Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ... OLIVER TWIST Among other public buildings in a certain English town, whose name it will perhaps be wiser not to mention, is one formerly common to all towns, rich or poor. This is the parish workhouse. It differs little from others of its kind, and we speak of it only for the reason that, within its walls on a day and date which will be of little consequence to the reader, was ushered into the world the morsel of mortality whose name heads this chapter. For some time after the appearance of the infant it was doubtful whether he would live to bear any name at all, in which case this story would probably never have been written. The difficulty lay in inducing him to take upon himself the office of breathing, and until he could be persuaded to do so, he lay gasping on his tiny mattress, halfway between this world and the next. Had he been surrounded by careful grandmammas, anxious aunts, and experi 73 enced nurses he would very likely have been killed in no time. There being nobody by, however, but an old pauper woman, he had full opportunity to fight it out with Nature. The result was that after a few struggles he breathed, sneezed, and then set up as loud a cry as could reasonably be expected from so small a boy. At the child's first wail the patchwork quilt that was thrown over the iron bed rustled, and his young mother lifted her pale face from the pillow. She begged weakly that the old woman would show her her baby and then let her die. The nurse, who was dividing her attention between her charge and a green glass bottle, thrust the latter under her apron, and tried to comfort her patient. But the young woman shook her head, and stretched out her arms for her son. Clasping him closely to her, she kissed him tenderly on his forehead....
