Oliver Twist, Chapter 27 summary

What happens

1. While waiting for Mrs. Corney, Mr. Bumble examines her drawers and finds a locked box that sounds as though it holds coins.
2. Mrs. Corney returns distressed, drinks peppermint mixture, and avoids explaining what troubles her.
3. Bumble praises her comforts, mentions the dying workhouse master’s position, and gains her consent to marriage.
4. Mrs. Corney reports an old woman’s death but postpones explaining her distress until after their marriage.
5. After scolding male paupers, Bumble reaches the undertaker’s shop and discovers Charlotte serving oysters to a slightly drunken Noah Claypole.
6. Bumble condemns their proposed kiss and orders Noah to relay instructions for the old woman’s coffin.

What to notice

Bumble applies moral outrage to conduct resembling his own. His condemnation exposes the different standards he applies to himself and those beneath him.

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