... information about fires, accidents, or police reports missed by the regular reporters. The time in the lawyers's office ... Dickens left school at the age of fifteen and became a clerk in a lawyers' office. Deciding to become a parliamentary reporter, he taught himself shorthand at night, while continuing to work ... at Doctor's Commons Courts. For several years he alternated reporting, exploring the London streets, and reading avidly in London's libraries. Already devoted to the essays of Joseph Addison, Oliver Goldsmith, and Samuel Jon, he now read the major nineteenth-century essayis...

• Word Count: 5240
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: High School