‘Ah, you’ll get used to it in time, Oliver,’
said Sowerberry. ‘Nothing when you are
used to it, my boy.’
Oliver wondered, in his own mind, whether it had taken
a very long time to get Mr. Sowerberry used to it.
But he thought it better not to ask the question;
and walked back to the shop: thinking over all
he had seen and heard.
OLIVER, BEING GOADED BY THE TAUNTS OF NOAH, ROUSES
INTO ACTION, AND RATHER ASTONISHES HIM
The month’s trial over, Oliver was formally
apprenticed. It was a nice sickly season just
at this time. In commercial phrase, coffins
were looking up; and, in the course of a few weeks,
Oliver acquired a great deal of experience. The
success of Mr. Sowerberry’s ingenious speculation,
exceeded even his most sanguine hopes. The oldest
inhabitants recollected no period at which measles
had been so prevalent, or so fatal to infant existence;
and many were the mournful processions which little
Oliver headed, in a hat-band reaching down to his knees,
to the indescribable admiration and emotion of all
the mothers in the town. As Oliver accompanied
his master in most of his adult expeditions too, in
order that he might acquire that equanimity of demeanour
and full command of nerve which was essential to a
finished undertaker, he had many opportunities of observing
the beautiful resignation and fortitude with which
some strong-minded people bear their trials and losses.
For instance; when Sowerberry had an order for the
burial of some rich old lady or gentleman, who was
surrounded by a great number of nephews and nieces,
who had been perfectly inconsolable during the previous
illness, and whose grief had been wholly irrepressible
even on the most public occasions, they would be as
happy among themselves as need be—quite
cheerful and contented—conversing together
with as much freedom and gaiety, as if nothing whatever
had happened to disturb them. Husbands, too,
bore the loss of their wives with the most heroic calmness.
Wives, again, put on weeds for their husbands, as if,
so far from grieving in the garb of sorrow, they had
made up their minds to render it as becoming and attractive
as possible. It was observable, too, that ladies
and gentlemen who were in passions of anguish during
the ceremony of interment, recovered almost as soon
as they reached home, and became quite composed before
the tea-drinking was over. All this was very
pleasant and improving to see; and Oliver beheld it
with great admiration.
That Oliver Twist was moved to resignation by the
example of these good people, I cannot, although I
am his biographer, undertake to affirm with any degree
of confidence; but I can most distinctly say, that
for many months he continued meekly to submit to the
domination and ill-treatment of Noah Claypole:
who used him far worse than before, now that his jealousy
was roused by seeing the new boy promoted to the black
