back, +in great astonishment. When the handcuffs were mended the soldiers went +off, accompanied by Joe and one of the visitors, and Joe took Pip and +carried him on his back. + +Pip whispered, "I hope, Joe, we shan't find them," and Joe answered "I'd +give a shilling if they had cut and run, Pip." + +But the soldiers soon caught them, and one was Pip's miserable +acquaintance, and once when the man looked at Pip, the child shook his +head to try and let him know he had said nothing. + +But the convict, without looking at anyone, told the Sergeant he wanted +to say something to prevent other people being under suspicion, and said +he had taken some "wittles" from the blacksmith's. "It was some broken +wittles, that's what it was, and a dram of liquor, and a pie." + +"Have you happened to miss such an article as a pie, blacksmith?" +enquired the Sergeant. + +"My wife did, at the very moment when you came in." + +"So," said the convict, looking at Joe, "you're the blacksmith, are you? +Then I'm sorry to say, I've eat your pie." + +"God knows you're welcome to it," said Joe. "We don't know what you have +done, but we wouldn't have you starved to death for it, poor miserable +fellow creature. Would us, Pip?" + +Then the boat came, and the convicts were taken back to prison, and Joe +carried Pip home. + +Some years after, some mysterious friend sent money for Pip to be +educated and brought up as a gentleman, but it was only when Pip was +quite grown up that he discovered this mysterious friend was the +wretched convict who had frightened him so dreadfully that cold, dark +Christmas Eve. + + + + +TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: + + + Text in italics is indicated with underscores: _italics_. + + Inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been retained from + the original. + + Punctuation has been corrected without note. + + Obvious typographical errors have been corrected as follows: + Page 7: Fren changed to Fern + Page 25: Joe changed to Jo + Page 31: DORRITT changed to DORRIT + Page 34: needlwork changed to needlework + Page 40: distresed changed to distressed + Page 41: grandfaather changed to grandfather + Page 56: hugh changed to huge + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Charles Dickens' Children Stories, by +Charles Dickens + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHARLES DICKENS' CHILDREN STORIES *** + +***** This file should be named 37121.txt or 37121.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/7/1/2/37121/ + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, David E. Brown and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/37121.zip b/37121.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e3fbdcf --- /dev/null +++ b/37121.zip diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..52fc94c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #37121 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37121) |
