vision, the board considers five pounds too large a reward. They settle on just three pounds. Mr. Bumble, Mr. Gamfield, and Oliver appear before a magistrate to seal the bargain. At the last minute, the magistrate notices Oliver's pale, alarmed face. He asks the boy why he looks so terrified. Oliver falls on his knees and begs that he be locked in a room, beaten, killed, or anything besides being apprenticed to Mr. Gamfield. The magistrate refuses to allow the bargain, and the workhouse, again, advertises a reward for the removal of Oliver.
             The workhouse board considers sending Oliver out to sea as a cabin boy, expected that he would die quickly in such miserable conditions. However, Mr. Sowerberry, the parish undertaker, takes Oliver on as his apprentice. Mr. Bumble informs Oliver that he will suffer great consequences if he ever complains about his situation. Mrs. Sowerberry remarks that Oliver is rather small. Mr. Bumble assures her that he will grow, but she grumbles that he will grow by eating their food. She serves Oliver the left-overs that the dog has declined to eat. Oliver devours the food as though it were a great feast. After he finishes, Mrs. Sowerberry leads him to his bed, worrying that his appetite seems so large.
             The next day, Oliver accompanies Sowerberry to a pauper's burial. The husband of the deceased delivers a tearful outburst against his wife's death by starvation. He says that he once tried to beg for her, but the authorities sent him to prison for the offense. The deceased's mother begs for some bread and a cloak to wear for the funeral. The clergyman performs the service in four minutes. Mr. Bumble hurries the grieving family out of the cemetery, and Mr. Sowerberry takes the cloak away from the dead woman's mother. Oliver decides that he is not very fond of the undertaking business. A measles epidemic arrives, and Oliver gains extensive experience in undertaking. His master dresses him well so that he can ...