Chapter 10 Chapter nine

(Some new details about the jolly old gentleman and his class of favorites.) The next morning, when Oliver awoke from a sound sleep, it was getting late.There was no one else in the room, and the old Jew was making breakfast coffee in a saucepan.He stirred the coffee evenly and slowly with an iron spoon, while whistling leisurely.From time to time, as long as there was a sound downstairs, he would stop and listen to it. He would not continue to stir the coffee as before with the accompaniment of the whistle until he felt relieved. Oliver was awake, but not quite sober.Generally speaking, there is a drowsy state between deep sleep and waking, eyes half-closed, half-awake to what is happening around, dreaming more in just five minutes than in five nights Close your eyes tightly, and dream of more than that when you are unaware of everything.At this time, people should be very clear about their own inner activities, and form a vague awareness of its great power. Once it breaks free from the shackles of the physical body, it can transcend the world and be independent of time and space. limit.

Oliver was in just such a state.He watched Fagin sleepily, and heard him whistling so low that he could distinguish the clatter of spoons against the edge of a saucepan.Meanwhile, in the back of his mind, the same feeling had countless associations with nearly everyone he knew. The coffee was ready, and Fagin put the pot on the stove, and stood there, hesitating for a moment, as if he did not know what to do.Then he turned round and looked at Oliver, and called his name several times, which he made no answer, which would have given any one the impression that he was still asleep. Reassured, Fagin went softly to the door and locked it.Then it seemed to Oliver that he had drawn a little box from some dark place on the floor, and placed it carefully on the table.He opened the lid of the box and looked inside, his eyes sparkling.He drew an old chair up to the table, sat down, and took out of its case a costly gold watch, glittering with jewels and diamonds.

"Aha." Fagin shrugged his shoulders, and grinned disgustingly, distorting his face all over. "Smart little dog. Very clever little dog. Did it all the way through. Didn't tell the parson where it was. Didn't tell on old Fagin. Why should they tell? That won't loosen the noose, and won't Pull it up a minute late. No, no, no. Dude. Dude." Fagin babbled on this and that, and said the same thing in his bones, and put the watch back in its place, and took out at least half a dozen other things from the box, and looked at them with the same interest. Besides rings, brooches, and bracelets, there were pieces of jewelry of such fine quality and workmanship that Oliver could not even name them.

Fagin put away these trinkets, and produced something small enough to hold in the palm of his hand.There seemed to be some petty characters engraved on it. Fagin laid the thing flat on the table, blocked the light with his hand, and read it intently for a long time.He didn't seem to see anything after all, so he put it down, leaned back on the chair, and murmured: "The death penalty is a marvelous thing. A dead man never repents, and a dead man never tells the world a terrible thing. Oh, and it's good for our business, too. Five guys in a string, all Hanged, none will remain as informants, or cowards."

As Fagin babbled on, his bright black eyes, which had been gazing dreamily ahead, fell upon Oliver's face, which was staring silently at him with curious eyes.Though the eyes met for only a moment—perhaps the shortest moment imaginable—the old man was aware that he was being noticed.He slammed the box shut, picked up a bread knife on the table in one hand, and jumped up wildly.He was trembling so violently that even Oliver, in his terror, could see the knife dangling in the air. "What's the matter?" said Fagin, "what are you spying on me for? How did you wake up? What did you see? Speak up, boy. Quick-quick! Take care of your life!"

"I can't sleep any more, sir," replied Oliver meekly. "I am very sorry if I have disturbed you, sir." "You didn't wake up an hour ago, did you?" Fagin gave the boy a savage look. "I'm not awake. No, really," replied Oliver. "Are you telling the truth?" Fagin exclaimed, his expression becoming more ferocious. "I swear, sir," replied Oliver solemnly, "no, sir, I'm not awake." "Pit, spit, my dear." Fagin suddenly regained his composure, shook the cutting knife a few times in his hand, and put it back on the table, as if to show that he was only picking up the knife for fun. "Honey, of course I have counted, I just want to scare you. You are not timid, haha! You are not timid, Oliver." The Jew grinned and rubbed his hands, but his eyes were still uneasy. Glanced at the box.

"My dear, have you seen these treasures?" asked Fagin, after a moment's hesitation, putting his hand on the box. "Sir, yes." "Ah." Fagin turned very pale. "They're—they're all mine, Oliver, a little property of mine. I'm getting old, and it's all about them. The big guys call me that." A miser, my dear—isn't it a miser, that's all." The old gentleman, Oliver thought, must be a real miser, with so many gold watches, and living in such a filthy place.He thought again that the old man liked the Dodger and the other children very much, and he might have spent a lot of money, but he just looked at the Jew respectfully and asked himself if he could get up.

"Of course, my dear, of course you can," replied the old gentleman. "Wait a minute, there's a jug of water in the corner by the door, bring it here, and I'll get you a basin for you to wash your face, my dear." Oliver got up, went to the other end of the room, stooped a little, and picked up the pot. When he turned his head, the box was gone. He had just washed his face, and poured the basin out of the window, as Fagin had wished, and put everything in order, and the Dodger returned with another refreshed companion whom Oliver had seen the previous evening. He smoked, and was formally introduced as Charlie Bates.The four sat down to breakfast, there was coffee on the table, and the Smartie brought back some hot rolls and sausages in the top of his hat.

"Well," said Fagin, keeping his eyes on Oliver secretly, and chatting with the Dodger, "my dear boys, I'm afraid you've all been at work this morning, haven't you?" "It's hard work." The clever ghost replied. "It's all out," added Charlie Bates. "Good boy, good boy," said the old Jew, "what have you got, sharpie?" "Two wallets," replied the little gentleman. "Any tricks?" asked the old Jew impatiently. "It's not bad," said the clever ghost, and took out two wallets, one green and one red.

"Looks like it shouldn't be so light," remarked Faginza, after examining the contents carefully. "It's very neatly done. He's a real hand, isn't he, Oliver?" "That's right, sir," said Oliver, and Mr. Charlie Bates laughed aloud at this, which puzzled Oliver, who saw nothing funny in what was happening before him. "What have you got, dear?" said Fagin to Charlie Bates. "Wipe your mouth," said Master Bates, taking out four little handkerchiefs. "Well," said Fagin, examining the handkerchief carefully, "they're all good stuff, very well, but, Charlie, you haven't made the mark properly, and you'll have to pick it off with a needle. We'll teach O. Oliver. Will you, Oliver? Ha ha ha!"

"If you will, sir," said Oliver. "You wish to be as handy as Charlie Bates at making handkerchiefs, don't you, my dear?" said Fagin. "Sir," replied Oliver, "I would really like to learn, if you would teach me." Mr. Bates felt that there was something wonderfully comic in this answer, and he burst out laughing again, and this burst of laughter just caught up with the coffee he had just drank, which immediately went astray, and almost did not. Choke him to death. "He's ridiculously young," Charlie said, recovering, apologizing to everyone present for his rude behavior. The Dodger made no reply, but took Oliver's hair from his forehead, and shaded his eyes, and said he would soon know better.The merry old gentleman, noticing Oliver's flush, changed the subject, and asked if there were many spectators at the execution ground this morning?From the replies of the two youths, who were evidently there, Oliver naturally wondered how they had time for so much work. After breakfast the jolly old gentleman played a very amusing and very unusual game with the two boys, which went like this: the jolly old gentleman put a snuff-box in one trouser pocket, and a snuff-box in the other. A leather wallet, a watch in his vest pocket, a watch chain around his neck, and an imitation diamond brooch pinned to his shirt.He buttoned his coat tightly, put the glasses case and towel in the coat pocket, and walked around the room with a cane in his hand, imitating the way a group of old gentlemen walked around the street on weekdays. He stood now and then by the fire, now at the door, with a look which one would have thought he was absorbed in looking at a shop window.Every now and then, he would look forward, backward, left, and right, to beware of thieves, and pat each pocket in turn to see if he had lost anything, with a very funny and realistic look, and Oliver kept laughing, laughing. Tears rolled down his cheeks.During this time, the two teenagers followed closely behind him, moving quickly to avoid his sight, and it was impossible for him to notice their actions every time he turned his head.At last the Dodger stepped on the old gentleman's foot, or rather accidentally kicked his boot, and Charlie Bates bumped him from behind, and in that instant they both removed his snuff-box with uncommon dexterity. , wallet, watch on chain, pins, towels, not even the spectacle case.If the old gentleman found a hand protruding from any of the pockets, he would tell which pocket it was in, and the game would start all over again. This game was played over and over countless times. At this time, two ladies came to visit the young gentlemen, one of them was named Bette and the other was named Nancy.They all had bushy hair pulled back in a mess, and their shoes and socks were rather untidy.They may not be particularly beautiful, but they are very plump and healthy, rosy in the face.The two girls were very free and easy, and Oliver felt that they were very good girls, no doubt about it. The two visitors lingered for some time, when one of the girls complained that she was terribly cold, the wine was promptly served, and the conversation turned into a very cheerful and instructive one.Finally, Charlie Bates suggested that it was time to go for a walk.Oliver guessed that this must mean "to hang out" in French, for immediately after that the Dodger and Charlie went out with the two girls, and the kind old Jew kindly gave them pocket money . "Well, my dear," said Fagin, "it's a pleasant day, isn't it? They're going out for a day." "Have they finished their work, sir?" asked Oliver. "Yes," said Fagin, "that's the thing, unless they happen to find something out there. They won't let it go, my dear, take it easy. Learn from them, you Gotta learn a few tricks," he tapped on the edge of the stove with a coal shovel to add weight to his words. "Do what they tell you to do, and take their advice in everything—especially the Dodger, my dear. He'll be a great man himself, if you follow his example, He'll make you a great man too—is my handkerchief out of my pocket, my dear?" Fagin stopped short. "Yes, sir." "See if you can get out your handkerchief without me noticing it, like they did in the game this morning." Oliver held the bottom of the pocket with one hand, as he had seen the Dodger do, and gently drew the handkerchief out with the other. "Are you ready?" cried Fagin. "Here, sir," said Oliver, flashing his handkerchief. "You're a clever boy, my dear," said the merry old gentleman, patting Oliver on the head approvingly. "I've never seen such a clever little fellow. Spend the shilling. If you keep at it, you'll be the greatest man of the age. Come over here, and I'll show you how to do it." Drop the mark on the handkerchief." Oliver couldn't understand why, playing games and picking the pockets of this old gentleman, he had a chance to become a big man in the future.However, he thought again that the old Jew was much older than himself, so he must know everything, so he followed him meekly to the table, and after a while he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his new studies.