TROTTY’S first excess of fear was gone. But he had felt tenderly and gratefully toward the Bells, as you have seen; and when he heard himself arraigned as one who had offended them so weightily, his heart was touched with penitence and grief.
“If you knew,” said Trotty, clasping his hands earnestly — “or perhaps you do know — if you know how often you have kept me company; how often you have cheered me up when I’ve been low; how you were quite the plaything of my little daughter Meg (almost the only one she ever had) when first her mother died, and she and me were left alone; you won’t bear malice for a hasty word!”
“Who hears in us, the Chimes, one note bespeaking disregard, or stern regard, of any hope, or joy, or pain, or sorrow, of the many-sorrowed throng;* who hears us make response to any creed that gauges human passions and affections, as it gauges the amount of miserable food on which humanity may pine and wither; does us wrong.* That wrong you have done us!” said the Bell.
“I have!” said Trotty. “Oh, forgive me!”
* A dig at Sir Peter Laurie, Mayor of London in 1832, for whom Alderman Cute was a thin disguise. Laurie used to call sternly for various social ills to be ‘put down’ with the force of law. So does Alderman Cute, who lists among them distressed (i.e. impoverished) wives, boys without shoes or stockings, wandering (i.e. husbandless) mothers, sick persons and young children, and suicides. “So don’t try it on. That’s the phrase, isn't it!” Sir Peter is an easy figure to mock but there are those in our own time who would turn away or recommend ‘putting down’ (in more senses that one) those thought likely to be a burden on the public purse through sickness, alienation or lack of productivity. Dickens’s point is that even the most wretched lives benefit society in ways that morbid statisticians cannot see.
* That is, Government should not ration happiness and sympathy in the same cold and calculating way it rations charity — “the lawful charity” as Dickens put it; “not that once preached upon a Mount”. Cute’s sidekick Mr Filer, a Utilitarian committed to achieving collective happiness at the expense of the individual if necessary, produced Government figures to show Trotty that his favourite dish, tripe, was not suited to a sustainable economy and was therefore causing food shortages. As for his daughter Meg, she should work and not marry and start a family: people of her unproductive class have no right or business either to be married or even to be born. “And that we know they haven’t. We reduced that to a mathematical certainty long ago!” The bells reply that they will never chime in support of a religion or politics so arrogant and presumptuous. See also Adam Smith on Fit and Proper Persons.
Précis
Trotty protests that he meant no harm, but the bells are not done with him. They are hurt that he thought for even one moment that they would chime in support of a politics that tries to regulate happiness as cynically as it dispenses charity. The bells demand an apology, and Trotty eagerly gives it. (55 / 60 words)
Trotty protests that he meant no harm, but the bells are not done with him. They are hurt that he thought for even one moment that they would chime in support of a politics that tries to regulate happiness as cynically as it dispenses charity. The bells demand an apology, and Trotty eagerly gives it.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: if, just, may, must, or, ought, until, whereas.
Archive
Word Games
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Dead. Die. Heart.
2 Creed. Deep. Live.
3 Goblin. Hope. Seek.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Can. 2. Serve. 3. Well. 4. Present. 5. Live. 6. Man. 7. Saw. 8. See. 9. Point.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
prtn (6+2)
operation. pertain. portion. protein. proton. puritan.
preteen. protean.
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Post Box.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
