The Lamplighter Book

Started 20 Feb 2014 finished 21 Feb 2014

Read as part of my self imposed Dickens challenge to read all his works.

Another short story so giving me the false impression of making progress once more on this challenge!
This one, as the title says, is about a lamplighter. Its one of Dickens' more fantastical tales.
I say this because of the reference to a philosopher's stone which is in the process of being boiled up by a mad scientist, who reads futures in the stars, in order to make gold. There's some weird attempt on his part to marry a lamplighter to his niece while his daughter is promised to a Mr Mooney, another mad scientist, all because it is written in/ordained by astronomy. Daft story and the only moral I can put to it is relating to the obsessive pursuit of wealth or greed although I'm not certain of this either.

One thing I don't much enjoy in any of his stories is the reality of how woman were treated in his time, not even having the right to choose their own husbands, amongst a myriad of other rights we simply take for granted today.