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oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪))-第99章

小说: oliver twist(雾都孤儿(孤星血泪)) 字数: 每页4000字

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“Let me go;” said the girl; with great earnestness; then sitting 
herself down on the floor; before the door; she said; “Bill; let me 
go; you don’t know what you are doing。 You don’t; indeed。 For 

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only one hour—do—do!” 

“Cut my limbs off one by one!” cried Sikes; seizing her roughly 
by the arm; “if I don’t think the gal’s stark raving mad。 Get up。” 

“Not till you let me go—not till you let me go; never—never!” 
screamed the girl。 Sikes looked on; for a minute; watching his 
opportunity; and suddenly pinioning her hands dragged her; 
struggling and wrestling with him by the way; into a small room 
adjoining; where he sat himself on a bench; and thrusting her into 
a chair; held her down by force。 She struggled and implored by 
turns until twelve o’clock had struck; and then; wearied and 
exhausted; ceased to contest the point any further。 

With a caution; backed by many oaths; to make no more efforts 
to go out that night; Sikes left her to recover at leisure and 
rejoined Fagin。 

“Whew!” said the housebreaker; wiping the perspiration from 
his face。 “Wot a precious strange gal that is!” 

“You may say that; Bill;” replied Fagin thoughtfully。 “You may 
say that。” 

“Wot did she take it into her head to go out tonight for; do you 
think?” asked Sikes。 “Come: you should know her better than me。 
Wot does it mean?” 

“Obstinacy; woman’s obstinacy; I suppose; my dear。” 

“Well; I suppose it is;” growled Sikes。 “I thought I had tamed 
her; but she’s as bad as ever。” 

“Worse;” said Fagin thoughtfully。 “I never knew her like this; 
for such a little cause。” 

“Nor I;” said Sikes。 “I think she’s got a touch of that fever in her 
blood yet; and it won’t come out—eh?” 

“Like enough。” 

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“I’ll let her a little blood; without troubling the doctor; if she’s 
took that way again;” said Sikes。 

Fagin nodded an expressive approval of this mode of treatment。 

“She was hanging about me all day; and night too; when I was 
stretched on my back; and you; like a black…hearted wolf as you 
are; kept yourself aloof;” said Sikes。 “We was very poor too; all the 
time; and I think; one way or other; it’s worried and fretted her; 
and that being shut up here so long has made her restless—eh?” 

“That’s it; my dear;” replied the Jew; in a whisper。 “Hush!” 

As he uttered these words; the girl herself appeared and 
resumed her former seat。 Her eyes were swollen and red; she 
rocked herself to and fro; tossed her head; and; after a little time; 
burst out laughing。 

“Why; now she’s on the other tack!” exclaimed Sikes; turning a 
look of excessive surprise on his companion。 

Fagin nodded to him to take no further notice just then; and; in 
a few minutes; the girl subsided into her accustomed demeanour。 
Whispering Sikes that there was no fear of her relapsing; Fagin 
took up his hat and bade him good…night。 He paused when he 
reached the room door; and looking round; asked if somebody 
would light him down the dark stairs。 

“Light him down;” said Sikes; who was filling his pipe。 “It’s a 
pity he should break his neck himself; and disappoint the sightseers。 Show him a light。” 

Nancy followed the old man downstairs; with a candle。 When 
they reached the passage; he laid his finger on his lips; and 
drawing close to the girl; said; in a whisper: 

“What is it; Nancy; dear?” 

“What do you mean?” replied the girl; in the same tone。 

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“The reason of all this;” replied Fagin。 “If he”—he pointed with 
his skinny forefinger up the stairs—“is so hard with you (he’s a 
brute; Nance; a brute…beast); why don’t you—” 

“Well?” said the girl; as Fagin paused; with his mouth almost 
touching her ear; and his eyes looking into hers。 

“No matter just now;” said Fagin。 “We’ll talk of this again。 You 
have a friend in me; Nance; a staunch friend。 I have the means at 
hand; quiet and close。 If you want revenge on those that treat you 
like a dog—like a dog! worse than his dog; for he humours him 
sometimes—come to me。 I say; come to me。 He is the mere hound 
of a day; but you know me of old; Nance。” 

“I know you well;” replied the girl; without manifesting the 
least emotion。 “Good…night。” 

She shrank back; as Fagin offered to lay his hand on hers; but 
said good…night again; in a steady voice; and; answering his 
parting look with a nod of intelligence; closed the door between 
them。 

Fagin walked towards his own home; intent upon the thoughts 
that were working within his brain。 He had conceived the idea— 
not from what had just passed; though that had tended to confirm 
him; but slowly and by degrees—that Nancy; wearied of the 
housebreaker’s brutality; had conceived an attachment for some 
new friend。 Her altered manner; her repeated absences from 
home alone; her comparative indifference to the interests of the 
gang for which she had once been so zealous; and; added to these; 
her desperate impatience to leave home that night at a particular 
hour; all favoured the supposition; and rendered it; to him at least; 
almost matter of certainty。 The object of this new liking was not 
among his myrmidons。 He would be a valuable acquisition with 

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such an assistant as Nancy; and must (thus Fagin argued) be 
secured without delay。 

There was another; and a darker; object to be gained。 Sikes 
knew too much; and his ruffian taunts had not galled Fagin the 
less; because the wounds were hidden。 The girl must know; well; 
that if she shook him off; she could never be safe from his fury; 
and that it would be surely wreaked—to the maiming of limbs; or 
perhaps the loss of life—on the object of her more recent fancy。 
“With a little persuasion;” thought Fagin; “what more likely than 
that she would consent to poison him? Women have done such 
things; and worse; to secure the same object before now。 There 
would be the dangerous villain—the man I hate—gone; another 
secured in his place; and my influence over the girl; with a 
knowledge of this crime to back it; unlimited。” 

These things passed through the mind of Fagin; during the 
short time he sat alone; in the housebreaker’s room; and with 
them uppermost in his thoughts; he had taken the opportunity 
afterwards afforded him; of sounding the girl in the broken hints 
he threw out at parting。 There was no expression of surprise; no 
assumption of an inability to understand his meaning。 The girl 
clearly comprehended it。 Her glance at parting showed that。 

But perhaps she would recoil from a plot to take the life of 
Sikes; and that was one of the chief ends to be attained。 “How;” 
thought Fagin; as he crept homewards; “can I increase my 
influence with her? what new power can I acquire?” 

Such brains are fertile in expedients。 If; without extracting a 
confession from herself; he laid a watch; discovered the object of 
her altered regard; and threatened to reveal the whole history to 
Sikes (of whom she stood in no common fear) unless she entered 

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into his designs; could he not secure her compliance?” 

“I can;” said Fagin; almost aloud。 “She durst not refuse me 
then。 Not for her life; not for her life! I have it all。 The means are 
ready; and shall be set to work。 I shall have you yet!” 

He cast back a dark look; and a threatening motion of the hand; 
towards the spot where he had left the bolder villain; and went on 
his way; busying his bony hands in the folds of his tattered 
garment; which he wrenched tightly in his grasp as though there 
were a hated enemy crushed with every motion of his fingers。 

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Oliver Twist 483 

Chapter 45 

Noah Claypole Is Employed By Fagin On A Secret
Mission。


The old man was up; betimes; next morning; and waited 
impatiently for the appearance of

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