Stranica 208 [208]
OCR
152 c Why, what evil wind has blowed you here?" he asked of Fagin. No evil wind at all, my dear," replied the Jew; " for ill winds blow nobody any good, and I’ve brought something good with me that you’ll be glad to see. Doder, my dear, open the bundle, and give ill the little trifles that we spent all our money on this morning.” In compliance with Mr. Fagin’s request, the Artful untied his bundle, which was of large size, and formed of an old tablecloth, and handed the articles it contained, one by one, to Charley Bates, who placed them on the table, with various encomiums on their rarity and excellence. “Sitch a rabbit pie, Bill!" exclaimed that young gentleman, disclosing to view a huge pasty; “sitch delicate creeturs, sitch tender limbs, Bill, that the wery bones melt in your mouth, and there’s no occasion to pick ’em; half a pound of seven and sixpenny green, so precious strong that if you mix it with boiling water, it "11 go nigh to blow the lid of the teapot off; a pound and a half of moist sugar that the niggers didn’t work at all at afore they got it to sitch a pitch of goodness, —oh no! two _ half-quartern brans; pound of best fresh; piece of double Glo’ster, and, to wind up all, some of the rightest sort you ever lushed.” Uttering this last panegyric, Master Bates produced from one of his extensive pockets a full-sized wine-bottle, carefully corked, while Mr. Dawkins at the same instant poured out a wine-glassful of raw spirits from the bottle he carried, which the invalid tossed down his throat without a moment’s hesitation. 6 Ah!” said the Jew, rubbing his hands with great satisfaction. “ You'll do, Bill; you "11 do now.” * Do!” exclaimed Mr. Sikes; “I might have been done for twenty times over, afore you’d have done anything to help me. What do you mean by leaving a man in this state three weeks and more, you false-hearted wagabond ?” “Only hear him, boys!” said the Jew, shrugging his shoulders; “and us come to bring him all these beautiful things.” “The things is well enough in their way, observed Mr. Sikes, a little soothed as he glanced over the table; "but what have you got to say for yourself why you should leave me here, down in the mouth, health, blunt, and everything else, and take no more notice of me all this mortal time than if I was that ere dog.—Drive nim down, Charley.” “T never see such a jolly dog as that,” cried Master Bates, doing as he was desired. ‘ Smellin the grub like a old lady a-going to market! He’d make his fortun’ on the stage that dog would, and rewive the drayma besides.” “ Hold your din,” cried Sikes, as the dog retreated under the bed, still growling angrily. “And what have you got = say for yourself, you withered old fenee, eh!" ae ‘*] was away from London a week and — my dear, on a plant,” replied the ew. > sa “ And what about the other fortnight ?” demanded Sikes. * What about the other fortnight that you’ve left me lying here, like a sick rat in his hole?" “T couldn’t help it, Bill,” replied the Jew. “I can’t go into a long explanation before company; but I couldn’t help it, upon my honour.” . -. : | “Upon your what?” growled Sikes with excessive disgust. ‘“ Here, cut me off a piece of the pie, one of you boys, to take the taste of that out of my mouth, or it "11 choke me dead.” ‘Don’t be out of temper, my dear,” urged the Jew submissively. “I have never forgot you, Bill; never once.” . . “ No, [711 pound it, that you hant," replied Sikes with a bitter grin. " You’ve been scheming and plotting away every hour that I’ve laid shivering and burning here; and Bill was to do this, and Bill was to do that, and Bill was to do it all dirt cheap, as soon as he got well, and was quite poor enough for your work. If 3 hadnt been for the girl, I might kave led." ‘There now, Bill," remonstrated the Jew, eagerly catching at the word. “If it hadn’t been for the girl! Who was the means of your having such a handy girl about you but me?" “He says true enough there, God knows!” said Nancy, coming hastily forward. § Let him be, let him be.” Nancy’s appearance gave a new turn . to the conversation, for the boys, receiving a sly wink from the wary old Jew, began to ply her with liquor, of which, however, she partook very sparingly; while Fagin, assuming an unusual flow of spirits, gradually brought Mr. Sikes into a better temper, by affecting to regard his threats as a little pleasant banter, and, moreover, laughing very heartily at one or two rough jokes, which, after repeated applications to the spirit-bottle, he condescended to make.
