Project Gutenberg's The Trial of William Tinkling, by Charles Dickens

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Title: The Trial of William Tinkling
Written by Himself at the Age of 8 Years

Author: Charles Dickens

Illustrator: S. Beatrice Pearse

Release Date: November 12, 2007 [EBook #23452]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: With a look of scorn she put into my hand a bit of paper.
_Page 12_]

THE TRIAL OF
WILLIAM TINKLING

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF
AT THE AGE OF 8 YEARS

BY
CHARLES DICKENS

LONDON: CONSTABLE AND CO. LTD.

FOREWORD

The story contained herein was written by Charles Dickens in 1867. It is
the first of four stories entitled "Holiday Romance" and was published
originally in a children's magazine in America. It purports to be
written by a child aged eight. It was republished in England in "All the
Year Round" in 1868. For this and four other Christmas pieces Dickens
received L1,000.

"Holiday Romance" was published in book form by Messrs Chapman & Hall in
1874, with "Edwin Drood" and other stories.

For this reprint the text of the story as it appeared in "All the Year
Round" has been followed.

THE TRIAL OF WILLIAM TINKLING

[Illustration]

This beginning-part is not made out of anybody's head, you know. It's
real. You must believe this beginning-part more than what comes after,
else you won't understand how what comes after came to be written. You
must believe it all, but you must believe this most, please. I am the
Editor of it. Bob Redforth (he's my cousin, and shaking the table on
purpose) wanted to be the Editor of it, but I said he shouldn't because
he couldn't. _He_ has no idea of being an editor.

[Illustration]

Nettie Ashford is my Bride. We were married in the right-hand closet in
the corner of the dancing-school where first we met, with a ring