Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist Charles Dickens

For the next eight or ten months, Oliver was the victim of a systematic course of treacheryand deception. He was brought up by hand. The hungry and destitute situation of the infantorphan was duly reported by the workhouse authorities to the parish authorities. The parishauthorities inquired with dignity of the workhouse authorities, whether there was no female thendomiciled in 'the house' who was in a situation to impart to Oliver Twist, the consolation andnourishment of which he stood in need. The workhouse authorities replied with humility, thatthere was not. Upon this, the parish authorities magnanimously and humanely resolved, thatOliver should be 'farmed, ' or, in other words, that he should be dispatched to a branch-workhousesome three miles off, where twenty or thirty other juvenile offenders against the poor-laws, rolled about the floor all day, without the inconvenience of too much food or too much clothing, under the parental superintendence of an elderly female, who received the culprits at and for theconsideration of sevenpence-halfpenny per small head per week. Sevenpence-halfpenny's worthper week is a good round diet for a child; a great deal may be got for sevenpence-halfpenny, quite enough to overload its stomach, and make it uncomfortable. The elderly female was awoman of wisdom and experience; she knew what was good for children; and she had a veryaccurate perception of what was good for herself. So, she appropriated the greater part of theweekly stipend to her own use, and consigned the rising parochial generation to even a shorterallowance than was originally provided for them. Thereby finding in the lowest depth a deeperstill; and proving herself a very great experimental philosop