oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪))-第65章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
“The Bow Street officers; sir;” replied Brittles; taking up a
candle; “me and Mr。 Giles sent for ’em this morning。”
“What?” cried the doctor。
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
Oliver Twist 314
“Yes;” replied Brittles; “I sent a message up by the coachman;
and I only wonder they weren’t here before; sir。”
“You did; did you? Then confound your slow coaches down
here; that’s all;” said the doctor; walking away。
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
Oliver Twist 315
Chapter 31
Involves A Critical Position。
“W ho’s that?” inquired Brittles; opening the door a
little way; with the chain up; and peeping out;
shading the candle with his hand。
“Open the door;” replied a man outside; “it’s the officers from
Bow Street; as was sent to; today。”
Much comforted by this assurance; Brittles opened the door to
its full width; and confronted a portly man in a greatcoat; who
walked in; without saying anything more; and wiped his shoes on
the mat; as coolly as if he lived there。
“Just send somebody out to relieve my mate; will you; young
man?” said the officer; “he’s in the gig; a…minding the prad。 Have
you got a coach ’us here; that you could put it up in; for five or ten
minutes?”
Brittles replying in the affirmative; and pointing out the
building; the portly man stepped back to the garden gate; and
helped his companion to put up the gig; while Brittles lighted
them; in a state of great admiration。 This done; they returned to
the house; and; being shown into a parlour; took off their
greatcoats and hats; and showed like what they were。
The man who had knocked at the door was a stout personage of
middle height; aged about fifty; with shiny black hair; cropped
pretty close; half…whiskers; a round face; and sharp eyes。 The
other was a red…headed; bony man; in top…boots; with a rather ill…
favoured countenance; and a turned…up sinister…looking nose。
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
Oliver Twist 316
“Tell your governor that Blathers and Duff is here; will you?”
said the stouter man; smoothing down his hair; and laying a pair of
handcuffs on the table。 “Oh! Good…evening; master。 Can I have a
word or two with you in private; if you please?”
This was addressed to Mr。 Losberne; who now made his
appearance; that gentleman; motioning Brittles to retire; brought
in the two ladies; and shut the door。
“This is the lady of the house;” said Mr。 Losberne; motioning
towards Mrs。 Maylie。
Mr。 Blathers made a bow。 Being desired to sit down; he put his
hat on the floor; and taking a chair; motioned Duff to do the same。
The latter gentleman; who did not appear quite so much
accustomed to good society; or quite so much at his ease in it—one
of the two—seated himself; after undergoing several muscular
affections of the limbs; and forced the head of his stick into his
mouth; with some embarrassment。
“Now; with regard to this here robbery; master;” said Blathers。
“What are the circumstances?”
Mr。 Losberne; who appeared desirous of gaining time;
recounted them at great length; and with much circumlocution。
Messrs。 Blathers and Duff looked very knowing meanwhile; and
occasionally exchanged a nod。
“I can’t say; for certain; till I see the work; of course;” said
Blathers; “but my opinion at once is—I don’t mind committing
myself to that extent—that this wasn’t done by a yokel; eh; Duff?”
“Certainly not;” replied Duff。
“And; translating the word yokel for the benefit of the ladies; I
apprehend your meaning to be; that this attempt was not made by
a countryman?” said Mr。 Losberne; with a smile。
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
Oliver Twist 317
“That’s it; master;” replied Blathers。 “This is all about the
robbery; is it?”
“All;” replied the doctor。
“Now; what is this; about this here boy that the servants are a…
talking on?” said Blathers。
“Nothing at all;” replied the doctor。 “One of the frightened
servants chose to take it into his head; that he had something to do
with this attempt to break into the house; but it’s nonsense—sheer
absurdity。”
“Very easy disposed of; if it is;” remarked Duff。
“What he says is quite correct;” observed Blathers; nodding his
head in a confirmatory way; and playing carelessly with the
handcuffs; as if they were a pair of castanets。 “Who is the boy?
What account does he give of himself? Where did he come from?
He didn’t drop out of the clouds; did he; master?”
“Of course not;” replied the doctor; with a nervous glance at the
two ladies。 “I know his whole history; but we can talk about that
presently。 You would like; first; to see the place where the thieves
made their attempt; I suppose!”
“Certainly;” rejoined Mr。 Blathers。 “We had better inspect the
premises first; and examine the servants afterwards。 That’s the
usual way of doing business。”
Lights were then procured; and Messrs。 Blathers and Duff;
attended by the native constable; Brittles; Giles; and everybody
else in short; went into the little room at the end of the passage
and looked out at the window; and afterwards went round by way
of the lawn; and looked in at the window; and after that; had a
candle handed out to inspect the shutter with; and after that; a
lantern to trace the footsteps with; and after that; a pitchfork to
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
Oliver Twist 318
poke the bushes with。 This done; amidst the breathless interest of
all beholders they came in again; and Mr。 Giles and Brittles were
put through a melodramatic representation of their share in the
previous night’s adventures; which they performed some six times
over; contradicting each other; in not more than one important
respect; the first time; and in not more than a dozen the last。 This
consummation being arrived at; Blathers and Duff cleared the
room; and held a long council together; compared with which; for
secrecy and solemnity; a consultation of great doctors on the
knottiest point in medicine; would be mere child’s play。
Meanwhile; the doctor walked up and down the next room in a
very uneasy state; and Mrs。 Maylie and Rose looked on; with
anxious faces。
“Upon my word;” he said; making a halt; after a great number
of very rapid turns; “I hardly know what to do。”
“Surely;” said Rose; “the poor child’s story; faithfully repeated
to these men; will be sufficient to exonerate him。”
“I doubt it; my dear young lady;” said the doctor; shaking his
head。 “I don’t think it would exonerate him; either with them; or
with legal functionaries of a higher grade。 What is he; after all;
they would say? A runaway。 Judged by mere worldly
considerations and probabilities; his story is a very doubtful one。”
“You believe it; surely?” interrupted Rose。
“I believe it; strange as it is; and perhaps I may be an old fool
for doing so;” rejoined the doctor; “but I don’t think it is exactly
the tale for a practised police…officer; nevertheless。”
“Why not?” demanded Rose。
“Because; my pretty cross…examiner;” replied the doctor;
“because; viewed with their eyes; there are many ugly points
Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics
Oliver Twist 319
about it; he can only prove the parts that look ill; and none of those
that look well。 Confound the fellows; they will have the why and
the wherefore; and will take nothing for granted。 On his own
showing; you see; he has been the companion of thieves for some
time past; he had been carried to a police…office; on a charge of
picking a gentleman’s pocket; he has been taken away; forcibly;
from that gentleman’s house; to a place which he cannot describe
or point out; and of the situation Of which he has not the remotest
idea。 He is brought down to Chertsey; by men who seem to have
taken a violent fancy to him; whether he will or no; and is put
through a window to rob a house; and then; just at the very
moment when he is going to alarm the inmates; and so do the very
thing that would set him all to rights;