oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪))-第74章
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precise moment。
“Not here;” said Nancy hurriedly; “I am afraid to speak to you
here。 Come away—out of the public road—down the steps
yonder!”
As she uttered these words; and indicated; with her hand; the
direction in which she wished them to proceed; the countryman
looked round; and roughly asking what they took up the whole
pavement for; passed on。
The steps to which the girl had pointed; were those which; on
the Surrey bank; and on the same side of the bridge as St。
Saviour’s Church; form a landing…stairs from the river。 To this
spot; the man bearing the appearance of a countryman; hastened
unobserved; and; after a moment’s survey of the place; he began to
descend。
These stairs are a part of the bridge; they consist of three
flights。 Just below the end of the second; going down; the stone
wall on the left terminates in an ornamental pilaster facing
towards the Thames。 At this point the lower steps widen; so that a
person turning that angle of the wall; is necessarily unseen by any
others on the stairs who chance to be above him; if only a step。
The countryman looked hastily round; when he reached this point;
and; as there seemed no better place of concealment; and the tide
being out; there was plenty of room; he slipped aside; with his
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back to the pilaster; and there waited; pretty certain that they
would come no lower; and that even if he could not hear what was
said; he could follow them again; with safety。
So tardily stole the time in this lonely place; and so eager was
the spy to penetrate the motives of an interview so different from
what he had been led to expect; that he more than once gave the
matter up for lost; and persuaded himself; either that they had
stopped far above; or had resorted to some entirely different spot
to hold their mysterious conversation。 He was on the point of
emerging from his hiding…place; and regaining the road above;
when he heard the sound of footsteps; and directly afterwards of
voices almost close to his ear。
He drew himself straight upright against the wall; and; scarcely
breathing; listened attentively。
“This is far enough;” said a voice; which was evidently that of a
gentleman。 “I will not suffer the young lady to go any further。
Many people would have distrusted you too much to have come
even so far; but you see I am willing to humour you。”
“To humour me!” cried the voice of the girl whom he had
followed。 “You’re considerate; indeed; sir。 To humour me! Well;
well; it’s no matter。”
“Why; for what;” said the gentleman in a kinder tone; “for what
purpose can you have brought us to this strange place? Why not
have let me speak to you; above there; where it is light; and there
is something stirring; instead of bringing us to this dark and
dismal hole?”
“I told you before;” replied Nancy; “that I was afraid to speak to
you there。 I don’t know why it is;” said the girl; shuddering; “but I
have such a fear and dread upon me tonight that I can hardly
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stand。”
“A fear of what?” asked the gentleman; who seemed to pity her。
“I scarcely know what;” replied the girl。 “I wish I did。 Horrible
thoughts of death; and shrouds with blood upon them; and a fear
that has made me burn as if I was on fire; have been upon me all
day。 I was reading a book tonight; to wile the time away; and the
same things came into the print。”
“Imagination;” said the gentleman; soothing her。
“No imagination;” replied the girl; in a hoarse voice。 “I’ll swear
I saw ‘coffin’ written in every page of the book in large black
letters—aye; and they carried one close to me; in the streets
tonight。”
“There is nothing unusual in that;” said the gentleman。 “They
have passed me often。”
“Real ones;” rejoined the girl。 “This was not。”
There was something so uncommon in her manner; that the
flesh of the concealed listener crept as he heard the girl utter these
words; and the blood chilled within him。 He had never
experienced a greater relief than in hearing the sweet voice of the
young lady as she begged her to be calm; and not allow herself to
become the prey of such fearful fancies。
“Speak to her kindly;” said the young lady to her companion。
“Poor creature! She seems to need it。”
“Your haughty religious people would have held their heads up
to see me as I am tonight; and preached of flames and vengeance;”
cried the girl。 “Oh; dear lady; why ar’n’t those who claim to be
God’s own folks as gentle and as kind to us poor wretches as you;
who; having youth; and beauty; and all that they have lost; might
be a little proud instead of so much humbler。”
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“Ah!” said the gentleman。 “A Turk turns his face; after washing
it well; to the east; when he says his prayers; these good people;
after giving their faces such a rub against the world as to take the
smiles off; turn with no less regularity to the darkest side of
heaven。 Between the Mussulman and the Pharisee; commend me
to the first。”
These words appeared to be addressed to the young lady; and
were perhaps uttered with the view of affording Nancy time to
recover herself。 The gentleman; shortly afterwards; addressed
himself to her。
“You were not here last Sunday night;” he said。
“I couldn’t come;” replied Nancy; “I was kept by force。”
“By whom?”
“Him that I told the young lady of before。”
“You were not suspected of holding any communication with
anybody on the subject which has brought us here tonight; I
hope?” asked the old gentleman。
“No;” replied the girl; shaking her head。 “It’s not very easy for
me to leave him unless he knows why; I couldn’t have seen the
lady when I did; but that I gave him a drink of laudanum before I
came away。”
“Did he awake before you returned?” inquired the gentleman。
“No; and neither he nor any of them suspect me。”
“Good;” said the gentleman。 “Now listen to me。”
“I am ready;” replied the girl; as he paused for a moment。
“This young lady;” the gentleman began; “has communicated to
me; and to some other friends who can be safely trusted; what you
told her nearly a fortnight since。 I confess to you that I had doubts;
at first; whether you were to be implicitly relied upon; but now I
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firmly believe you are。”
“I am;” replied the girl earnestly。
“I repeat that I firmly believe it。 To prove to you that I am
disposed to trust you; I tell you without reserve; that we propose to
extort the secret; whatever it may be; from the fears of this man
Monks。 But if—if—” said the gentleman; “he cannot be secured;
or; if secured; cannot be acted upon as we wish; you must deliver
up the Jew。”
“Fagin;” cried the girl; recoiling。
“That man must be delivered up by you;” said the gentleman。
“I will not do it! I will never do it!” replied the girl。 “Devil that
he is; and worse than devil as he has been to me; I will never do
that。”
“You will not?” said the gentleman; who seemed fully prepared
for this answer。
“Never!” returned the girl。
“Tell me why?”
“For one reason;” rejoined the girl firmly—“for one reason; that
the lady knows and will stand by me in; I know she will; for I have
her promise; and for this other reason; besides; that; bad life as he
has led; I have led a bad life too; there are many of us who have
kept the same courses together; and I’ll not turn upon them; who
might—any of them—have turned upon me but didn’t; bad as they
are。”
“Then;” said the gentleman quickly; as if this had been the
point that he had been aiming to attain; “put Monks into my
hands; and leave him to me to deal with。”
“What if he turned against the others?”
“I promise you that in that case; if the truth is forced from him;
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there the matter will rest; there must be circumstances in Oliver’s
little history which it would be painful to drag before the public
eye; and if the truth is once elicited; they shall go scot…free。”
“And if it is not?” suggested the girl。
“Then;” pursued the gentleman; “this Fagin shall not be
brought to justice without your consent。 In such a case I could
show you reasons; I think; which would induce you to yield it。”
“Have I the lady’s promise for that?” asked the girl。
“You have;” replied Rose。 “My true and faithful pledge。”
“Monks would never learn how you know what you do?” said
the girl; after a short pause。
“Never;” replied the gentleman。 “The intelligence should be so
brought to bear upon him; that he could never even guess。”
“I have been a liar; and among liars from a little child;” said the
girl; after another interval of silence; “but I will take your words。”
After receiving an assurance from both; that she might safely do
so; she proceeded in a voice so low that it was often difficult for the
listener to discover even the import of what she said; to describe;
by name and situation; the public…house whence she had been
followed that night。 From the manner in which she occasionally
paused; it appeared as if the gentleman were making some hasty
notes of the information she communicated。 When she had
thoroughly explained the localities of the place; the best position
from which to watch it without exciting observation; and the night
and hour on which Monks was most in the habit of frequenting it;
she seemed to consider for a few moments; for the purpose of
recalling his features and appearance more forcibly to her
recollection。
“He is tall;” said the girl; “and a strongly…made man; but not
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stout; he has a lurking walk; and as he walks; constantly looks over
his shoulder; first on one side; and then on the other。 Don’t forget
that; for his eyes are sunk in his head so much deeper than any
other man’s; that you might almost tell him by that alone。 His face
is dark; like his hair and eyes; and; although he can’t be more than
six or eight…and…twenty; withered and haggard。 His lips are often
discoloured and disfigured with the marks of teeth; for he has
desperate fits; and sometimes even bites his hands and covers
them with wounds。—Why did you start?” said the girl; stopping
suddenly。
The gentleman replied; in a hurried manner; that he was not
conscious of having done so; and begged her to proceed。
“Part of this;” said the girl; “I’ve drawn out from other people at
the house I tell you of; for I have only seen him twice; and both
times he was covered up in a large cloak。 I think that’s all I can
give you to know him by。 Stay; though;” she added。 “Upon his
throat; so high that you can see a part of it below his neckerchief
when he turns his face; there is—”
“A broad red mark; l