GOOD WILL TO MEN.

GOOD WILL TO MEN. My father’s wisdom: In my encounters with Dickens, I have always been moved by the characters who appear suddenly and are generous and kind (such as the Cheerybles in NICHOLAS NICKLEBY). Thirty odd years ago in New York City, I took my parents to see PROMISES, PROMISES, a musical set in New York in which the curmudgeonly neighbor from the first part of the show comes to the rescue at the end. I joked to my father that this turnabout seemed unlikely in New York. He said, “Oh no, if you needed help, you might find some one like that anywhere in the city.” About that time, I was standing in a crush of people on a morning rush hour subway train when I passed out. (It turned out to be a 24 hour flu.) I awoke to find that room had been made for me on the bench and my head was cradled in a lady’s lap. Another stranger got off at the next stop (not his usual one) and put me into a cab. God bless us, everyone!