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第115章

oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪))-第115章

小说: oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪)) 字数: 每页4000字

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same spirit as the letter。 He talked of miseries which his wife had 
brought upon him; of the rebellious disposition; vice; malice; and 
premature bad passions of you his only son; who had been trained 
to hate him; and left you; and your mother; each an annuity of 
eight hundred pounds。 The bulk of his property he divided into 

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two equal portions—one for Agnes Fleming; and the other for 
their child; if it should be born alive; and ever come of age。 If it 
were a girl; it was to inherit the money unconditionally; but if a 
boy; only on the stipulation that in his minority he should never 
have stained his name with any public act of dishonour; meanness; 
cowardice; or wrong。 He did this; he said; to mark his confidence 
in the mother; and his conviction—only strengthened by 
approaching death—that the child would share her gentle heart; 
and noble nature。 If he were disappointed in this expectation; then 
the money was to come to you; for then; and not till then; when 
both children were equal; would he recognise your prior claim 
upon his purse; who had none upon his heart; but had from an 
infant; repulsed him with coldness and aversion。” 

“My mother;” said Monks; in a louder tone; “did what a woman 
should have done。 She burned this will。 The letter never reached 
its destination; but that; and other proofs; she kept; in case they 
ever tried to lie away the blot。 The girl’s father had the truth from 
her with every aggravation that her violent hate—I love her for it 
now—could add。 Goaded by shame and dishonour he fled with his 
children into a remote corner of Wales; changing his very name 
that his friends might never know of his retreat; and here; no great 
while afterwards; he was found dead in his bed。 The girl had left 
her home; in secret; some weeks before; he had searched for her; 
on foot; in every town and village near; it was on the night when 
he returned home; assured that she had destroyed herself? to hide 
her shame and his; that his old heart broke。” 

There was a short silence here; until Mr。 Brownlow took up the 
thread of the narrative。 

“Years after this;” he said; “this man’s—Edward Leeford’s— 

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mother came to me。 He had left her; when only eighteen; robbed 
her of jewels and money; gambled; squandered; forged; and fled to 
London; where for two years he had associated with the lowest 
outcasts。 She was sinking under a painful and incurable disease; 
and wished to recover him before she died。 Inquiries were set on 
foot; and strict searches made。 They were unavailing for a long 
time; but ultimately successful; and he went back with her to 
France。” 

“There she died;” said Monks; “after a lingering illness; and; on 
her deathbed; she bequeathed these secrets to me; together with 
her unquenchable and deadly hatred of all whom they involved— 
though she need not have left me that; for I had inherited it long 
before。 She would not believe that the girl had destroyed herself; 
and the child too; but was filled with the impression that a male 
child had been born; and was alive。 I swore to her; if ever it 
crossed my path; to hunt it down; never to let it rest; to pursue it 
with the bitterest and most unrelenting animosity; to vent upon it 
the hatred that I deeply felt; and to spit upon the empty vaunt of 
that insulting will by dragging it; if I could; to the very gallows…
foot。 She was right。 He came in my way at last。 I began well; and; 
but for babbling drabs; I would have finished as I began!” 

As the villain folded his arms tight together; and muttered 
curses on himself in the impotence of baffled malice; Mr。 
Brownlow turned to the terrified group beside him; and explained 
that the Jew; who had been his old accomplice and confidant; had 
a large reward for keeping Oliver ensnared; of which some part 
was to be given up; in the event of his being rescued; and that a 
dispute on this head had led to their visit to the country houses for 
the purpose of identifying hum。 

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“The locket and ring?” said Mr。 Brownlow; turning to Monks。 

“I bought them from the man and woman I told you of; who 
stole them from the nurse; who stole them from the corpse;” 
answered Monks; without raising his eyes。 “You know what 
became of them。” 

Mr。 Brownlow merely nodded to Mr。 Grimwig; who 
disappearing with great alacrity; shortly returned; pushing in Mrs。 
Bumble; and dragging her unwilling consort after him。 

“Do my hi’s deceive me!” cried Mr。 Bumble; with ill…feigned 
enthusiasm; “or is that little Oliver? Oh; O…li…ver; if you know’d 
how I’ve been a…grieving for you—” 

“Hold your tongue; fool;” murmured Mrs。 Bumble。 

“Isn’t natur’; natur’; Mrs。 Bumble?” remonstrated the 
workhouse master。 “Can’t I be supposed to feel—I as brought him 
up porochially—when I see him a…setting here among ladies and 
gentlemen of the very affablest description! I always loved that 
boy as if he’d been my—my—my own grandfather;” said Mr。 
Bumble; halting for an appropriate comparison。 “Master Oliver; 
my dear; you remember the blessed gentleman in the white 
waistcoat? Ah! he went to heaven last week; in a oak coffin with 
plated handles; Oliver。” 

“Come; sir;” said Mr。 Grimwig tartly; “suppress your feelings。 

“I will do my endeavours; sir;” replied Mr。 Bumble。 “How do 
you do; sir? I hope you are very well” This salutation was 
addressed to Mr。 Brownlow; who had stepped up to within a short 
distance of the respectable couple。 He inquired; as he pointed to 
Monks: 

“Do you know that person?” 

“No;” replied Mrs。 Bumble flatly。 

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“Perhaps you don’t?” said Mr。 Brownlow; addressing her 
spouse。 

“I never saw him in all my life;” said Mr。 Bumble。 

“Nor sold him anything; perhaps?” 

“No;” replied Mr。 Bumble。 

“You never had; perhaps; a certain gold locket and ring?” said 
Mr。 Brownlow。 

“Certainly not;” replied the matron。 “Why are we brought here 
to answer to such nonsense as this?” 

Again Mr。 Brownlow nodded to Mr。 Grimwig; and again that 
gentleman limped away with extraordinary readiness。 But not 
again did he return with a stout man and wife; for this time; he led 
in two palsied women; who shook and tottered as they walked。 

“You shut the door the night old Sally died;” said the foremost 
one; raising her shrivelled hand; “but you couldn’t shut out the 
sound; nor stop the chinks。” 

“No; no;” said the other; looking round her and wagging her 
toothless jaw。 “No; no; no。” 

“We heard her try to tell you what she’d done; and saw you take 
a paper from her hand; and watched you too; next day; to the 
pawnbroker’s shop;” said the first。 

“Yes;” added the second; “and it was a ‘locket and gold ring。’ 
We found out that; and saw it given you。 We were by。 Oh! we were 
by。” 

“And we knew more than that;” resumed the first; “for she told 
us often; long ago; that the young mother had told her that; feeling 
she should never get over it; she was on her way; at the time that 
she was taken ill; to die near the grave of the father of the child。” 

“Would you like to see the pawnbroker himself?” asked Mr。 

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Grimwig; with a motion towards the door。 

“No;” replied the woman; “if he”—she pointed to Monks—“has 
been coward enough to confess; as I see he has; and you have 
sounded all these hags till you have found the right ones; I have 
nothing more to say。 I did sell them; and they’re where you’ll 
never get them。 What then?” 

“Nothing;” replied Mr。 Brownlow; “except that it remains for us 
to take care that neither of you is employed in a situation of trust 
again。 You may leave the room。” 

“I hope;” said Mr。 Bumble; looking about him with great 
ruefulness; as Mr。 Grimwig disappeared with the two old woman— 
”I hope that this unfortuna

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