ELECBOOK CLASSICSOLIVERTWISTCharles DickensELECBOOK CLASSICSebc0012. Charles Dickens: Oliver TwistThis file is free for individual use only. It must not be altered or resold.Organisations wishing to use it must first obtain a licence.Low cost licenses are available. Contact us through our web site. The Electric Book Co 1998The Electric Book Company Ltd20 Cambridge Drive, London SE12 8AJ, UK+44 (0)181 488 3872 mOLIVER TWISTCharles DickensOliver TwistContentsClick on number to go to chapterChapter 1. Treats Of The Place Where Oliver TwistWas Born; And Of The Circumstances Attending HisBirth..........................................................................................................9Chapter 2. Treats Of Oliver Twist’s Growth,Education, And Board..........................................................................13Chapter 3. Relates How Oliver Twist Was Very NearGetting A Place, Which Would Not Have Been ASinecure. ................................................................................................27Chapter 4. Oliver, Being Offered Another Place,Makes His First Entry Into Public Life.............................................38Chapter 5. Oliver Mingles With New Associates—Going To A Funeral For The First Time, He Forms AnUnfavourable Notion Of His Master’s Business...............................47Chapter 6. Oliver, Being Goaded By The Taunts OfNoah, Rouses Into Action, And Rather Astonishes Him. ...............61Chapter 7. Oliver Continues Refractory. .........................................68Chapter 8. Oliver Walks To London—He EncountersOn The Road A Strange Sort Of Young Gentleman........................77Chapter 9. Containing Further Particulars ConcerningThe Pleasant Old Gentleman, And His Hopeful Pupils..................88Chapter 10. Oliver Becomes Better Acquainted WithThe Characters Of His New Associates; And PurchasesExperience At A High Price—Being A Short But VeryCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver TwistImportant Chapter In This History....................................................96Chapter 11. Treats Of Mr. Fang The Police Magistrate;And Furnishes A Slight Specimen Of His Mode OfAdministering Justice. .......................................................................103Chapter 12. In Which Oliver Is Taken Better Care OfThan He Ever Was Before—And In Which TheNarrative Reverts To The Merry Old Gentleman AndHis Youthful Friends..........................................................................113Chapter 13. Some New Acquaintances Are IntroducedTo The Intelligent Reader, Connected With Whom,Various Pleasant Matters Are Related, Appertaining ToThis History. ........................................................................................125Chapter 14. Comprising Further Particulars OfOliver’s Stay At Mr. Brownlow’s, With The RemarkablePrediction Which One Mr. Grimwig UtteredConcerning Him, When He Went Out On An Errand...................136Chapter 15. Showing How Very Fond Of Oliver Twist,The Merry Old Jew And Miss Nancy Were. ...................................150Chapter 16. Relates What Became Of Oliver Twist,After He Had Been Claimed By Nancy...........................................159Chapter 17. Oliver’s destiny continuing unpropitious,brings a great man to London to injure his reputation.................172Chapter 18. How Oliver Passed His Time In TheImproving Society Of His Reputable Friends................................184Chapter 19. In Which A Notable Plan Is DiscussedAnd Determined On...........................................................................195Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver TwistChapter 20. Wherein Oliver Is Delivered Over To Mr.William Sikes.......................................................................................208Chapter 21. The Expedition.............................................................219Chapter 22. The Burglary. ...............................................................227Chapter 23. Which Contains The Substance Of APleasant Conversation Between Mr. Bumble And ALady; And Shows That Even A Beadle May BeSusceptible On Some Points.............................................................236Chapter 24. Treats Of A Very Poor Subject—But Is AShort One, And May Be Found Of Importance In ThisHistory. .................................................................................................246Chapter 25. Wherein This History Reverts To Mr.Fagin And Company...........................................................................254Chapter 26. In Which A Mysterious Character AppearsUpon The Scene; And Many Things, Inseparable FromThis History, Are Done And Performed..........................................262Chapter 27. Atones For The Unpoliteness Of A FormerChapter, Which Deserted A Lady MostUnceremoniously................................................................................278Chapter 28. Looks After Oliver, And Proceeds WithHis Adventures....................................................................................288Chapter 29. Has An Introductory Account Of TheInmates Of The House, To WhichOliver Resorted.......................301Chapter 30. Relates What Oliver’s New VisitorsThought Of Him..................................................................................306Chapter 31. Involves A Critical Position........................................315Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver TwistChapter 32. Of The Happy Life Oliver Began To LeadWith His Kind Friends.......................................................................329Chapter 33. Wherein The Happiness Of Oliver And HisFriends, Experiences A Sudden Check...........................................341Chapter 34. Contains Some Introductory ParticularsRelative To A Young Gentleman Who Now ArrivesUpon The Scene; And A New Adventure WhichHappened ToOliver...........................................................................352Chapter 35. Containing The Unsatisfactory Result OfOliver’s Adventure; And A Conversation Of SomeImportance Between Harry Maylie And Rose. ..............................365Chapter 36. Is a very short one, and may appear of nogreat importance in its place; but it should be readnotwithstanding, as a sequel to the last, and a key toone that will follow when its time arrives. ......................................375Chapter 37. In Which The Reader May Perceive AContrast, Not Uncommon In Matrimonial Cases. .........................379Chapter 38. Containing An Account Of What PassedBetween Mr. And Mrs. Bumble, And Mr. Monks, AtTheir Nocturnal Interview. ...............................................................392Chapter 39. Introduces Some Respectable CharactersWith Whom The Reader Is Already Acquainted, AndShows How Monks And The Jew Laid Their WorthyHeads Together...................................................................................405Chapter 40. A Strange Interview, Which Is A SequelTo The Last Chapter. .........................................................................424Chapter 41. Containing Fresh Discoveries, AndCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver TwistShowing That Surprises, Like Misfortunes, SeldomCome Alone..........................................................................................433Chapter 42. An Old Acquaintance Of Oliver’s,Exhibiting Decided Marks Of Genius, Becomes APublic Character In The Metropolis................................................446Chapter 43. Wherein Is Shown How The ArtfulDodger Got Into Trouble...................................................................460Chapter 44. The Time Arrives For Nancy To RedeemHer Pledge To Rose Maylie—She Fails...........................................474Chapter 45. Noah Claypole Is Employed By Fagin OnA Secret Mission. ................................................................................483Chapter 46. The Appointment Kept...............................................488Chapter 47. Fatal Consequences.....................................................501Chapter 48. The Flight Of Sikes......................................................510Chapter 49. Monks And Mr. Brownlow At LengthMeet—Their Conversation, And The Intelligence ThatInterrupts It.........................................................................................522Chapter 50. The Pursuit And Escape.............................................535Chapter 51. Affording an explanation of moremysteries than one, and comprehending a proposal ofmarriage with no word of settlement or pin-money......................550Chapter 52. Fagin’s Last Night Alive .............................................567Chapter 53. And Last........................................................................578Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver TwistChapter 1Treats Of The Place Where Oliver Twist Was Born;And Of The Circumstances Attending His Birth.Among other public buildings in a certain town, which formany reasons it will be prudent to refrain frommentioning, and to which I will assign no fictitious name,there is one anciently common to most towns, great or small; towit, a workhouse; and in this workhouse was born, on a day anddate which I need not trouble myself to repeat, inasmuch as it canbe of no possible consequence to the reader, in this stage of thebusiness at all events, the item of mortality whose name isprefixed to the head of this chapter.For a long time after it was ushered into this world of sorrowand trouble, by the parish surgeon, it remained a matter ofconsiderable doubt whether the child would survive to bear anyname at all; in which case it is somewhat more than probable thatthese memoirs would never have appeared; or, if they had, thatbeing comprised within a couple of pages, they would havepossessed the inestimable merit of being the most concise andfaithful specimen of biography, extant in the literature of any ageor country.Although I am not disposed to maintain that the being born in aworkhouse, is in itself the most fortunate and enviablecircumstance that can possibly befall a human being, I do mean tosay that in this particular instance, it was the best thing for OliverTwist that could by possibility have occurred. The fact is, thatCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twistthere was considerable difficulty in inducing Oliver to take uponhimself the office of respiration—a troublesome practice, but onewhich custom has rendered necessary to our easy existence; andfor some time he lay gasping on a little flock mattress, ratherunequally poised between this world and the next: the balancebeing decidedly in favour of the latter. Now, if, during this briefperiod, Oliver had been surrounded by careful grandmothers,anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profoundwisdom, he would most inevitably and indubitably have beenkilled in no time. There being nobody by, however, but a pauperold woman, who was rendered rather misty by an unwontedallowance of beer; and a parish surgeon who did such matters bycontract; Oliver and Nature fought out the point between them.The result was, that, after a few struggles, Oliver breathed,sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of theworkhouse the fact of a new burden having been imposed uponthe parish, by setting up as loud a cry as could reasonably havebeen expected from a male infant who had not been possessed ofthat very useful appendage, a voice, for a much longer space oftime than three minutes and a quarter.As Oliver gave this first proof of the free and proper action ofhis lungs, the patchwork coverlet which was carelessly flung overthe iron bedstead rustled; the pale face of a young woman wasraised feebly from the pillow; and a faint voice imperfectlyarticulated the words, “Let me see the child, and die.”The surgeon had been sitting with his face turned towards thefire, giving the palms of his hands a warm and a rub alternately.As the young woman spoke, he rose, and advancing to the bed’shead, said, with more kindness than might have been expected ofCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twisthim:“Oh, you must not talk about dying yet.”“Lor bless her dear heart, no!” interposed the nurse, hastilydepositing in her pocket a green glass bottle, the contents of whichshe had been tasting in a corner with evident satisfaction. “Lorbless her dear heart, when she has lived as long as I have, sir, andhad thirteen children of her own, and all on ’em dead except two,and them in the wurkus with me, she’ll know better than to takeon in that way, bless her dear heart! Think what it is to be amother, there’s a dear young lamb, do.”Apparently this consolatory perspective of a mother’s prospectsfailed in producing its due effect. The patient shook her head, andstretched out her hand towards the child.The surgeon deposited it in her arms. She imprinted her coldwhite lips passionately on its forehead; passed her hands over herface; gazed wildly round, shuddered; fell back—and died. Theychafed her breast, hands, and temples; but the blood had stoppedfor ever. They talked of hope and comfort. They had beenstrangers too long.“It’s all over, Mrs. Thingummy!” said the surgeon at last.“Ah, poor dear, so it is!” said the nurse, picking up the cork ofthe green bottle, which had fallen out on the pillow, as she stoopedto take up the child. “Poor dear!”“You needn’t mind sending up to me, if the child cries, nurse,”said the surgeon, putting on his gloves with great deliberation.“It’s very likely it will be troublesome. Give it a little gruel if it is.”He put on his hat, and, pausing by the bedside on his way to thedoor, added, “She was a good-looking girl, too; where did shecome from?”Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist“She was brought here last night,” replied the old woman, “bythe overseer’s order. She was found lying in the street. She hadwalked some distance, for her shoes were worn to pieces; butwhere she came from, or where she was going to, nobody knows.”The surgeon leaned over the body, and raised the left hand.“The old story,” he said, shaking his head: “no wedding ring, I see.Ah! Good-night!”The medical gentleman walked away to dinner; and the nurse,having once more applied herself to the green bottle, sat down ona low chair before the fire, and proceeded to dress the infant.What an excellent example of the power of dress young OliverTwist was I Wrapped in the blanket which had hitherto formed hisonly covering, he might have been the child of a nobleman or abeggar; it would have been hard for the haughtiest stranger tohave assigned him his proper station in society. But now that hewas enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow inthe same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into hisplace at once—a parish child—the orphan of a workhouse—thehumble, half-starved drudge—to be cuffed and buffeted throughthe world—despised by all, and pitied by none.Oliver cried lustily. If he could have known that he was anorphan, left to the tender mercies of church-wardens andoverseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder.Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver TwistChapter 2