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82 ‘ CHARLES’ ‘DICKENS? WORKS.
. t 4
spicnous or peculiar: inasmuch as -thereiare. a - great . V“ Wlily, Nance,'.' exclaimed the Jew, starting back as
number of spirited young bloods upon town, who pay.-a
mnch higher price than Mr. Chitling for being seen in
good society : and a great number of fine entlemen
(composing the good society aforesaid) who esta lish their
reputation upon very much the same footing as flash Toby
(‘.rackit.w> ’ v = <
“ Now,”, said the Jew, when they had left the room,
" I'll go and get you that cash, Nancy. This is only the
key of alittle cupboard where I keep a few odd things the
boys get, my dear. I never lock up my money, for I’ve ’
got none to lock up, my dear-hai ha 1 ha l-none to lock
up. It's a poor trade, Nancy, andrno thanks; but -I’m
fond of seeing the young peoplle about me ; and Ibear it
all ; I bear it all. vHl1Sll I” e said, hastily concealing
the key in his breast ; “ who’s that? Listen I ” A ;
The girl, who was sitting at the table with her arms
folded, appeared in no way interested in the arrival : or
to care whether the person, whoever he . was, came or
went: until the murmur of a man's voice reached her
ears. The instant she caught the sound, she tore off her
bonnet and shawl, with the-rapidity of lightning, and
thrust them under the table. The J ew, turning round
immediately afterwards, she muttereda complaint of the
heat : in a tone of languor that contrasted, very remark-
ably, with the extreme haste and violence of this action :
which, however, had been unobserved by Fagin, who had
his back towards her at the time. > e ' . ..
“ Bah 1" whispered the J ew,' as though nettledby the
interruption; “ it's‘ the man I V expected before; he’s
coming down-stairs. v Not a word about the money while
he's here, Nance. He won’t stop long. Not ten minutes,
rnydear.” N ; : . . 3 ..
Laying his skinny forefingeriupon ‘his lip, the Jew
carried a candle to the door, as a man's step was heard
upon the stairs without. He reached it, at thorsame mo-
ment as the visitor, who; coming hastily into the room,
was close upon the girl before he observed her. w
It was Monks. ' e 4 ‘ . 2 -
' “ Only one of my young people,” said the Jew, ob-
serving that Monks drew back, on beholding a stranger.
“ Don't Move, Nancy." : ' . '
The girl drew closer to the table,‘ and glancing. at
Monks with an air of careless levity, withdrew her eyes ;
but as he turned his towards the Jew, she s1,o1e another
look : so keen and searching, and full of- purpose, that
if there had been any bystander to ‘ observe the change,
he could hardly have believed the two looks to have
proceeded from the same person. V , . .
“ Any news? " inquired the Jew.
“ Great.” ‘ - - . . ,
“ And-and-good? " v asked the Jew, hesitating - as
though he feared to vex the other man by being too San.
nine. > . i
G "Not had, any way,” replied Monks, withia smile. “ I
have been prompt enough this time. Let me have 9,
word with you.” . y i
The girl drew closer to the table, and made noo ffer
to leave the room, although she could see that-Monks
was pointing to her. The Jew: perhaps fearing she
might say something aloud about the money, if be en.
deavoured to get rid of her : pointed upwards, and took
Monks out of the room. ; , .
“Not that infernal-hole we-were in before)‘. she
could hear the man say as they went upstairs. The
Jew laughed; and making some reply-which did not
reach her, seemed.- by the creaking of zhegboards to
lead his companion to the second sto . ' , ’
Before the sound of their footsteps had ceased to echo
through the house, the girl had slipped off her shoes .
and drawing her gown loosely over her head, and muf:
fling her arms in it, stood at the door, listening with .
breathless interest. The moment the noise ceased she
glided from the room; ascended the stairs with incred.
ible softness and silence ; and was lost in the gloom above.
‘.The room remained deserted for a ' uarter of an ’ hour
or more ; the girl glided back with t e same unearthly
tread; and, immediately afterwards, the two men-weyg
heard descending. -Monks went at once into the street -
and the Jew crawledup-stairs again-for the money.’
he put own the candle, “ how pale you are i”. J I - i
‘f Pale i” echoed the girl, shading her eyes with he
hands, as if to look steadily at him. r . . . .. t. .
, “Quite horrible,” said the Jew. u “What have you
been doing to yourself?" ‘a ; i J ‘ .
I ‘f Nothing that I know of, except sittingin this close
place for I don’t know how longand all," replied the
girl carelessly. “Comet Let me, get back; .that’s 3.
eat,” V U , . A. : u . = , .
VVith a sigh for every piece of money, Fagin told the
amount into her hand. ‘They parted without more.con-
ve;si,a1tion,1pierely interchanging a “good ni ht.” u j
en t e 'rl ot into the 0 en street; sie sat u on
a doorstep ; ad sgeemed, for a fgw moments, wholly phe-
wildered and unable to pursue her way. Suddenly. she
arose ; and hurrying on, in a direction quite opposite to
ihat in which 1Sikes was awaiting her return, quickened
er pace, unti it aduall resolved into a violent run.
After completely ghaustidg herself, she stopped to take
breath ; and, as if suddenly recollecting herself, and de-
ploring her inability to do something she was bent upon,
wrung her hands, and burst into tears. . ' V
f nlilighg i)1eLthat her tearsrelievedzher, or that she
e at e, u 110 elessness of her condition ; - but she
turned back ; andp hurrying with nearly as ‘great rapidity
invthe contraryrdirection: partlyvtorecover lost time.
and partly. to keep pace with the violent current of her
(1>1‘V(111lt%1to;l]1gh’1c1s:ast‘>)on ‘reached the dwelling where she
a e e ouse rea ‘er. s . , .
If she betrayed any agitation, whenshe presented
herself-to Mr. Sikes, he did not observe it; for merely
Inquiring if she hadlbrought the money, and receivinga
reply in the athrmative, he uttered a growl of satisfac-
U011; and replacing his head upon the pillow, resumed
t11EI%tS‘lvI;l;1;):11.'tS whticl; hell; argxvatl llllild interrupted.-fr
una e or er a t e ossession 0 money
occasioned him so much employmdht next day.in the
Evcaiylof earring; and drinlking and wlitha1.had ‘so l;epe-
an e ec in smoot iin ‘ own t e as erities o iis
temper‘; that he had neithgr time.nor incllination to be
Very Critical upon her behaviour and deportment. Thai
she had all the abstracted and nervous.rnanner,of 0110
who IS. on the eve.of some bold and hazardous step,
which it has required no common struggle to resolve up-
on, would have been obvious to the lynx-eyed Jew, who
would -most probably have taken the alarm at once ;-but
big.‘ Sikes lacking the niceties of discrimination, and
being troubledwitli no more subtlemisgivings than
those which resolve themselves into a dogged roughness
of behaviour tom“-ds everybody; and being’ further.
130??’ In an unusually amiable condition, as has been
“heady 0l259l'V'9d ; Saw nothing unusual in her demean-
onr, and indeed, troubled himself so little about her,
gylaast, had lle1l(‘1l11$'ltat11().)n been far more perceptible tllllllig
, i won - a. - - .
his suspicions. W gen very unhkely to have awake.“
‘Asthatda 1 d‘ ‘ -, . . Cd;
and, when niirhtodfmdndnfhfn ‘grill: Sjtf:
the housebreaker should drink himself asleep, there was
$1111 giniisuag. paleness in her. cheek, and a fire in her eye-
grrevggi “W3 Observed-with astonishment. ,
- ‘ 95. being weak from the fever, was lyingrln
bed, taking. hot water with his gin to render it less in-
%:11r1m=1W01:Yh: (Ilmfd hail pushed his glass towards Nancy 10
epenise‘ort t1‘ , -
symatglms gm stmcgem or fourth time, when these
" X’ “"1 my‘ Ody 1” ‘d th : - - 1i’m'
self on his hands as he staredstlie girleiglin 3:19’ fritsjngl‘ ]f'oi1
i33i‘.!‘k‘? ?‘f“’PS9 We to life again. What's the W
"Matteri”v '1.‘ d '1, W‘ .. ” . ‘ 4
look at me so Ll-i3rx<)1lreori'1'1e gm’ Nothing‘ ' ‘Vb? do
“VVhat . foolery is.tliis?’i de ' d d ‘k ing
1‘1‘teI11'1byghe arm, and shaking herni::?g)f1y.S1 c?%’Vj%$ ,3 it!
“gt 0 you 1:‘1f,‘“17 ‘Yhgt are you thinking of T ’-'- ,
and as IlIiuemdid'sldlgs'rIem]” xlipned the gm’ shivermg’
. ss ‘ ‘ s.
f“But, Lord I what gdds i1iigtha?i’!mndS upon 11,6)‘ eye .
‘ The mm’ M “med Emlety in which the last words were
iVhen he returned, the girl was adjusting her shawl
-and bonnet, as if preparing to be gone. V 4 ' is - .
s ken, seemed to d ‘ - . -.
an the wild and 222.12%]::1.i.‘;Ei’.‘i:;‘a":,i:::’.i‘..;”:i.%.Ef”
4.4%
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