Oliver is disappointed to note that the portrait has been removed from the wall; it was done to spare him further agitation, Mrs. Bedwin says. The boy now spends happy days in clean, calm, and orderly surroundings, such as he has never before known. Mr. Brownlow outfits him with his first new suit, and Oliver throws away all his old rags.
One evening, Brownlow summons Oliver to his study and requests a faithful account of the boy's life. Just as Oliver is about to begin, he is hindered by a visitor, Brownlow's friend Mr. Grimwig. This loud, outspoken gentleman has cultivated an aggressive pose. His special appeal to distinction is the declaration, "I'll eat my head"; this is sometimes abbreviated to a thump of his heavy stick.
The interview with Oliver is deferred until the next day. Grimwig attempts to demolish his friend's good opinion of the boy, but Brownlow's trust remains unshaken.
A parcel of books arrives from the stall where Mr. Brownlow was robbed. He is anxious to return some books and to pay his bill, but efforts to recall the messenger fail. Brownlow then consents to test Oliver's honesty by sending him on the errand. Grimwig maintains that Oliver, with "a new suit of clothes on his back, a set of valuable books under his arm, and a five-pound note in his pocket," will rejoin the thieves instead of returning.
Oliver is expected back in twenty minutes, and the two friends sit gazing at Brownlow's watch. When it becomes too dark to read the dial, they are still waiting.
