06-02-雾都孤儿 [35]
jumped to his feet and went to the other end of the room.
'Please, Mrs Corney, ' said a voice outside. 'Old Sally is going fast. '
'Well, what can I do to help her
'asked Mrs Corney angrily.
'Nothing, ma'am, replied the old woman outside. But she says she has something to tell you, which you must hear. She won't die quietly till you come. '
Complaining loudly, Mrs Corney asked Mr Bumble to wait until she came back. The n she followed the old woman up the stairs.
Old Sally lay in bed in a freezing cold room. The fire was so small and mean that it gave no warmth at all.
Mrs Corney bent over the bed, and the dying woman opened her eyes. 'Come closer, 'she murmured. 'Let me whisper in your ear. ' She held onto Mrs Corney's arm and pulled her down towards her 'In this same room I once helped a pretty young woman who came in with cut and bleeding feet, who gave birth to a boy and the n died. '
'Well
' asked Mrs Corney impatiently.
'I robbed her. She was hardly dead before I stole it! '
'Stole what
'
'It! The only thing she had. It was gold. It could have saved her life! '
'Gold
Who was this mother
Tell me! '
'She told me to look after it when she died. ' The old woman's mind was getting confused. 'She trusted me, poor girl, and I stole it. '
'Quick, tell me or it may be too late! ' said Mrs Corney greedily. ' What was it, and what was the boy's name
'
The old woman could hardly speak．'O liver. The gold I stole was—'
'Yes, yes! What
'
The old woman fell back onto the bed, dead.
Mrs Corney hurried back to her room, where Mr Bumble was still admiring her furniture and counting her silver tea-spoons. They sat down again by the fire, and soon Mr Bumble's arm returned to its previous position round Mrs Corney's waist. It was not long before he asked her to marry him, and the widow happily accepted him. While They drank to celebrate the arrangement, Mrs Corney told Mr Bumble about old Sally's death, and the unknown gold object which she had stolen from the dead body of The young woman.
After many expressions of undying love, Mr Bumble finally left the room and returned home, with bright visions of his future.
While the se events were happening in the workhouse, the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates were playing cards in Fagin's house. The Dodger, as usual, was winning easily; somehow, he always seemed to know exactly what cards the other players had in their hand s. Suddenly the re was a faint ring on the bell downstairs, and Toby came in-the man who had gone with Bill Sikes and O liver to rob the house in Chertsey. Fagin jumped to his feet.
'Where are They
' he screamed. 'Sikes and the boy! Where are They hiding
'
'We failed, ' said the robber.
' What happened
'
'They fired and hit the boy. We ran away with O liver between us, and They chased us with dogs. '
'And the boy
What about the boy
'gasped Fagin.
'His head was hanging down, and he was cold. We needed to go faster so we left him in a field, alive or dead That's all I know about him. '
Fagin did not wait to hear any more. He gave an angry scream, ran out of the house and hurried through the streets until he reached Bill Sikes' house． As he climbed the stairs, he thought, 'Well, Nancy, if the re' s anything going on here, I'll find out about it-however clever you are. '
Nancy was alone upstairs in her room, her head on the table.
'She's been drinking again, 'thought Fagin. As he closed the door, she woke up. He told her what had happened during the robbery; she said nothing and her head returned to the table. 'And where do you think the boy is now, my dear
'Fagin asked her, trying hard to see her face. 'Poor little child! Left alone like that．'
Nancy looked up. 'I hope the child's dead. The n he'd be happier than any of us. '
'What! 'said Fagin, in amazement.
'It's better like that. The sight of the boy turns me against myself, and
'Please, Mrs Corney, ' said a voice outside. 'Old Sally is going fast. '
'Well, what can I do to help her
'asked Mrs Corney angrily.
'Nothing, ma'am, replied the old woman outside. But she says she has something to tell you, which you must hear. She won't die quietly till you come. '
Complaining loudly, Mrs Corney asked Mr Bumble to wait until she came back. The n she followed the old woman up the stairs.
Old Sally lay in bed in a freezing cold room. The fire was so small and mean that it gave no warmth at all.
Mrs Corney bent over the bed, and the dying woman opened her eyes. 'Come closer, 'she murmured. 'Let me whisper in your ear. ' She held onto Mrs Corney's arm and pulled her down towards her 'In this same room I once helped a pretty young woman who came in with cut and bleeding feet, who gave birth to a boy and the n died. '
'Well
' asked Mrs Corney impatiently.
'I robbed her. She was hardly dead before I stole it! '
'Stole what
'
'It! The only thing she had. It was gold. It could have saved her life! '
'Gold
Who was this mother
Tell me! '
'She told me to look after it when she died. ' The old woman's mind was getting confused. 'She trusted me, poor girl, and I stole it. '
'Quick, tell me or it may be too late! ' said Mrs Corney greedily. ' What was it, and what was the boy's name
'
The old woman could hardly speak．'O liver. The gold I stole was—'
'Yes, yes! What
'
The old woman fell back onto the bed, dead.
Mrs Corney hurried back to her room, where Mr Bumble was still admiring her furniture and counting her silver tea-spoons. They sat down again by the fire, and soon Mr Bumble's arm returned to its previous position round Mrs Corney's waist. It was not long before he asked her to marry him, and the widow happily accepted him. While They drank to celebrate the arrangement, Mrs Corney told Mr Bumble about old Sally's death, and the unknown gold object which she had stolen from the dead body of The young woman.
After many expressions of undying love, Mr Bumble finally left the room and returned home, with bright visions of his future.
While the se events were happening in the workhouse, the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates were playing cards in Fagin's house. The Dodger, as usual, was winning easily; somehow, he always seemed to know exactly what cards the other players had in their hand s. Suddenly the re was a faint ring on the bell downstairs, and Toby came in-the man who had gone with Bill Sikes and O liver to rob the house in Chertsey. Fagin jumped to his feet.
'Where are They
' he screamed. 'Sikes and the boy! Where are They hiding
'
'We failed, ' said the robber.
' What happened
'
'They fired and hit the boy. We ran away with O liver between us, and They chased us with dogs. '
'And the boy
What about the boy
'gasped Fagin.
'His head was hanging down, and he was cold. We needed to go faster so we left him in a field, alive or dead That's all I know about him. '
Fagin did not wait to hear any more. He gave an angry scream, ran out of the house and hurried through the streets until he reached Bill Sikes' house． As he climbed the stairs, he thought, 'Well, Nancy, if the re' s anything going on here, I'll find out about it-however clever you are. '
Nancy was alone upstairs in her room, her head on the table.
'She's been drinking again, 'thought Fagin. As he closed the door, she woke up. He told her what had happened during the robbery; she said nothing and her head returned to the table. 'And where do you think the boy is now, my dear
'Fagin asked her, trying hard to see her face. 'Poor little child! Left alone like that．'
Nancy looked up. 'I hope the child's dead. The n he'd be happier than any of us. '
'What! 'said Fagin, in amazement.
'It's better like that. The sight of the boy turns me against myself, and