Chapter 42 Chapter Forty-One

(Contains several new discoveries that show that accidents often happen one after another, just as misfortunes never come singly.) Indeed, Ruth faced an extraordinary ordeal and a very difficult situation.She was very anxious to get to the bottom of the secret involving Oliver's life experience. The poor woman with whom she had just talked trusted her so innocent a girl that she could not but regard this trust as very sacred. .Ruth Maylie's heart was touched by her manner and words, and mixed with her love for the child she had protected, was a desire almost equal in sincerity and ardor to make the wandering The girl finds her way back after she lost her way, and starts a new life.

They intended to spend only three days in London, and then go to some distant seaside for a few weeks.It was now midnight on the first day.In the next forty-eight hours, what course of action should she take, and how should she act?Or how could she postpone the trip without raising suspicions? Mr. Rosebery had come to London with them, and was staying two days here.But Ruth knew that this outstanding gentleman was impatient, and she clearly foreseen that he would fly into a rage and hate the puppet who kidnapped Oliver again, so Ruth dared not tell him the secret. To tell the truth, unless her defense of the girl could be backed up by experienced people.These were also reasons for the utmost care and delicacy in telling the matter to Mrs. Maylie, whose first impulse must have been to consult the venerable doctor.As to which legal counsel to consult, even if she knew how to consult, it would be difficult for the same reason to consider it.She considered enlisting Harry's help for a moment, but the thought brought back memories of the last parting, and she didn't seem worthy of calling him back—tears welled up in her eyes with this series of memories—by which time he might have learned How to forget her, know how to dispel melancholy.

Ruth passed a sleepless night full of worries, her mind was full of thoughts, and various considerations came to her mind one after the other, she was inclined now to one way, now to that, now to the other. Overturned all again.The next day, she thought about it again and again, and finally she couldn't care less, and decided to invite Harry to discuss it. "If he suffers to come back to this place," she thought, "how I shall suffer! But he may not come, he may write, or someone else will come and avoid me--he It was like this when he left. I didn’t expect him to be like this, but it’s better for both of us.” Thinking of this, Ruth put down her pen and turned her face away, as if she didn’t want to be seen by the letterhead that was about to act as her envoy It's like she's crying.

She had picked up and put down the same pen for the fiftieth time, pondering over how to write the first line of the letter, but could not write a single word, and at this moment, under the escort of Mr. Oliver, who was walking in the street, came into the room out of breath. Judging from his uncontrollable excitement, it seemed that something disturbing had happened. "What's the matter with you, so flustered?" Ruth stepped forward and asked. "I just don't know what it is, I can't seem to breathe," replied the boy, "oh my God, you think, I'm going to see him again at last, and you can understand all I'm telling you It's the truth."

"I never thought you weren't telling us the truth," Ruth reassured him. "What the hell is it?—Who are you talking about?" "I see the gentleman," said Oliver, almost suffocated with excitement, "the gentleman who has been very good to me—Mr. Brownlow, whom we have often spoken of." "Where?" Ruth asked. "Get down from the carriage," replied Oliver, with tears of joy, "and go into a house. I didn't speak to him—I couldn't speak to him, he didn't see me, I was so trembling that I couldn't even walk towards him. But Giles asked for me if he lived there, and they said yes. You see," said Oliver, spreading a sheet A piece of paper, "It's up here, and he lives in this place—I'll be there right away. When I see him again, and hear him talk, I don't know what to do."

These words, along with many other haphazard cheers, greatly diverted Ruth's attention. She looked at the address, Graven Street, Riverside Avenue, and immediately decided to seize this unexpected opportunity. "Quick!" she said, "order them to hire a carriage and get ready to go with me. I'll take you there right away, without a minute's delay. I'll just tell my aunt we're going out for an hour, and you pack up." Let's go." Oliver needed no prompting, and in five minutes they were in their carriage and driving straight to Graven Street.When she arrived at that place, Ruth left Oliver in the carriage, excused that the old gentleman needed preparations to meet him, and she asked the servant to send her business card, saying that she had something very important to see Mr. Brownlow.The servant came back in a short while and asked her to go upstairs immediately.Miss Ruth followed the servant into a room upstairs, and saw a kind-hearted old gentleman in a dark green coat.Not far from him sat another old gentleman in light yellow breeches and leather leggings, who looked less pleasant, with his hands folded on a thick walking stick, and his chin propped up.

"Oh, my dear," said the gentleman in the dark green coat, standing up quickly and politely, "Miss, please forgive me—I thought it was some annoying guy—please bear with me. Please sit down." "Are you Mr. Brownlow, may I excuse you?" Ruth said, glancing at the other gentleman, and then at the one who spoke. "That's right here," said the old gentleman. "This is my friend Mr. Greenwig. Greenwig, will you let us talk for a few minutes?" "I think," interposed Miss Maylie, "that this gentleman need not be troubled to withdraw during our conversation. If what I have heard is true, he knows what I want to discuss with you."

Mr. Brownlow bowed his head.Mr. Greenwig, who had already stood up from his chair and bowed stiffly, bowed stiffly again, and sat down vigorously. "I'm sure you'll be amazed," Ruth could not help feeling a little embarrassed, "after all you've shown a great kindness and kindness to a very sweet little friend of mine, and I'm sure you'll be interested to hear about him again. " "That's right," said Mr. Brownlow. "You know his name is Oliver Twister," replied Ruth. As soon as these words came out of her mouth, Mr. Greenwig, who pretended to be browsing a large book on the table, turned the book over with a loud crash, and leaned back against the On the back of the chair, all the expressions on his face disappeared, only 100% surprise remained. He stared wide-eyed and turned a blind eye for a long time. Then, he seemed a little embarrassed that his mood was so exposed, and his body suddenly shook. Twisting, he resumed his previous posture, staring straight ahead, and then let out a long and deep whistle, which finally seemed to be not floating in the air, but gradually disappearing into the unfathomable pits in his stomach inside.

Mr. Brownlow was equally astonished, though not in this odd manner.He moved his chair closer to Mademoiselle Maylie, and said: "Promise me, dear lady, never mention the kindness and kindness you mentioned, anyway, others don't know. If you can produce any evidence, it can change the bad impression I once had of that poor child, For God's sake, let me look at the evidence too." "A bad guy. If he wasn't a bad guy, I'd eat my head," said Mr. Greenwig, in ventriloquism, without moving a muscle in his face. "That boy had a noble nature and a warm heart," said Ruth, blushing. "God purposely made him suffer beyond his years, and planted in him love and affection, even for many, many older men." He's six times his size and should be proud, too."

"I'm only sixty-one years old," Mr. Greenwig's stiff face remained motionless, "but that Oliver is at least twelve years old, and it's as if the devil is involved. I don't know what that means. " "Miss Maylie, don't worry about my friend," said Mr. Brownlow. "He's a man who doesn't mean what he says." "No, it's what you say and what you want." Mr. Greenwig shouted. "No, inadvertently," said Mr. Brownlow, standing up, visibly angry. "He'll eat his head off if it's inadvertent," Mr. Greenwig was still yelling.

"If that's the case, he ought to have his head knocked off," said Mr. Brownlow. "But he just wants to see who dares to do this." Mr. Greenwig responded while tapping the floor with his cane. And so it was, the two old gentlemen lost their temper a few times, and then, following their customary handshake, made peace. "Now, Miss Maylie," said Mr. Brownlow, "returning to the subject which your good intentions so concern, will you tell me what news you have of the poor child? Permit me to say a few words. In other words, in order to get him back, I tried everything. At first I thought he was lying to me, and his former accomplices were entangled with him again, trying to get something from me. I have been greatly shaken since I left the country." Ruth had taken the time to sort out her thoughts, she was direct, and in a few words she told what happened after Oliver left Mr. Brownlow's house, and only kept the news reported by Nancy, and she was going to tell this man in private. gentlemen.She concluded by assuring that the only thing the boy had regretted during the past few months was not being able to see his former benefactor and friend. "Thank God," said the old gentleman, "this is a great happiness to me, a great happiness. But you haven't told me, Miss Maylie, where he is now. You must forgive me for blaming you—but why? Why don't you bring him with you?" "He's waiting in a carriage just outside the gate," answered Ruth. "Outside this gate!" shouted the old gentleman, hurried out of the room, went downstairs, jumped on the carriage pedal, and rushed into the carriage without saying a word. The door closed behind Mr. Greenwig, and he raised his head, and using the back leg of the chair as the center, he turned three full circles on the spot with the help of his cane and the table, all the while never leaving the chair.After performing this twist, he stood up and limped at least a dozen times around the room, and couldn't walk more quickly.Then he stopped short in front of Ruth, skipped all the prologue, and kissed her. The girl was taken aback by this irregular action, and stood up involuntarily. "Hush!" he said, "don't be afraid. I'm old enough to be your grandfather. You're a sweet girl. I like you. Here they come." Sure enough, as soon as he sprang back to his former seat, Mr. Brownlow returned with Oliver, and Mr. Greenwig welcomed him very modestly, even if the joy at this moment was to pay attention to Ruth Maylie. She was content with the only reward for Oliver's worry and thought. "Wait a little longer, there is one more person who should not be forgotten," said Mr. Brownlow, ringing the bell. "Call Mrs. Bedwin here, please." The old butler rushed to answer the call.She bowed at the door and waited for orders. "Oh, Bedwin, is your eyes getting worse every day?" Mr. Brownlow asked a little annoyed. "Yes, sir, that's not it," the old lady replied, "people's eyes will not get better at my age, sir." "I told you that," returned Mr. Brownlow; "you'll put on your spectacles, and see if you can see for yourself why you were called, will you?" The old lady began to look for her spectacles in her pocket, but Oliver's patience could no longer bear this new test, and he yielded at the first impulse, and flung himself into the old lady's arms. "My God!" The old lady hugged him and exclaimed, "Isn't this my wronged child?" "My dear old mamma!" cried Oliver. "He'll come back—I know he'll come back," said the old lady, taking him in her arms. "Look how good he looks, and he's dressed like a good boy again. Where have you been all these days? Ah! His face is still handsome, but not so pale. His eyes are still so gentle, but not so pale." So melancholy. I haven't forgotten all this, and his gentle smile. I compare it with my own precious children every day. When I was a happy young woman, my children were all Dead." So the good old lady babbled, now letting Oliver take a step back to see how much he had grown, and then drawing him to her side, stroking his hair dotingly, and embracing him. His neck laughs and cries for a while. Mr. Brownlow left her and Oliver to talk of their parting, and led Ruth into another room.There, he heard Ruth tell the whole story of her meeting with Nancy, and he couldn't help being shocked and confused.Ruth also explained why she had not at once shown a word to her family friend, Mr. Rosebery, who thought she had done a great deal of prudence, and readily agreed to have a serious conference with the venerable doctor himself.In order to enable him to carry out this plan earlier, it was immediately agreed that he should pay a visit to the hotel at eight o'clock that evening, and that at the same time Mrs. Maylie should be carefully informed of everything that happened.These preparations being made, Ruth and Oliver returned. Ruth by no means overestimated the extent to which the good doctor's anger would go.As soon as Nancy's background was revealed to him, warnings and curses poured out of his mouth like a torrential rain. He threatened to ask Mr. Blathers and Mr. Dafoe to make a joint plan to arrest Nancy first. Put on your hat on the spot, and prepare to set off immediately to get the help of those two famous detectives.No doubt he would have carried out this intention in a whim, without any regard for the consequences, but he was fortunately prevented, partly by Mr. Brownlow with equal vehemence. , He also has a fiery temper. On the other hand, everyone has put forward various arguments and propositions. It seems that it is very appropriate to use these reasons to dispel his idea of ​​acting rashly. "What the hell is to be done then?" said the impetuous Doctor, when they were reunited with the two ladies, "shall we pass a bill thanking all those rascals, men and women, and imploring them to pay a hundred pounds or so apiece? As a token of our respect, and a little gratitude for their kindness to Oliver?" "Not exactly," replied Mr. Brownlow, laughing, "but we must proceed cautiously and carefully." "Proceed with caution, and watch every step!" cried the doctor, "I'm going to send them all to—" "You can send them anywhere," interrupted Mr. Brownlow, "but we have to consider whether we can achieve our intended purpose by sending them somewhere?" "What purpose?" asked the doctor. "It's very simple. Find out Oliver's life experience and get back his due inheritance. If this story is not fictional, then his inheritance has been deprived by fraudulent means." "Ah!" said Mr. Rosebery, wiping his sweat with his little handkerchief, "I almost forgot about that." "Consider it," pursued Mr. Brownlow, "and apart from the wretched girl, what good would it do us to suppose that it might be possible to bring this gang of scoundrels to justice without endangering her safety?" "Probably at least some of them must be hanged," suggested the doctor, "and the rest should be exiled." "Very well," said Mr. Brownlow, with a slight smile, "they will sooner or later get what they deserve, but if we join in and get ahead of them, we shall, it seems to me, be quite Quixotic. Behavior contrary to our own interests - or at least to Oliver's - is the same thing." "What's the matter?" asked the doctor. "Indeed. It is clear that we will have extraordinary difficulty in getting to the bottom of this secret, unless we can bring the man Monks to his knees. It can only be done by outsmarting, and caught while he is not among them." He. The reason is that, assuming he is in custody, we have no evidence against him. He is not even (as far as we know, or as far as the facts are in our possession) involved in any robbery by the gang. Even if He was not released, at most he was imprisoned as a rascal, a rascal, without further punishment, and we will never get a word from him in the future. He will become deaf, dumb, and blind, and the whole An idiot." "Then," said the doctor impatiently, "let me ask you again, do you think it sensible to keep the promise we made to that girl, which we made with the best and kindest intentions, but which in reality superior--" "Please don't argue about that, my dear miss," Ruth was about to say, when Mr. Brownlow stopped her. "Promises are bound to be kept. I don't think it will hinder our actions in the slightest. But before deciding on any definite course of action, it is necessary for us to meet the girl and explain to her that it is up to us , instead of letting the law deal with this Monks, is she willing to identify him, in other words, if she is unwilling, or if she is unable to do anything, ask her to tell me where he often goes and what he looks like, so that we can Recognize him. You won't see her until Sunday evening, and it's only Tuesday. I advise you to keep your cool during this time, and keep these things secret even from Oliver himself." Mr. Rothbury kept twisting his face and showing disapproval, but he still accepted the proposal, which had been delayed for a full five days. He had to admit that he couldn't think of a better way at the moment, and Ruth Both Mrs. Maylie and Mrs. Maylie strongly supported Mr. Brownlow, and the gentleman's proposal was unanimously carried. "I should very much like to enlist the help of my friend Grinwig," said he, "who is a queer man, but shrewd and capable, and who may be able to give us some concrete help. I should say that he studied law, for at twenty During the years, I only received a case brief and a lawsuit application, and quit the legal profession in a fit of anger, but whether my words can be regarded as a letter of recommendation is up to you all to decide." "I have nothing against you asking for help from your friends, if I may ask my own," said the doctor. "We must put the matter to a vote," replied Mr. Brownlow. "Which one?" "The lady's son is also the lady's best friend." The doctor said, pointing to Mrs. Maylie, and then gave her niece a meaningful look before he stopped talking. Ruth blushed but said nothing (she probably realized that if she opposed the motion she would be in a hopeless minority), Harry Maylie and Mr. Greenwig added logically. this committee. "Needless to say, as long as there is any hope of carrying this investigation forward, we shall remain in London," said Mrs Maylie, "and that I should not care that we are all so interested in the matter." I'm bothered and troubled, and I'm willing to stay here, even if I stay for a year or so, as long as you can convince me that things are not completely hopeless." "Excellent," replied Mr. Brownlow. "I see the expressions on all of you, and you all want to ask how I came to go abroad in such a hurry that when I needed to prove whether Oliver's story was true, I couldn't find it." It's my time. Let me say it first. When I think it's the right time, I will dedicate my own story to you without asking. Before that, please don't ask me. Believe me, I made There is a good reason for this request, otherwise I might raise some hopes that are doomed to be unrealized, and only add to the difficulties and disappointments that are already too many to count. All right. Dinner is already served, and I have been alone Little Oliver, who is guarding in the adjoining room, is now beginning to think that we don't like him any more, and is plotting some wicked plot to get him out of the house." With these words, the old gentleman gave Mrs. Maylie a hand, and escorted her into the dining-room.Mr. Rosbery followed, leading Ruth.In fact, the discussion will come to an end here.