Stranica 127 [127]
a lh Lee 5 MS TE
as waiter at the public-house on
n Hill.
“ Bister Sikes!” exclaimed Barney,
with real or counterfeit joy ; " cub id, sir ;
cub id."
“ Here! you get on first,” said Sikes,
putting Oliver in front of him. “ Quicker!
or I shall tread upon your heels.”
Muttering a curse upon his tardiness,
Sikes pushed Oliver before him, and they
entered a low dark room with a smoky
fire, two or three broken chairs, a table,
out with us again to-night, though not
very far off.”
Oliver looked at Sikes in mute and
timid wonder, and, drawing a stool to the
fire, sat with his" aching head upon his
or what was passing around him.
“ Here,” said Toby, as the young Jew
placed some fragments of food and a bot¬
tle upon the table, “Success to the
legs much higher than his head, a man
was reposing at full length, smoking a
long clay pipe. He was dressed in a
smartly-cut snufi-coloured coat with large
brass buttons, an orange neckerchief, a
coarse, staring, shawl-pattern waistcoat,
and drab breeches. Mr. Crackit (for he
it was) had no very great quantity of hair,
either upon his head or face; but what
he had was of a reddish dye, and tor¬
tured into long, corkscrew curls, through
which he occasionally thrust some very
dirty fingers ornamented with large com¬
mon rings. He was a trifle above the
middle size, and apparently rather weak
means detracted from his own admiration
of his top-boots, which he contemplated
in their elevated situation with lively
satisfaction.
* Bill, my boy!” said this figure, turn¬
ing his head towards the door, " I’m glad
to see you; I was almost afraid you’d
given it up, in which case [ should have
made a personal wentur’. Hallo!”
Uttering this exclamation in a tone of
great surprise as his eyes rested on Oli¬
ver, Mr. Toby Crackit brought himself
into a sitting posture, and demanded who
that was.
s The boy—only the boy!” replied
Sikes, drawing a chair towards the fire.
“Wud of Bister Fagid’s lads,” ex¬
claimed Barney, with a grin.
c Fagin’s, eh!" exclaimed Toby, look¬
ing at Oliver. “ Wot an imwalable boy
that "11 make for the old ladies’ pockets in
chapels. His mug is a fortun’ to him.”
«'There—there’s enough of that!’
interposed Sikes impatiently ; and, stoop¬
ing over his recumbent friend, he whis¬
= a few words in his ear, at which
r. Crackit laughed immensely, and hon¬
oured Oliver with a long stare of aston¬
ishment.
6 Now,” said Sikes, as he resumed his
seat, “if you ’ll give us something to eat
and drink while we’re waiting, you 711]
put some heart in us,—or in me, at all
8 * M
and, carefully depositing his empty pipe
in a corner, advanced to the table, filled
a glass with spirits, and drank off its con¬
tents. Mr. Sikes did the same.
6 A drain for the boy,” said Toby, half
filling a wine-glass. “ Down with it,
innocence !"
“ Indeed,” said Oliver, looking pite¬
ously up into the man’s face; "indeed
I
6 Down with it!” echoed Toby. "Do
you think I don’t know what "s good for
out ‘Tell him to drink it, Bill.”
“He had better,” said Sikes, clapping
his hand upon his pocket. “ Burn my
body! if he isn’t more trouble than a
whole family of Dodgers. Drink it, you
perwerse Imp; drink it!”
Frightened by the menacing gestures
of the two men, Oliver hastily swallowed
the contents of the glass, and immediate¬
ly fell into a violent fit of coughing,
which delighted Toby Crackit and Bar¬
ney, and even drew a smile from the sur¬
ly Mr. Sikes.
This done, and Sikes having satisfied
his appetite, (Oliver could eat nothing
but a small crust of bread which they
made him swallow,) the two men laid
themselves down on chairs for a sort
nap. Oliver retained his stool by the
fire; and Barney, wrapped in a blanket,
stretched himself on the floor, close out¬
side the fender.
They slept, or appeared to sleep, for
some time; nobody stirring but Barney,
who rose once or twice to throw coals
upon the fire. Oliver fell into a heavy
doze, imagining himself straying alone
through the gloomy lanes, or wandering
about the dark churchyard, or retracing
some one or other of the scenes of the
past day, when he was roused by Toby
Crackit’s jumping up and declaring it
was half-past one.
In an instant the other two were on
their legs, and all were actively engaged
in busy preparation. Sikes and his com¬
panion enveloped their necks and chins