CHAPTER IV MR. BOUNDERBY

soraggedanddirty,thatyouwouldn’thavetouchedmewithapairoftongs.’ Mrs.Gradgrindfaintlylookedatthetongs,asthemostappropriatethingherimbecilitycouldthinkofdoing. ‘HowIfoughtthroughit,Idon’tknow,’saidBounderby.‘Iwasdetermined,Isuppose.Ihavebeenadeterminedcharacterinlaterlife,andIsupposeIwasthen.HereIam,Mrs.Gradgrind,anyhow,andnobodytothankformybeinghere,butmyself.’ Mrs.Gradgrindmeeklyandweaklyhopedthathismother— ‘Mymother?Bolted,ma’am!’saidBounderby. Mrs.Gradgrind,stunnedasusual,collapsedandgaveitup. ‘Mymotherleftmetomygrandmother,’saidBounderby‘and,accordingtothebestofmyremembrance,mygrandmotherwasthewickedestandtheworstoldwomanthateverlived.IfIgotalittlepairofshoesbyanychance,shewouldtake’emoffandsell’emfordrink.Why,Ihaveknownthatgrandmotherofminelieinherbedanddrinkherfour-teenglassesofliquorbeforebreakfast!’ Mrs.Gradgrind,weaklysmiling,andgivingnoothersignofvitality,looked(asshealwaysdid)likeanindifferentlyexecutedtransparencyofasmallfemalefigure,withoutenoughlightbehindit. ‘Shekeptachandler’sshop,’pursuedBounderby,‘andkeptmeinanegg-box.Thatwasthecotofmyinfancyanoldegg-box.AssoonasIwasbigenoughtorunaway,ofcourseIranaway.ThenIbecameayoungvagabondandinsteadofoneoldwomanknockingmeaboutandstarvingme,everybodyofallagesknockedmeaboutandstarvedme.Theywererighttheyhadnobusinesstodoanythingelse.Iwasanuisance,anincumbrance,andapest.Iknowthatverywell.’ Hisprideinhavingatanytimeofhislifeachievedsuchagreatsocialdistinctionastobeanuisance,anincumbrance,andapest,wasonlytobesatisfiedbythreesonorousrepetitionsoftheboast. ‘Iwastopullthroughit,Isuppose,Mrs.Gradgrind.WhetherIwastodoitornot,ma’am,Ididit.Ipulledthroughit,thoughnobodythrewmeoutarope.Vagabond,errand-boy,vagabond,labourer,porter,clerk,chiefmanager,smallpartner,JosiahBounderbyofCoketown.Thosearetheantecedents,andtheculmination.JosiahBounderbyofCoketownlearnthislettersfromtheoutsidesoftheshops,Mrs.Gradgrind,andwasfirstabletotellthetimeuponadial-plate,fromstudyingthesteepleclockofSt.Giles’sChurch,London,underthedirectionofadrunkencripple,whowasaconvictedthief,andanincorrigiblevagrant.TellJosiahBounderbyofCoketown,ofyourdistrictschoolsandyourmodelschools,andyourtrainingschools,andyourwholekettle-of-fishofschoolsandJosiahBounderbyofCoketown,tellsyouplainly,allright,allcorrect—hehadn’tsuchadvantages—butletushavehard-headed,solid-fistedpeople—theeducationthatmadehimwon’tdoforeverybody,he