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第12章

雾都孤儿-第12章

小说: 雾都孤儿 字数: 每页4000字

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'It must have been a bad dream; O liver; ' said Harry; breathless after running through the fields。  He had heard all about O liver's past from his mother。 

'No; 'replied O liver; still frightened。 'I saw the m both as plainly  as I  see  you  now。 '

Nothing more was seen or heard of the two men; and after a few days; the event was forgotten。 Rose recovered rapidly and was soon able to go outside again。 Harry May lie waited a few days; the n; as his mother had expected; he asked Rose to marry him。 And as his mother had warned him; Rose refused。 

'Don't you love me? ' he asked her; holding her hand 。 

'I do; 'she whispered; ' but please try to forget me。 It would ruin your future as a politician if anybody found out about my birth。 I could never; never forgive myself。 '

Harry paused for a few minutes。 'Tell me one thing; dear Rose。 Could you have accepted if your past had been different? Or if I had been poor and friendless; with no hope of riches or success? '

'I could; 'answered Rose; covering her face to hide her tears。 'But as you are; I can never be more than a friend to you。 

'I shall ask you once more; said Harry softly。 'In a year's time or less; I shall ask you to change your mind。 '

The girl shook her head and smiled sadly。 'No; it will be useless。 '

Harry left the next day; having asked O liver to write to him secretly with news of his mother and Rose。 From an upstairs window; Rose watched him leave with tears in her eyes。 

Mr Bumble was now a married man; and not a happy one。 He was no longer a beadle but the manager of the workhouse; and his wife; formerly Mrs Corney; scolded and argued with him day and night。 One evening; after a particularly violent fight; when she threw things at him and chased him out of the house; he went for a walk alone through the town。 He felt very sorry for himself; and finally went into a pub to find comfort in gin-and-water。 A tall dark man; sitting in the corner; watched Mr Bumble while he drank。 The stranger's clothe s were dusty and muddy; as if he had travelled a long way。 Mr Bumble began to feel uncomfortable at the man's hard stare; and tried to avoid meeting his eyes。 

'I've seen you before; 'the stranger said; eventually。 'you were the beadle here。 '

'I was。 But I don't recognize you。 '

'It doesn't matter。 I came here to look for you; and I'm lucky to have found you。 I'd like some information。 ' He pushed a couple of coins across the table。 

'What information? ' asked Mr Bumble suspiciously; slipping the coins into his pocket。 

'About a workhouse birth。 A boy called O liver Twist。 '

'Young Twist! I remember him! He  was a dreadful—'

'It's not him I want to talk about; interrupted  the stranger。 'I've heard enough of him。 It's the old woman who was the nurse for his mother。 Where is she? '

'Oh… she died last winter; 'said Mr Bumble。 The n he remembered that his wife had been the re when old Sally had died; and he realized that this information might be worth something。 He told the man that  one woman had been with the nurse when she died; and had heard some secret from her。 

'Where can I find this woman? the stranger asked quickly; showing in his pale face how important this was to him。 

'I can bring her to meet you tomorrow; 'said Mr Bumble。 

'All right Down by the river; at nine in the evening。 ' The man wrote the address on a piece of paper。 

'And your name? asked Mr Bumble。 

'Monks; replied the stranger; 'but you don't  need  to remember it。 'The n he quickly left the pub。 

The next evening was dark and cloudy; a storm threatened and already the first drops of rain were falling。 Mr and Mrs Bumble walked up the main street of the town; the n turned towards a group of ruined old houses next to the river。 Mr Bumble went first; carrying a dim light; and his wife followed closely behind。 At the oldest and most ruined building; They stopped and Mr Bumble took out his piece of paper。 The first distant crash of thunder shook  the air; and the rain began to pour down heavily。 The n They heard Monks calling out of an upstairs  window。 

'Is that the man? ' Mrs Bumble asked her husband。 

'Yes。 ' 

'The n be careful to say as little as you can。 Don't tell him I'm your wife。 '

Monks opened a small door; saying impatiently; 'Come in! Don't keep me waiting! '

Mr Bumble was only brave when dealing with poor; helpless people。 He felt very uneasy about entering this dark building with an ill-tempered stranger。 However; he was equally afraid of his wife。 Nervously; he followed her through the door。 

Inside; Monks stared  at Mrs Bumble for some time。 'So this is the woman; is it? '

'Yes; 'replied  Mr Bumble  cautiously。 

As They walked upstairs; the re was a bright flash of lightning outside; followed by loud thunder。 They sat dowu at the table and Monks started immediately。 

'So you were present when the old woman died; is that right? And she told you something? He stared at Mrs Bumble again。 

'Yes; 'said Mrs Bumble。 'Something about the mother of O liver Twist。 But first; how much will you pay me for the information? '

'If it's what I want to hear…twenty-five pounds; 'said Monks。 'But it's a lot of money for something which has been lying dead for twelve years。 'Reluctantly; he pushed the money across the table towards her; the n bent forward to listen。 The faces of the three nearly touched; as the two men leant over the table to hear what the woman had to say; and the woman leant  over towards the m so that They could hear her whisper。 In the dim lamplight their faces looked pale and ghostly。 

'The old woman who was the nurse died with only me in the room; 'said Mrs Bumble。 

'No one else was the re? ' asked Monks fiercely。 

'No one。 '

'Good; 'said Monks。 'Go on。 '

'She spoke about a young woman who had given birth in the same bed some years before。 The child was O liver Twist。 And this nurse had robbed the child's mother。 '

'Robbed in life? ' asked Monks。 

'In death。 She stole from the body when it was hardly cold。 But the old woman fell back and died before she could tell memore.’

 ‘It’s a lie!’shouted Monks furiously. ‘You know more!I’ll kill you both if you don’t tell me what else she said.’

 ‘She said no more,’repeated Mrs Bumble calmly,showing(unlike Mr Bumble)no fear of the strange man’s violence. ‘But in her hand  I found a piece of dirty paper.’

 ‘Which contained…?’

 ‘Nothing.It was only a receipt from a pawnbroker.I went to the pawnbroker and got back a little gold locket.Inside was a gold wedding ring and on the locket itself,the name

“Agnes”.’She put the locket on the table in front of Monks.

He picked it up immediately and looked at it closely,his hand s shaking. ‘Is this all?’

 ‘It is.And now I want to ask you a question.What do youintend to do with the locket?’

 ‘This.So  it  can  never be  used  against  me.’Monks suddenly pushed the table to one side and opened a small door in the floor.Down below rushed the river,its muddy waters swollen  by  the  heavy  rain.

 ‘If you threw a man’s body down the re,where would it be to morrow?’asked Monks.

 ‘Twelve  miles  down  the  river,and  cut  to  pieces,’replied Mr Bumble in a shaky voice.

Monks tied the locket to a heavy weight and dropped it in to the water.In a second,it was gone.The three of the m lookedinto each other’s faces,and seemed to breathe more freely.

 ‘Now we have nothing more to say,’said Monks,with athreatening look at Mr Bumble. ‘And nothing to say to any one else either.Do you understand?’

 ‘Certainly,’said Mr Bumble,very politely.He move da way from the strange man,anxious to leave quickly.

At the door to the street,Monks turned again to Mr Bumble. ‘And if we ever meet again,we don’t know each other.Do you understand that as well?’

 ‘Perfectly,’said the relieved Mr Bumble,moving away into the rain and pulling his wife with him.



 


11  Nancy makes a visit

  

On the evening after the Bumbles’ little business meeting,Mr Bill Sikes,waking from a sleep,called out to  ask  the  time.

The room he was lying in was very small and dirty

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