37 Oliver Twist - Read By Stephanie Poppins

"Oliver Twist," written by Charles Dickens in the 19th century, tells the story of an orphan boy and his adventures in London's slums. In this episode, there is a shock in the night that disrupts the fragile peace of the darkened city streets, propelling Oliver into unforeseen challenges and encounters.

In this episode, Mr Bumble is not quite as clever as he thinks.

Transcript

Hello.

Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,

Your go-to romantic podcast that guarantees you a calm and entertaining transition into a great night's sleep.

Come with me as we immerse ourselves in a romantic journey to a time long since forgotten.

But before we begin,

Let's take a moment to focus on where we are now.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.

Now close your eyes and feel yourself sink deeper into the support beneath you.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go.

Happy listening.

Chapter 37 In which the reader may perceive a contrast not uncommon in matrimonial cases.

Mr.

Bumble sat in the workhouse parlour with his eyes moodily fixed on the cheerless grate when thus it was summertime no brighter gleam preceded than the reflection of certain sickly rays of the sun which were sent back from its cold and shining surface.

A paper fly cage dangled from the ceiling to which he occasionally raised his eyes in gloomy thought and as the heedless insects hovered around the gaudy network Mr.

Bumble would heave a deep sigh while a more gloomy shadow overspread his countenance.

He was meditating.

It might be that the insects brought to mind some painful passage in his own past life.

Nor was Mr.

Bumble's gloom the only thing calculated to awaken a pleasing melancholy in the bosom of the spectator.

They were not wanting other appearances and those closely connected with his own person which announced that a great change had taken place in the position of his affairs.

The laced coat and the cocked hat where were they?

He still wore knee breeches and dark cotton stockings on his nether limbs but they were not the breeches.

The coat was wide skirted and in that respect like the coat but oh how different.

The mighty cocked hat was replaced by a modest round one.

Mr.

Bumble was no longer a beadle.

There are some promotions in life which independent of the more substantial rewards they offer require peculiar value and dignity from the coats and waistcoats connected with them.

A field marshal has his uniform.

A bishop his silk apron.

A counsellor his silk gown.

A beadle his cocked hat.

Strip the bishop of his apron or the beadle of his hat and lace.

What are they?

Men.

Mere men.

Dignity and even holiness too sometimes are more questions of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine.

Mr.

Bumble had married Mrs.

Corney and was master of the workhouse.

Another beadle had come into power.

On him the cocked hat,

Laced coat and staff had all three descended.

And tomorrow's two months it was done said Mr.

Bumble with a sigh.

It seems like an age.

He might have meant he had concentrated a whole existence of happiness into the short space of eight weeks but the sigh.

There was a vast deal of meaning in the sigh.

I told myself said Mr.

Bumble pursuing the same train of reflection for six teaspoons a pair of sugar tongs and a milk pot with a small quantity of secondhand furniture 20 pounds.

I went very reasonable.

Cheap.

Dirt cheap.

Cheap cried a shrill voice in Mr.

Bumble's ear.

You would have been dear at any price and dear enough I paid for you.

Lord above knows that.

Mr.

Bumble turned and encountered the face of his interesting consult who in perfectly comprehending the few words she'd overheard of his complaint had hazarded the foregoing remark at a venture.

Mrs.

Bumble ma'am said Mr.

Bumble with a sentimental sternness.

Well cried the lady.

Have the goodness to look at me said Mr.

Bumble fixing his eyes upon her.

If she stands such an eye as that he said to himself she can stand anything it's an eye I never knew to fail with paupers.

If it fails with her my power is gone.

Whether an exceedingly small expansion of eye be sufficient to quell paupers who being lightly fed or in no very high condition or whether the late Mrs.

Corny was particularly proof against equal glances are matters of opinion.

The matter of fact is that the matron was in no way overpowered by Mr.

Bumble's scowl.

On the contrary she treated it with great disdain and even raised a laugh there at which sounded as though it were genuine.

On hearing this most unexpected sound Mr.

Bumble looked first incredulous and afterwards amazed.

He then relapsed into his former state nor did he rouse himself until his attention was again awakened by the voice of his partner.

Are you going to sit there snoring all day she inquired.

I am going to sit here as long as I think proper ma'am he rejoined and although I was not snoring I shall snore,

Gape,

Sneeze,

Laugh or cry as the humour strikes me such be my prerogative.

Your prerogative said Mrs.

Bumble.

I said the word ma'am the prerogative of a man is to command and what's the prerogative of a woman in the name of goodness?

To obey ma'am.

Your late unfortunate husband should have taught it you and then perhaps he might have been alive now.

I wish he was poor man.

Mrs.

Bumble seeing at a glance that the decisive moment had now arrived and that a blow struck for the mastership on one side or other must necessarily be final no sooner heard this allusion to the dead and gone than she dropped into a chair and with a loud scream that Mr.

Bumble was a hard-hearted brute fell into a paroxysm of tears but tears were not the things to find their way to Mr.

Bumble's soul his heart was waterproof like washable beaver hats that improved with rain his nerves were rendered stouter and more vigorous by showers of tears which being tokens of weakness and so far tacit admissions of his own power pleased and exalted him he eyed his good lady with looks of great satisfaction and begged in an encouraging manner she should cry her hardest the exercise being looked upon by the faculty is strongly conducive to health it opens the lungs washes the countenance exercises the eyes and softens down the temper said Mr.

Bumble so cry away as he discharged himself of this pleasantry Mr.

Bumble took his hat from a peg and putting it on rather rakishly on one side as a man might who felt he had asserted his superiority in a becoming manner thrust his hands into his pockets and sauntered towards the door with much ease and waggishness depicted in his whole appearance now mrs corny that was had dried the tears because they were less troublesome than a manual assault but she was quite prepared to make a trial of the latter mode of proceeding as Mr.

Bumble was not long in discovering the first proof he experienced of the fact was conveyed in a hollow sound immediately succeeded by the sudden flying off of his hat to the opposite end of the room this preliminary proceeding laying bare his head the expert lady clasping him tightly around the throat with one hand inflicted a shower of blows with another this done she created a little variety by scratching his face and tearing his hair and having by this time inflicted as much punishment as she deemed necessary she pushed him over a chair which was luckily well situated for the purpose and defied him to talk about his prerogative again if he did get up said mrs bumble in a voice of command and take yourself away from here unless you want me to do something desperate Mr.

Bumble rose with a very rueful countenance wondering much what something desperate might be picking up his hat he looked towards the door are you going demanded mrs bumble certainly my dear certainly we joined Mr.

Bumble making a quick emotion towards the door i didn't intend i i mean you're so very violent that really at this instant mrs bumble stepped hastily forward to replace the carpet which had been kicked up in the scuffle Mr.

Bumble immediately darted out of the room without bestowing another thought on his unfinished sentence leaving the late mrs corny in full possession of the field he was fairly taken by surprise and fairly beaten he had a decided propensity for bullying derived no inconsiderable pleasure from the exercise of petty cruelty and consequently was it's needless to say a coward this is by no means a disparagement to his character for many official personages who are held in high respect and admiration are the victims of similar infirmities the remark is made indeed rather in his favor than otherwise and with a view of impressing the reader with a just sense of his qualifications for office but the measure of his degradation was not yet full after making a tour of the house and thinking for the first time the poor laws really were too hard on people and that men who ran away from their wives leaving them chargeable to the parish ought in justice to be visited with no punishment at all but rather rewarded as meritorious individuals who'd suffered much Mr.

Bumble came to a room where some of the female paupers were usually employed in washing the parish linen where the sound of voices in conversation now proceeded um said Mr.

Bumble summoning all his native dignity these women at least shall continue to respect the prerogative hello there what do you mean by this noise you hussies with these words Mr.

Bumble opened the door and walked in with a very fierce and angry manner this was at once exchanged for a most humiliated and cowering air as his eyes unexpectedly rested on the form of his lady wife my dear said Mr.

Bumble I didn't know you were here didn't know I was here repeated Mrs.

Bumble what do you do here now I thought they were talking rather too much to be doing their work properly my dear replied Mr.

Bumble glancing distractedly at a couple of old women at the wash tub you thought they were talking too much said Mrs.

Bumble what business is it of yours why my dear what business is it of yours it's very true your matron here my dear but I thought you mightn't be in the way just then I'll tell you what Mr.

Bumble we don't want any of your interference you're a great deal too fond of poking your nose into things that don't concern you making everybody in the house laugh the moment your back's turned and making yourself look like a fool every hour in the day be off what could Mr.

Bumble do she'd caught up a bowl of soap suds and motioning him towards the door she ordered him instantly to depart he slunk away and as he reached the door the titterings of the paupers broke into a shrill chuckle he was degraded in their eyes he had lost cast and station before the very paupers he had fallen from all the height and pomp of a beadle ship to the lowest depth of the most snubbed hen peccary all in two months he said to himself filled with dismal thoughts no more than two months ago I was not only my own master but everybody else's it was too much he boxed the ears of the boy who opened the gate for him and walked distractedly into the street first up one street then down another until exercise abated the first passion of his grief he felt thirsty he passed a great many public houses but at length paused before one in a byway whose parlour as he gathered from a hasty peep over the blinds was deserted save one solitary customer it began to rain heavily this determined him he stepped in and ordering something to drink as he passed the bar entered the apartment into which he looked from the street the man who sat there was tall and dark and wore a large cloak he had the air of a stranger and seemed by a certain haggardness as well as by the dusty soils on his dress to have travelled some distance he eyed bumble askance as he entered but scarcely deigned to nod his head in acknowledgement of his salutation mr bumble had quite dignity enough for two supposing even that the stranger had been more familiar so he drank his gin and water in silence and read the paper with a great show of pomp and circumstance it just so happened as it will happen very often when men fall into company under such circumstances that mr bumble felt a powerful inducement which he could not resist to steal a look at the stranger his awkwardness was enhanced by the very remarkable expression of the stranger's eye it was keen and bright but shadowed by a scowl of distrust and suspicion when they'd encountered each other's glance several times the stranger in a harsh deep voice broke silence were you looking for me when you peered in the window not that i'm aware of unless you're mr here bumble stopped short for he was curious to know the stranger's name i see you are not said the stranger or you'd have known my name you don't know it and i'd recommend you not to ask for it i meant no harm young man observed mr bumble majestically and i have done none said the stranger and i've seen you before i think you were differently dressed at the time and only passed you in the street but i should know you again you were the beadle here once were you not i was said mr bumble in some surprise parochial beadle just so what are you now master of the workhouse you have the same eye to your interest you always had don't scruple to answer freely man i know you pretty well you see now listen to me said the stranger after closing a door and a window now i came down this place today to find you out and by one of those chances which the devil throws in the way of his friends sometimes you walked into the very room i was sitting in i want some information from you as he spoke he pushed a couple of sovereigns across the table when mr bumble had scrupulously examined the coins to see they were genuine and with much satisfaction put them in his waistcoat pocket he said carry me back now let me see 12 years last winter it's a long time said mr bumble the scene the workhouse yes a boy was born there a good many boys i speak of one a meek looking pale face boy who was apprenticed down there to a coffin maker and who afterwards ran away to london why you mean oliver young twist said mr bumble i remember him there wasn't a more obstinate young rascal well it's not of him i want to hear it's of a woman the hag that nursed his mother where is she where is she said mr bumble whom the gin and water had rendered facetious it would be hard to tell there's no midwifery there whichever place she's gone to i suppose she's out of employment what do you mean she died last winter the man looked fixedly at mr bumble although he did not withdraw his eyes for some time afterwards his gaze gradually became vacant and abstracted he seemed lost in thought for some time he appeared doubtful whether he ought to be relieved or disappointed but at length he breathed more freely but mr bumble was cunning enough he at once saw an opportunity was open for the lucrative disposal of some secret in the possession of his better half he well remembered the night of old sally's death the occasion on which he had proposed to mrs corny he'd heard enough to know it related to something that had occurred in the old woman's attendance hastily calling this circumstance to mind he informed the stranger with an air of mystery that one woman had been closeted with the old harridan shortly before she died and she could as he had reason to believe throw some light on the subject how can i find her said the stranger only through me rejoined mr bumble when tomorrow night and with these words the stranger led the way to the door after stopping to pay for the liquor that had been drunk shortly remarking their roads were different mr bumble departed without more ceremony than an emphatic repetition of the hour of appointment for the following night and what name am i to ask for he added monks rejoined the man producing a scrap of paper and writing down upon it an obscure address by the water side in characters that betrayed his agitation night in the evening bring her to me there i needn't tell you to be secret it's in your interest

Reviews

I only wish you strung together 2-3 chapters or had a playlist, so there listening more seamless, but imagine easier this way for you!
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