Stranica 217 [217]
beto me! But perhaps he will not come;
he may write, or he may come himself,
and studiously abstain from meeting me
—he did when he went away. I hardly
thought he would; but it was better for
us both—a great deal better." And here
Rose dropped the pen and turned away,
as though the very paper which was to
be her messenger should not see her
weep.
She had taken up the same pen and
laid it down fifty times, and had consid¬
ered and re-considered the very first line
of her letter without writing the first
word, when Oliver, who had been walking
in the streets with Mr. Giles for a body¬
guard, entered the room in such breathless
haste and violent agitation, as seemed to
betoken some new cause of alarm.
c What makes you look so flurried !"
asked Rose, advancing to meet him.
“Speak to me, Oliver.”
“T hardly know how; I feel as if I
should be choked,” replied the boy.
*“ Oh dear! to think that I should see him
at last, and you should be able to know
that I have told you all the truth!”
6 [ never thought you had told us any¬
thing but the truth, dear,” said Rose,
aoothing him. “But what is this!—
sf whom do you speak ?”
“T have seen the gentleman,” replied
Oliver, scarcely able to articulate, “the
entleman who was so good to me—Mr.
rownlow, that we have so often talked
about.”
sc Where?" asked Rose.
“Getting out of a coach,” replied
Oliver shedding tears of delight, “and
going into a house. J didn’t speak to him
—I couldn’t speak to him, for he didn’t
see me, and I trembled so, that I was not
able to go up to him. But Giles asked
for me whether he lived there, and they
said he did. Look here,” said Oliver,
opening a paper, “here it is; here’s
where he lives—I’m going there directly.
Oh, dear me, dear me! what sha!l I do
when I come to see him and hear him
speak again!”
With her attention not a little distract¬
ed by these and a great many other inco¬
herent exclamations of joy, Rose read
the address, which was Craven Street,
in the Strand, and very soon determined
upon turning the discovery to account.
“Quick! she said, “tell them to
fetch a hackney-coach, and be ready to
go with me. I will take you there di¬
rectly, without a minute’s loss of time.
I will only tell my aunt that we are going
: 444 V
|
|
out for an hour, and be ready as soon as
you are.”
Oliver needed no prompting to des¬
patch, and in a little more than five .
minutes they were on their way to Cra¬
ven Street. When they arrived there,
Rose left Oliver in the coach under pre¬
tence of preparing the old gentleman to
receive him, and sending up her card by
the servant, requested to see Mr. Brown¬
low on very pressing business. ‘The ser¬
vant soon returned to beg that she would
walk up stairs, and, following him into an
upper room, Miss Maylie was presented
to an elderly gentleman of benevolent
appearance, in a bottle-green coat; at no
great distance from whom was seated
another old gentleman, in nankeen breech¬
es and gaiters, who did not look partieu¬
larly benevolent, and was sitting with his
hands clasped on the top of a thick stick,
and his chin propped thereupon.
“ Dear me,” said the gentleman in the
bottle-creen coat, hastily rising with great
politeness, “I beg your pardon, young
lady—I imagined it was some importunate
person who—lI beg you will excuse me.
Be seated, pray.”
* Mr. Brownlow, I believe, sir?" said
Rose, glancing from the other gentleman
to the one who had spoken.
“That is my name,” said the old gen¬
tleman. ‘This is my friend, Mr. Grim¬
wig. Grimwig, will you leave us fora
few minutes ?"
“I believe,” interposed Miss Maylie,
“that at this period of our interview I
need not give that gentleman the trouble
of going away. IfI am correctly inform¬
ed, he is cognizant of the business on
which I wish to speak to you."
Mr. Brownlow inclined his head, and
Mr. Grimwig, who had made one very
stiff bow, and risen from his chair, made
another very stiff bow, and dropped into
it again.
e 1 shall surprise you very much, I
have no doubt,” said Rose, naturally em¬
barrassed; “ but you once showed great
benevolence and goodness to a very dear
young friend of mine, and I am sure you
will take an interest in hearing of him
again.”
“Indeed !” said Mr. Brownlow. “ May
I ask his name?"
“ Oliver Twist you knew him as,” re¬
plied Rose.
The words no sooner escaped her lips
than Mr. Grimwig, who had been affect¬
ing to dip into a large book that Jay on the