Page 140 [140]
TWIST.
98 OLIVER
had been removed by the girl,—brooding
over a dull smoky fire. He held a pair
of bellows upon his knee, with which he
had apparently been endeavourmg to rouse
it into more cheerful action; but he had
fallen into deep thought, and with his arms
folded upon them, and his chin resting on
his thumbs, fixed his eyes abstractedly on
the rusty bars. |
At a table behind him sat the Artful
Dodger, Master Charles Bates, and Mr.
Chitling, all intent upon a game of whist;
the Artful taking dummy against Master
Bates and Mr. Chitling. The counte¬
nance of the first-named gentleman, pecu¬
liarly intelligent at all times, acquired
great additional interest from his close
observance of the game, and his attentive
perusal of Mr. Chitline’s hand, upon
which, from time to time, as occasion
served, he bestowed a variety of earnest
are wisely regulating his own play
y the result of his observations upon his
neighbour’s cards. It being a cold night,
the Dodger wore his hat, as, indeed, was
often his custom within doors. He also
sustained a clay pipe between his teeth,
which he only removed for a brief space,
when he deemed it necessary to apply for
refreshment to a quart-pot upon the table,
which stood ready filled with gin and
water for the accommodation of the com¬
pany. 3
Master Bates was also attentive to the
pluy ; but, being of a more excitable na¬
ture than his accomplished friend, it was
observable that he more frequently applied
lumself to the gin and water, and more¬
ever indulged in many jests and irrelevant
remarks, all highly unbecoming a scien¬
tific rubber. Indeed, the Artful, presum¬
ing upon their close attachment, more
than once took occasion to reason gravely
with his companion upon these improprie¬
ties: all of which remonstrances Master
Bates took in extremely good part, merely
requesting his friend to be “ blowed,” or
to insert his hand in a sack, or replying
with some other neatly-turned witticism
of a similar kind, the happy application
of which excited considerable admiration
in the mind of Mr. Chitling. It was re¬
markable that the latter gentleman and
his partner invariably lost; and that the
“ircumstance, so far from angering Mas¬
ter Bates, appeared to afford him the high¬
est amusement, inasmuch as he laughed
most uproariously at the end of every
deal, and
such a jolly game in all his born days.
“'That’s two doubles and the rub,” said
Mi Chitung with a very long face, as
he drew half-a-crown from his waistcoat
pocket. “I never see such a feller as
you, Jack; you win everything. Even
when we’ve good cards, Charley and I
can’t make nothing of "em." ri
Either the matter or manner of this
remark, which was made very ruefully,
delighted Charley Bates so much, that
his consequent shout of laughter roused
the Jew from his reverie, and induced
him to inquire what was the matter.
“ Matter, Fagin!” cried Charley. “I
wish you had watched the play. ‘Tommy
Chitling hasn’t won a point, and I went
| Seeding with him against the Artful and
um.”
“ Ay, ay!” said the Jew with a grin,
which sufficiently demonstrated that he
| was at no loss to understand the reason.
| “Try "em again, Tom; try "em again.”
| “No more of it for me, thankee, Fa¬
gin,” replied Mr. Chitling; “I’ve had
enough. ‘That ’ere Dodger has such a
run of luck, that there’s no standing
again’ him.”
“Ha! ha! my dear,” replied the Jew,
“you must get up very early in the morn¬
ing to win against the Dodger.”
“ Morning !” said Charles Bates; * you
must put your boots on over night, and
| have a telescope at each eye, and a opera¬
glass between your shoulders, if you want
| to come over him.”
Mr. Dawkins received these handsome
compliments with much philosophy, and
offered to cut any gentleman in company
| for the first picture-card at a shilling a
time. Nobody accepting the challenge,
and his pipe being by this time smoked
out, he proceeded to amuse himself by
sketching a ground-plan of Newgate on
the table with the piece of chalk which
had served him in lieu of counters, whist¬
ling meantime with peculiar shrillness,
4 How precious dull you are, Tommy !"
said the Dodger, stopping short when
there had been a long silence, and ad¬
dressing Mr. Chitling. “ What do you
think he’s thinking of, Fagin?’
“ How should I know, my dear?" re¬
plied the Jew, looking round as he plied
the bellows. ‘ About his losses, maybe,
| —or the little retirement in the reagaa A
that he’s just left, eh?—Ha! ha!
that it, my dear?”
“ Not a bit of it,” replied the Dodger,
stopping the subject of discourse as Mr.
Chitling was about to reply. ‘ What do
you say, Charley ?”
“I should say,” replied Master Bates
with a grin, “that he was uncommon
‘sweet upon Betsy. See how he’s
999
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