Stranica 35 [35]
OLIVER
IWISI;
oa
CHAPTER THE FIRST
Treats of the place where Oliver Twist was born,
and of the circumstances attending his Birth.
Amone other public buildings in a cer¬
tain town which shall be nameless, is one
which is common to most towns great or
small, to wit, a workhouse; and in this work¬
| gasping on a little flock mattress, rather
unequally poised between this world and
| favour of the latter. Now, if during this
brief period Oliver had been surrounded
by careful grandmothers, anxious aunts,
experienced nurses, and doctors of pro¬
found wisdom, he would most inevitably
inasmuch as it can be of no
quence to the reader, in this stage of the
business at all events, the item of mortal¬
ity whose name is prefixed to the head of
this chapter. For a long time after he
was ushered into this world of sorrow and
trouble, by the pari-h surgeon, it remained
a matter of considerable doubt whether
the child would survive to bear any name
at all; in which case it is somewhat more
than probable that these memoirs would
never have appeared, or, if they had, being
comprised within a couple of pages, they
Seal have possessed the inestimable
merit of being the most concise and faith¬
ful specimen of biography extant in the
literature of any age or country. Although
I am uot disposed to maintain that the
most fortunate and enviable circumstance
that can possibly befal a human being, I
do mean to say that in this particular
instance it was the best thing for Oliver
Twist that could by possibility have oc¬
eurred. The fact is, that there was con¬
siderable difficulty in inducing Oliver to
take upon himself the office of respiration,
—a troublesome practice, but one which
eustom has rendered necessary to our
easy existence,—and for some time he lay
2
| dered rather misty by an unwonted allow¬
ance of beer, and a parish surgeon who
did such matters by contract, 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 the work¬
house the fact of a new burden having
been imposed upon the parish, by setting
| up as loud a cry as could reasonably have
been expected from a male infant who had
not been possessed of that very useful ap¬
pendage, a voice, for a much longer space
_of time than three minutes and a quarter.
As Oliver gave this first testimony of
the free and proper action of his lungs,
the patchwork coverlet, which was care¬
lessly flung over the iron bedstead, rus¬
tled ; the pale face of a young female was
raised feebly from the pillow; and a faint
voice imperfectly articulated the words
6 Let me see the child, and die.”
The surgeon had been sitting with his
face turned towards the fire, giving the
| palms of his hands a warm, and a rub,
alternately; but as the young woman
spoke, he rose, and, advancing to the
bed’s head, said with more kindn ss than
might have been expected of him —
| (13)