Mr. Headstone’s suffering after
his misadventure in Old Hell Shaft was greatly mollified by the news of which he
was apprised by Mr. Bounderby as soon as he (the pedagogue, not the banker) had
regained consciousness: viz, that his
inheritance was intact and secure, having been kept under lock and key in a
separate safe, to which the perpetrator of the late robbery had had no access. There
was much rejoicing at the announcement of Mr. Headstone’s recovery and his
reversal of fortune, not least amongst the gentleman’s creditors, all of whom
were paid in full for their goods and services before the pedagogue’s
departure. It seemed that the whole of Coketown – from the humblest labourer to
the wealthiest mill owner – turned out at the station to see him off to London. Not least amongst
them was Bitzer, the light porter, who was rewarded for his part in the rescue
with a freshly minted copper penny, which shone in the afternoon sunlight as if
to prove the old adage that all that glistens is not gold.
Mr Charles Dickens
