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第33章

oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪))-第33章

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

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a shiny head of hair anointed with suet; who was also looking on; 
whether he didn’t think he had better run for the doctor。 To 
which; the butcher’s boy; who appeared of a lounging; not to say 
indolent disposition; replied that he thought not。 

“Oh; no; no; never mind;” said the young woman; grasping 
Oliver’s hand; “I’m better now。 Come home directly; you cruel 
boy! Come!” 

“What’s the matter; ma’am?” inquired one of the women。 

“Oh; ma’am;” replied the young woman; “he ran away; near a 
month ago; from his parents; who are hard…working and 
respectable people; and went and joined a set of thieves and bad 
characters; and almost broke his mother’s heart。” 

“Young wretch!” said the woman。 

“Go home; do; you little brute;” said the other。 

“I’m not;” replied Oliver; greatly alarmed。 “I don’t know her。 I 
haven’t any sister; or father and mother either。 I’m an orphan; I 
live at Pentonville。” 

“Only hear him; how he braves it out!” cried the young woman。 

“Why; it’s Nancy!” exclaimed Oliver; who now saw her face for 
the first time; and started back; in irrepressible astonishment。 

“You see he knows me!” cried Nancy; appealing to the 

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bystanders。 “He can’t help himself。 Make him come home; there’s 
good people; or he’ll kill his dear mother and father; and break my 
heart!” 

“What the devil’s this?” said a man; bursting out of a beer…shop; 
with a white dog at his heels; “young Oliver! Come home to your 
poor mother; you young dog! Come home directly。” 

“I don’t belong to them。 I don’t know them。 Help! help!” cried 
Oliver; struggling in the man’s powerful grasp。 

“Help!” repeated the man。 “Yes; I’ll help you; you young rascal! 
What books are these? You’ve been a…stealin’ ’em; have you? Give 
’em here。” With these words; the man tore the volumes from his 
grasp; and struck him on the head。 

“That’s right!” cried a looker…on; from a garret window。 “That’s 
the only way of bringing him to his senses!” 

“To be sure!” cried a sleepy…faced carpenter; casting an 
approving look at the garret window。 

“It’ll do him good!” said the two women。 

“And he shall have it; too!” rejoined the man; administering 
another blow; and seizing Oliver by the collar。 “Come on; you 
young villain! Here; Bull’s…eye; mind him; boy! Mind him!” 

Weak with recent illness; stupefied by the blows and the 
suddenness of the attack; terrified by the fierce growling of the 
dog; and the brutality of the man; overpowered by the conviction 
of the bystanders that he really was the hardened little wretch he 
was described to be; what could one poor child do! Darkness had 
set in; it was a low neighbourhood; no help was near; resistance 
was useless。 In another moment; he was dragged into a labyrinth 
of dark; narrow courts; and was forced along them at a pace which 
rendered the few cries he dared to give utterance to; wholly 

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unintelligible。 It was of little moment; indeed; whether they were 
intelligible or no; for there was nobody to care for them; had they 
been ever so plain。 

***** 

The gas…lamps were lighted; Mrs。 Bedwin was waiting 
anxiously at the open door;—the servant had run up the street 
twenty times to see if there were any traces of Oliver; and still the 
two old gentlemen sat; perseveringly; in the dark parlour; with the 
watch between them。 

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Oliver Twist 159 

Chapter 16 

Relates What Became Of Oliver Twist; After He Had
Been Claimed By Nancy。


The narrow streets and courts; at length; terminated in a 
large open space; scattered about which; were pens for 
beasts; and other indications of a cattle…market。 Sikes 
slackened his pace when they reached this spot; the girl being 
quite unable to support any longer the rapid rate at which they 
had hitherto walked。 Turning to Oliver; he roughly commanded 
him to take hold of Nancy’s hand。 

“Do you hear?” growled Sikes; as Oliver hesitated; and looked 
round。 

They were in a dark corner; quite out of the track of passengers。 
Oliver saw; but too plainly; that resistance would be of no avail。 He 
held out his hand; which Nancy clasped tight in hers。 

“Give me the other;” said Sikes; seizing Oliver’s unoccupied 
hand。 “Here; Bull’s…Eye!” 

The dog looked up; and growled。 

“See here; boy!” said Sikes; putting his other hand to Oliver’s 
throat; “if he speaks ever so soft a word; hold him! D’ye mind!” 

The dog growled again; and licking his lips; eyed Oliver as if he 
were anxious to attach himself to his windpipe without delay。 

“He’s as willing as a Christian; strike me blind if he isn’t!” said 
Sikes; regarding the animal with a kind of grim and ferocious 
approval。 “Now; you know what you’ve got to expect; master; so 
call away as quick as you like; the dog will soon stop that game。 

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Oliver Twist 160 

Get on; young ’un!” 

Bull’s…eye wagged his tail in acknowledgement of this unusually 
endearing form of speech; and; giving vent to another admonitory 
growl for the benefit of Oliver; led the way onward。 

It was Smithfield that they were crossing; although it might 
have been Grosvenor Square; for anything Oliver knew to the 
contrary。 The night was dark and foggy。 The lights in the shops 
could scarcely struggle through the heavy mist; which thickened 
every moment and shrouded the streets and houses in gloom; 
rendering the strange place still stranger in Oliver’s eyes; and 
making his uncertainty the more dismal and depressing。 

They had hurried on a few paces; when a deep church…bell 
struck the hour。 With its first stroke; his two conductors stopped; 
and turned their heads in the direction whence the sound 
proceeded。 

“Eight o’clock; Bill;” said Nancy; when the bell ceased。 

“What’s the good of telling me that; I can hear it; can’t I!” 
replied Sikes。 

“I wonder whether they can hear it;” said Nancy。 

“Of course they can;” replied Sikes。 “It was Bartlemy time 
when I was shopped; and there warn’t a penny trumpet in the fair; 
as I couldn’t hear the squeaking on。 Arter I was locked up for the 
night; the row and din outside made the thundering old jail so 
silent; that I could almost have beat my brains out against the iron 
plates of the door。” 

“Poor fellows!” said Nancy; who still had her face turned 
towards the quarter in which the bell had sounded。 “Oh; Bill; such 
fine young chaps as them!” 

“Yes; that’s all you women think of;” answered Sikes。 “Fine 

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Oliver Twist 161 

young chaps! Well; they’re as good as dead; so it don’t matter 
much。” 

With this consolation; Mr。 Sikes appeared to repress a rising 
tendency to jealousy? and; clasping Oliver’s wrist more firmly; told 
him to step out again。 

“Wait a minute!” said the girl; “I wouldn’t hurry by; if it was 
you that was coming out to be hung; the next time eight o’clock 
struck; Bill。 I’d walk round and round the place till I dropped; if 
the snow was on the ground; and I haven’t a shawl to cover me。” 

“And what good would that do?” inquired the unsentimental 
Mr。 Sikes。 “Unless you could pitch over a file and twenty yards of 
good stout rope; you might as well be walking fifty mile off; or not 
walking at all; for all the good it would do me。 Come on; and don’t 
stand preaching there。” 

The girl burst into a laugh; drew her shawl more closely round 
her; and they walked away。 But Oliver felt her hand tremble; and; 
looking up in her face as they passed a gas lamp saw that it had 
turned a deadly white。 

They walked on; by little frequented and dirty ways; for a full 
half…hour; meeting very few people; and those appearing from 
their looks to hold much the same position in society as Mr。 Sikes 
himself。 At length they turned into a very filthy narrow street; 
nearly full of old…clothes shops: the dog running forward; as if 
cons

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