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104 Bill has not done it this time, he will another : he has done many a good job for you, and will do many more when he can; and when he cant, he wont, and so no oe a boy dear?” said “ Regardi is boy, my ™ sal is Sour nász the palms at aa eee nervously together. “The boy must take his chance with the rest,” interrupted Nancy hastily ; “and I say again, I hope he is dead, and out of ’s way, and out of yours, sad, it tee tet doe ok ial ae c e"s pretty sure to, ar b agszas two of him any time," “And about what I was saying, my dear?” observed the Jew, keeping his glistening eye steadily upon her. “ You must say it all over again if it’s any thing you want me to do,” rejoined Nancy ; “ and if it is, you had better wait till to-morrow. You put me up for a minute, but now I’m stupid again.” Fagin put several questions, all with the same drift of ascertaining whether the girl had ted by his unguarded hints; but answered them so readily, and was withal so utterly unOriginal impression more acts foille te lenoor wo fly combined. Miss Nancy, indeed, was not exempt from a failing which was very common among the Jew’s female mere oe in which in their tender years were rather encouraged than chec Her disordered a and a wholesome perfume of a which pervaded the apartment, affording strong confirmatory evidence of the justice of the Jew’s supposition; and when, after i ing in the temporary display of violence e described, she wards into a compound of feeli under Sedans, © ee eae minute, and in the next gave utterance to various exclamations of “ Never say die!” and divers calculations as to what might be the amount of the odds so as a lady or gentleman were , Mr. Fagin, who had had considerable experience of such matters in his time, saw with great satisfaction that she was very far gone indeed. Having eased his mind by this discovery, and accomplished his two-fold object of imparting to the girl what he had that night heard, and ascertaining with his own eyes that Sikes had not returned, | ward, pws j his with her upon the table. panion, slackening ag feri as he spoke. “On your business all night.” “Oh, of course!” said the stranger, with a sneer. “ Well; and what "s come gh 5 REL] said the J es " sal ew, “Nothing bad, I hope!" said the stranger, stopping short, and ing a startled look upon his companion. Fagin looked as i ingly excused himself from taking a visitor at that unseasonable hour, and muttered something about having no fire ; but, his companion repeating his az pere in a peremptory manner, he unlocked the door, and reguested him to close ít softly, while he got a light. “It’s as dark as the grave,” said the “* Make man, groping forward a few steps. ha e , agin the end of the passage. As he spoke, it closed with a loud noise. ]
