Oldal 233 [233]
175
t last—richly as he merited such a
fate—by her hand.
But these were the mere wanderin
of a mind unable wholly to detach itself
from old companions and associations,
though enabled to fix itself steadily on
one object, resolved not to be turned aside
by any consideration. Her fears for Sikes
would have been more powerful induce¬
ments to recoil while there was yet time,
but she had stipulated that her secret
should be rigidly kept; she had dropped
no clue which could lead to his discovery ;
she had refused even for his sake a refuge
from all the guilt and wretchedness that
encompassed her: and what more could
she do? She was resolved.
‘hongh every mental struggle termi¬
nated in this conclusion, they forced
themselves upon her again and again,
and left their traces too. She grew pale
and thin even within a few days. At
times she took no heed of what was pass¬
ing before her, or no part in conversations
where once she would have been the
loudest. At others she laughed without
merriment, and was noisy without cause
or posting At others—often within a
moment afterwards—she sat silent and
dejected, brooding with her head upon
her hands, while the very effort by which
she roused herself told more forcibly than
even these indications that she was ill at
ease, and that her thoughts were occu¬
pied with matters very different and dis¬
tant from those in course of discussion by
her companions,
It was Sunday night, and the.bell of
the nearest church struck the hour.
Sikes and the Jew were talking, but they
paused to listen. The girl looked up
from the low seat on which she crouched
and listened too, intently. Eleven.
“An hour this side of midnight,” said
Sikes, raising the blind to look out, and
“ Dark and heavy
it is too. A good night for business this.”
Bill, my dear, that there’s none quite
ready to be done.”
6 You "re right for once,” replied Sikes
grufily. “It is a pity, for Pm in the hu¬
mour too,”
~The Jew sighed and shook his head
despondingly. | 7
s We must make up for lost time when
we ve got things into a good train, that’s
all I know,” said Sikes.
“That ’s the way to talk, my dear,”
replied the Jew, venturing to pat him on
“ Does you good, does it!” cried Sikes.
“Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the Jew, as
if he were relieved by even this conces¬
sion. " You "re like yourself to-night, Bull,
quite like yourself.”
“ [ don’t feel like myself when you lay
that withered old claw on my shoulder,
so take it away,” said Sikes, casting off
the Jew’s hand.
“It makes you nervous, Bill—reminds
you of being nabbed, does it?" said the
ew, determined not to be offended.
“Reminds me of being nabbed by the
Devil,” returned Sikes. ‘“ Not by a trap.
There never was another man with such
a face as yours, unless it was your father,
and I suppose he is singeing his grizzled
red beard by this time, unless you came
straight from the old ’un without any fa¬
ther at all betwixt you, which I shouldn’t
wonder at a bit.”
Fagin offered no reply to this compll¬
ment, but pulling Sikes by the sleeve,
pointed his finger towards Nancy, who
had taken advantage of the foregoing
conversation to put on her bonnet, an
“Hallo!” cried Sikes. " Nance.
Where's the gal going to at this time of
night?
. 66 Not far.”
“What answer’s that?” returned
Sikes. " Where are you going !"
6 [ say, not far."
“And I say where?” retorted Sikes
in a loud voice. ‘ Do you hear me?”
“T don’t know where," replied the
irl.
a Then I do," said Sikes, more in the
spirit of obstinacy than because he had
any real objection to the girl going where
she listed. ‘ Nowhere. Sit down.”
["m not well. I told you that before,"
rejoined the girl. “I want a breath of
air."
66 Put your head out of the window and
take it there," replied Sikes.
c "There"s not enough there,” said the
girl; “I want it in the street."
“Then you won’t have it,” replied
Sikes, with which assurance he rose, lock¬
ed the door, took the key out, and, pull¬
ing her bonnet from her head, flung it up
to the top of an old press. “There,” said
the robber: “ now stop quietly where you
are, will you!”
“Tt’s not such a matter as a bonnet
would keep me,” said the girl, turning
very pale.