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“原来你朋友就是你自个儿呀，是不是？”克雷波尔先生，也就是波尔特，向费金问道，根据双方达成的协议，他第二天便搬进了费金先生的住所。“天啦，我昨晚上也想到过。” 'Every man's his own friend, my dear,' replied Fagin, with his most insinuating grin. 'He hasn't as good a one as himself anywhere.' “每个人都是他自己的朋友，亲爱的，”费金脸上堆满谄媚笑容，答道。“在任何地方都找不出一个和他自个儿一样的好朋友。” 'Except sometimes,' replied Morris Bolter, assuming the air of a man of the world. 'Some people are nobody's enemies but their own, yer know.' “有时候也不一定，”莫里斯·波尔特装出一副城府很深的样子回答。“你知道，有些人不跟别人作对，专跟他们自己过不去。” 'Don't believe that,' said Fagin. 'When a man's his own enemy, it's only because he's too much his own friend; not because he's careful for everybody but himself. Pooh! pooh! There ain't such a thing in nature.' “别信那一套。”费金说，“一个人跟自己过不去，那只是因为他和自己作朋友作过头了，不是因为他什么人都挂在心上，就是不关心他自己。呸，呸！天下没有这种事。” 'There oughn't to be, if there is,' replied Mr. Bolter. “就是有，也不应该。”波尔特先生回答。 
“那才在理。有些魔术师说三号是一个神奇的数字，还有的说是七号。都不是，我的朋友，不是。一号才是哩。” 'Ha! ha!' cried Mr. Bolter. 'Number one for ever.' “哈哈！”波尔特先生大叫起来，“永远是一号。” 'In a little community like ours, my dear,' said Fagin, who felt it necessary to qualify this position, 'we have a general number one, without considering me too as the same, and all the other young people.' “在一个像我们这样的小团体里边，我亲爱的，”费金感到有必要对这种观点作一个说明，“我们有一个笼统的一号，就是说，你不能把自己当成一号来考虑，要想一想我，加上所有其他的年轻人也是。” 'Oh, the devil!' exclaimed Mr. Bolter. “噢，鬼东西。”波尔特先生骂了一句。 'You see,' pursued Fagin, affecting to disregard this interruption, 'we are so mixed up together, and identified in our interests, that it must be so. For instance, it's your object to take care of number one--meaning yourself.' “你想，”费金装出没有留意这句插话的样子，继续说道，“我们现在难分彼此，有共同的利益，非得这样不可啊。比方说吧，你的目标是关心一号--就是关心你自己。” 
“当然啦，”波尔特先生回答，“你这话有道理。” 'Well! You can't take care of yourself, number one, without taking care of me, number one.' “对呀。你不能只关心自己这个一号，就不管我这个一号了。” 'Number two, you mean,' said Mr. Bolter, who was largely endowed with the quality of selfishness. “你说的是二号吧？”波尔特先生颇有自爱的美德。 'No, I don't!' retorted Fagin. 'I'm of the same importance to you, as you are to yourself.' “不，我不是这个意思。”费金反驳道，“我对于你是同等重要的，就和你对你自己一样。” 'I say,' interrupted Mr. Bolter, 'yer a very nice man, and I'm very fond of yer; but we ain't quite so thick together, as all that comes to.' “我说，”波尔特先生插嘴说，“你可真逗，我非常欣赏你，不过，我们的交情还没达到那么深。” 
“只是琢磨琢磨，考虑一下而已，”费金说着耸了耸肩，摊开双手。“你办了一件非常漂亮的事，就冲你办的事，我喜欢你。可同时，这事儿也在你脖子上系了一条领圈，拴上去轻而易举，解下来可就难了--说得明白点，就是绞索。” Mr. Bolter put his hand to his neckerchief, as if he felt it inconveniently tight; and murmured an assent, qualified in tone but not in substance. 波尔特先生用手摸了摸围巾，像是感到围得太紧，不怎么舒服似的，他嘟嘟哝哝，用声调而不是用语言表示同意。 'The gallows,' continued Fagin, 'the gallows, my dear, is an ugly finger-post, which points out a very short and sharp turning that has stopped many a bold fellow's career on the broad highway. To keep in the easy road, and keep it at a distance, is object number one with you.' “什么是绞架？”费金继续说道，“绞架，我亲爱的，是一块丑恶的路标，它那个急转直下的箭头断送了多少好汉的远大前程。始终走在平路上，远远地避开绞架，这就是你的一号目的。” 'Of course it is,' replied Mr. Bolter. 'What do yer talk about such things for?' “这还用说，”波尔特先生回答，“你干吗说这些？” 'Only to show you my meaning clearly,' said the Jew, raising his eyebrows. 'To be able to do that, you depend upon me. To keep my little business all snug, I depend upon you. The first is your number one, the second my number one. The more you value your number one, the more careful you must be of mine; so we come at last to what I told you at first--that a regard for number one holds us all together, and must do so, unless we would all go to pieces in company.' “无非是让你明白我的意思，”老犹太扬起眉梢，说道，“要做到这一点，你必须依靠我，要把我的这份小买卖做得顺顺当当，就要靠你了。首先是你这个一号，其次才是我这个一号。你越是看重你这个一号，就越要关心我。说来说去，我们还是回到我开初跟你说的那句话了--以一号为重，我们大家才能抱成一团，我们必须这样做，否则只有各奔东西。” 
“这倒是真的，”波尔特先生若有所思地答道，“噢！你这个老滑头。” Mr. Fagin saw, with delight, that this tribute to his powers was no mere compliment, but that he had really impressed his recruit with a sense of his wily genius, which it was most important that he should entertain in the outset of their acquaintance. To strengthen an impression so desirable and useful, he followed up the blow by acquainting him, in some detail, with the magnitude and extent of his operations; blending truth and fiction together, as best served his purpose; and bringing both to bear, with so much art, that Mr. Bolter's respect visibly increased, and became tempered, at the same time, with a degree of wholesome fear, which it was highly desirable to awaken. 费金先生高兴地看到，这样赞美他的才能，绝不是一般的恭维话，自己确实已经在这个新徒弟心中留下了足智多谋的印象，在两人交往之初就建立这种印象是至关紧要的。为了加深这个必要而又有用的印象，他趁热打铁，将业务的规模、范畴相当详尽地介绍了一番，把事实与虚构揉和在一起，尽量使之适合自己的用意。他将二者运用得非常娴熟，波尔特先生的敬意显然有所增强，同时又带有一点有益的畏惧，唤起这种畏惧是非常理想的。 'It's this mutual trust we have in each other that consoles me under heavy losses,' said Fagin. 'My best hand was taken from me, yesterday morning.' “正是由于你我之间这种相互信赖，我才能在蒙受重大损失的时候得到安慰，”费金说道，“昨天上午我失去了一个最好的帮手。” 'You don't mean to say he died?' cried Mr. Bolter. “你该不是说他死啦？”波尔特先生叫了起来。 'No, no,' replied Fagin, 'not so bad as that. Not quite so bad.' “不，不，”费金回答，“还没有糟糕成那样。绝对没那么糟。” 
“哦，我想他是--” 'Wanted,' interposed Fagin. 'Yes, he was wanted.' “嫌疑，”费金插了一句，“没错，他成了嫌疑犯。” 'Very particular?' inquired Mr. Bolter. “特别严重？”波尔特先生问。 'No,' replied Fagin, 'not very. He was charged with attempting to pick a pocket, and they found a silver snuff-box on him,--his own, my dear, his own, for he took snuff himself, and was very fond of it. They remanded him till to-day, for they thought they knew the owner. Ah! he was worth fifty boxes, and I'd give the price of as many to have him back. You should have known the Dodger, my dear; you should have known the Dodger.' “不，”费金答道，“不太严重，控告他企图扒窃钱包。他们在他身上搜出一个银质鼻烟盒--是他自己的，亲爱的，是他自个的，他自个吸鼻烟，很喜欢吸。他们要把他关押到今天，认为他们知道东西是谁的。啊！他值得上五十个鼻烟盒，我愿意出那个价把他赎回来。可惜你没见过机灵鬼，亲爱的，可惜你没见过机灵鬼。” 'Well, but I shall know him, I hope; don't yer think so?' said Mr. Bolter. “唔，我往后会见到他的，我想，你不这样认为？”波尔特先生说。 
“这事我放不下，”费金叹了口气，回答，“如果他们没什么新的证据，就只是一个即决裁判而已，过六个星期左右，我们再把他接回来就是了。可是，如果他们有新证据，那就成累积案了。他们现在知道那小伙子有多机灵了。他会得一张永久票，他们会给机灵鬼弄张永久票。” 'What do you mean by lagging and a lifer?' demanded Mr. Bolter. 'What's the good of talking in that way to me; why don't yer speak so as I can understand yer?' “你说那个累积跟永久票是什么意思？”波尔特先生刨根问底，“你这样对我说话有什么好处，你干吗不用我能听明白的话来说呢？” Fagin was about to translate these mysterious expressions into the vulgar tongue; and, being interpreted, Mr. Bolter would have been informed that they represented that combination of words, 'transportation for life,' when the dialogue was cut short by the entry of Master Bates, with his hands in his breeches-pockets, and his face twisted into a look of semi-comical woe. 费金正打算把这两个神秘的词语翻译成通俗的语言，这样经过解释，波尔特先生就可以明白了，两个词合在一起的意思是“终身流放”。就在这时，贝兹少爷突然走了进来，打断了他俩的谈话，贝兹两手插在裤兜里，扭歪了脸，那副愁眉苦脸的样子反倒让人觉得有些滑稽。
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