. Charles Dickens and Rochester. utter poverty and neglect; his father was in difficulties, and soon afterwards was removed to the Marshalsea Prison, and the boy Dickens was sent to do the veriest drudgery at a blacking manufactory at Hungerford Stairs. What such a boy must have suffered in his neglect it would be difficult to estimate. He was not only getting no book-learning whatever, but he was fast losing what little he had learned at Chatham. He was not even properly fed, and had to associate with very different people to those he had been used to in Kent. The subject of his neglect at th
. Charles Dickens and Rochester. utter poverty and neglect; his father was in difficulties, and soon afterwards was removed to the Marshalsea Prison, and the boy Dickens was sent to do the veriest drudgery at a blacking manufactory at Hungerford Stairs. What such a boy must have suffered in his neglect it would be difficult to estimate. He was not only getting no book-learning whatever, but he was fast losing what little he had learned at Chatham. He was not even properly fed, and had to associate with very different people to those he had been used to in Kent. The subject of his neglect at this time was so painful to himthat for twenty-five years afterwards he could not bring himself tomention it, even to his dearest friends. I find, however, that hementions the blacking manufactory incidentally in two of hisworks. In the Pickwick Papers^ chap, xxxiii., Mr. Weller, senior, *The Troy-Town School at the top of Star-Hill was kept for many years byMr. Geo. E. Shirley. The origin of the term Scrubbers is rather JASPERS Ediiin Drood: CHARLES DICKENS AND ROCHESTER. 5 says: Poetrys unnatral; no man ever talked poetry cept abeadle on boxin day, or Warrens blackin, or Rowlands oil, orsome othem low fellows. In Great expectations, ohdc^. xxvii.,in answer to a question as to whether he had seen London yet,Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, replies : Why, yes, sir, me andWopsle went off straight to look at the blackin wareus—but wedidnt find that it come up to its likeness in the red bills at theshop doors \ which I meantersay, added Joe, in an explanatorymanner, as it is there drawed too architectooralooral. For a full account of the almost incredible hardships and neg-lect that Dickens experienced at this time, see David only difference in the actual sordid drudgery he was put tois that in the novel he makes a wine and spirit warehouse pass forthe blacking manufactory. I will merely quote here the last para-graph of the dismal story. I kno
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