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oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪))-第31部分

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

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“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。 

One afternoon; the Dodger and Master Bates being engaged out 
that evening; the first…named young gentleman took it into his 
head to evince some anxiety regarding the decoration of his 
person (which to do him justice; was by no means an habitual 
weakness with him); and; with this end and aim; he 
condescendingly commanded Oliver to assist him in his toilet; 
straightway。 

Oliver was but too glad to make himself useful; too happy to 
have some faces; however bad; to look upon; and too desirous to 
conciliate those about him; when he could honestly do so; to throw 
any objection in the way of this proposal。 So he at once expressed 
his readiness; and; kneeling on the floor; while the Dodger sat 
upon the table; so that he could take his foot in his lap; he applied 
himself to a process which Mr。 Dawkins designated as “japanning 
his trotter…cases。” Which phrase; rendered into plain English; 
signifieth; cleaning his boots。 

Whether it was the sense of freedom and independence which a 
rational animal may be supposed to feel when he sits on a table in 
an easy attitude smoking a pipe; swinging one leg carelessly to and 
fro; and having his boots cleaned all the time; without even the 
past trouble of having taken them off; or the prospective misery of 
putting them on; to disturb his reflections; or whether it was the 
goodness of the tobacco that soothed the feelings of the Dodger; or 
the mildness of the beer that mollified his thoughts; he was 
evidently tinctured; for the nonce; with a spice of romance and 

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Oliver Twist 188 

enthusiasm; foreign to his general nature。 He looked down on 
Oliver; with a thoughtful countenance; for a brief space; and then; 
raising his head; and heaving a gentle sigh; said; half in 
abstractions; and half to Mr。 Bates: 

“What a pity it is he isn’t a prig!” 

“Ah!” said Master Charles Bates; “he don’t know what’s good 
for him。” 

The Dodger sighed again; and resumed his pipe: as did Charley 
Bates。 They both smoked; for some seconds; in silence。 

“I suppose you don’t even know what a prig is?” said the 
Dodger mournfully。 

“I think I know that;” replied Oliver; looking up。 “It’s a th— 
You’re one; are you not?” inquired Oliver; checking himself。 

“I am;” replied the Dodger。 “I’d scorn to be anything else。” Mr。 
Dawkins gave his hat a ferocious cock; after delivering this 
sentiment; and looked at Master Bates; as if to denote that he 
would feel obliged by his saying anything to the contrary。 

“I am;” repeated the Dodger。 “So’s Charley。 So’s Fagin。 So’s 
Sikes。 So’s Nancy。 So’s Bet。 So we all are; down to the dog; and 
he’s the downiest one of the lot!” 

“And the least given to preaching;” added Charley Bates。 

“He wouldn’t so much as bark in a witness…box; for fear of 
committing himself; no; nor if you tied him up in one; and left him 
there without wittles for a fortnight;” said the Dodger。 

“Not a bit of it;” observed Charley。 

“He’s a rum dog。 Don’t he look fierce at any strange cove that 
laughs or sings when he’s in company!” pursued the Dodger。 
“Won’t he growl at all; when he hears a fiddle playing! And don’t 
he hate other dogs as ain’t of his breed! Oh; no!” 

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Oliver Twist 189 

“He’s an out…and…out Christian;” said Charley。 

This was merely intended as a tribute to the animal’s abilities; 
but it was an appropriate remark in another sense; if Master Bates 
had only known it; for there are a good many ladies and 
gentlemen; claiming to be out…and…out Christians; between whom; 
and Mr。 Sikes’s dog; there exist strong and singular points of 
resemblance。 

“Well; well;” said the Dodger; recurring to the point from which 
they had strayed; with that mindfulness of his profession which 
influenced all his proceedings。 “This hasn’t got anything to do 
with young Green here。” 

“No more it has;” said Charley。 “Why don’t you put yours

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