Oldal 96 [96]
64
of surprise, which perhaps might mean
that Barney was at liberty to tell the
truth. ;
“ Dobody but Biss Dadsy,” replied Bar¬
ney.
ás Miss Nancy!” exclaimed Sikes,
“Where? Strike me blind, if I don’t
honour that’ere girl for her native ta¬
lents.”
c She ’s bid havid a plate of boiled beef
id the bar,” replied Barney.
c Send her here," said Sikes, pouring
eut a glass of liquor; ‘ send her here.”
Barney looked timidly at Fagin, as if
for permission ; the Jew remaining silent,
and not lifting his eyes from the ground,
he retired, and presently returned usher¬
ing in Miss Nancy, who was decorated
with the bonnet, apron, basket, and street¬
door key complete.
‘You are on the scent, are you, Nan¬
cy ?” inquired Sikes, profiering the glass.
“Yes, I am, Bill,” replied the young
lady, disposing of its contents ; " and tired
enough of it l am, too. The young brat’s
been ill and confined to the crib; and———”
6 Ah, Nancy, dear!” said Fagin, look¬
ing up.
ow, whether a peculiar contraction
of the Jew’s red eyebrows, and a half¬
closing of his deeply-set eyes, warned
Miss Nancy that she was disposed to be
too communicative, is not a matter of
much importance. The fact is all we
need care for here; and the fact is, that
she suddenly checked herself, and, with
several gracious smiles upon Mr. Sikes,
turned the conversation to other matters.
In about ten minutes’ time, Mr. Fagin
was seized with a fit of coughing, upon
which Miss Nancy pulled her shaw! over
her shoulders, and declared it was time
to go. Mr. Sikes, finding that he was
walking a short part of her way himself,
expressed his intention of accompanying
her: and they went away together, fol¬
lowed at a little distance by the dog, who
slunk out of a back-yard as soon as his
master was out of sight.
door when Sikes had left, looked after him
as he walked up the dark passage, shook
his clenched fist, muttered a deep curse,
himself at the table, where he was soon
deeply absorbed in the interesting pages
of the Hue and Cry.
Meanwhile Oliver Twist, little dream¬
ing that he was witain so very short a dis¬
tance of the merry old gentleman, was on
his way to the book-stall. When he got into
a by-street which was not exactly in his
way ; but not discovering his mistake till
he had got half-way down it, and knowi
it must ead in the right direction, he di
not think it worth while to turn back, and
so marched on as quickly as he could, with
the books under his arm.
He was walking along, thinking how
happy and contented he ought to feel, and
how much he would give for only one look
at poor little Dick, who, starved and beat¬
en, might be lying dead at that very mo¬
ment, when he was startled by a young
woman screaming out very loud, “ Oh, my
dear brother!" and he had hardly looked
up to see what the matter was, when he
was stopped by having a pair of arms
thrown tight round his neck.
6 Dont! cried Oliver, struggling.
“Let go of me. Whoisit? What are
you stopping me for?”
The only reply to this, was a great
number of loud lamentations from the
young woman who had embraced him, and
who had got a little basket and a street¬
door key in her hand.
“Oh my gracious!” said the young wo¬
man, “I’ve found him! Oh, Oliver! Oli¬
ver! Oh, you naughty boy, to make me
suffer such distress on your account!
Come home, dear, come. Oh, I’ve found
him. Thank gracious goodness heavins,
I’ve found him!” With these incoherent
exclamations the young woman burst into
another fit of crying, and got so dreadfully
hysterical, that a couple of women who
came up at the moment asked a butcher’s
boy, with a shiny head of hair anointed
with suet, who was also looking on, whe¬
ther he didn’t think he had better run for
the doctor. "To which the butcher’s boy,
who appeared of a lounging, not to say in¬
dolent disposition, replied that he thought
not.
c Oh, no, no, never mind,” said the
young woman, grasping Oliver’s hand;
“I’m better now. Come home directly,
you cruel boy, come.”
“ What’s the matter, ma’am ?” inqui¬
red one of the women.
“Oh, ma’am,” replied the young wo¬
man, "he ran away near a month ago
from his parents, who are hard-working
and respectable people, and joined a set
of thieves and bad characters, and almost
broke his mother’s heart.”
“ Young wretch !” said one woman.
c Go home, do, you little brute,” said
the other.
“T’m not,” replied Oliver, greatly
6 [ don’t know her. I haven't