Little Nell's Funeral
And
now
the
bell,
-
the
bell
She
had
so
often
heard
by
night
and
day
And
listened
to
with
solemn
pleasure,
E'en
as
a
living
voice,
-
Rung
its
remorseless
toll
for
her,
So
young,
so
beautiful,
so
good.
Decrepit
age,
and
vigorous
life,
And
blooming
youth,
and
helpless
infancy,
Poured
forth,
-
on
crutches,
in
the
pride
of
strength
And
health,
in
the
full
blush
Of
promise,
the
mere
dawn
of
life,
-
To
gather
round
her
tomb.
Old
men
were
there,
Whose
eyes
were
dim
And
senses
failing,
-
Grandames,
who
might
have
died
ten
years
ago,
And
still
been
old,
-
the
deaf,
the
blind,
the
lame,
The
palsied,
The
living
dead
in
many
shapes
and
forms,
To
see
the
closing
of
this
early
grave.
What
was
the
death
it
would
shut
in,
To
that
which
still
could
crawl
and
keep
above
it!
Along
the
crowded
path
they
bore
her
now;
Pure
as
the
new
fallen
snow
That
covered
it;
whose
day
on
earth
Had
been
as
fleeting.
Under
that
porch,
where
she
had
sat
when
Heaven
In
mercy
brought
her
to
that
peaceful
spot,
She
passed
again,
and
the
old
church
Received
her
in
its
quiet
shade.
They
carried
her
to
one
old
nook,
Where
she
had
many
and
many
a
time
sat
musing,
And
laid
their
burden
softly
on
the
pavement.
The
light
streamed
on
it
through
The
colored
window,
-
a
window
where
the
boughs
Of
trees
were
ever
rustling
In
the
summer,
and
where
the
birds
Sang
sweetly
all
day
long.
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (born February 7, 1812, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England—died June 9, 1870, Gad’s Hill, near Chatham, Kent) English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian era. His many volumes include such works as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Our Mutual Friend. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity during his lifetime than had any previous author. Much in his work could appeal to the simple and the sophisticated, to the poor and to the queen, and technological developments as well as the qualities of his work enabled his fame to spread worldwide very quickly.