Stranica 75 [75]
OCR
schoolboy his marbles, the paviour aa di pick-axe, the child his battledore: away vat ő run, pell-mell, helter-skelter, slaptearing, yelling, and screaming, knocking down the passengers as they turn the corners, rousing up the dogs, and astonishing the fowls; and streets, squares, and courts re-echo with the SN ag “ Stop thief! stop thief!” ‘The cry is taken up by a hundred voices, and the crowd accumulate at every turning. Away they fly, splashing through the mud, and rattling along the pavements; up go the windows, out run the people, onward bear the mob: a whole audience desert Punch in the very thickest of the plot, and, joining the rushing throng, swell the doa and lend fresh vigour to the cry, “ Stop thief! stop thief!’ “ Stop thief ! ! stop thief!” There is a passion for hunting something deeply implanted in the human breast. One wretched, breathless child, panting with exhaustion, terror in his looks, agony in his eye, | large drops of perspiration streaming | down his face, strains every nerve to make head upon his pursuers; and as they follow on his track, and gain upon him ever instant, they hail his decreasing streng with still coe shouts, and whoop and scream with joy, “ Stop thief Ay, stop him for God’s sake, were it only in mercy ! Stopped at last. A clever blow that. He’s down upon the pavement, and the crowd eagerly gather round him; each new comer jostling and struggling with the others to catch a glimpse. “Stand aside 9—s Give him a little air !”—“ Nonsense ! he don’t deserve it.”—‘ Where "s the gentieman?”—*“ Here he is, coming down the street.”—“ Make room there for the | entleman! “Ts this the boy, sir Mant Yes,’ Oliver lay covered with mud and dust, and bleeding from the mouth, looking wildly round upon the heap of faces that surrounded him, when the old gentleman was officiously dragged and pushed into the circle by the foremost of the pursuers, and made this reply to their anxious inquiries. “ Yes,” said the gentleman 1 ina benevolent voice, “I am afraid it is.’ 6 Afraid !” murmured the crowd. — “That s a ee un." * Poor fellow!" said the gentleman, s he has hurt himself.” “I did that, sir,” said a great lubberly fellow stepping forward ; “ and preciously [I cut my knuckle agin’ his mouth. I — him, sir.” 45 expecting something for his pains; but the old gentleman, eyeing him with an expression of disgust, looked anxiously round, as if he contemplated running away himself; which it is very possible he might have attem pted to do, and thus" afforded another cláse had not a police officer (who is always the last person to arrive in such cases) at that moment made his way through the crowd, and seized Oliver by the collar. “ Come, get up,” said the man roughly. “It wasn’t me, indeed, sir. Indeed, indeed, it was two other boys,” clasping his hands passionately, and looking round : ty the are here somewhere.” h no, they ain’t,” said the officer. He meant this to be ironical; but it was true besides, for the Dodger and Charley Bates had filed off down the first convenient court they came to. “Come, get up." * Don’t hurt him,” said the old gentleman compassionately. s Oh no, I won’t hurt him,” replied the officer, tearing his jacket half off his back. in proof thereof. " Come, I know you; it won’t do. Will you stand upon your legs, you young devil ?” Oliver, who could hardly stand, made a shift to raise himself upon his feet, and was at once lugged along the streets by the jacket-collar at a rapid pace. The ked, éberen walked on with them by the officer’s side; and as many of the crowd as could, got a little a-head, and stared back at Oliver from time to time. The boys shouted in triumph, and on they went, ee CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH Treats of Mr. Fang, the police magistrate, and furnishes a slight specimen of his mode of administering justice. THE offence had been committed within the district, and indeed in the immediate neighbourhood of a very notorious metropolitan police-office. The crowd had only the satisfaction of accompanying Oliver through two or three streets, and down a lace called Mutton-hill, when he was led beneath a low archway, and up a dirty court into this dispensary of summary justice by the back way. It was a small paved yard into which they turned; and here they encountered a stout man with a bunch of whiskers on his face, and a bunch
