A Draught of Kindness
by Charles Dickens
Rapid Learn 2-Minute Revision
Perfect for last-minute revision
2-Minute Revision Video
Video coming soon
This extract from Charles Dickens's 'The Old Curiosity Shop' follows little Nell and her grandfather, who have fled London to escape cruel moneylenders after the old man's gambling plunged them into debt. Weary from walking through the open countryside, Nell timidly asks a poor cottager family for rest and 'a draught of milk'. The family welcomes them warmly: the old cottager, an eighty-four-year-old grandfather, speaks of his dead soldier son, while his wife, noticing Nell's blistered foot, gently washes and tends it. When the grandfather anxiously insists they walk on, the family sees them off with waves and even tears. Soon a cart driver, sent by the kind family, gives the exhausted pair a ride, and Nell falls asleep for the first time that day. The extract shows how simple acts of kindness and human compassion quietly bring comfort and dignity to the poor and weary.
Detailed Summary
Detailed Summary Video
Video coming soon
'A Draught of Kindness' is an extract from Charles Dickens's novel 'The Old Curiosity Shop'. It portrays the wandering journey of little Nell and her grandfather and the simple, heart-warming kindness they receive from poor strangers.
The journey through the countryside
Nell and her grandfather have left London to escape cruel moneylenders who have plunged them into debt through the old man's gambling. Their journey is unplanned and uncertain, but they are 'moved on by their deep love for each other'. Dickens vividly describes the open countryside they pass, scattered cottages, a wheelwright's shed, a blacksmith's forge, thriving farms, the little inn, the church peeping from the trees and 'the open road again'.
Kindness at the cottage
Tired and hungry, Nell timidly looks for a place to rest and buy 'a draught of milk', fearful of being 'repulsed'. She stops at a cottage where an old man sits by the hearth, thinking he is a grandfather who 'would feel for hers'. The family grants her request at once, the eldest boy fetches milk, another brings stools, and the eighty-four-year-old cottager talks kindly of London and of his dead soldier son.
As Nell prepares to leave, the cottager's wife notices that one of Nell's little feet is 'blistered and sore'. Being 'a woman and a mother too', she gently washes it and applies 'a simple remedy' with 'such a gentle hand' that Nell's heart is 'too full' to say more than a fervent 'God bless you!'
A ride and rest
Though the grandfather anxiously insists they walk 'further away', the family sees them off with 'many waves of the hand and cheering nods' and, 'on one side at least, not without tears'. Soon after, a cart driver, sent by the kind family to look out for them, offers the exhausted pair a ride.
To Nell and her grandfather, 'the jolting cart was a luxurious carriage'. Nell, 'very much fatigued', settles on the straw and falls asleep 'for the first time that day'. The extract closes as the driver kindly sets them down near the town, their weary steps eased by an unexpected 'draught of kindness'.