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oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪))-第34章

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arms; inclined his head in a retrospective manner; and; after a few 
moments’ reflection; commenced his story。 

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Oliver Twist 182 

It would be tedious if given in the beadle’s words; occupying as 
it did; some twenty minutes in the telling; but the sum and 
substance of it was; That Oliver was a foundling; born of low and 
vicious parents。 That he had; from his birth; displayed no better 
qualities than treachery; ingratitude; and malice。 That he had 
terminated his brief career in the place of his birth; by making a 
sanguinary and cowardly attack on an unoffending lad; and 
running away in the night…time from his master’s house。 In proof 
of his really being the person he represented himself; Mr。 Bumble 
laid upon the table the papers he had brought to town; and folding 
his arms again; awaited Mr。 Brownlow’s observations。 

“I fear it is all too true;” said the old gentleman sorrowfully; 
after looking over the papers。 “This is not much for your 
intelligence; but I would gladly have given you treble the money; if 
it had been favourable to the boy。” 

It is not improbable that if Mr。 Bumble had been possessed of 
this information at an earlier period of the interview; he might 
have imparted a very different colouring to his little history。 It was 
too late to do it now; however; so he shook his head gravely; and; 
pocketing the five guineas; withdrew。 

Mr。 Brownlow paced the room to and fro for some minutes; 
evidently so much disturbed by the beadle’s tale; that even Mr。 
Grimwig forbore to vex him further。 

At length he stopped; and rang the bell violently。 

“Mrs。 Bedwin;” said Mr。 Brownlow; when the housekeeper 
appeared; “that boy; Oliver; is an impostor。” 

“It can’t be; sir。 It cannot be;” said the old lady energetically。 

“I tell you he is;” retorted the old gentleman。 “What do you 
mean by can’t be? We have just heard a full account of him from 

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Oliver Twist 183 

his birth; and he has been a thorough…paced little villain; all his 

life。” 

“I never will believe it; sir;” replied the old lady firmly。 “Never!” 

“You old women never believe anything but quack…doctors; and 
lying story…books;” growled Mr。 Grimwig。 “I knew it all along。 Why 
didn’t you take my advice in the beginning; you would; if he hadn’t 
had a fever; I suppose; eh? He was interesting; wasn’t he? 
Interesting! Bah!” And Mr。 Grimwig poked the fire with a flourish。 

“He was a dear; grateful; gentle child; sir;” retorted Mrs。 
Bedwin indignantly。 “I know what children are; sir; and have done 
these forty years; and people who can’t say the same; shouldn’t say 
anything about them。 That’s my opinion!” 

This was a hard hit at Mr。 Grimwig; who was a bachelor。 As it 
extorted nothing from that gentleman but a smile; the old lady 
tossed her head; and smoothed down her apron preparatory to 
another speech; when she was stopped by Mr。 Brownlow。 

“Silence!” said the old gentleman; feigning an anger he was far 
from feeling。 “Never let me hear the boy’s name again。 I rang to 
tell you that。 Never。 Never; on any pretence; mind! You may leave 
the room; Mrs。 Bedwin。 Remember! I am in earnest。” 

There were sad hearts at Mr。 Brownlow’s that night。 

Oliver’s heart sank within him; when he thought of his good 
kind friends; it was well for him that he could not know what they 
had heard; or it might have broken outright。 

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Oliver Twist 184 

Chapter 18 

How Oliver Passed His Time In The Improving
Society Of His Reputable Friends。


About noon next day; when the Dodger and Master Bates 
had gone out to pursue their customary avocations; Mr。 
Fagin took the opportunity of reading Oliver a long 
lecture on the crying sin of ingratitude; of which he clearly 
demonstrated he had been guilty; to no ordinary extent; in wilfully 
absenting himself from the society of his anxious friends; and; still 
more; in endeavouring to escape from them after so much trouble 
and expense had been incurred in his recovery。 Mr。 Fagin laid 
great stress on the fact of his having taken Oliver in; and cherished 
him; when; without his timely aid; he might have perished with 
hunger; and he related the dismal and affecting history of a young 
lad whom; in his philanthropy; he had succoured under parallel 
circumstances; but who; proving unworthy of his confidence and 
evincing a desire to communicate with the police; had 
unfortunately come to be hanged at the Old Bailey one morning。 
Mr。 Fagin did not seek to conceal his share in the catastrophe; but 
lamented; with tears in his eyes; that the wrong…headed and 
treacherous behaviour of the young person in question; had 
rendered it necessary that he should become the victim of certain 
evidence for the Crown; which; if it were not precisely true; was 
indispensably necessary for the safety of him (Mr。 Fagin) and a 
few select friends。 Mr。 Fagin concluded by drawing a rather 
disagreeable picture of the discomforts of hanging; and; with great 

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Oliver Twist 185 

friendliness and politeness of manner; expressed his anxious 
hopes that he might never be obliged to submit Oliver Twist to 
that unpleasant operation。 

Little Oliver’s blood ran cold; as he listened to the Jew’s words; 
and imperfectly comprehended the dark threats conveyed in 
them。 That it was possible even for justice itself to confound the 
innocent with the guilty when they were in accidental 
companionship; he knew already; and that deeply…laid plans for 
the destruction of inconveniently knowing or over…communicative 
persons; had been really devised and carried out by the old Jew on 
more occasions than one; he thought by no means unlikely; when 
he recollected the general nature of the altercations between that 
gentleman and Mr。 Sikes: which seemed to bear reference to some 
foregone conspiracy of the kind。 As he glanced timidly up; and met 
the Jew’s searching look; he felt that his pale face and trembling 
limbs were neither unnoticed nor unrelished by that wary old 
gentleman。 

The Jew smiled hideously; and patting Oliver on the head; said; 
that if he kept himself quiet; and applied himself to business; he 
saw they would be very good friends yet。 Then; taking his hat; and 
covering himself with an old patched greatcoat; he went out; and 
locked the room door behind him。 

And so Oliver remained all that day; and for the greater part of 
many subsequent days; seeing nobody; between early morning 
and midnight; and left during the long hours to commune with his 
own thoughts: which; never failing to revert to his kind friends; 
and the opinion they must long ago have formed of him; were sad 
indeed。 

After the lapse of a week or so; the Jew left the room door 

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Oliver Twist 186 

unlocked; and he was at liberty to wander about the house。 

It was a very dirty place。 The rooms upstairs had great high 
wooden chimney…pieces and large doors; with panelled walls; and 
cornices to the ceilings; which; although they were black with 
neglect and dust; were ornamented in various ways; from all of 
these tokens Oliver concluded that a long time ago; before the old 
Jew was born; it had belonged to better people; and had perhaps 
been quite gay and handsome; dismal and dreary as it looked now。 

Spiders had built their webs in the angles of the walls and 
ceilings; and sometimes; when Oliver walked softly into a room; 
the mice would scamper across the floor; and run back; terrified; 
to their holes。 With these exceptions; there was neither sight nor 
sound of any living thing; and often; when it grew dark; and he 
was tired of wandering from room to room; he would crouch in the 
corner of the passage by the street door; to be as near living people 
as he could; and would remain there; listening and counting the 
hours; until the Jew or the boys returned In all the rooms; the 
mouldering shutters were fast closed; the bars which held them 
were screwed tight into the wood; the only light which was 
admitted; stealing its way through round holes at the top; which 
made the rooms more gloomy; and filled them with strange 
shadows。 There was a back…garret window with rusty bars outside 
which had no shutter; and out of this; Oliver often gazed with a 
melancholy face for hours together; but nothing was to be 
described from it but a confused and crowded mass of house…tops; 
blackened chimneys; and gable…ends。 Sometimes; indeed; a grizzly 
head might be seen; peering over a parapet…wall of a distant 
house: but it was quickly withdrawn again; and as the window of 
Oliver’s observation was nailed down; and dimmed with the rain 

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Oliver Twist 187 

and smoke of years; it was as much as he could do to make out the 
forms of the different objects beyond; without making any attempt 
to be seen or heard—which he had as much chance of being; as if 
he had lived inside the ball of St。 Paul’s Cathedral。 

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