雾都孤儿-第9章

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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．It　was　a　different　room　from　the　one　he　had　occupied　before　the　Chertsey　expedition，but　it　was　in　the　same　poor　part　of　London．The　re　were　so　few　possessions　or　comforts　in　the　room　that　it　was　clear　Mr　Sikes　had　met　hard　times．He　　himself　was　thin　and　pale　from　illness，and　was　lying　on　the　bed，wrapped　in　an　old　coat．The　white　dog　lay　on　the　floor　　next　to　him．

Seated　by　the　window　was　Nancy，repairing　Sikes’　old　jacket．She，too，was　thin　and　pale．At　Sikes’　voice　she　raised　her　head　from　her　work．　‘Not　long　past　seven，’she　said．　‘How　do　you　feel　now，Bill？’

　‘As　weak　as　water．Help　me　get　up，will　you？’

As　Nancy　helped　him　out　of　bed，Sikes　swore　and　cursed　a　ther　clumsiness．Illness　had　not　improved　his　temper．

　‘You　would　n’t　speak　like　that　if　you　knew　how　kindly　I’ve　nursed　you　the　se　last　few　days，’said　Nancy．　‘So　many　nights，I’ve　looked　after　you．’She　sat　down　in　a　chair，exhausted．

　‘Get　up！’shouted　　Sikes．　‘What’s　　wrong　　with　　you？’

But　Nancy　was　unable　to　get　up．Her　head　fell　back　against　the　chair　and　she　fainted．

Sikes　swore　and　cursed　again，but　Nancy　remained　unconscious．

　‘What’s　the　matter　here？’asked　a　voice　from　the　door，and　Fagin，followed　by　the　Artful　Dodger　and　Charley　Bates，entered　the　room．When　They　saw　Nancy，They　hurried　to　help　her．Charley　rubbed　her　hand　s　and　the　Dodger　gave　her　a　drink　from　the　bottle　he　carried．Gradually，Nancy　recovered　her　senses．

Sikes　the　n　turned　to　Fagin．　‘What　are　you　here　for？’he　asked　roughly．　‘You　haven’t　been　here　for　weeks…all　the　time　I　was　ill．I　haven’t　two　coins　to　rub　together．Why　didn’t　you　help　me？You　treat　me　worse　than　a　dog！’

　‘Don’t　be　bad…tempered，my　dear，’said　Fagin　calmly．　‘I　haven’t　forgotten　you，Bill．’

　‘Well，what　about　some　money，the　n？I’ve　done　enough　work　　for　　you　　recently…what　　about　　some　　money？’

　‘I　haven’t　a　single　coin　with　me，my　dear，’said　Fagin．

　‘The　n　go　and　get　some…you’ve　got　lots　at　home．No，I　don’t　trust　you．Nancy　can　go　back　with　you　to　your　house　and　fetch　some　money．I’ll　stay　here　and　sleep．’

After　a　good　deal　of　arguing，Fagin　managed　to　reduce　the　amount　Sikes　was　demanding　from　five　pounds　to　three　pounds．He　went　back　to　his　house　with　Nancy　and　the　boys．

When　They　were　inside，Fagin　told　the　girl，　‘I’ll　just　goupstairs　and　fetch　the　cash　for　Bill，my　dear．The　re’s　little　money　in　this　business，Nancy，little　money　and　no　thanks…　but　I’m　fond　of　seeing　The　young　people　around　me．’

Suddenly　the　re　was　a　man’s　voice　at　the　front　door．As　soon　as　Nancy　heard　it，she　sat　up　in　her　chair．

　‘That’s　the　man　I　was　expecting　earlier，’said　Fagin．　‘Don’t　worry．He’ll　only　be　ten　minutes．’

The　man　entered　the　room．It　was　Monks．When　he　saw　Nancy，he　moved　back，as　if　he　had　expected　no　one　but　Fagin．

　‘It’s　all　right，only　one　of　my　young　people，’Fagin　said　to　him．　‘Did　you　see　him？’

　‘Yes，’answered　Monks．

　‘Any　news？’

　‘Go