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1 O liver s early life

O liver Twist was born in a workhouse and when he arrived in this hard world it was very doubtful whether he would live beyond the first three minutes He lay on a hard little bed and struggled to start breathing

O liver fought his first battle without much assistance from the two people present at his birth One was an old woman who was nearly always drunk and the other was a busy local doctor who was not paid enough to be very interested in O liver s survival After all death was a common event in the workhouse where only the poor and homeless lived

However O liver managed to draw his first breath and the n announced his arrival to the rest of the workhouse by crying loudly His mother raised her pale young face from the pillow and whispered Let me see the child and die

The doctor turned away from the fire where he had been warming his hands You must not talk about dying yet he said to her kindly He gave her the child to hold Lovingly she kissed the baby on its forehead with her cold white lips the n stared wildly around the room fell back-and died. Poor dear said the nurse hurriedly putting a green glass bottle back in the pocket of her long skirt.

The doctor began to put on his coat The baby is weak and will probably have difficulties he said If so give it a little milk to keep it quiet The n he looked at the dead woman. The mother was a good looking girl Where did she come from

She was brought here last night replied the old woman. She was found lying in the street. She d walked some distance judging by her shoes which were worn to pieces Where she came from where she was going to or what her name was nobody knows.

The doctor lifted the girl s left hand. The old story he said sadly shaking his head No wedding ring I see Ah Good night.

And so O liver was left with only the drunken nurse Without clothe s under his first blanket he could have been the child of a king or a beggar But when the woman dressed him later in rough cotton clothe s yellow with age he looked exactly what he was - an orphan in a workhouse ready for a life of misery hunger and neglect.

O liver cried loudly If he could have known that he was a workhouse orphan perhaps he would have cried even more loudly.

The re was no one to look after the baby in the workhouse so O liver was sent to a special baby farm nearby. The re he and thirty other children rolled around the floor all day without the inconvenience of too much food or too much clothing. Mrs Mann the old woman who looked after them was very experienced She knew what was good for children and a full stomach was very dangerous to their health. She also knew what was good for herself so she kept for her own use the money that she was given for the children s food The board responsible for the orphans sometimes checked on the health of the children but They always sent the beadle a kind of local policeman to announce their visit the day before So whenever the board arrived of course the children were always neat and clean

This was the way O liver was brought up. Consequently at the age of nine he was a pale thin child and short for his age But despite frequent beatings by Mrs Mann his spirit was strong which was probably the reason why he managed to reach the age of nine at all

On O liver s ninth birthday Mr Bumble the beadle came to the house to see Mrs Mann Through the front window Mrs Mann saw him at the gate and turned quickly to the girl who worked with her

Quick Take O liver and those others upstairs to be washed she said The n she ran out to unlock the gate It was always kept locked to prevent official visitors walking in unexpectedly

I have business to talk about Mr Bumble told Mrs Mann as he entered the house He was a big fat man often bad-tempered and was full of self-importance. He did not like to be kept waiting at a locked gate.

Mrs Mann took his hat and coat placed a chair for him and expressed great concern for his comfort You ve had a long walk Mr Bumble she said and you must be thirsty She took out a bottle from the cupboard

No thank you Mrs Mann. Not a drop He waved the bottle away

Just a little drop Mr Bumble with cold water said Mrs Mann persuasively

Mr Bumble coughed What is it he asked looking at the bottle with interest

Gin I keep it for the children s medicine drink.

You give the children gin Mrs Mann asked Mr Bumble watching as she mixed his drink

Only with medicine sir I don t like to see the m suffer

You re a good woman Mrs Mann Mr Bumble drank half his glass immediately I ll tell the board about you Now - the reason why I m here O liver Twist is nine years old today We ve never been able to discover anything about his parents.

The n how did he get his name

I gave it to him said Mr Bumble proudly We follow the alphabet The last one was an S-Swubble The n it was T so this one is Twist The next one will be Unwin Anyway Oliver Twist is now old enough to return to the workhouse Bring him here please While Mrs Mann went to get him Mr Bumble finished the rest of his gin

Oliver his face and hands now almost clean was led into the room.

Will you come along with me Oliver asked Mr Bumble in a loud voice

Oliver was very glad to be free of Mrs Mann s violence but he said nothing because she was angrily shaking her finger at him However as the gate closed behind O liver he burst into tears. He was leaving behind the other children the only friends he had and he realized at that moment how lonely he was in the world.

Mr Bumble walked on with long steps with O liver on his short little legs running beside him The feeling of contentment produced by gin and water had now disappeared and the beadle was in a bad mood once more

Back at the workhouse O liver was taken to see the board. He stood in front of ten fat men who were sitting around a table

What s your name boy asked a particularly fat man with a very round red face

O liver was frightened at the sight of so many people and started to cry.

Why are you crying

The beadle hit him on the back and so naturally O liver cried even more.

The boy is a fool one member of the board announced.

You know you have no father or mother said the first man and that you have been brought up with other orphans

Yes sir replied O liver crying bitterly

Why is the boy crying repeated the other man puzzled

You have come here to be educated continued the fat man so you will start working here tomorrow at six o clock

O liver was led away to a large room where on a rough hard bed he cried himself to sleep

The room in the workhouse where the boys were fed was a large stone hall and at one end the master and two women served the food This consisted of a bowl of thin soup three times a day with a piece of bread on Sundays The boys ate everything and were always hungry The bowls never needed washing The boys polished the m with their spoons until They shone After three months of this slow starvation one of the boys told the others he was so hungry that one night he might eat the boy who slept next to him He had a wild hungry eye and the other boys believed him After a long discussion They decided that one of the m should ask for more food after supper that evening and O liver was chosen

The evening arrived the soup was served and the bowls were empty again in a few seconds O liver went up to the master with his bowl in his hand He felt very frightened but also desperate with hunger

Please sir I want some more

The master was a fat healthy man but he turned very pale. He looked at the little boy in front of him with amazement Nobody else spoke

What he asked at last in a faint voice

Please sir replied O liver I want some more.

The master hit him with the serving spoon the n seized O liver s arms and shouted for the beadle The beadle came quickly heard the dreadful news and immediately ran to tell the board

He asked for more Mr Limbkins the fattest board member asked in horror Bumble - is this really true

That boy will be hanged said the man who earlier had called O liver a fool You see if I m not right

O liver was led away to be locked up and a reward was offered to anybody who would take him away and use him for work.

2 O liver s first job

O liver stayed a prisoner alone in the dark room for a week He cried bitterly all day and when the long night came he spread his little hands over his eyes to shut out the darkness and tried to sleep He was given freezing water to wash with and was beaten daily by Mr Bumble in front of all the other boys in the hall as a warning to the m

One day Mr Bumble met the local undertaker Mr Sowerberry outside the workhouse

Do you know anybody who wants to train a boy for work Mr Sowerberry Mr Bumble pointed at the notice on the wall above him which offered five pounds to anybody who would take O liver Twist for work

Mr Sowerberry rubbed his chin and thought for a while I pay enough for the poor with my taxes he said so why shouldn t I be able to make use of the m in my work Yes I ll take the boy myself

And so the board agreed to send O liver to work for the undertaker The necessary papers were signed O liver s small possessions were put into a brown paper parcel and he was led to Mr Sowerberry s house by Mr Bumble As They walked along tears began to run down O liver s face

What is it this time asked Mr Bumble impatiently Don t be so ungrateful This gentleman is going to look after you.

It s just that I m so lonely sir said the child Everybody hates me Please don t be angry with me sir

Even Mr Bumble felt a little pity. He coughed told O liver to dry his eyes and be a good boy and walked on with him in silence.

The undertaker had just finished work for the day when Mr Bumble entered his shop

Here I ve brought the boy said the beadle

O liver bowed to the undertaker who raised his candle to get a better view of the boy Mrs Sowerberry he called come and have a look

His wife a short thin woman with a disagreeable face came out to see. He s very small she said immediately

He is agreed Mr Bumble but he ll grow Mrs Sowerberry.

Yes she said crossly when he eats our food. Go on get downstairs. She pushed O liver downstairs into a damp dark kitchen and called to the girl working down the re. Here Charlotte give this boy some meat that the dog left-if he thinks it s good enough for him

O liver tore the meat to pieces with his teeth as if he were a wild animal. Mrs Sowerberry watched him in silent horror already thinking about her future food bills then took him upstairs to the shop

You ll sleep here among the coffins she said.

O liver stared around the dark airless shop at the coffins some finished some only half-made He trembled at the thought of ghosts His bed was a small hole in the floor and looked very like a grave

But it was not only the room that depressed O liver He felt very lonely with no friends and no one to care for him As he lay on the bed he found himself wishing that it really was his grave.

The next morning he was woken up by someone kicking at the shop door

Open the door will you shouted a voice through the keyhole

Yes sir.

I suppose you re the new boy said the voice through the keyhole How old are you

Ten sir.

The n I ll hit you when I get in said the voice

O liver was experienced enough to know that the promise was probably true He opened the door with a shaking hand the n looked up and down the street All he could see was a large boy wearing the uniform of one of the charity schools where the children of the very poor used to go

Did you want a coffin asked O liver innocently

The charity boy looked at him fiercely You ll be needing a coffin soon Workhouse if you make jokes like that I m Mister Noah Claypole and you re working under me Now hurry up and open the curtains As he said this he kicked O liver and entered the shop He was a big clumsy boy of about fourteen with a large head and very small eyes Added to the se attractions were a red nose and dirty yellow trousers

The boys went down to breakfast which the girl Charlotte had made for the m. She gave an extra piece of meat to Noah the n told O liver to hurry up as it was his job to look after the shop

Did you hear that Workhouse shouted Noah

He heard Noah said Charlotte. Leave him alone.

Why asked Noah. All his relations have already left him alone. His mother and father aren t going to interfere with him Charlotte and Noah both started laughing loudly O liver sat alone in the corner eating old bits of bread.

Noah was a charity boy but not a workhouse orphan he at least knew who his parents were. But for a long time all the local shop boys had insulted him because he wore the uniform of a charity-boy Now fortune had brought him a creature in an even lower position in society than himself Noah intended to repay to O liver every insult he had ever received and to make the new boy s life a misery.

After a few weeks Mr Sowerberry decided that he liked O liver s appearance enough to train him in the undertaking business O liver s permanent expression of sadness was very suitable the undertaker thought for collecting dead bodies from houses and accompanying the coffins to funerals.

One day Mr Bumble came to tell the m about a woman who had died in an extremely poor part of the town and Sowerberry and O liver went to collect the body They went down dirty narrow streets where the houses on either side were tall and large but very old Some of the houses were almost falling down and had to be supported by huge blocks of wood. The area was so poor that even the dead rats in the street looked as though They had died of hunger

They found the right house and climbed the dark stairs to a miserable little room Some children watched the m from the shadows as They entered Something lay beneath a blanket on the floor in one corner A man and an old woman stood near the body O liver was afraid to look at the m With their thin faces and sharp teeth They looked like the rats he had seen outside

As Sowerberry began to measure the body for a coffin the man knelt on the floor and cried out She starved to death I tell you That s why she died He fell to the floor and all the children behind him started to cry Sowerberry and O liver their work done left as fast as They could

They returned the next day with the coffin and four men from the workhouse who were to carry it The man and the old woman followed the coffin to the church and waited silently by the grave for the priest to arrive When at last he came he hurried through the burial prayers and as quickly as possible it was only a job after all the coffin was put into the ground. At this point the husband who had not moved once during his wife s burial- not even during the long wait for the priest-suddenly fainted to the ground and had to have cold water thrown over him

So how did you like it O liver asked Sowerberry later as they walked home.

Not very much sir O liver answered truthfully

You ll get used to it my boy.

O liver wondered how long that would take and remained silent all the way back to the shop thinking about everything that he had seen and heard.

3 O liver goes to London

O liver was now officially an undertaker s assistant It was a good sickly time of year and coffins were selling well. O liver gained a lot of experience in a short time and was interested to see how brave some people were after a death in the family. During funerals for some rich people for example he saw that the people who had cried the loudest in church usually recovered the fastest afterwards He noticed how in other wealthy families the wife or the husband often seemed quite cheerful and calm despite the recent death-just as if nothing had happened O liver was very surprised to see all this and greatly admired the m for controlling their sadness so well.

He was treated badly by most of the people around him Noah was jealous because O liver went out to burials while he was left back in the shop so he treated him even worse than before Charlotte treated him badly because Noah did. And Mrs Sowerberry was his enemy because Mr Sowerberry was supposed to be his friend.

One day something happened which might seem unimportant but which had a great effect on O liver s future. Noah was in a particularly bad mood one dinner-time and so he tried to make O liver cry by hitting him pulling his hair and calling him horrible names. This was all unsuccessful so he tried personal insults

Workhouse how s your mother he asked

She s dead replied O liver his face going red with emotion

Noah hoped that O liver was going to cry so he continued

What did she die of Workhouse

Of a broken heart I was told And a tear rolled down O liver s cheek.

Why are you crying Workhouse

O liver remained silent and Noah grew braver You know I feel very sorry for you Workhouse but the truth is your mother was a wicked woman

O liver seemed suddenly to wake up. What did you say

She was so bad it was lucky she died or she would have ended up in prison or hung.

His face bright red with anger O liver jumped up seized Noah s throat and shook the older boy so violently that his teeth nearly fell out. The n he hit him with all his strength and knocked him to the ground

He ll murder me screamed Noah Charlotte Help O liver s gone mad

Charlotte and Mrs Sowerberry ran in and screamed in horror They took hold of O liver and began to heat him The n Noah got up and started to kick him from behind When They were all tired They forced O liver who was still fighting and shouting into the cellar and locked it

Mrs Sowerberry sat down breathing heavily He s like a wild animal she said We could all have been murdered in our beds

I hope Mr Sowerberry doesn t take any more of the se dreadful creatures from the workhouse said Charlotte Poor Noah was nearly killed Mrs Sowerberry looked at Noah sympathetically.

Noah who was twice O liver s size pretended to rub tears from his eyes

What shall we do cried Mrs Sowerberry He ll kick that door down in ten minutes. They could hear O liver banging and kicking at the cellar door Noah-run and get Mr Bumble

So Noah ran through the streets as quickly as he could to fetch the beadle When he reached the workhouse he waited for a minute to make sure his face was suitably tearful and frightened.

As soon as Mr Bumble came out Noah cried Mr Bumble Mr Bumble It s O liver Twist sir He s become violent He tried to murder me sir And Charlotte and Mrs Sowerberry as well.

Mr Bumble was shocked and angry Did he I ll come up the re immediately and beat him with my stick

When he arrived at the shop O liver was still kicking wildly at the cellar door.

Let me out he shouted from the cellar when he heard Mr Bumble s voice I m not afraid of you

Mr Bumble stopped for a moment amazed and even rather frightened by this change in O liver The n he said to Mrs Sowerberry It s the meat that s caused this you know.

What

Meat madam. You ve fed him too well here. Back in the workhouse this would never have happened.

I knew I was too generous to him said Mrs Sowerberry raising her eyes to the ceiling

At that moment Mr Sowerberry returned and hearing what had happened according to the ladies he beat O liver so hard that even Mr Bumble and Mrs Sowerberry were satisfied Mr Sowerberry was not a cruel man but he had no choice. He knew that if he didn t punish O liver his wife would never forgive him

That night alone in the room with the coffins O liver cried bitter lonely tears He did not sleep and very early in the morning before anyone was awake he quietly unlocked the shop door and left the house He ran up the street and through the town as far as the main road where he saw a sign that told him it was just seventy miles from the re to London. The name London gave the boy an idea That huge place Nobody not even Mr Bumble could ever find him the re He had heard old men in the workhouse say it was a good place for brave boys and that the re was always work the re for those that wanted it It would be the best place for him He jumped to his feet and walked forward again

But after only four miles he began to realize just how far he would have to walk He stopped to think about it He had a piece of bread a rough shirt two pairs of socks and a penny. But he could not see how the se would help him get to London any faster so he continued walking

He walked twenty miles that day The only thing he had to eat was his piece of bread and some water which he begged from houses near the road. He slept the first night in a field feeling lonely tired cold and hungry. He was even hungrier the next morning when he woke up and he had to buy some more bread with his penny That day he walked only twelve miles His legs were so weak that They shook beneath him

The next day he tried to beg for money but large signs in some villages warned him that anyone caught begging would be sent to prison. Travellers on the road refused to give him money They said he was a lazy young dog and didn t deserve anything. Farmers threatened to send their dogs after him When he waited outside pubs the pub owners chased him away because They thought he had come to steal something Only two people were kind enough to feed him an old woman and a gate keeper on the road. If They had not given him some food he surely would have died like his mother.

Early on the seventh morning of his journey O liver finally reached the little town of Barnet just outside London. Exhausted he sat down at the side of the road. His feet were bleeding and he was covered in dust He was too tired even to beg The n he noticed that a boy who had passed him a few minutes before had returned and was now looking at him carefully from the opposite side of the road After a long time the boy crossed the road and said to O liver

Hello What s the matter the n

The boy was about O liver s age but was one of the strangest-looking people he had ever seen. He had a dirty ordinary boy s face but he behaved as if he were an adult He was short for his age and had little sharp ugly eyes. His hat was stuck on top of his head but it looked as though it would blow off at any minute He wore a man s coat which reached almost down to his feet with sleeves so long that his hands were completely covered.

I m very tired and hungry answered O liver almost crying I ve been walking for a week

A week The magistrate s order was it

The magistrate What s that

A magistrate s a kind of judge explained the surprised young gentleman. He realized O liver did not have much experience of the world Never mind that You want some food he went on. I haven t got much money but don t worry I ll pay

The boy helped O liver to his feet and took him to a pub. Meat bread and beer were placed before O liver and his new friend urged him to satisfy his hunger While O liver was eating the strange boy looked at him from time to time with great attention

Going to London he asked him finally

Yes.

Got anywhere to live

No

Money

No

The strange boy whistled and put his arms into his pockets as far as the big coat sleeves would allow him I suppose you want to sleep somewhere tonight don t you

I do replied O liver I haven t slept under a roof since I started my journey

Well don t worry I ve got to be in London tonight and I know a very nice old gentleman the re who ll let you live in his place and not even ask you for money

O liver was deeply grateful for this offer of shelter and talked for a long time with his new friend His name was Jack Dawkins but he was usually called The Artful Dodger Artful because he was very clever at getting what he wanted and Dodger because he was very good at not getting caught when he did something wrong When he heard this O liver felt rather doubtful about having such a friend However he wanted first to meet the kind old gentleman in London who would help him After that he could decide whether to continue the friendship with the Artful Dodger

4 O liver in London

For some reason the Dodger did not want to enter London during daylight so it was nearly eleven o clock at night when They got near the centre. O liver had never seen a dirtier or more miserable place. The streets in this district were narrow and muddy and the re were terrible smells everywhere. Children wandered around even at this time of night in and out of the many shops playing and screaming The pubs were full of people fighting and big evil looking men stood in doorways or at dark corners O liver almost wanted to run away but just the n the Dodger pushed open a door and pulled O liver into a dark hall.

Who s the re a voice cried out

It s me said the Dodger The faint light of a candle appeared in the hall

Who s the other one

A new friend.

They went up some dark and broken stairs O liver could hardly see where he was going but the Dodger seemed to know the way and helped O liver up. They entered a room with walls that were black with age and dirt In front of the fire was a table with a candle stuck into a bottle of beer and an old man with a horribly ugly face and red hair stood next to the fire cooking. He was wearing a dirty old coat and seemed to divide his attention between his cooking and a number of silk handkerchieves which were hanging near the fire The re were several rough beds in the room Four or five boys about the same age as the Artful Dodger sat round the table smoking and drinking like middle-aged men They all looked up when the Dodger and O liver entered

This is him Fagin the Dodger said to the old man My friend O liver Twist

Fagin smiled and shook O liver s hand The n all The young gentlemen came up to him and shook both his hands very hard especially the hand which held his few possessions. One of the boys was particularly kind He even put his hands in O liver s pockets so that O liver would not have to empty the m himself when he went to bed The boys would probably have been even more helpful but Fagin hit the m on their heads and shoulders until They left O liver alone

We re very glad to see you O liver said Fagin. I see you re staring at the handkerchieves my dear Aren t the re a lot We ve just taken the m all out to wash the m that s all Ha Ha Ha

This seemed to be a joke as the old gentleman and all his young friends gave loud shouts of laughter. The n supper began. O liver ate his share of the food and was the n given a glass of gin-and-water Fagin told him to drink it fast Immediately afterwards O liver felt himself lifted onto one of the beds and he sank into a deep sleep

When he woke it was late morning Fagin was the only other person in the room and he was boiling coffee in a pan When the coffee was done he turned towards O liver and looked closely at the boy O liver was only just awake and his eyes were half closed so he seemed to be still fast asleep. Fagin the n locked the door and from a hidden hole in the floor he took out a small box which he placed carefully on the table His eyes shone as he opened it and took out a gold watch covered in jewels.

Aah he said to himself What fine men They were Loyal to the end. They never told the priest where the jewels were Nor about old Fagin Not even at the very end And why should They It was already too late It wouldn t have stopped the rope going round their necks

Fagin took out at least six more watches as well as rings and bracelets and many other valuable pieces of jewellery He looked at the m with pleasure the n replaced the m. What a good thing hanging is he murmured Dead men can never talk or betray old friends

At that moment he looked up and saw O liver watching him He closed the lid of the box with a loud crash and picked up a bread knife from the table Why are you watching me What have you seen Tell me quick

I couldn t sleep any longer sir said O liver terrified. I m very sorry

You weren t awake an hour ago Fagin asked fiercely still holding the knife.

I promise I was n t sir replied O liver

Don t worry my dear Fagin said putting down the knife and becoming once again the kind old gentleman He laughed I only tried to frighten you my dear. You re a brave boy O liver And did you see any of the pretty things

Yes sir.

Ah said Fagin turning rather pale They-They re mine O liver All I have in my old age

O liver wondered why the old man lived in such an old dirty place when he had so many watches but the n he thought that it must cost Fagin a lot of money to look after the Dodger and the other boys So he said nothing and got up and washed When he turned towards Fagin the box had disappeared

Soon the Dodger entered with a cheerful young man named Charley Bates

Have you been at work this morning Fagin asked the Dodger

Hard at work answered the Dodger

Good boys good boys said Fagin What have you got

A couple of pocket books and some handkerchieves

Good workers aren t They O liver said the old man

Very good said O liver The others all started laughing though O liver saw nothing funny in his answer. Fagin inspected the handkerchieves and told the two boys that They were extremely well made and that he was very pleased with their work.

After breakfast They played a very strange game. The cheerful old man put a watch in his jacket pocket with a guard-chain round his neck and a notebook and a handkerchief in his trouser pocket The n he went up and down the room holding a walking stick just like the old gentlemen who walked in the streets. Sometimes he stopped at the fireplace and sometimes at the door pretending to stare with great interest into shop windows He would the n constantly look round as if afraid of thieves touching all his pockets in such a natural and funny way that O liver laughed until tears ran down his face All the time the two boys followed Fagin everywhere and every time he turned round They moved out of his sight so quickly that it was impossible to follow their movements.

Finally the Dodger bumped into him accidentally from behind and at that moment both boys took from him very quickly his watch guard chain handkerchief and notebook If the old man felt a hand in any of his pockets he cried out and the n the game began again.

Later the boys went out again to do some more work. When They had gone Fagin turned to O liver Take my advice my dear he said Make the m your models. Especially the Dodger He ll be a great man himself and will make you one too, if you copy him. Is my handkerchief hanging out of my pocket, my dear? '

'Yes, sir, 'said O liver.

'See if you can take it out, without my feeling it. Just as you saw the m doing it when we were playing. '

O liver held up the bottom of the pocket with one hand, as he had seen the Dodger hold it, and pulled the handkerchief lightly out of it with the other.

'Has it gone? 'asked Fagin.

'Here it is, sir, 'said O liver, showing it in his hand.

'You're a clever boy, my dear, 'said the old gentleman, putting his hand on O liver's head. I've never seen a quicker boy. If you go on like this, you'll be the greatest man in London. Now come here and I'll show you how to take the marks out of handkerchieves. '

O liver wondered what the connection was between playing at stealing from the old gentleman's pocket and becoming a great man. But he followed him quietly to the table and was soon deeply involved in his new study.

O liver remained in Fagin's room for many days, picking the marks and names out of the handkerchieves and sometimes playing the same game as before. One evening two young ladies came to visit, and a very cheerful party followed. O liver thought They were very nice, friendly girls.

The Dodger and Charley Bates went out to work every day, but sometimes came home with no handkerchieves, and Fagin would get very angry. Once he even knocked the m both down the stairs and sent the m to bed with no dinner because They had returned with nothing.

At last, the morning came when O liver was allowed to go out to work with the two other boys The re had been no handkerchieves for him to work on for several days and the re was not very much to eat for dinner. The three boys set out, but They walked so slowly that O liver thought They were not going to work at all. The n suddenly the Dodger stopped and put his finger to his lips.

'What's the matter? 'demanded O liver.

'Be quiet! 'replied the Dodger. 'Do you see that old man outside the book shop? He's the one. '

O liver looked from the Dodger to Charley Bates with great surprise and confusion, but he had been told not to ask questions. The two boys walked quickly and secretly across the road towards the old gentleman. O liver followed behind the m, watching in silent amazement.

The old gentleman looked quite rich; he wore gold glasses, white trousers, and had an expensive walking stick under his arm. He had picked up a book and was standing the re, reading it with great concentration just as if he were in his own armchair at home. O liver, his eyes wide with horror and alarm, watched as the Dodger put his hand in the old gentleman's pocket, took out a hand kerchief, and hand ed it to Charley Bates. The n the two of the m ran round the corner as fast as They could.

Suddenly, the whole mystery of the handkerchieves, and the watches, and the jewels, and Fagin, became clear. O liver stood for a moment in terror, blood rushing through him until he felt he was on fire. The n, confused and frightened, he started to run. At the same time, the old gentleman, putting his hand to his pocket and realizing his hand kerchief was missing, turned round. He saw O liver running away, so he naturally thought O liver was the thief. With loud cries of 'Stop thief! ', he ran after O liver with the book still in his hand .

The old gentleman was not the only one who started shouting. The Dodger and Charley Bates, not wanting to attract attention to the mselves by running down the street, had stopped round the first corner. When They realized what was happening, They also shouted' Stop thief! 'and joined in the chase like good citizens.

The cry of 'Stop thief! 'always causes great excitement. Everybody in the street stopped what They were doing and began to shout the mselves. Many joined in the chase with enthusiasm and soon the re was a big crowd running after O liver.

Finally, They caught the exhausted boy. He fell down on the pavement and the crowd gathered round him.

'Is this the boy? 'They asked the old gentleman.

'Yes, 'he answered, leaning over O liver. 'But I'm afraid he's hurt himself. '

'I did that, 'said a huge young man proudly. 'And I hurt my hand doing it. 'The old gentleman looked at him with an expression of dislike.

O liver lay on the ground, covered with mud and dust and bleeding from the mouth, and looked wildly at all the faces surrounding him. At that moment a policeman arrived and took O liver by the collar. 'Come on, get up, 'he said roughly.

'It wasn't me, sir, 'said O liver, looking round. 'It was two other boys. They're here somewhere. '

'Oh no, They aren't, 'replied the policeman. In fact, he was right, as the Dodger and Charley had quietly disappeared as soon as the crowd had caught O liver. 'Come on, get up! '

'Don't hurt him, 'said the old gentleman.

'I won't, said the policeman, tearing O liver's jacket half off his back as he lifted him up.

The three of the m started walking, followed by the excited crowd.

5 O liver's life changes

O liver was taken to the nearest police station. The officer at the gate looked at the boy. 'Another young thief, eh? 'He turned to the old gentleman, 'Are you the person who was robbed, sir? '

'Yes, I am, 'replied the old gentleman, 'but I'm not sure that this boy actually took the hand kerchief. I don't really want to take him to court. '

'Too late. He must go before the magistrate now. '

O liver was locked in a small stone cell, which was disgustingly dirty and smelly As the key turned in the lock, the old gentleman said to himself thoughtfully, 'The re's something in that boy's face He could be innocent. Where have I seen someone like him before? 'After thinking about this for a few minutes, he said, 'No; it must be imagination. 'He sighed unhappily, and began reading the book again.

Some time later, the officer touched his shoulder and told him that the court was ready. A magistrate was a judge who dealt with small crimes in local courts, and the magistrate for this district was well known. His name was Mr Fang and he was a disagreeable, bad-tempered man. Today he was in a particularly bad mood. He frowned angrily at the old gentleman, and asked sharply,

'Who are you? '

'My name, sir, is Brown low . '

'Officer! What is this man charged with? '

'He's not charged, sir, 'answered the officer. 'He's accusing the boy. '

The magistrate looked at Mr Brown low from head to foot. 'And what have you got to say? '

Mr Brown low began to explain. 'I was standing outside a book shop '

'Be quiet, sir! 'shouted Mr Fang. 'Policeman! Now you arrested the boy. What happened? '

The policeman told the magistrate what he had heard, and how he had searched O liver afterwards and found nothing.

'Are the re any witnesses? 'asked the magistrate.

'None, 'answered the policeman.

Mr Fang the n turned to Mr Brown low and angrily told him to describe what had happened. Mr Brown low explained that he had run after the boy only because he saw him running away. He did not think that the boy was the actual thief and he hoped that the boy would not be punished. 'He's been hurt already, 'he added, 'and now I'm afraid he's very ill. '

'I don't believe that for a moment, 'said Mr Fang unpleasantly. He turned to O liver. 'Come now, don't try any clever tricks with me! What's your name? 'he demanded.

O liver tried to reply, but he was too weak to speak. He was deadly pale, and he felt the room spinning round him. At last he managed to whisper a request for water, but the magistrate refused angrily. Suddenly, O liver fainted and fell to the floor.

Mr Fang stared at him angrily. 'Guilty. Three months 'prison, 'he said immediately. 'Let him lie the re. He'll soon be tired of that. 'Mr Fang stood up. 'This court is now closed. '

At that moment a man in an old black coat rushed in. 'Stop! 'he shouted. 'Don't take the boy away. I saw it all. I'm the book shop owner. '

Mr Fang's face was black with anger at this unexpected interruption, but the book shop owner demanded to be heard. He described exactly what had really happened. He had seen two boys steal the hand kerchief and the n run away, leaving O liver to be arrested.

In a final burst of bad temper, Mr Fang said that his time had been wasted. He announced that O liver was innocent, and ordered everybody out of the court.

The order was obeyed, and as Mr Brown low turned to go down the street, he saw O liver lying on the pavement, shaking, his face as white as death.

'Poor boy! Poor boy! 'said Mr Brown low , bending over him. He called a coach quickly, laid O liver on the seat, and drove away.

The coach stopped at a neat house in a quiet, shady street in north London. O liver was gently carried in to a bed, and received more care and kindness than he had ever had in his life. But he had a fever, and for many days he lay the re unconscious. When he eventually awoke, weak, thin and pale, he looked anxiously around the room.

'What room is this? Where am I? 'he said. 'This is not the place I fell asleep in. '

Mrs Bed win, the motherly old housekeeper, heard his words, and instantly came to him. 'Hush be quiet, my dear, or you'll be ill again. Lie down. '

He lay down, and woke up again much later. After a while, he was able to sit up in a chair, although he was still too weak to walk. In this new position he could see a picture of a woman hanging on the wall opposite. 'Who is that, madam? 'he asked the old housekeeper.

'I don't know, my dear. Do you like it? '

'The eyes look so sad, and They seem to be staring at me. As if the person was alive, and wanted to speak to me but couldn't. '

'You're weak and nervous after your illness, 'Mrs Bed win said kindly. 'Don't worry about things like that. '

Later that day Mr Brown low came in, having heard that the boy was a little better at last. He was delighted to see that O liver could sit up. But when he saw O liver's face clearly, Mr Brown low stared hard at him.

'I hope you're not angry with me, sir, 'said O liver anxiously.

'No, no. Not in the least, 'he replied. The n he turned to the housekeeper. 'But look, Mrs Bed win, look the re! 'He pointed to the picture of the woman above O liver's head and the n to the boy's face. It was a living copy of the picture; even the expression was the same. O liver did not understand what was happening. He was so alarmed by Mr Brown low 's excitement that he fainted once more.

The Dodger and Charley Bates had left the crowd which was chasing O liver as soon as They could. They went back to their house through the narrow streets, using a complicated route in case anyone was following the m. Once They were safely away from other people, Charley Bates rolled on the ground and laughed and laughed.

'Ha! Ha! Ha! When I saw O liver running away so fast, round all the corners, bumping into walls and all the time I had the hand kerchief in my pocket Ha! Ha! Ha! '

'But what'll Fagin say? 'asked the Dodger.

'What do you mean? '

The Dodger said nothing more but led Charley Bates into the house and up the stairs. When Fagin saw the m enter, he rose to his feet.

'Where's O liver? 'he asked the m furiously.

The two boys looked uneasily at each other, but said nothing. Fagin took hold of the Dodger's collar and shook him violently. 'Tell me or I'll kill you! '

The Dodger slid out of his coat in one smooth movement, leaving Fagin holding only the empty coat. 'The police have got him, 'he said reluctantly. He looked round for a weapon to fight with, but Fagin already had a heavy metal pot in his hand He threw it hard at the Dodger, but missed and hit Charley Bates, who started to shout with fear.

Suddenly, all this noise and confusion was silenced by a deep voice at the door.

'What the devil's going on here? 'the voice demanded.

The owner of the voice was a big man of about thirty-five in a black coat and very dirty trousers, with a brown hat on his head and a dirty hand kerchief around his neck. He also had a three-day-old beard. A white dog with torn ears followed him into the room. The man kicked the dog into a corner and looked round at the signs of battle.

'Are They trying to murder you, Fagin? I would if I was the m. I'd have done it long ago. Now, give me some beer, and don't poison it. '

It was said as a joke, but if the man had seen the evil look on Fagin's face, he might have thought the warning was a necessary one.

Fagin produced some beer, and as the fight appeared to be over, everybody sat down. In the conversation that followed, Fagin told the newcomer that O liver had been caught by the police. 'I'm afraid, Mr Sikes, 'he said, 'the boy may say something which will get us into trouble. '

'Very likely, 'said Bill Sikes, smiling unkindly. 'You'vegot problems, Fagin. '

'And I'm afraid, 'added Fagin, ignoring Sikes' remark, 'that if we're in trouble, the n a lot of other people will be in trouble too, if you understand me, my dear, '

Sikes turned angrily towards the old man. The re was a silence. The n Sikes said, 'Somebody must find out what's happened. If he hasn't said anything yet, we must catch him when he leaves the police station. '

Fagin nodded. But the re was a difficulty. None of the m wanted to go anywhere near a Police station. The problem was solved with the arrival of the two young ladies whom O liver had met one evening in Fagin's house.

'Nancy, my dear, 'Fagin said. He smiled sweetly at one of The young ladies. 'Can you go to find out what's happened to O liver? '

The young lady answered calmly, 'No, I won't. '

'You're the only one here that the police in this district don't know, 'said Sikes. 'She'll go, Fagin. '

'No, 'repeated Nancy.

'Yes, she will, Fagin. 'Sikes was right. With a mixture of threats and promises, he soon persuaded Nancy to go.

She set off at once, and at the police station pretended to be a shy, frightened girl. 'Is my poor little brother O liver here? 'she asked the officer with the keys.

'He's not here, 'the officer replied. 'The gentleman's got him. '

'The gentleman? Oh no! What gentleman? 'cried Nancy, very upset.

The policeman explained that O liver had become ill, and the old gentleman had taken him to his house in the Pentonville district of north London. Nancy, still looking terribly upset, left the station, and hurried back to Fagin's house with this news. As soon as he heard it, Sikes called his white dog, put on his hat and left without saying goodbye to anyone.

'We must find him, 'Fagin said urgently to the rest of the m. 'No one can stay here it's too dangerous now. All of you walk around Pentonville and keep your ears open. Don't come back until you have some news of O liver! If you can, kidnap him! We've got to keep him quiet before he starts talking about us to his new friends. '

With the se words, he pushed the m all from his room and double-locked the door behind the m. The n he took out his hidden box and very carefully hid all the watches and the jewellery beneath his clothe s.

6 O liver is found again

O liver began to recover and slowly regain his strength. The picture that had caused Mr Brown low 's excitement was taken down from the wall, and was not mentioned again. O liver was disappointed at the disappearance of the picture, since he liked the woman's face, but he had many other things to think about now.

They were happy days, while O liver was getting better. He played cards with Mrs Bed win and listened to stories about her family. The days were all so quiet and relaxing, after the hardships and poverty of his previous life. Mr Brown low bought him a new suit and new shoes, and O liver's dirty old clothe s were given away.

One day Mr Brown low asked him to come to his study for a little talk.

O liver went in and sat down. He looked at Mr Brown low 's serious face in alarm. 'Don't tell me you're going to send me away, sir, please! 'he exclaimed. 'Let me stay here! I could help with the housework please, sir! '

'My dear child, don't be afraid, 'said Mr Brown low kindly. 'I won't desert you. I believe that you're a good boy, not a common thief. You told me you're an orphan that seems to be the truth. But I want to hear now the whole story of your life, and how you came to be with the boys I saw you with that day. '

O liver began his story but was soon interrupted by the arrival of Mr Grimwig, an old friend of Mr Brown low 's. Mr Grimwig was a fierce old gentleman and very fond of arguments. He clearly knew all about O liver and inspected him closely.

'So this is the boy, is it? 'he said at last.

O liver bowed politely and was introduced by Mr Brown low . Tea was the n brought in, and during the meal Mr Grimwig stared so hard at O liver that the boy felt rather confused. Eventually, Mr Grimwig whispered to Mr Brown low , 'He may be a good-looking boy, but I think he's deceiving you, my good friend, '

'Nonsense! 'said Mr Brown low , becoming angry.

'Well, we'll see, answered his friend. 'We'll see. '

Later that afternoon Mr Brown low wanted to return some books to a bookseller, and to send some money for new books that he had already collected. Mr Grimwig suggested that O liver should go. 'He'll be sure to deliver everything safely, 'he said with a smile.

'Yes, please let me take the m, 'said O liver, delighted to be of use.

Mr Brown low hesitated, but Mr Grimwig's smile had annoyed him. 'Very well, 'he said. 'Here are the books, O liver, and a five-pound note. The bookseller will give you ten shillings change. '

'I won't be ten minutes, 'replied O liver eagerly, and he ran out into the street.

'So you expect him to come back, do you? 'enquired Mr Grimwig.

'Yes, I do, 'said Mr Brown low , smiling confidently. 'Don't you? '

'No, He has a new suit of clothe s, some valuable books, and a five-pound note in his pocket. He'll join his old friends the thieves, and laugh at you. If he comes back, I'll eat my hat. '

The two men sat by the window with a pocket-watch between the m, and waited for O liver's return.

O liver hurried through the streets to the book shop, thinking how lucky he was. Suddenly the re was a loud scream behind him. 'Oh, my dear brother! 'Before be could look round, a pair of arms was thrown tightly around his neck.

'Don't! 'he cried, struggling. 'Let go! Why are you stopping me? Who is it? '

The young woman holding him started to cry loudly. 'I've found him! Oh! O liver! You naughty boy, to make me suffer so much! Come home immediately, you cruel boy! 'She burst into tears and several people stopped to stare at what was happening.

'What's the matter? 'asked one of the watching women.

'He ran away from his parents a month ago, 'The young woman said. 'They're hard-working, respectable people, and he left the m to join a gang of thieves and bad characters, and almost broke his mother's heart. '

'Go home, you horrible child, 'said another woman.

'Yes go back to your parents, 'said a third.

'But I haven't got any! 'replied O liver, greatly alarmed. 'I haven't got a sister, either. I'm an orphan. I live in Pentonville. '

'Listen to him! Make him come home, 'The young woman said to the crowd, 'or he'll kill his dear mother and father, and break my heart. '

Suddenly O liver recognized the woman he had seen in Fagin's house. 'It's Nancy! 'he said, without thinking.

'You see? 'cried Nancy to the crowd. 'He knows me! '

Just the n a big man ran out of a beer shop, followed by a white dog. 'What's this? Young O liver! Come home to your poor mother, you young devil! And what books are the se? You've stolen the m, haven't you? Give the m to me. 'The man, who was Bill Sikes, seized O liver with one strong hand and hit him on the head with the other.

'That'll do him good! 'shouted some of the crowd. 'It's the only way to treat boys like him. '

Bill Sikes held onto O liver's arm. 'Come on, you young thief! '

Still weak from illness, and terrified by the growling dog, O liver could not resist. He was taken through the dark narrow streets at great speed. Sikes and Nancy gave him no chance to escape and O liver had no breath to call out for help. All too quickly, he was back in Fagin's house, where his old friends were waiting for him.

'Delighted to see you looking so well, my dear, 'Fagin said, bowing politely. 'Why didn't you write, and say you were coming? We'd have got something warm for supper. '

The Dodger and Charley Bates roared with laughter, and the Dodger began looking through the books O liver had with him.

'Give the m back! 'O liver cried. 'Those books belong to the kind old gentleman who took me into his home. Send him back the books and the money he'll think I stole the m! '

'You're right, 'laughed Fagin. 'He will think that! '

O liver jumped to his feet and ran wildly from the room, shouting for help. The Dodger and Fagin caught him easily, and brought him back. The n the old man picked up a long piece of wood.

'So you wanted to get away, my dear, did you? Wanted to call the police and get help? We'll cure you of that. '

He hit O liver hard on the shoulders with the stick. He was raising it for a second hit when Nancy rushed forward and, seizing the piece of wood, threw it into the fire.

'I won't let you do it, Fagin! 'she shouted. 'You've got him again. Isn't that enough? Now leave him alone. '

Fagin and Sikes looked at each other, shocked by her reaction.

'You'd better keep quiet, my girl, 'growled Sikes.

'No, I won't! ' cried the girl wildly. 'Now you've got the boy, you'll turn him into a thief and a liar. Isn't that enough, without killing him too? '

She rushed at Fagin and would have hit him if Sikes had not held her arms so tightly that she couldn't move. She struggled wildly for a while, the n, exhausted, she fainted. Sikes laid her down in the corner, as surprised as Fagin at her anger.

'She can be really wild when she's angry, 'Sikes said.

Fagin wiped his forehead. 'That's the trouble with women, 'he said, 'but she's a clever girl in her work. '

The n Charley Bates and the Dodger took away O liver's expensive new suit, gave him some old clothe s, and locked him up in a dark room. O liver felt tired and ill, and was soon fast asleep.

7 The robbery

A few days later, a visitor arrived in London from O liver's home town. He was a large, fat man, and very proud of his hat, which showed the world that he was a most important official. It was, in fact, Mr Bumble the beadle, O liver's old enemy.

Mr Bumble had completed his business in the city, and had just finished a most satisfactory meal in a pub. He pulled up his chair to the fire, to enjoy his hot gin-and-water in comfort, and opened the newspaper. The first thing he saw was this notice:

A reward of five pounds is offered for any information leading to the discovery of a young boy, O liver Twist, who was kidnapped from his home in Pentonville last Thursday evening. I am also very interested in any information about his past.

The re was the n a full description of O liver's clothe s and appearance, and Mr Brown low 's full address. Mr Bumble rubbed his eyes, read the notice again, and was at the address in less than ten minutes. He was shown into Mr Brown low 's study, where the old gentleman and his friend Mr Grimwig were sitting.

'Do you know where the poor boy is now? 'Mr Brown low asked, when the beadle had explained the reason for his visit.

Mr Bumble shook his head.

'Do you know anything good about him? 'asked Mr

Grimwig, looking closely at Mr Bumble's face.

Mr Bumble shook his head again, very seriously, and turned down the corners of his mouth.

'The n tell us everything you know about him, 'said Mr Brown low impatiently.

Mr Bumble put down his hat, unbuttoned his coat, folded his arms, and sat back in his chair. He spoke in his most important and official voice, and talked for twenty minutes. His listeners heard all the details of O liver's illegitimate birth, and how generously he had been treated as a workhouse orphan. They heard how he had always been an ungrateful and dangerous child, violently attacking another boy, and finally running away from the house where he had been working.

The old gentleman shook his head sadly and gave Mr Bumble the five pounds. 'I would have been happy to give you three times the amount if your story had proved that the boy was good. '

If Mr Bumble had known this earlier, he might have told a different story, but now it was too late. So he took the money and left.

Mr Brown low walked up and down his room for several minutes, deep in thought. He rang the bell for Mrs Bed win, his housekeeper, and told her what he had heard.

'I don't believe it, 'she said, with great certainty.

'I was right, 'said Mr Grimwig with satisfaction. 'You should have listened to what I said. '

Mr Brown low said angrily, 'Never let me hear the boy's name again. Never. Remember that, Mrs Bed win. '

The re were sad hearts at Mr Brown low 's house that night.

---

Meanwhile, in another part of London, O liver remained a prisoner. Fagin had told O liver how ungrateful he had been to run away. He had told him that he would have died of hunger without Fagin's kindness. He went on to tell O liver the story of another young boy, who had gone to the police to tell the m about the gang, but who had finally been hanged one morning for being a thief. Fagin described the hanging in terrifying detail, and said that he hoped he would never have to tell the police about O liver and see O liver with a rope around his neck. O liver felt his blood turn cold.

He remained locked in a room for many days, seeing nobody between early morning and midnight. He spent his time thinking sadly about his friends in Pentonville. After a week he was free to wander round the house during the day. It was a dirty place, full of rats and insects but no other living thing. All the windows were closed, and covered with wood and metal bars that kept out the light.

One afternoon the Dodger and Charley Bates were at home and They started telling O liver about their lives as thieves.

'Why don't you become one? 'Charley asked him. 'We all are here both of us, and Fagin, Sikes, Nancy all of us.

'I don't want to be, 'replied O liver. 'I wish They'd let me go.

'But it's a good life, 'the Dodger said, taking some coins from his pocket and throwing the m up in the air. 'What does it matter where the money comes from? 'he said, laughing.

'If you don't steal it, someone else will. You can be sure of that! '

Fagin entered at this point, with two young men, and joined in the conversation. One of The young men had just come out of prison, and the re were many cheerful jokes about his very short hair-cut. Everybody sat around the fire, talking and laughing for hours Fagin told O liver how good the Dodger was at his job, and what a friendly boy Charley was. It was, without doubt, an interesting evening for O liver, after so many days locked up alone.

After that evening he was rarely on his own again. He spent a lot of time with the Dodger and Charley, and often played the hand kerchief game with the m. At other times Fagin would tell the m all about robberies he had committed in his younger days, telling the stories so well and putting in so many funny details that O liver could not stop laughing, even though he knew it was wrong.

Fagin knew what he was doing. He had made sure that O liver was so lonely and miserable that he would be desperate for any friends, however criminal. Slowly and deliberately, Fagin was trying to poison The young boy's mind.

One damp, cold, windy night a few weeks later, Fagin put on his heavy coat and, with the collar pulled up high to hide his face, left his home. He walked fast through the streets, never losing his way even in the darkest places. Finally, he reached an evil, narrow street lit only by a single lamp. He knocked on a door, said something quietly to the person who opened it, the n walked upstairs.

Bill Sikes was sitting by his fire with his dog when Fagin entered. The room was a small, dark place with almost no furniture. Nancy was the re, too, and Fagin glanced at her uneasily. He had not seen her since she had attacked him to stop him hitting O liver. However, she seemed to have forgotten all about it, because she told him to pull up a chair and warm himself by the fire.

'I'm ready for business, 'Bill Sikes said, looking at Fagin suspiciously. 'Say what you have to say, Fagin. '

'It's about the robbery at Chertsey, Bill, 'answered Fagin. 'Some lovely silver in that house down the re! '

'I know, I know, 'Sikes said. 'I was down the re two nights ago to have a look at the house. But it's locked like a prison at night, all except one part. '

'Where's that? 'asked Fagin, bending his head forwards, his eyes staring excitedly at Sikes.

'Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not telling you! Anyway, what we need is a boy. '

'So the re's a small place where only a boy can enter the house? 'asked Fagin.

'Maybe. But we need a boy. '

The re was silence for a time, while Fagin thought. The n he made a sign to Sikes to tell Nancy to leave the room.

'Don't worry, Sikes said. 'You can trust her she won't talk. Isn't that right? '

'Of course it's right, 'answered The young woman, taking a large drink from the bottle on the table, and laughing. 'Anyway, Fagin, I know your idea is for O liver to do the job. '

'You're a clever girl, said Fagin, smiling evilly. 'That's exactly what I had in mind. Listen, Bill the boy's been training for a few weeks, and it's time he did some work. He's the smallest one, anyway. '

'Is he safe? 'asked Sikes. 'Because if he tries any tricks on me, I'll kill him! '

'He'll be ours for life, if he feels he's one of us. And this job will make him feel like that, 'said Fagin eagerly. 'The boy looks so innocent he's perfect. And we've got to include him in some crime as soon as we can. Otherwise, if he escapes now, he can tell the police about us and stay free himself. '

So it was decided that O liver would help Sikes with the robbery in two days' time. The plan was discussed in great detail and all the arrangements made. By the n, Sikes was very drunk, and Fagin got up to leave. As he put on his coat, he stared hard at Nancy, frowning a little. No, he was sure he could trust her; she was loyal.

The next night, O liver was alone in Fagin's house when Nancy entered. She was so nervous and white-faced that O liver asked her if she was ill.

'God forgive me! 'she said, beating her hand s togethe r. 'I never thought I would do this! '

'Has anything happened? 'asked the boy. 'What is it? '

She sat with her back to him, and hid her face with her hand s. After a while she said, 'I don't know why I feel so strange sometimes. Come on, O liver are you ready? You have to come with me to Bill's house. '

'Why? '

'Oh nothing important. '

O liver did not believe her, but he thought that at last this might be an opportunity to escape. So he said, rather too quickly, 'I'm ready. 'Nancy guessed what he was thinking.

'O liver, 'she said, 'this is not the time to escape. I've saved you once, and I will again, but if anything happens tonight, it might mean my death. 'She said this so seriously that O liver decided it must be true. He was quiet while They walked quickly through the streets to Sikes' house.

Inside his room, Sikes sat O liver down on a chair. 'Did he come quietly? 'he asked Nancy.

'Quiet as a mouse. '

'Glad to hear it, 'said Sikes. 'Now listen to me, boy. 'He put a gun against O liver's head. If you say one word when you're outside with me, I'll shoot you. Understand? '

O liver nodded, trying hard not to tremble.

Sikes and O liver started out at five o'clock in the morning, while it was still dark. They crossed from one side of London to the other. At first the streets were empty, the n shopsbegan to open and people started going to work. Gradually, the noise and traffic increased, and as They passed through the meat market at Smithfield, O liver was amazed by the sight and smells of so many animals, and by the huge crowds of people, all pushing and swearing and shouting. But Bill Sikes marched on without stopping

Later in the day They were given a lift in a horse and cart from west London out into the country. Night fell, and after walking a few more miles down country roads, They finally arrived at an old house standing alone by a river. It was dark and seemed to be empty They went inside without knocking.

Inside were two other men, who, at Sikes command, produced food and drink for him and the boy. The n Sikes told O liver to get some sleep as They would be going out again later that night. O liver still had no idea of the purpose of this expedition, but his head ached with tiredness and he soon fell asleep.

At half past one the men got up and checked their equipment, gathering several sticks as well. Sikes and the man called Toby left the house togethe r, with O liver walking between the m. The re was now a thick fog and the night was very still as They hurried through the deserted streets of the nearby town. Out in the country again, They walked down several small roads until finally They stopped at a house surrounded by a high wall. As quick as lightning, Toby climbed up and pulled O liver after him. Inside the garden, They crept towards the house, and now, for the first time, O liver realized in horror that the purpose of the expedition was robbery, and maybe even murder.

Bill Sikes broke open a small window at the back of the house, the n shone his light into O liver's face.

'Now listen. I'm going to put you through here Go straight through into the hall and on to the front door, and let us in. And if you don't, you can be sure I'll shoot you '

O liver, stupid with terror, was lifted through the window into the house. Desperately, he decided to try to run upstairs and warn the family. He began to creep forwards.

Suddenly, the re was a loud noise from the hall.

'Come back! ' shouted Sikes. 'Back! Back! '

O liver stood still, frozen with fear. A light appeared, the n two men on the stairs, the m a sudden bright flash, and a loud bang. O liver staggered back. Sikes seized the boy's collar through the window and pulled him back out into the garden.

'They've hit him! ' shouted Sikes. 'He's bleeding. '

A bell rang loudly, above the noise of more gunshots and the shouts of men. O liver felt himself being carried across rough ground, and the n he saw and heard no more

8 After the robbery

The night was bitterly cold. A sharp wind whipped the fallen snow up into the air and blew it into every hole and corner. It was a night for the homeless to lie down and die; and for luckier people to sit close to their fires and thank God They were at home.

In the workhouse where O liver was born, Mrs Corney -the widow in charge- was making tea by her fire. When she heard a knock at her door, she frowned and called out sharply, 'Come in. ' The frown, however, was quickly changed to a sweet smile when she saw Mr Bumble enter.

'Hard weather, Mr Bumble, 'said the widow.

'Yes, indeed, ma'am, ' replied the beadle. 'We've had to give out to the poor people in this town great quantities of bread and cheese today, and They' re still complaining. Why, one man even came back and demanded some free fire-wood!

What does he want that for? People are never satisfied. Give the m one thing today, and tomorrow They'll ask for something else! '

Mrs Corney agreed that it was very shocking. They discussed some workhouse business togethe r, and the n Mr

Bumble looked hopefully at the teapot. Mrs Corney offered him some tea. Instantly, Mr Bumble sat down by the fire and gave the widow such a warm smile that her face turned a delicate pink. She passed Mr Bumble the tea cup, and as he took it, he managed to give her hand a little stroke. 'You're a kind hearted woman, Mrs Corney, 'said the beadle.

'Oh, Mr Bumble! 'said the widow, smiling shyly. For a while the re was a friendly silence between the m, the n Mr Bumble moved his chair closer to the widow's. Mrs Corney, of course, did not notice this, but when the beadle's arm began to slide around her waist, she felt she must make a small protest.

Encouraged by this response, Mr Bumble immediately gave her a kiss, but at this interesting moment the re was a sudden knock at the door. Mr Bumble jumped to his feet and went to the other end of the room.

'Please, Mrs Corney, ' said a voice outside. 'Old Sally is going fast. '

'Well, what can I do to help her? 'asked Mrs Corney angrily.

'Nothing, ma'am, replied the old woman outside. But she says she has something to tell you, which you must hear. She won't die quietly till you come. '

Complaining loudly, Mrs Corney asked Mr Bumble to wait until she came back. The n she followed the old woman up the stairs.

Old Sally lay in bed in a freezing cold room. The fire was so small and mean that it gave no warmth at all.

Mrs Corney bent over the bed, and the dying woman opened her eyes. 'Come closer, 'she murmured. 'Let me whisper in your ear. ' She held onto Mrs Corney's arm and pulled her down towards her 'In this same room I once helped a pretty young woman who came in with cut and bleeding feet, who gave birth to a boy and the n died. '

'Well? ' asked Mrs Corney impatiently.

'I robbed her. She was hardly dead before I stole it! '

'Stole what? '

'It! The only thing she had. It was gold. It could have saved her life! '

'Gold? Who was this mother? Tell me! '

'She told me to look after it when she died. ' The old woman's mind was getting confused. 'She trusted me, poor girl, and I stole it. '

'Quick, tell me or it may be too late! ' said Mrs Corney greedily. ' What was it, and what was the boy's name? '

The old woman could hardly speak 'O liver. The gold I stole was '

'Yes, yes! What? '

The old woman fell back onto the bed, dead.

Mrs Corney hurried back to her room, where Mr Bumble was still admiring her furniture and counting her silver tea-spoons. They sat down again by the fire, and soon Mr Bumble's arm returned to its previous position round Mrs Corney's waist. It was not long before he asked her to marry him, and the widow happily accepted him. While They drank to celebrate the arrangement, Mrs Corney told Mr Bumble about old Sally's death, and the unknown gold object which she had stolen from the dead body of The young woman.

After many expressions of undying love, Mr Bumble finally left the room and returned home, with bright visions of his future.

While the se events were happening in the workhouse, the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates were playing cards in Fagin's house. The Dodger, as usual, was winning easily; somehow, he always seemed to know exactly what cards the other players had in their hand s. Suddenly the re was a faint ring on the bell downstairs, and Toby came in-the man who had gone with Bill Sikes and O liver to rob the house in Chertsey. Fagin jumped to his feet.

'Where are They? ' he screamed. 'Sikes and the boy! Where are They hiding? '

'We failed, ' said the robber.

' What happened? '

'They fired and hit the boy. We ran away with O liver between us, and They chased us with dogs. '

'And the boy? What about the boy? 'gasped Fagin.

'His head was hanging down, and he was cold. We needed to go faster so we left him in a field, alive or dead That's all I know about him. '

Fagin did not wait to hear any more. He gave an angry scream, ran out of the house and hurried through the streets until he reached Bill Sikes' house As he climbed the stairs, he thought, 'Well, Nancy, if the re' s anything going on here, I'll find out about it-however clever you are. '

Nancy was alone upstairs in her room, her head on the table.

'She's been drinking again, 'thought Fagin. As he closed the door, she woke up. He told her what had happened during the robbery; she said nothing and her head returned to the table. 'And where do you think the boy is now, my dear? 'Fagin asked her, trying hard to see her face. 'Poor little child! Left alone like that '

Nancy looked up. 'I hope the child's dead. The n he'd be happier than any of us. '

'What! 'said Fagin, in amazement.

'It's better like that. The sight of the boy turns me against myself, and all of you. '

'You're drunk. Fagin suddenly lost his temper. 'The boy's worth a fortune to me-and now a drunken gang has lost him. And if Sikes doesn't return that boy to me, dead or alive, I'll tell the police about him and I'll get Sikes hanged. Just remember that! '

When Fagin left her, Nancy was already back in a drunken sleep, her head lying on the table once more. Fagin went out into the blackness of the night and walked home. He had reached the corner of his street and was searching in his pocket for his key, when a dark figure came out of the shadows and crossed the road towards him.

I've been waiting here for two hours, Fagin. ' said the stranger. 'Where have you been? '

'On your business, my dear, ' said Fagin, glancing at him uneasily.

'We'd better talk inside. '

The door closed behind the m and They crept quietly up to the top floor in order not to wake the sleeping boys downstairs. They sat in a dark room, the only light coming from a candle burning in the passage outside.

The stranger's name was Monks, and he was in an evil mood.

He listened to Fagin for a while, frowning heavily. 'It was badly planned, he said angrily. 'Couldn't you have made the boy into an ordinary thief, and the n got him arrested and sent out of the country for the rest of his life? '

'But he isn't like the other boys here, ' Fagin said. 'I had nothing to frighten him with. Anyway, I've already helped you. After he was caught by the police, stealing from the book shop, I got Nancy to get him back. And the n she felt sorry for him. '

'Kill her! ' Monks said impatiently.

'We can't afford to do that kind of thing, ' said Fagin.

'But I can turn the boy into an ordinary thief now. And the n Nancy will harden her heart against him. I know how women are. But if he's already dead '

'That's not my fault! ' said Monks quickly. 'I always said to you- do anything you want to him, but don't kill him. I wouldn't have been able to forget it, if you had. '

Suddenly he jumped to his feet, staring at the wall opposite the door. 'What's that? 'he whispered, terrified.

'What? Where? ' cried Fagin.

'The shadow! I saw the shadow of a woman pass along that wall! '

White faced, They both ran from the room into the passage. The candle threw long shadows down the stairs, but the re was no one the re. They listened. Only silence filled the house.

'It was your imagination, ' said Fagin, softly.

'I swear I saw it! replied Monks. They searched all the upstairs rooms. They were empty, and as quiet as death. Monks grew calmer, and eventually left the house at one o'clock in the morning.

The chase down at Chertsey the previous night had not lasted long. The re was a lot of noise of men shouting and dogs barking, as the servants from the house pursued the robbers across the fields. But Sikes and Toby wasted no time. They dropped O liver's unconscious body in a field, and disappeared into the fog and the darkness in different directions. The three pursuers lost enthusiasm for the chase and agreed among themselves that it was much too dangerous to continue. They returned to the house, keeping close together and trying to look brave.

Morning came, but O liver still lay in the field as if dead. It began to rain heavily, and after a while O liver opened his eyes. His left arm was covered in blood and hurting badly. He felt so weak he could hardly stand, but he knew that if he stayed where he was, he would die. Gasping with pain, he forced himself to his feet and with slow, shaky steps, began to walk. He had no idea where he was going, and moved forward mechanically, as though in a dream.

After a while his feet found a road, and he looked round and saw a house in the distance. He decided he would rather die near human beings than in a cold field, so he turned his steps towards the house. As he came nearer, he realized that the house was familiar and he felt faint with terror. But where else could he go? With a last effort, he crawled up the path and knocked on the door, the n fell exhausted on the step.

It was now mid morning. Inside the house the men servants were still describing the night's adventures to the cook and the servant girl, who gasped with appreciative horror at every exciting moment. They were all enjoying themselves very much- when the re came a knock at the door. Pale with fright, They all stared at each other. Nobody was keen to answer the knock, so eventually They all went, including the dogs. Very cautiously, They opened the door, and saw nothing more alarming than poor O liver, curled up in a sad little heap on the step.

The n one of the men gave a shout, seized the boy by a leg and pulled him into the hall. 'Here he is! ' he cried excitedly. 'Here's the thief! I shot him last night! '

A young lady appeared at the top of the stairs. 'What's going on here? Quiet, please! Is this poor boy very hurt? '

'Very, 'said the servant, proudly.

'The n one of you go to town as fast as you can and fetch a policeman and Dr Losberne. The rest of you, help to carry the boy upstairs and put him to bed. Treat him kindly, I beg you. '

9 O liver starts another life

In a comfortable, pleasant sitting room, the two ladies of the house waited anxiously for the doctor and the police to arrive. The owner of the house, Mrs May lie, was an older woman, but her niece, Rose, was a girl of seventeen, whose quiet beauty and gentle charm won all hearts.

As soon as the doctor arrived, he ran breathlessly into the house and burst into the room without knocking. He was clearly a good friend of the ladies.

'I never heard of such a dreadful thing! You should both be dead of fright! he said to Mrs May lie. 'In the silence of the night, too! Are you both all right? Why didn't you send for me at once? '

'We are quite all right, said Rose, smiling. 'But the re's an injured boy upstairs whom aunt wants you to see. '

Dr Losberne went up to examine O liver, and was the re for some time He came down looking rather puzzled, and asked the two ladies to see the boy with him.

'I can promise you the re's nothing very frightening about him, 'he said.

Instead of the evil looking robber They expected to see, the two ladies found only a pale, thin child, lying peacefully asleep.

He looked to innocent that Mrs May lie said, 'This child could never have been in a gang of robbers! '

'It certainly seems strange, agreed the doctor, 'but wickedness can hide behind the most gentle face, you know. '

'But he's so young, too! ' cried Rose. 'Can you really believe this poor boy is a criminal? Oh, Dr Losberne, and my dear aunt, I beg you both to have pity on him. '

Mrs May lie did not need persuading, and the doctor could not resist Rose's tears. He had, in fact, an extremely kind heart, which he tried to hide behind a quick, fierce manner- though this usually deceived no one.

'Well, what's to be done, the n? ' he said quickly. 'We'll have the police here at any moment, ready to take the boy away and throw him into prison! '

Rose begged him to think of a plan, and the doctor thought hard for a few minutes, frowning fiercely. At last he said,

'I've got it! ' and rubbed his hand s together in satisfaction.

A little later, O liver woke up and was very anxious to tell his story, although he had lost a lot of blood and was very weak. When the doctor and the ladies had heard all about his sad life, They were quite sure that They wanted to save O liver from any unfair punishment. So Dr Losberne went down to the kitchen to talk to the three servants who had surprised Sikes and O liver during the robbery. The doctor folded his arms and gave the men a long, hard stare.

'Tell me, ' he began, can you be absolutely sure that the boy upstairs is the same one that was in the house last night? Well? '

The doctor, usually such a friendly man, seemed so angry that the servants stared at him, open-mouthed. The doctor

gave the m no time to think, and went on fiercely,

Three men see a boy for about a second in the dark, in the middle of a lot of smoke and noise. A boy comes to the same house the next day and because one arm is injured, They think he must be the robber. Are you going to swear that this is the same boy? Well? What do you say? ' he finished impatiently.

The servants looked at each other in great confusion.

Suddenly the re was a ring at the gate; the police officers had finally arrived. Dr Losberne gave orders that plenty of beer should be served before the officers went up to see O liver. He also made sure that the servants had a generous amount of beer, too.

When the Officers were finally allowed to see O liver, Dr Losberne said, 'This is a boy who was shot this morning while walking on a farmer's property where he shouldn't have been. The servants saw him and immediately thought he must be the same boy from last night. But now They say They're sure it's not the same boy. '

The servants were by now so confused by beer and excitement that They were not sure of anything at all The robbers had certainly had a boy with the m, They said, but whether this boy was the same boy well, it seemed very doubtful. The police, too, had drunk quite a lot of beer by now, and before long They were very willing to believe that O liver was not the robber of the night before. They had their own ideas about who committed all the robberies in the area, and O liver was unknown to the m.

At last the police left, and O liver was allowed to recover in the kind care of Mrs May lie, Rose, and Dr Losberne. It was several weeks before he was well enough to get out of bed. But the n he quickly grew stronger, and every day told his rescuers how grateful he was. One thing, however, caused him unhappiness. He wanted to find Mr Brown low , the kind old man who had looked after him in London. 'Mr Brown low would be pleased to know how happy I am now, 'he said. So when Dr Losberne offered to take O liver to London to see Mr Brown low , the boy was very pleased.

They set out by coach one fine morning, and when They arrived in London, They went straight to Mr Brown low 's house. O liver's heart beat with excitement as They stopped outside. But the house was empty. They were told by the people next door that Mr Brown low had moved to the West Indies six weeks before. O liver was very disappointed; he had thought about Mr Brown low so much recently, and had always hoped to find him again. But now the kind old man had moved abroad, still believing O liver was a lying thief, and he might hold this belief until the day he died.

This was a bitter disappointment to O liver, but his new friends were still as kind to him as ever. They left the house in Chertsey and moved to a quiet cottage it the country, taking O liver with the m Spring came, and in the fresh air, away from the noise and smoke and trouble of the city, O liver began a new life. He went for walks with Rose and Mrs May lie, or Rose read to him, and he worked hard at his lessons. He felt as if he had left behind forever the world of crime and hardship and poverty.

10 Life in the country

The weeks slipped contentedly past, and spring turned into summer. O liver was now a strong and healthy boy, and very fond of Rose and Mrs May lie as They were of him.

One hot summer evening, after a walk in the country, Rose became very weak and pale, and confessed she felt ill. By the next morning she was in a dangerous fever, and Mrs May lie and O liver were afraid she might die. Mrs May lie sent O liver to the nearest town, four miles away, to post two express letters. One was to Dr Losberne in Chertsey, the other to

Harry May lie, Mrs May lie's son.

O liver, filled with anxiety, ran as fast as he could along the country roads and across the fields until, hot and exhausted, he reached the town. He posted the letters and turned to hurry home again. As he was running past a pub in the main street, he accidentally bumped into a tall man in black coming out. The man stared at O liver. 'What the devil's this? ' he said, stepping back.

'I'm sorry, sir. I was in a hurry, and didn' t see you. '

The man murmured angrily to himself, 'Who would have thought it? Curse him! I can't get away from him! '

'I'm sorry, sir, repeated O liver, frightened by the man' s wild, staring eyes.

'The devil break your bones! 'the man said through his teeth. 'What are you doing here? He raised his hand and started towards O liver with a mad look in his eyes, but fell violently to the ground, shaking and gasping, in a fit. People hurried up and helped the man into the pub while O liver, thinking that the man was mad, ran quickly home/

Mrs May lie and O liver passed a sleepless night, and Rose grew steadily worse as the fever burned in her O liver said every prayer he had ever learnt ten times over.

Late the next day Dr Losberne and Harry May lie arrived, and the house was full of worried faces and anxious whispers. But the danger passed, and by the next night Dr Losberne was able to announce that, though seriously ill, Rose would not die. O liver cried for joy.

A day or two later, Mrs May lie talked privately to her son. Harry was a hand some young man of about twenty-five, with a cheerful, honest face and friendly manners He was clearly very fond of Rose.

'I know that you want to marry Rose Mrs May lie told her son, 'and she is the nicest person I know But I want you to remember one thing her birth. '

'Mother, that means nothing to me, 'said The young man. 'I love her. '

'I know you do, Harry, but she herself is well aware of her doubtful birth, and this might affect her answer if you ask her to marry you I know you have ambitions to enter politics. If you marry a woman with a stain on her name, even though it's not her fault, it might spoil your chances of success in life. Society is cruel, Harry. People might use the knowledge of your wife's doubtful birth against you and against your children, too. And one day, you might begin to regret your marriage. '

'Only a selfish man would do that, Mother! 'Harry answered impatiently. 'No, I am quite determined. I have loved Rose for a long time, and nothing will ever change that. '

Mrs May lie sighed. 'And she, I know, is very fond of you. But she herself may try to protect you, and refuse an offer of marriage frpm you, for your sake. Remember that, Harry. But now, I must go back and sit with her. '

'Will you tell her how much I've worried about her? ' asked Harry. 'And how anxious I am to see her again?

'Of course I will, 'replied Mrs May lie.

Some days after this conversation, O liver was sitting in the room where he studied in the evenings. It was a warm night, and he had been studying hard for some hours. He fell asleep at his desk and started dreaming. He dreamt that he was in Fagin's house again, and could see the old man sitting in his corner, whispering to another man. Yes, my dear, he heard Fagin say, 'you're right. That's him. '

In O liver's dream the other man answered. 'Of course it is! I told you I'd seen him. I'd recognize him anywhere. If I walked across his unmarked grave, I'd know it was him buried under the ground. '

He said this with such hatred that O liver woke up from fear. In front of him, at the open window, so near he could almost touch the m, were Fagin and the strange, wild man he had bumped into outside the pub in the town. In a flash, They were gone. O liver sat still, white with terror, for a second, the n shouted loudly for help.

Harry and Dr Losberne came running, and hearing what had happened, They rushed outside into the night and searched the garden and the fields around. The re was no sign of anybody.

'It must have been a bad dream, O liver, ' said Harry, breathless after running through the fields. He had heard all about O liver's past from his mother.

'No, 'replied O liver, still frightened. 'I saw the m both as plainly as I see you now. '

Nothing more was seen or heard of the two men, and after a few days, the event was forgotten. Rose recovered rapidly and was soon able to go outside again. Harry May lie waited a few days, the n, as his mother had expected, he asked Rose to marry him. And as his mother had warned him, Rose refused.

'Don't you love me? ' he asked her, holding her hand .

'I do, 'she whispered, ' but please try to forget me. It would ruin your future as a politician if anybody found out about my birth. I could never, never forgive myself. '

Harry paused for a few minutes. 'Tell me one thing, dear Rose. Could you have accepted if your past had been different? Or if I had been poor and friendless, with no hope of riches or success? '

'I could, 'answered Rose, covering her face to hide her tears. 'But as you are, I can never be more than a friend to you.

'I shall ask you once more, said Harry softly. 'In a year's time or less, I shall ask you to change your mind. '

The girl shook her head and smiled sadly. 'No, it will be useless. '

Harry left the next day, having asked O liver to write to him secretly with news of his mother and Rose. From an upstairs window, Rose watched him leave with tears in her eyes.

Mr Bumble was now a married man, and not a happy one. He was no longer a beadle but the manager of the workhouse, and his wife, formerly Mrs Corney, scolded and argued with him day and night. One evening, after a particularly violent fight, when she threw things at him and chased him out of the house, he went for a walk alone through the town. He felt very sorry for himself, and finally went into a pub to find comfort in gin and water. A tall dark man, sitting in the corner, watched Mr Bumble while he drank. The stranger's clothe s were dusty and muddy, as if he had travelled a long way. Mr Bumble began to feel uncomfortable at the man's hard stare, and tried to avoid meeting his eyes.

'I've seen you before, 'the stranger said, eventually. 'you were the beadle here. '

'I was. But I don't recognize you. '

'It doesn't matter. I came here to look for you, and I'm lucky to have found you. I'd like some information. ' He pushed a couple of coins across the table.

'What information? ' asked Mr Bumble suspiciously, slipping the coins into his pocket.

'About a workhouse birth. A boy called O liver Twist. '

'Young Twist! I remember him! He was a dreadful '

'It's not him I want to talk about, interrupted the stranger. 'I've heard enough of him. It's the old woman who was the nurse for his mother. Where is she? '

'Oh- she died last winter, 'said Mr Bumble. The n he remembered that his wife had been the re when old Sally had died, and he realized that this information might be worth something. He told the man that one woman had been with the nurse when she died, and had heard some secret from her.

'Where can I find this woman? the stranger asked quickly, showing in his pale face how important this was to him.

'I can bring her to meet you tomorrow, 'said Mr Bumble.

'All right Down by the river, at nine in the evening. ' The man wrote the address on a piece of paper.

'And your name? asked Mr Bumble.

'Monks, replied the stranger, 'but you don't need to remember it. 'The n he quickly left the pub.

The next evening was dark and cloudy; a storm threatened and already the first drops of rain were falling. Mr and Mrs Bumble walked up the main street of the town, the n turned towards a group of ruined old houses next to the river. Mr Bumble went first, carrying a dim light, and his wife followed closely behind. At the oldest and most ruined building, They stopped and Mr Bumble took out his piece of paper. The first distant crash of thunder shook the air, and the rain began to pour down heavily. The n They heard Monks calling out of an upstairs window.

'Is that the man? ' Mrs Bumble asked her husband.

'Yes. '

'The n be careful to say as little as you can. Don't tell him I'm your wife. '

Monks opened a small door, saying impatiently, 'Come in! Don't keep me waiting! '

Mr Bumble was only brave when dealing with poor, helpless people. He felt very uneasy about entering this dark building with an ill tempered stranger. However, he was equally afraid of his wife. Nervously, he followed her through the door.

Inside, Monks stared at Mrs Bumble for some time. 'So this is the woman, is it? '

'Yes, 'replied Mr Bumble cautiously.

As They walked upstairs, the re was a bright flash of lightning outside, followed by loud thunder. They sat dowu at the table and Monks started immediately.

'So you were present when the old woman died, is that right? And she told you something? He stared at Mrs Bumble again.

'Yes, 'said Mrs Bumble. 'Something about the mother of O liver Twist. But first, how much will you pay me for the information? '

'If it's what I want to hear-twenty five pounds, 'said Monks. 'But it's a lot of money for something which has been lying dead for twelve years. 'Reluctantly, he pushed the money across the table towards her, the n bent forward to listen. The faces of the three nearly touched, as the two men leant over the table to hear what the woman had to say, and the woman leant over towards the m so that They could hear her whisper. In the dim lamplight their faces looked pale and ghostly.

'The old woman who was the nurse died with only me in the room, 'said Mrs Bumble.

'No one else was the re? ' asked Monks fiercely.

'No one. '

'Good, 'said Monks. 'Go on. '

'She spoke about a young woman who had given birth in the same bed some years before. The child was O liver Twist. And this nurse had robbed the child's mother. '

'Robbed in life? ' asked Monks.

'In death. She stole from the body when it was hardly cold. But the old woman fell back and died before she could tell memore

It s a lie shouted Monks furiously You know more I ll kill you both if you don t tell me what else she said

She said no more repeated Mrs Bumble calmly showing unlike Mr Bumble no fear of the strange man s violence But in her hand I found a piece of dirty paper

Which contained

Nothing It was only a receipt from a pawnbroker I went to the pawnbroker and got back a little gold locket Inside was a gold wedding ring and on the locket itself the name

Agnes She put the locket on the table in front of Monks

He picked it up immediately and looked at it closely his hand s shaking Is this all

It is And now I want to ask you a question What do youintend to do with the locket

This So it can never be used against me Monks suddenly pushed the table to one side and opened a small door in the floor Down below rushed the river its muddy waters swollen by the heavy rain

If you threw a man s body down the re where would it be to morrow asked Monks

Twelve miles down the river and cut to pieces replied Mr Bumble in a shaky voice

Monks tied the locket to a heavy weight and dropped it in to the water In a second it was gone The three of the m lookedinto each other s faces and seemed to breathe more freely

Now we have nothing more to say said Monks with athreatening look at Mr Bumble And nothing to say to any one else either Do you understand

Certainly said Mr Bumble very politely He move da way from the strange man anxious to leave quickly

At the door to the street Monks turned again to Mr Bumble And if we ever meet again we don t know each other Do you understand that as well

Perfectly said the relieved Mr Bumble moving away into the rain and pulling his wife with him

11 Nancy makes a visit

On the evening after the Bumbles little business meeting Mr Bill Sikes waking from a sleep called out to ask the time

The room he was lying in was very small and dirty It was a different room from the one he had occupied before the Chertsey expedition but it was in the same poor part of London The re were so few possessions or comforts in the room that it was clear Mr Sikes had met hard times He himself was thin and pale from illness and was lying on the bed wrapped in an old coat The white dog lay on the floor next to him

Seated by the window was Nancy repairing Sikes old jacket She too was thin and pale At Sikes voice she raised her head from her work Not long past seven she said How do you feel now Bill

As weak as water Help me get up will you

As Nancy helped him out of bed Sikes swore and cursed a ther clumsiness Illness had not improved his temper

You would n t speak like that if you knew how kindly I ve nursed you the se last few days said Nancy So many nights I ve looked after you She sat down in a chair exhausted

Get up shouted Sikes What s wrong with you

But Nancy was unable to get up Her head fell back against the chair and she fainted

Sikes swore and cursed again but Nancy remained unconscious

What s the matter here asked a voice from the door and Fagin followed by the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates entered the room When They saw Nancy They hurried to help her Charley rubbed her hand s and the Dodger gave her a drink from the bottle he carried Gradually Nancy recovered her senses

Sikes the n turned to Fagin What are you here for he asked roughly You haven t been here for weeks-all the time I was ill I haven t two coins to rub together Why didn t you help me You treat me worse than a dog

Don t be bad-tempered my dear said Fagin calmly I haven t forgotten you Bill

Well what about some money the n I ve done enough work for you recently-what about some money

I haven t a single coin with me my dear said Fagin

The n go and get some-you ve got lots at home No I don t trust you Nancy can go back with you to your house and fetch some money I ll stay here and sleep

After a good deal of arguing Fagin managed to reduce the amount Sikes was demanding from five pounds to three pounds He went back to his house with Nancy and the boys

When They were inside Fagin told the girl I ll just goupstairs and fetch the cash for Bill my dear The re s little money in this business Nancy little money and no thanks- but I m fond of seeing The young people around me

Suddenly the re was a man s voice at the front door As soon as Nancy heard it she sat up in her chair

That s the man I was expecting earlier said Fagin Don t worry He ll only be ten minutes

The man entered the room It was Monks When he saw Nancy he moved back as if he had expected no one but Fagin

It s all right only one of my young people Fagin said to him Did you see him

Yes answered Monks

Any news

Good news said Monks with a smile Let me have a word with you He and Fagin went upstairs to talk privately

As soon as They had left the room Nancy took off her shoes and crept silently up the stairs to listen in the passage-as she had done once before She was gone for a quarter of an hour the n like a ghost she reappeared in the downstairs room and sat down Immediately afterwards the two men descended the stairs

How pale you are Nancy said Fagin once Monks had left the house What have you been doing to yourself

Nothing-except waiting here for you too long she answered turning her face away from him Now where s the money for Bill

With a sigh for every piece of money Fagin put the agreed amount into her hand

When Nancy was out in the street again she sat down on a door step and for a few minutes seemed unable to move The n she started running wildly through the streets and when she was exhausted she stopped and burst into tears This strange mood seemed to leave her the n and she turned and hurried back to Sikes house

At first when she returned Sikes noticed nothing unusual about her Fagin with his sharp suspicious eyes would have noticed something at once But as night came the girl s nervous excitement increased and even Sikes was alarmed by the paleness in her cheeks and the fire in her eye

He lay in bed drinking hot gin-and-water and staring at her You look like a corpse that s come back to life again What s the matter with you tonight

Nothing Why are you staring at me so hard

Either you ve caught the fever yourself or-no you re not going to you wouldn t do that

Do what asked the girl

The re s not a girl alive as loyal as you If you weren t I d have cut your throat months ago No you must have the fever coming on that s it Now give me some of my medicine

Nancy quickly poured out his medicine with her back to him He took it and after turning restlessly for some time heeventually fell into a deep heavy sleep

The drug s taken effect at last Nancy said to herself as she rose from her position beside the bed I hope I m not too late

Quickly she put on her coat and hat looking round fearfully as if she expected at any moment to feel Sikes heavy hand on her shoulder She kissed the robber s lips softly then ran from the house without a sound

She hurried in the direction of west London pushing past people on the pavement and running across crowded streets with out looking

The woman is mad said the people turning to look ather as she rushed past the m

She came to a wealthier part of the town where the street swere quieter and before long she had reached her destination It was a family hotel in a quiet street near Hyde Park The clock struck eleven as she entered

The man at the desk looked at her and asked What do you want here

I want to see Miss May lie

The man looked at The young woman with strong disapproval She won t want to see someone like you Come on get out

Let me see her-or two of you will have to throw me out said Nancy violently

The man looked at her again and decided it would be easierto do as she asked He led her upstairs to Rose s room

Nancy entered with a brave face but with fear in her heart

Please sit down and tell me why you wish to see me said Rose May lie looking with some surprise at this poor rough girl from the streets Rose s manner was so kind and sincere and so unexpected that Nancy burst into tears

When she had recovered a little she asked Is the door shut

Yes answered Rose a little nervously But why

Because I am about to put my life and the lives of others in your hand s I am the girl that kidnapped little O liver and took him back to old Fagin s house on the night O liver was going to the bookseller

You said Rose

Yes it was me I am that wicked creature you have hear dab out I ve no friends except thieves and robbers I ve lived on the streets since I was a child cold hungry among people who are always drunk and fighting And that s where I ll die too

I pity you said Rose in a broken voice

But I ll tell you why I m here Do you know a man called Monks

No answered Rose

He knows you I heard him tell Fagin that you were at this hotel Maybe he s changed his name Soon after O liver was put into your house on the night of the robbery I listened insecret to a conversation between Monks and Fagin in the dark And I heard Monks say that he d seen O liver in the street and that he knew at once O liver was the child he was looking for although I couldn t hear why Monks the n agreed to pay Fagin some money if he could find O liver again and more money if he could turn the poor boy into a thief

Why asked Rose

He saw my shadow on the wall as I listened and I had to escape I didn t see him again until last night

And what happened the n

I listened at the door again And I heard Monks say this So the only proof of the boy s identity is at the bottom of the river and the old woman who received it is dead He and Fagin laughed The n Monks said that he had all O liver s money safely now but how funny it would be if the boy went to prison for stealing after his father s unfair will

What is all this asked Rose

It s the truth lady The n Monks said he couldn t have O liver killed because suspicion would point to himself Bu the d try for the rest of his life to harm the boy if he could The n Monks laughed again about the money O liver should have got from his father s will My young brother O liver will n ever see that money he said

His brother exclaimed Rose

Those were his words said Nancy looking round uneasily as if she still expected to see Sikes And the n hetalked about how amazed you would be if you knew who

O liver really was

And this man was serious

His voice was full of anger and hatred I know many people who do worse things but I d rather listen to all of the m than to this man Monks But I must get back now or people will wonder where I ve been

Back How can you go back to such a life asked Rose You ve told me all this Now I can help you by letting you stay somewhere safe

No Perhaps it s hard for you to believe but the re s one man the most dangerous of the m all that I can never leave You re the first person who s ever spoken to me so kindly-but it s too late

It s never too late

It is cried the girl I can t leave him now And if I tell anyone about this man he ll die

But how can I find you again when we want to investigate this mystery further

I ll meet you secretly if you promise not to watch or follow me said Nancy And if you promise just one more thing-not to do anything to hurt the man I can never leave

I promise

Every Sunday night between eleven and twelve I will walk on London Bridge if I am alive Meet me the re if youwant more information

As Nancy said the se words she left the room and ran down the stairs and out into the street once more Rose was left alone her thoughts in great confusion as she wondered desperately what to do and who to ask for advice

The next morning O liver who had been out walking ranin to Rose s room at the hotel He was breathless with excitement

I can t believe what I ve seen Now you ll all know that I ve told you the truth he shouted

I know you ve always told us the truth-but what are you talking about asked Rose

I ve seen Mr Brown low the kind man who was so good tome

Where

Going into a house said O liver crying with joy I ve got the address here

Quick said Rose Call a coach I ll take you there immediately

The idea came to Rose that perhaps Mr Brown low would advise her She had been afraid to tell Nancy s story to Dr Losberne since the good doctor was very excitable and often acted with more enthusiasm than wisdom

In less than five minutes They were in the coach on their way to the address Rose went in first to talk to Mr Brown low alone She was taken into his study and polite greetings were exchanged When They were seated again Rose said

This will surprose you very much but you were once very kind to a dear friend of mine and I m sure you will be interested to hear news of him

Really May I ask you his name

O liver Twist

Mr Brown low said nothing for a few seconds but simply stared at Rose Finally he moved his chair nearer to her and said with great feeling I once thought that he was a liar and a thief If you have evidence to show me I was wrong please tell me at once

I know him to be a child with a warm heart said Rose

And despite the hardships of his life he s a better person than almost anyone I know

I looked for him everywhere said Mr Brown low but I could never find him I could never quite believe that he really did intend to rob me

Rose told him everything that had happened to O liver since the n She finished by saying And his only sorrow for some months has been that he could not find you his former friend

Thank God said Mr Brown low This is great happiness to me great happiness But why haven t you brought him with you Miss May lie

He s waiting in a coach at the door replied Rose

Mr Brown low hurried out of the room down the stairs and into the coach without another word In a minute he had returned with O liver How well he looks he said New clothe s the same sweet face but not so pale the same eyes but not so sad

They talked with great joy for some time The n Mr Brown low sent for Mrs Bed win the old housekeeper She came in quietly and waited for her orders

You get blinder every day said Mr Brown low impatiently

People s eyes at my time of life don t improve with age replied the old lady

The n put on your glasses

As she searched for the m in her pocket O liver could not wait any longer and ran into her arms

Dear God she said It s my innocent boy

My dear old nurse cried O liver

I knew he would come back said the old lady holding him in her arms How well he s dressed-how well he looks again She laughed and cried at the same time and could not let O liver go

While O liver talked to Mrs Bed win Rose asked Mr Brown low if she could speak to him privately He led her in to another room and the re listened with a good deal of amaze ment to Rose s account of her extraordinary conversation with Nancy Between the m They decided that Mrs May lie and Dr Losberne should be told and that Mr Brown low would come to the hotel that evening for a discussion For the moment nothing would be said to O liver himself

That evening at the hotel O liver s four friends met as arranged Dr Losberne of course was full of immediate plans to rush round London arresting all the gang and hanging the mat once Mr Brown low fortunately was able to persuade him to abandon this wild idea

The n what s to be done cried the doctor impatiently

First said Mr Brown low calmly we must discover who he inheritance that should have been his

Yes yes said the doctor nodding in agreement But how shall we achieve the se aims

We must find this man Monks said Mr Brown low Nancy will not betray the man who is special to her but she will surely agree to tell us how or where to find Monks Then we must find a way to force Monks to talk We must be both cautious and clever After all we have no proof against him and if we cannot make him talk this mystery will never be solved But we ll have to wait five days until Sunday before we can meet Nancy on London Bridge Until the n we can do nothing

12 Nancy keeps an appointment

On exactly the same night as Nancy had met Rose May lie two people from O liver s home town were making their way towards London Their progress was slow since they travelled on foot and in addition the girl was carrying a heavy bag on her back The young man carried nothing From time to time he turned to shout at the girl behind him Hurry up What a lazy creature you are Charlotte I ll come and give you a kick if you don t move faster

The young man was Noah Claypole who had made O liver s life so miserable at Mr Sowerberry s house He was now taller and uglier but otherwise little changed He and Charlotte had grown tired of the undertaking business and had set off to London to start a new life-with all the money from Mr So wer berry s shop in their pockets

Eventually They entered London and Noah began to look for a quiet cheap pub where They could spend the night Charlotte followed obediently at his heels as They walked through a district of narrow dirty streets

At last Noah found a pub that he thought was suitable It was dark and dirty with a few rough-looking men in the bar They entered and asked for a room for the night and a meal of cold meat and beer which They ate in the bar The beer madeNoah talkative and he began to boast So it s no more coffins for us my girl We can do better than just robbing Mr So wer berry In London the re are pockets houses coaches-even banks

I like the sound of it Noah but how are we going to do all this asked Charlotte

We can meet people who know about the se things I d like to be the leader of some gang if the re s a good profit to be made in that kind of work Noah felt very pleased with himself and looked forward to an easy life of crime in the capital

They talked about their plans for a few minutes The n astranger who had been sitting unseen round the corner cameup to the m The stranger was Fagin He greeted the m in avery friendly and cheerful way sat down with the m and immediately ordered more beer for Noah

That s good beer said Noah already a little drunk He thanked the stranger for the drink

Expensive too said Fagin If you drink that everyday my dear you ll need to empty pockets houses coaches even banks

When he heard his own words repeated Noah went pale with terror The stranger must have heard everything even how They had robbed Mr So wer berry

Don t worry laughed Fagin pulling his chair closer You re lucky it was only me who heard you

I didn t take it said Noah quickly It was the woman who did it

It does n t matter who did it my dear replied Fagin looking quickly at Charlotte Because I m in that business myself And the people in my house as well I can in trod uce you to the right people if you re interested You both look like good workers

Charlotte and Noah felt a mixture of fear and pleasure What would you want me to do asked Noah Some thing light if possible he added

What about spying on people asked Fagin Or robbing young children who are going shopping for their mothers That s light work and easy

Noah laughed That sounds like just the thing for me And what will I earn for this work

You can live free in my house and give me half of what you earn

After fur the r discussion and the transfer of Mr So wer berry s money from Noah s pocket to Fagin s agreement was reached The next day Noah and Charlotte went to live in Fagin s house and began to be instructed in their new profession

Although training and experience had made Nancy an exper tliar she could not completely hide the fear in her mind She knew she had taken an enormous risk in going to see RoseMay lie If Fagin or Sikes ever found out But she pushed the se fears away She was determined to keep her promise to Rose May lie and meet her as arranged

On the first Sunday night after her meeting with Rose she was in Sikes room when the clock struck eleven Fagin was the re too discussing some business with Sikes Nancy stood up and put on her coat Sikes watched her surprised

Nancy Where are you going at this time of night

Not far

What kind of answer is that Where are you going

I don t know replied the girl

The n I do Nowhere Sit down

I m not well I want a breath of air

Sikes got up and locked the door

Let me go said the girl with great force Just for one hour-let me go

Sikes seized her arms roughly The girl s gone mad

Nancy fought wildly and Sikes had to hold her down in a chair She continued to scream and fight until midnight when exhausted and tearful she stopped struggling She went into another room and threw herself on a bed

She s a strange girl Sikes said to Fagin shaking his head Why did she suddenly decide to go out tonight It hought that after all the se years I d finally tamed her She must be ill-perhaps she s still got a bit of fever

That must be it said Fagin nodding thoughtfully

As he walked home Fagin s eyes were sharp with suspicion He had suspected for a while that Nancy had become tired of Bill Sikes brutality and violence and that she had found a new friend to take his place Her manner was different she often left home alone and she seemed lessinterested in the gang And tonight her desperate impatience to go out at a particular hour He was certain he was right He began to make plans

First he wanted to know who Nancy s new friend was He could make him a valuable new member of the gang with Nancy as his assistant But the re was another darker reason Fagin too had become tired of Sikes Sikes knew too much-too many dangerous secrets about Fagin himself Fagin distrusted everybody but he hated and distrusted Sikes most of all It would be very convenient if Sikes could be removed

With a little persuasion Fagin thought perhaps the girl would poison Sikes Suddenly his eyes narrowed in delight Yes First I must have her watched and find out who her new man is The n I shall threaten to tell Sikes everything She knows that neither she nor her new man will ever be safe from Sikes violent jealousy She will have no choice except to do as I ask her-and the n once the murder is done she will be in my power for ever

Early next morning Fagin called the newest member of his gang Noah was doing very well He had already broughthome quite a lot of money He had found that robbing small children was indeed light easy work and he was proud of his success

I have another job for you now Fagin told him It needs great care and secrecy I want you to follow a woman I want to know where she goes who she sees and if possible what she says I will pay you a pound for this information

Noah s eyes were wide with greed I m the right man forthis job Who is she

One of us

What You don t trust her the n

Exactly so my dear Exactly so smiled Fagin The following Sunday soon after eleven o clock a woman walked quickly through the dark streets towards Lond on Bridge A mist hung over the river and the buildings on the far bank could hardly be seen A man followed some distance behind her keeping to the darkest shadows It was a cold damp night and the re were very few people on the streets at this late hour

When the woman reached the centre of the bridge she stopped and looked around anxiously The man following hers topped too The heavy bell of St Paul s cathe dral rang out announcing the death of another day Just as it finished agrey haired man and a young woman got out of a coach and walked across the bridge They met the woman who tookthe m down some steps leading to the river bank They stood indeep shadow by the wall of the bridge The man hurried down some other steps crept up to the corner of the wall and listened

Nancy spoke first I m so frightened tonight I can hardly breathe

Frightened of what asked Mr Brown low He seemed topity her

I wish I knew Horrible thoughts of death and blood have been with me all day I don t know why

Speak to her kindly said Rose to Mr Brown low Poorgirl She seems to need it

I could n t come last Sunday continued the girl I was kept in by force But tonight he ll be out all night untilday light Now before I tell rou anything else I must tell you that I don t want Fagin or any of the other members of the gang to be hand ed to the police

Why not

Because I couldn t betray the m They ve been loyal to me and I ll stay loyal to the m

The n just tell us how we can get Monks and I promisen one of your friends will be harmed said Mr Brown low

And Monks will never know how you found out about him she asked

We promise said Rose gently

Nancy the n told the m in so low a voice that the listenerround the corner could hardly hear her where Monks often went for a drink and what he looked like She finished by saying On his throat high up the re is

A bright red mark asked Mr Brown low

Do you know him asked Nancy in surprise

I think I do Mr Brown low murmured to himself It must be him The n more loudly he said to Nancy Thank you for everything you ve told us But now-how can you go back to the se people Come with us now tonight We canarr ange for you to be hidden from the m all forever if you want us to

The girl shook her head I m chained to him bad as Theyare I ve gone too far to change my life now She looked nervously over her shoulder I can feel those dreadful terrors again-visions of blood and death I must go home

Mr Brown low and Rose could not persuade her to change her mind Sadly They turned to leave and when They had gone Nancy fell to the ground in a storm of tears Meanwhile Noah Claypole amazed by all that he had heard crept up the steps and ran for Fagin s house as fast as his legs could carry him Some hours later nearly two hours before dawn Noah laya sleep in Fagin s house But Fagin sat silently by a dead fire staring at the flame of a candle on tne table beside him With his pale wrinkled face and his red staring eyes he looked like a devil out of hell Hatred ran like poison through hisevery thought Hatred for the girl who had dared to talk to strangers who had ruined his plan to get rid of Sikes He did not believe her promise not to betray him and he feared that he would now be caught and hung

Just before dawn Sikes entered the room carrying a bundle which contained the results of his night s work Fagin took what Sikes gave him the n stared at the robber for a long time with out speaking

Why are you looking at me like that asked Sikes uneasy at the old man s strange expression

Fagin raised his hand but his passion was so great that hecould not speak

Say something will you shouted Sikes placing his huge hand on Fagin s collar and shaking him in his anger and fear

Open your mouth and say what you ve got to say

Eventually Fagin found his voice Bill what would you do if one of the gang went out at night and told someone all about us and what we d done What would you do to him

I d smash his head into little pieces said the robber swearing violently

And what if it was me who knows so much about all ofus and could put us all in prison and get us all hanged whispered Fagin his eyes flashing with hate

I d beat your brains out in public Even in the law-court I d run over and kill you with my bare hand s said Sikes showing his teeth in his anger I don t care who it was that s what I d do

Fagin woke Noah Tell Bill what you told me what you saw what she did Tell him

Noah rubbed the sleep from his eyes and told Sikes every thing His face white with passion Sikes listened to the end the n swearing furioustly he rushed from the room and down the stairs

Bill Fagin called after him You won t be too violent

Sikes made no reply but pulling open the door ran out into the silent streets He did not turn his head to right or left but looked straight in front of him with wild determination He ran at great speed his eyes on fire his teeth tight together and did not pause until he reached his own door He ran up to his room entered and locked the door put a table against it the n woke Nancy

Bill she said pleased to see him But when she saw his expression the colour went out of her face What s the matter she said in alarm

You know what Sikes took out his gun but realizing even in his madness that a shot might be heard he beat her twice across the face with it as hard as he could She fell with low cry of pain and terror almost blinded by the blood that flowed from the cut on her forehead The murderer staggered to a corner seized a heavy stick and struck her down

13 The end of the gang

The sun burst upon the crowded city in all its brightness It lit up every corner of London the great houses of the rich and the miserable homes of the poor Its hone everywhere even into the room where the murdered woman lay The horror of that scene was even more dreadful in the clear morning light

Sikes sat the re unable to move looking at the body He had thrown the blood-covered stick into the fire the n washed himself and his clothe s He had cut out the bits of his clothes that were stained and burnt the m too but the re were still bloodstains all over the floor Even the dog s feet were bloody

Finally he forced himself to leave the room pulling the dog out with him and locking the door behind him He walked rapidly north towards High gate the n on to Hampstead On the open land of Hampstead Heath away from people and houses he found a place in a field where he could sleep with out being disturbed

But before long he was up again and running This time heran back towards London for a while The n he turned and went north again sometimes walking sometimes running with no clear purpose in his mind Eventually he felt hungry and changed direction towards Hendon a quiet place away from the crowds where he could buy food But even the children and chickens the re seemed to look at him with suspicion So he turned back towards Hampstead Heath again without having eaten uncertain where to go

At last he turned north again his dog still running at his heels and set off to a village just outside London He stopped at a small quiet pub and bought a meal the n went on again It was now dark and as he continued walking he felt as if Nancy were following him her shadow on the road her last low cry in the wind If he stopped the ghostly figure did the same If he ran it ran too moving stiffly like a corpse Sometimes he turned determined to drive the ghost away but his blood ran cold with terror Every time he turned the ghost turned too and was still behind him

Finally he found another field where he could hide He lay down unable to sleep his mind filled with visions of the dead girl Her wide dead eyes stared at him watching him through a curtain of blood

Suddenly he heard shouting in the distance He jumped to his feet and saw that the sky seemed on fire Sheets of flame shot into the air driving clouds of smoke in his direction He heard an alarm bell and more shouts of Fire Running with his dog across the fields he joined the crowds of men and women fighting the fire He could forget his own terror in this new danger and he worked all night with the crowd shouting running and working togethe r to stop the flames destroying more buildings

In the morning the mad excitement was over and the dreadful memory of his crime returned-more terrifying than ever In desperation he decided to go back to London

At least the re ll be somebody I can speak to he thought to himself And it s a better hiding-place than out here in the country I ll hide the re for a week get some money out of Fagin the n escape to France

Suddenly he remembered the dog-people would be looking for his dog as well as himself He decided to drown the animal But the dog smelt the man s fear and turned and ran away from him faster than it had ever run in its life You have a choice Mr Monks said Mr Brown low You have been kidnapped and brought here to my house You can either tell me what I want to know or I ll have you arrested instantly for fraud and robbery It s your choice And you must decide now At once

Monks hesitated and looked at the old man but Mr Brown low s expression was so serious and determined that The younger man realized it was pointless to protest I didn t expect this treatment from my father s oldest friend said Monks angrily sitting down with a frown on his face

Yes I was your father s oldest friend said Mr Brown low And I know all about you-how your father while still a boy was forced by his family into an unhappy marriage with an older woman and how you were the result of that marriage I also know that your parents separated hating each other by the end

Well-what s so important about that

When They d been separated for ten years said Mr Brown low your father met another family The re were two daughters one nineteen years old and the other only two or three Your father became engaged to the older daughter At this point one of his rich relations died and left him a lot of money in his will Your father had to travel to Italy to receive his inheritance and while the re he became ill and died Your mother who was living with you in Paris immediately rushed to Italy when she heard the news As your father had made no will of his own all the relation s money came to you and her

Monks listened with close attention biting his lip and staring at the floor

Before your father went to receive that money he came to see me continued Mr Brown low slowly his eyes fixed on Monks face

I never heard that before said Monks looking up suddenly a suspicious expression on his face

He left me a picture of the poor girl he wanted to marry He talked wildly about shame and guilt and how he would give part of the money he d inherited to his wife and to you and use the rest to escape from England with the girl he loved He refused to tell me any more details

Monks breathe d more easily and even smiled

But said Mr Brown low pulling his chair nearer to the other man by chance I was able to rescue your brother O liver from a life of misery and

What cried Monks

Mr Brown low continued without a pause And when he was recovering from his sickness here in my house I noticed how similar he looked to the girl s face in the picture But he was taken away before I could discover his history-as you know very well

You can t prove anything said Monks

I can I heard that you were in the West Indies I went the re to try and find you to see if you knew anything about O liver but you d already left I returned to London and was unable to find you until two hours ago

And now what You can t prove that O liver s my brother Monks smiled unpleasantly

I couldn t before said Mr Brown low standing up But now I can The re was a will but your mother destroyed it This will mentioned a child that would be born later this was O liver the child you met later by accident You noticed his resemblance to your father and you became suspicious You the n went back to his birthplace found proof of his birth and the fact that he s your half-brother and destroyed that proof

Monks sat in silence his eyes filled with fear

Yes continued Mr Brown low fiercely shadows on the wall have caught your whispers with Fagin and brought the m to my ear For the sake of that innocent child whom you wanted to destroy And now murder had been done and you are as guilty of that as if you had struck the blow yourself

No no said Monks quickly I knew nothing of that Nothing at all He was silent for a while realizing how much was known about him Hatred and fear fought inside him but he was a coward at heart At last seeing no escape he raised his head I will admit everything-in front of witnesses if necessary

Mr Brown low nodded coldly I will prepare a document for you to sign You must give O liver what is really his and the n you can go where you please

At that moment Dr Losberne rushed into the room The murderer will be taken tonight His dog s been found

And Fagin asked Mr Brown low

They re sure of him They may have him already

Mr Brown low turned back to Monks Have you made up your mind

Yes replied Monks And you promise-it ll remain a secret No police or charges of fraud against me

Yes said Mr Brown low You have my promise For now you must remain here locked in this room I will come for you tomorrow evening and take you to sign a confession in front of witnesses

Mr Brown low the n left the room with the doctor and They eagerly discussed the news of the hunt for the criminals My blood boils with anger said Mr Brown low This poor murdered girl must be revenged You stay here and guard Monks I ll go out and get the latest news

The two men parted each in a fever of excitement Down by the river Thames was a district called Rotherhithe one of the dirtiest and roughest places in London The houses next to the river had no owners They were broken down and ruined but could be defended against attack In an upper room of one of the se houses were three members of Fagin s gang

When was Fagin taken the n asked the man called Toby

Two o clock this afternoon Charley and I escaped up the chimney but Noah was caught Bet went to see Nancy and when she saw the body she started screaming and wouldn t stop She s been taken to hospital

What s happened to Charley Bates

He ll come here when it s dark It s too dangerous now

We re in trouble said Toby Fagin s going to hang-that s certain

You should have seen him when he was caught said another robber The police carried him through the crowd while all the people jumped at him screaming and trying to attack him

Suddenly Sikes dog ran into the room All the robbers rushed out immediately to look for Sikes but the re was no sign of him They returned to the upstairs room

I hope he s not coming here said Toby

The dog s come a long way said another man Covered in mud and tired out

They sat the re in silence wondering where Sikes was It was already dark when They heard a sudden hurried knock at the door downstairs

Toby went to the window to look down the n pulled his head back in his face pale with fear The re was no need to tell tlec others who it was

We must let him in said Toby although none of the m wanted to see him Toby went down to the door and returned followed by sikes White-faced with a three-day-old beard hollow cheeks and staring eyes Sikes looked like a ghost No one said a word

Nothing to say to me Sikes asked

The only answer was a low shout of many voices from outside in the distance coming closer Lights appeared Looking out Sikes saw a stream of people crossing the bridge towards the m The n the re was a loud knocking on the door and more shouts from the crowd

The doors are made of metal and They re locked and chained said Toby The three robbers watched Sikes nervously as if he were a wild animal

Bring a ladder shouted some of the crowd below

Give me a rope quick Sikes said to the others I ll go the other way climb down the back and escape over the river Get me a rope-now Or I ll do three more murders

A minute later Sikes appeared on the roof and the shouts from the crowd below swelled to a great roar The n the front door was smashed down and people streamed into the house Sikes quickly tied the rope around the chimney the n began to tie the other end around himself ready to lower himself to the ground behind the house But just as he put the rope over his head he screamed in terror and threw his arms above his head He staggered back slipped and fell over the edge of the roof As he fell the rope tightened around his neck with a horrible jerk In a second the murderer was dead and the re he hung his body swinging gently from side to side The dog which had followed its master onto the roof jumped down towards the lifeless body missed and fell dead on the stones below

14 The end of the mystery

The next day O liver travelled with Mr Brown low Dr Losberne Mrs May lie and Rose back to his birthplace He had been told a little of his history and knew that the re would be more explanations at the end of this journey He was anxious and uncertain wondering what he would hear

But towards the end of the journey he began to recognize familiar places and in great excitement pointed the m out to Rose The re was the path he had taken when he had run away The re across the fields was the baby farm The n as They drove into the town he saw the house of Mr So wer berry the undertaker and the workhouse that had been his prison

They stopped at the biggest hotel in the town and went in to their rooms During dinner Mr Brown low stayed in a separate room and the older members of the group went in and out with serious faces Mrs May lie came back with her eyes red from crying All this made Rose and O liver who had not been told any new secrets very nervous and uncomfortable

At nine o clock Dr Losberne and Mr Brown low brought Monks into the room O liver was very surprised this was the same man he had bumped into once outside a pub and seen another time with Fagin looking in at him through the window of the country cottage O liver was told that Monks was his half-brother and the boy stared at him in shock and amazement Monks looked back at him with hatred

We have the whole story here in the se papers said Mr Brown low putting the m on the table All we need now is for you to sign the m Monks And to tell O liver what happened

Monks started hesitantly My father had arrived in Italy to collect the money he had inherited when suddenly he fell ill When he died we found two papers in his desk One was a letter to his girl the other was a will

What was the letter asked Mr Brown low

It was written when he was ill telling the girl how ashamed he was that she was pregnant He asked her not to remember him as a bad man but as someone who had made a mistake He reminded her of the day he d given her the locket and ring

O liver s tears fell fast as he listened to the story of his father

And what about the will asked Mr Brown low

Monks was silent

The will continued Mr Brown low speaking for him was in the same spirit as the letter He talked of the misery of his marriage to his wife and the evil character of you Monks his only son who had been brought up by your mother to hate him He left you and your mother an annual income of $800 The rest of his property he left to his girl Agnes and to their child if it were born alive and if it showed itself to be of a good kind character The money would only go to you Monks as the older son if The younger turned out to be as evil as you

My mother said Monks burnt this will and never sent the letter The girl Agnes left her home in secret so that her pregnancy would not bring shame on her family I swore to my mother when she was dying that if I ever found my half-brother I would do him all the harm I could He would feel my hatred like a whip on his back I paid Fagin to trap O liver into a life of crime But the n he escaped and that stupid interfering girl Nancy talked to you If I d had the chance I would have finished what I d begun Monks stared at O liver and his lips moved in a silent curse

And the locket and ring asked Mr Brown low

I bought the m from Mr and Mrs Bumble who had stolen the m from the nurse who had stolen the m from Agnes the dead girl I ve already told you how I threw the m into the river

Mr Brown low turned to Rose I have one more thing to explain he said to the girl

I don t know if I have the strength to hear it now she murmured having heard so much already

Mr Brown low put his hand under her arm You have a great deal of courage dear child he said kindly He turned to Monks Do you know this young lady sir

Yes

I don t know you said Rose faintly

The father of poor Agnes had two daughters said Mr Brown low What happened to the other one who was only a young child at the time

When Agnes disappeared replied Monks her father changed his name and moved to a lonely place in Wales where no one would know about the family shame He died very soon afterwards and this young daughter was taken in by some poor people My mother hated Agnes and everybody connected with her She hunted for this young sister and made sure that her life would be unhappy She told the poor people who had taken her in that the girl was illegitimate and that she came from a bad family with an evil reputation So the child led a life of miserable poverty-until Mrs May lie saw her by chance pitied her and took her home

And do you see this young sister now asked Mr Brown low

Yes Standing by your side

Rose could hardly speak So O liver is my nephew

I can never call you aunt cried O liver You ll always be my own dear sister

They ran into each other s arms both of the m crying in their happiness A father sister and mother had been lost and gained and it was too much for one evening They stood for a long time in silence and the others left the m alone The court was full of faces from every corner all eyes were on one man-Fagin In front of him behind above below -he seemed surrounded by staring eyes Not one of the faces showed any sympathy towards him all were determined that he should hang At last the re was a cry of Silence and everyone looked towards the door The jury returned and passed close to Fagin He could tell nothing from their faces They could have been made of stone The n the re was complete stillness-not a whisper not a breath Guilty The whole court rang with a great shout echoing through all the rooms as the crowd ran out of the building to tell all the people waiting outside The news was that he would die on Monday

Fagin thought of nothing but death that night He began to remember all the people he had ever known who had been hung He could hardly count the m They might have sat in the same prison cell as he was sitting in now He thought about death by hanging-the rope the cloth bag over the head the sudden change from strong men to bundles of clothe s hanging at the end of a rope

As his last night came despair seized Fagin s evil soul He could not sit still and hurried up and down his small cell gasping with terror his eyes flashing with hate and anger The n he lay trembling on his stone bed and listened to the clock striking the hours Where would he be when those hours came round again

In the middle of that Sunday night Mr Brown low and O liver were allowed to enter the prison Several strong doors were unlocked and eventually They entered Fagin s cell The old robber was sitting on the bed whispering to himself his face more like a trapped animal s than a human s

You have some papers Fagin said Mr Brown low quietly which were given to you by Monks to look after

It s a lie replied Fagin not looking at him I haven t got any

For the love of God said Mr Brown low very seriously don t lie to us now on the night before your death You know that Sikes is dead and Monks has confessed Where are the papers

I ll tell you O liver said Fagin Come here He whispered to him They re in a bag up the chimney in the front room at the top of the house But I want to talk to you my dear

Yes said O liver Will you pray with me

Outside outside said Fagin pushing the boy in front of him towards the door Say I ve gone to sleep-They ll believe you You can take me out with you when you go The old man s eyes shone with a mad light

It s no good said Mr Brown low taking O liver s hand He s gone too far and we can never reach him now

The cell door opened and as the visitors left Fagin started struggling and fighting with his guards screaming so loudly that the prison walls rang with the sound

They left the prison building in the grey light of dawn Outside in the street huge crowds were already gathering joking and laughing and pushing to get the best places near the great black platform where the rope hung ready for its morning s work

Less than three months later Rose married Harry May lie For her sake Harry had abandoned his political ambitions and had become a simple man of the church The re was no longer any mystery about Rose s birth but even if the re had been Harry would not have cared They lived next to the church in a peaceful village Mrs May lie went to live with the m and spent the rest of her days in quiet contentment

Mr Brown low adopted O liver as his son They moved to a house in the same quiet village and were just as happy Dr Losberne discovered suddenly that the air in Chertsey did not suit him In less than three months he too had moved-to a cottage just outside the village where he took up gardening and fishing with great energy and enthusiasm

Mr Brown low suggested that half the remaining money from the will should be given to Monks and the other half to O liver although by law it should all have gone to O liver alone O liver was glad to accept the suggestion Monks went off with his money to the other side of the world where he spent it quickly and was soon in prison for another act of fraud In prison he became ill and died The remaining members of Fagin s gang died in similar ways in other distant countries all except Charley Bates who turned his back on his past life of crime and lived honestly as a farmer

Noah Claypole was given a free pardon for telling the police about Fagin He soon became employed as an informer for the police spying on people and telling the police about anyone who had broken the law Mr and Mrs Bumble lost their jobs and became poorer and poorer eventually living in poverty in the same workhouse that They had once managed

In that quiet country village Theyears passed peacefully Mr Brown low filled the mind of his adopted son with

knowledge and as he watched the boy grow up he was reminded more and more of his old friend O liver s father The two orphans Rose and O liver led lives that were truly happy The hardships that They had once suffered had left no bitterness in their gentle souls and all their lives They showed the mercy and kindness to others that God himself shows to all things that breathe