第一部分
    第一章
    缝匠学徒在工作
    有一个巡回，在东部是深受尊敬的都铎五帝县，一个镇，并在他们的支持和保护取得了重要的惊喜现代旅客的程度，后果。
    一百年前，它的外观是风景如画的壮观。旧的房子，这是临时住所等县为满足家庭与一个省镇gaieties自己，拥挤的街道上，并给他们的不规则而崇高的外观仍有待观察，在比利时城市。街道两旁有一个奇特丰富，从山墙的影响，以及烟囱违反上述蓝天削减栈，而如果眼睛下跌降低了，注意是在预测各种被捕形状的阳台和凸肚，以及它是一件有趣的看到窗户已经不胜枚举挤在墙上早在税收皮特先生的日子。下面街道从所有这些预测及以上的先进故事损害;他们是黑暗的，和虐待铺设大，圆，颠簸卵石，且没有副作用的保护路边的石头，没有灯的漫长的冬季岗位路径晚上，并没有考虑到支付的中产阶级，既不是谁在自己的教练要开车，也没有在自己的轿车自己的人带入了他们的朋友非常大厅。专业的男子和他们的妻子，店主和他们的配偶，所有这些人，走在相当大的危险约两昼夜。广泛的，笨拙的车包围了他们对在狭窄的街道房屋。预计在荒凉的房子几乎到运输单程航班的步骤，迫使行人又到他们为20或30步伐避免危险。然后，在晚上，唯一的光线来源于明显，燃烧石油灯，高于较贵族庄园的大门雄只允许行人的空间，成为有形的，在他们再次在黑暗中，消失在这是没有劫匪罕见的事情在等待他们的猎物。
    这些岁月的传统，即使是最小的社会，特别是使一个更清楚的情况下作出了贡献的性格的形成。每天的生活在里面的人是天生的，并吸收它们才知道，形式链，只有在100的道德力量足够一个鄙视，并打破在适当的时候 - 当一个向内的必要性独立单独行动时，这是优于所有向外conventionalities。因此，人们都知道都是玩弄国内的习惯，这是我们祖先的天然领导弦，才学会独自前往的枷锁。
    这些古老的街道如画已经离开了。该Astleys的Dunstans的Waverhams - 权力的名称，区 - 上升到伦敦正式在本赛季，并卖掉了自己居住在县城50年前，甚至更多。当县城失去了Astleys的Dunstans的Waverhams，吸引力它是如何被假定的Domvilles的Bextons和怀尔兹将继续去冬在二流的房子那里，他们的增加的开支？因此，站在大旧房子空一会儿，然后炒家大胆地购买，并把它变成许多小的专业男性，甚至安装住宅，被遗弃的大厦（弯曲降低你的耳朵，以免遮荫的马默杜克第一男爵Waverham，听）到店！
    即使如此，这不是很糟糕，比旧的辉煌下一次创新。店主发现，曾经时髦的街道一片漆黑，而肮脏的光线并没有展示他们的商品优势;外科医生无法看到吸引他的病人的牙齿，律师等了一个小时的蜡烛环早于他习惯于做时，更庶民流落街头。总之，经双方同意，一个在街边整个前被拆卸，并在单位内，意思是说，乔治减轻的风格第三重建。房屋的身体太牢固向大改动，所以人们有时惊讶经过司空见惯传球，前瞻性的商店，发现在一个大雕刻的橡木楼梯脚下自己，由玻璃窗灯火通明，层满了国徽。
    ===
    PART I
    CHAPTER I
    THE DRESSMAKER'S APPRENTICE AT WORK
    There is an assize-town in one of the eastern counties which was much distinguished by the Tudor Sovereigns, and, in consequence of their favour and protection, attained a degree of importance that surprises the modern traveller.
    A hundred years ago its appearance was that of picturesque grandeur. The old houses, which were the temporary residences of such of the county families as contented themselves with the gaieties of a provincial town, crowded the streets, and gave them the irregular but noble appearance yet to be seen in the cities of Belgium. The sides of the streets had a quaint richness, from the effect of the gables, and the stacks of chimneys which cut against the blue sky above; while, if the eye fell lower down, the attention was arrested by all kinds of projections in the shape of balcony and oriel; and it was amusing to see the infinite variety of windows that had been crammed into the walls long before Mr. Pitt's days of taxation. The streets below suffered from all these projections and advanced stories above; they were dark, and ill-paved with large, round, jolting pebbles, and with no side-path protected by kerb-stones; there were no lamp-posts for long winter nights; and no regard was paid to the wants of the middle class, who neither drove about in coaches of their own, nor were carried by their own men in their own sedans into the very halls of their friends. The professional men and their wives, the shopkeepers and their spouses, and all such people, walked about at considerable peril both night and day. The broad, unwieldy carriages hemmed them up against the houses in the narrow streets. The inhospitable houses projected their flights of steps almost into the carriage-way, forcing pedestrians again into the danger they had avoided for twenty or thirty paces. Then, at night, the only light was derived from the glaring, flaring oil-lamps, hung above the doors of the more aristocratic mansions; just allowing space for the passers-by to become visible, before they again disappeared into the darkness, where it was no uncommon thing for robbers to be in waiting for their prey.
    The traditions of those bygone times, even to the smallest social particular, enable one to understand more clearly the circumstances which contributed to the formation of character. The daily life into which people are born, and into which they are absorbed before they are well aware, forms chains which only one in a hundred has moral strength enough to despise, and to break when the right time comes--when an inward necessity for independent individual action arises, which is superior to all outward conventionalities. Therefore, it is well to know what were the chains of dally domestic habit, which were the natural leading strings of our forefathers before they learnt to go alone.
    The picturesqueness of those ancient streets has departed now. The Astleys, the Dunstans, the Waverhams--names of power in that district--go up duly to London in the season, and have Sold their residences in the county town fifty years ago, or more. And when the county town lost its attraction for the Astleys, the Dunstans, the Waverhams, how could it be supposed that the Domvilles, the Bextons, and the Wildes would continue to go and winter there in their second-rate houses, and with their increased expenditure? So the grand old houses stood empty awhile; and then speculators ventured to purchase, and to turn the deserted mansions into many smaller dwellings, fitted for professional men, or even (bend your ear lower, lest the shade of Marmaduke, first Baron Waverham, hear) into shops!
    Even that was not so very bad, compared with the next innovation on the old glories. The shopkeepers found out that the once fashionable street was dark, and that the dingy light did not show off their goods to advantage; the surgeon could not see to draw his patients' teeth; the lawyer had to ring for candles an hour earlier than he was accustomed to do when living in a more plebeian street. In short, by mutual consent, the whole front of one side of the street was pulled down, and rebuilt in the flat, mean, unrelieved style of George the Third. The body of the houses was too solidly grand to submit to alteration; so people were occasionally surprised, after passing through a commonplace-looking shop, to find themselves at the foot of a grand carved oaken staircase, lighted by a window of stained glass, storied all over with armorial bearings.