Page 128 [128]
90 OLIVER
TWIST.
in large dark shawls, and drew on their
great-coats; while Barney, opening a
cupboard, brought forth several articles,
which he hastily crammed into the pock¬
ets.
sc Barkers for me, Barney?” said Toby
Crackit.
“ Here they are,” replied Barney, pro¬
ducing a pair of pistols. “ You loaded
them yourself.”
c All right!” replied Toby, stowing
them away. " The persuaders ?”
6 T’ve got ’em,” replied Sikes.
c: Crape, keys, centre-bit, darkies—
nothing forgotten?” inquired Toby, fast¬
ening a small crowbar to a loop inside the
skirt of his coat.
« All right!" rejoined his companion.
(c Bring them bits of timber, Barney :
that "s the time of day.”
With these words he took a thick stick
from Barney’s hands, who, having de¬
livered another to Toby, busied himself
in fastening on Oliver’s cape.
c Now then!" said Sikes, holding out
his hand. |
Oliver, who was completely stupified
by the unwonted exercise, and the air,
and the drink that had been forced upon
him, put his hand mechanically into that
which Sikes extended for the purpose.
c Take his other hand, Toby,” said
Sikes. § Look out, Barney !”
The man went to the door, and return¬
ed to announce that all was quiet. The
two robbers issued forth with Oliver be¬
tween them; and Barney, having made
all fast, rolled himself up as before, and
was soon asleep again.
It was now intensely dark. The fog
was much heavier than it had been in the
early part of the night, and the atmos¬
phere was so damp that, although no rain
fell, Oliver’s hair and eyebrows within a
few minutes after leaving the house had
become stiff with the half-frozen moisture
that was floating about. ‘They crossed
the bridge, and kept on towards the
lights which he had seen before. ‘They
were at no great distance off; and, as
they walked pretty briskly, they soon ar¬
rived at Chertsey.
* Slap through the town,” whispered
Sikes: “there ’ll be nobody in the way
to-night to see us.”
Toby acquiesced; and they hurried
through the main street of the little town,
which at that late hour was wholly de¬
serted. A dim light shone at intervals
from some bed-room window, and the
hoarse barking of dogs occasionally broke
the silence of the night; but there was
nobody abroad, and they had cleared the
town as the church-bell struck two.
Quickening their pace, they turned up
a road upon the left hand; after walkin
about a quarter of a mile, they stopp
before a detached house surrounded by a
wall, to the top of which Toby Crackit,
scarcely pausing to take breath, climbed
in a twinkling. :
c The boy next,” said Toby. " Hoist
him up: [711 catch hold of him."
Before Oliver had time to look round,
Sikes had caught him under the arms,
and in three or four seconds he and Toby
were lying on the grass on the other side.
Sikes followed directly, and they stole
| cautiously towards the house.
And now for the first time, Oliver, well¬
nigh mad with grief and terror, saw that
housebreaking and robbery, if not murder,
were the objects of the expedition. He
clasped his hands together, and involun¬
tarily uttered a subdued exclamation of
horror. A mist came before his eyes, the
cold sweat stood upon his ashy face, his
limbs failed him, and he sunk upon his
knees.
“Get up!” murmured Sikes, trembling
with rage, and drawing the pistol from
his pocket; “get up, or I’ll strew your
brains upon the grass !”
s Oh! for God’s sake let me go!” cried
Oliver; “ let me run away and die in the
fields. I will never come near London—
never, never! Oh! pray have mercy
upon me, and do not make me steal: for
the love of all the bright angels that rest
in heaven, have mercy upon me !”
The man to whom this appeal was
made swore a dreadful oath, and had cock¬
ed the pistol, when Toby, striking it from
his grasp, placed his hand upon the boy’s
mouth and dragged him to the house.
c Hush!” cried the man; “it won’t an¬
swer here. Say another word, and I ’ll
do your business myself with a crack on
the head that makes no noise, and is quite
as certain and more genteel. Here, Bill,
wrench the shutter open. He’s game
enough now, I’ll engage. I’ve seen
older hands of his age took the same way
for a minute or two on a cold night.”
Sikes, invoking terrific imprecations
upon Fagin’s head for sending Oliver on
such an errand, plied the crowbar vigor¬
ously, but with little noise; and, after
some delay and some assistance from To¬
by, the shutter to which he had referred
swung open on its hinges.
It was a little lattice window, about
five feet and a half above the ground, at
(the back of the house, belonging to a