Oldal 38 [38]
16.
a-telling one or two of the dear children
as is so fond of you, that 1t was you a-com¬
ng," replied Mrs. Mann with. great hu¬
. maulity. - : ei
Mr. Bumble had a great idea of his
oratorical powers and his importance. He
. had displayed the one, and vindicated the
other. He relaxed.
cc Well, well, Mrs. Mann,” he replied
in a calmer tone; “it may be as you say ;
‘it may be. Lead the way in, Mrs. Mann;
for I come on business, and have got some¬
thing to say.” :
Mrs. Mann ushered the beadle into a
small parlour with a brick floor, placed a
seat for him, and officiously deposited his
cocked hat and cane on the table before
. . him. : Mr. Bumble wiped from his fore¬
head the perspiration which his walk had
engendered, glanced complacently at the
cocked hat, and smiled. Yes, he smiled;
beadles are but men, and Mr. Bumble
smiled.
*“ Now don’t you be offended at what
I’m a-going to say,” observed Mrs. Mann
with captivating sweetness. “ You’ve had
a long walk, you know, or I wouldn’t men¬
tion it. Now will you take a little drop
of something, Mr. Bumble ?”’
* Not a drop—not a drop,” said Mr.
Bumble, waving his right hand in a dig¬
nified, but still placid manner. —
“] think you will,” said Mrs. Mann,
who had noticed the tone of the refusal,
and the gesture that had accompanied it.
“ Just a leetle drop, with a little cold wa¬
_ ter, and a lump of sugar.”
Mr. Bumble coughed. )
* Now, just a little drop,” said Mrs.
Mann persuasively.
c What is it?” inquired the beadle.
“Why it’s wiial. 1"m obliged to keep a
little of in tne house, to put in the blessed
infant’) Daffy when they ain’t well, Mr.
Bumble,” replied Mrs. Mann as she open¬
ed a corner cupboard, and took down a
bottle and glass. “It’s gin.”
Do you give the children Daffy,
Mrs. Mann?” inquired Bumble, following
with his eyes the interesting process of
mixing.
c Ah, bless "em, that I do, dear as it is,”
replied the nurse. “I couldn’t see "em
suffer before my eyes, you know, sir.”
4 No," said Mr. Bumble approvingly ;
‘no, you could not. You are a humane
woman, Mrs. Mann.”—(Here she set down
the glass.) —* I shall take an early oppor¬
tunity of mentioning it to the board, Mrs.
Mann.”—(He drew it towards him.)—
“You feel as a mother, Mrs. Mann." —
(He stirred the gin and water.)—* I—I
drink your health with cheerfulness, Mrs. .
Mann ;”—and he swallowed half of it. ¬
c And now about business,” said the
beadle, taking out a leathern pocket-book.
“'The child that was half-baptised, Oliver
Twist, is eight years old to-day.” ik
c Bless him!” interposed Mrs. Mann,
inflaming her left eye with the corner of
her apron. | yee
“And notwithstanding an offered . re¬
ward of ten pound, which was afterwards
increased to twenty pound,—notwithstand¬
ing the most superlative, and, I may say,
supernat’ral exertions on the part of this
parish,” said Bumble, “we have never
been able to discover who Is his father, or
what is his mother’s settlement, name, or
condition.” . | } a)
Mrs. Mann raised her hands in astonish¬
ment; but added, after a moment’s reflec¬
tion, ** How comes he to have any name
at all, then?” — |
The beadle drew himself up with great
pride, and said, §[ inwented it.” |
6 You, Mr. Bumble!" |
“7, Mrs. Mann. We name our found¬
lin’s in alphabetical order. ‘The last was
a S,—Swubble: I named him. This was
a TT Twist: I named him. The next
one as comes will be Unwin, and the next
Vilkins. I have got names ready made to
the end of the alphabet, and all the way
through it again, when we come to Z.”
“ Why, you’re quite a literary charac¬
ter, sir!’ said Mrs. Mann.
‘ Well, well,” said the beadle, evi¬
dently gratified with the compliment ;
“perhaps I may be; perhaps I may be,
Mrs. Mann.” He finished the gin and
water, and added, “ Oliver being now too
old to remain here, the Board have deter¬
mined to have him back into the house;
and I have come out myself to take him
there,—so let me see him at once.”
6 [711 fetch him directly,” said Mrs.
Mann, leaving the room for that purpose.
And Oliver having by this time had as
much of the outer coat of dirt which en¬
crusted his face and hands removed as
could be scrubbed off in one washing, was
led into the room by his benevolent pro¬
tectress.
“Make a bow to the gentleman, Oli¬
Oliver made a bow, which was divided
between the beadle on the chair and the
cocked hat on the table.
c Will you go along with me, Oliver?”
said Mr. Bumble in a majestic voice.
Oliver was about to say that he would
go along with anybody with great readi¬