06-02-雾都孤儿 [71]
Mr Brown low ，putting the m on the table． 'All we need now is for you to sign the m，Monks．And to tell O liver what happened．'
Monks started hesitantly． 'My father had arrived in Italy to collect the money he had inherited，when suddenly he fell ill．When he died，we found two papers in his desk．One was a letter to his girl；the other was a will．'
'What was the letter？'asked Mr Brown low ．
'It was written when he was ill，telling the girl how ashamed he was that she was pregnant．He asked her not to remember him as a bad man but as someone who had made a mistake．He reminded her of the day he'd given her the locket and ring．'
O liver's tears fell fast as he listened to the story of his father．
'And what about the will？'asked Mr Brown low ．
Monks was silent．
'The will，'continued Mr Brown low ，speaking for him， 'was in the same spirit as the letter．He talked of the misery of his marriage to his wife，and the evil character of you，Monks，his only son，who had been brought up by your mother to hate him．He left you and your mother an annual income of $800．The rest of his property he left to his girl Agnes and to their child，if it were born alive，and if it showed itself to be of a good，kind character．The money would only go to you，Monks，as the older son，if The younger turned out to be as evil as you．'
'My mother，'said Monks， 'burnt this will，and never sent the letter．The girl Agnes left her home in secret，so that her pregnancy would not bring shame on her family．I swore to my mother，when she was dying，that if I ever found my half-brother，I would do him all the harm I could．He would feel my hatred like a whip on his back．I paid Fagin to trap O liver into a life of crime．But the n he escaped，and that stupid，interfering girl Nancy talked to you．If I'd had the chance，I would have finished what I'd begun．'Monks stared at O liver，and his lips moved in a silent curse．
'And the locket and ring？'asked Mr Brown low ．
'I bought the m from Mr and Mrs Bumble，who had stolen the m from the nurse，who had stolen the m from Agnes，the dead girl．I've already told you how I threw the m into the river．
Mr Brown low turned to Rose． 'I have one more thing to explain，'he said to the girl．
'I don't know if I have the strength to hear it now，'she murmured， 'having heard so much already．'
Mr Brown low put his hand under her arm． 'You have a great deal of courage，dear child，'he said kindly．He turned to Monks． 'Do you know this young lady，sir？'
'Yes．'
'I don't know you，'said Rose faintly．
'The father of poor Agnes had two daughters，'said Mr Brown low ． 'What happened to the other one，who was only a young child at the time？'
'When Agnes disappeared，'replied Monks， 'her father changed his name and moved to a lonely place in Wales，where no one would know about the family shame．He died very soon afterwards，and this young daughter was taken in by some poor people．My mother hated Agnes and everybody connected with her．She hunted for this young sister，and made sure that her life would be unhappy．She told the poor people who had taken her in that the girl was illegitimate，and that she came from a bad family with an evil reputation．So the child led a life of miserable poverty-until Mrs May lie saw her by chance，pitied her，and took her home．'
'And do you see this young sister now？'asked Mr Brown low ．
'Yes．Standing by your side．'
Rose could hardly speak． 'So…O liver is my nephew？'
'I can never call you aunt，'cried O liver． 'You'll always be my own dear sister！'
They ran into each other's arms，both of the m crying in their happiness．A father，sister and mother had been lost and gained，and it was too much for one evening．They stood for a long time in silence，and the others left the m alone．The court
Monks started hesitantly． 'My father had arrived in Italy to collect the money he had inherited，when suddenly he fell ill．When he died，we found two papers in his desk．One was a letter to his girl；the other was a will．'
'What was the letter？'asked Mr Brown low ．
'It was written when he was ill，telling the girl how ashamed he was that she was pregnant．He asked her not to remember him as a bad man but as someone who had made a mistake．He reminded her of the day he'd given her the locket and ring．'
O liver's tears fell fast as he listened to the story of his father．
'And what about the will？'asked Mr Brown low ．
Monks was silent．
'The will，'continued Mr Brown low ，speaking for him， 'was in the same spirit as the letter．He talked of the misery of his marriage to his wife，and the evil character of you，Monks，his only son，who had been brought up by your mother to hate him．He left you and your mother an annual income of $800．The rest of his property he left to his girl Agnes and to their child，if it were born alive，and if it showed itself to be of a good，kind character．The money would only go to you，Monks，as the older son，if The younger turned out to be as evil as you．'
'My mother，'said Monks， 'burnt this will，and never sent the letter．The girl Agnes left her home in secret，so that her pregnancy would not bring shame on her family．I swore to my mother，when she was dying，that if I ever found my half-brother，I would do him all the harm I could．He would feel my hatred like a whip on his back．I paid Fagin to trap O liver into a life of crime．But the n he escaped，and that stupid，interfering girl Nancy talked to you．If I'd had the chance，I would have finished what I'd begun．'Monks stared at O liver，and his lips moved in a silent curse．
'And the locket and ring？'asked Mr Brown low ．
'I bought the m from Mr and Mrs Bumble，who had stolen the m from the nurse，who had stolen the m from Agnes，the dead girl．I've already told you how I threw the m into the river．
Mr Brown low turned to Rose． 'I have one more thing to explain，'he said to the girl．
'I don't know if I have the strength to hear it now，'she murmured， 'having heard so much already．'
Mr Brown low put his hand under her arm． 'You have a great deal of courage，dear child，'he said kindly．He turned to Monks． 'Do you know this young lady，sir？'
'Yes．'
'I don't know you，'said Rose faintly．
'The father of poor Agnes had two daughters，'said Mr Brown low ． 'What happened to the other one，who was only a young child at the time？'
'When Agnes disappeared，'replied Monks， 'her father changed his name and moved to a lonely place in Wales，where no one would know about the family shame．He died very soon afterwards，and this young daughter was taken in by some poor people．My mother hated Agnes and everybody connected with her．She hunted for this young sister，and made sure that her life would be unhappy．She told the poor people who had taken her in that the girl was illegitimate，and that she came from a bad family with an evil reputation．So the child led a life of miserable poverty-until Mrs May lie saw her by chance，pitied her，and took her home．'
'And do you see this young sister now？'asked Mr Brown low ．
'Yes．Standing by your side．'
Rose could hardly speak． 'So…O liver is my nephew？'
'I can never call you aunt，'cried O liver． 'You'll always be my own dear sister！'
They ran into each other's arms，both of the m crying in their happiness．A father，sister and mother had been lost and gained，and it was too much for one evening．They stood for a long time in silence，and the others left the m alone．The court