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The Readings of Charles Dickens, as Arranged and Read by Himself. With an Intr. by J. Hollingshead
The Readings of Charles Dickens as Arranged and Read by Himself With an Intr by J Hollingshead Author:Charles Dickens General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1907 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III At this period of my life I lived in my top set of chambers in Buckingham Street, Strand, London, and was over head and ears in love with Dora. I lived principally on Dora and coffee. My appetite languished, and I was glad of it, for I felt as though it would have been an act of perfidy towards Dora to have a natural relish for my dinner. I bought four sumptuous waistcoats -- not for myself, I had no pride in them -- for Dora. I took to wearing straw-coloured kid gloves in the streets. I laid the foundations of all the corns I have ever had. If the boots I wore at that period could only be produced, and compared with the natural size of my feet, they would show in a most affecting manner what the state of my heart was. Mrs. Crupp, the housekeeper of my chambers, must have been a woman of penetration ; for when this attachment was but a few weeks old she found it out. She came up to me one evening when I was very low, to ask (she being afflicted with spasms) if I could oblige her with a little tincture of cardamums, mixed with rhubarb, and flavoured with seven drops of the essence of cloves ; or, if I had not such a thing by me, with a little brandy. As I had never even heard of the first remedy, and always had the second in the closet, I gave Mrs. Crupp a glass of the second, which (that I might have no suspicion of its being devoted to any improper use) she began to take immediately. " Cheer up, sir," said Mrs. Crupp. " Excuse me ; I know what it is, sir. There's a lady in the case." " Mrs. Crupp ?" " 0, bless you I Keep a good heart, sir! Never say die, sir! If she don't smile upon y...« less