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当时，机灵鬼和他那位手艺高超的朋友贝兹少爷非法侵占布朗罗先生的私人财物，结果导致了对奥立弗的一场大喊大叫的追捕，他俩也参加了这场追捕，这一点前边已经叙述过了。他们这样做，是基于一种非常值得钦佩而又十分得体的想法，那就是只顾自己。既然国民自主和个人自由是任何一个纯正的英国人最值得骄傲的东西，本人简直无需提请读者注意，这一行动自然会大大抬高他俩在所有公民和爱国人士心目中的身价。同样，他们只关心自己平安无事这一铁证，完全足以使一部小小的法典得以确立，受到公认，某些博古通今、驰名遐迩的哲人将这部法典定为一切本能行为的主要动机。这班哲学家非常精明，将本能的一切行为归纳成格言和理论，又巧妙地对本性的高度智慧和悟性做了一番不着痕迹的恭维，便把良心上的考虑，或者高尚的冲动和感情，全都扔到不知什么地方去了。说起来，这些东西毕竟不能与本性相提并论，世所公认，本能远比人所难免的种种瑕疵、弱点要高尚得多。 If I wanted any further proof of the strictly philosophical nature of the conduct of these young gentlemen in their very delicate predicament, I should at once find it in the fact (also recorded in a foregoing part of this narrative), of their quitting the pursuit, when the general attention was fixed upon Oliver; and making immediately for their home by the shortest possible cut. Although I do not mean to assert that it is usually the practice of renowned and learned sages, to shorten the road to any great conclusion (their course indeed being rather to lengthen the distance, by various circumlocations and discursive staggerings, like unto those in which drunken men under the pressure of a too mighty flow of ideas, are prone to indulge); still, I do mean to say, and do say distinctly, that it is the invariable practice of many mighty philosophers, in carrying out their theories, to evince great wisdom and foresight in providing against every possible contingency which can be supposed at all likely to affect themselves. Thus, to do a great right, you may do a little wrong; and you may take any means which the end to be attained, will justify; the amount of the right, or the amount of the wrong, or indeed the distinction between the two, being left entirely to the philosopher concerned, to be settled and determined by his clear, comprehensive, and impartial view of his own particular case. 两位处于这么一种极其微妙的境地中的小绅士在品格特性方面富有严谨的哲理，倘若需要更进一步的佐证，笔者信手便可以举出他们退出追捕这一事实（本书前边一部分已经讲了），人们当时的注意力都集中在奥立弗身上，他俩立刻抄最近便的捷路溜了回去。尽管我并不打算断言，取捷径也是那班声望赫赫、博学多才的哲人在得出什么伟大的结论时常有的作派--他们的路程的确因迂回曲折，举步磕磕绊绊而拉长了一些，这就和那班有一肚子念头憋不住的醉汉一开口就滔滔不绝一样--但我的确想指出，并且要明确指出，许多哲学大师在实施他们的理论时都表现出了深谋远虑，他们能够排除一切可能出现的、完全可以估计到的、于他们不利的偶然因素。因此，为了大是，不拘小非，只要能达到目的，任何手段都无可非议。是耶？非耶？抑或二者之间到底有多大区别，统统留给当事的哲学家，让他根据自己的特殊情况，作出头脑清醒、综合平衡、公平不倚的判断。 It was not until the two boys had scoured, with great rapidity, through a most intricate maze of narrow streets and courts, that they ventured to halt beneath a low and dark archway. Having remained silent here, just long enough to recover breath to speak, Master Bates uttered an exclamation of amusement and delight; and, bursting into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, flung himself upon a doorstep, and rolled thereon in a transport of mirth. 两个少年以极快的速度跑掉了，穿过无数迷宫一般错综复杂的狭窄街道和院落，才大着胆子在一个低矮昏暗的拱道下边歇一歇。两人一声不响地呆了一会儿，刚刚透过气，能讲出话来，贝兹少爷便发出一声喜滋滋的感叹，紧接着爆发出一阵无法遏制的大笑，他倒在一个台阶上，笑得直打滚。 'What's the matter?' inquired the Dodger. “什么事儿？”机灵鬼问。 'Ha! ha! ha!' roared Charley Bates. “哈哈哈！”查理·贝兹笑声如雷。 
“别出声，”机灵鬼细心地看了看周围，劝道，“笨蛋，你想给捉进去了不是？” 'I can't help it,' said Charley, 'I can't help it! To see him splitting away at that pace, and cutting round the corners, and knocking up again' the posts, and starting on again as if he was made of iron as well as them, and me with the wipe in my pocket, singing out arter him--oh, my eye!' The vivid imagination of Master Bates presented the scene before him in too strong colours. As he arrived at this apostrophe, he again rolled upon the door-step, and laughed louder than before. “笑死我了，”查理说，“笑死我了。你想想，他没命地跑，一闪就转过街角去了，再一下撞到电线杆子上，爬起来又跑，活像他跟电线杆一样也是用铁做的，可我呢，抹嘴儿插在口袋里，大喊大叫地在后边追他--呃，我的妈唷。”贝兹少爷的想像力十分生动，将刚才的场景稍许有些过火地展现了出来。说到这儿，他又在台阶上打起滚来，笑得比先前更欢了。 'What'll Fagin say?' inquired the Dodger; taking advantage of the next interval of breathlessness on the part of his friend to propound the question. “费金会怎么说？”机灵鬼趁伙伴又一次停下来喘气时把这个问题提了出来。 'What?' repeated Charley Bates. “怎么说？”查理·贝兹重复道。 'Ah, what?' said the Dodger. “是啊，怎么说？”机灵鬼说。 
“嗨，他能怎么说？”查理见机灵鬼全然不是说着玩的，满心欢喜顿时化为乌有。“他能怎么说？” Mr. Dawkins whistled for a couple of minutes; then, taking off his hat, scratched his head, and nodded thrice. 达金斯先生管自吹了一会儿口哨，跟着把帽子摘下来，搔了搔头，脑袋接连点了三下。 'What do you mean?' said Charley. “你是什么意思？”查理说道。 'Toor rul lol loo, gammon and spinnage, the frog he wouldn't, and high cockolorum,' said the Dodger: with a slight sneer on his intellectual countenance. “吐噜罗噜，腊肉烧菠菜，他又不是青蛙。”机灵鬼聪明的脸上挂着一丝淡淡的嘲笑，说道。 This was explanatory, but not satisfactory. Master Bates felt it so; and again said, 'What do you mean?' 这就算解释，然而并不令人满意。贝兹少爷也有这种感觉，便又问了一句：“你是什么意思？” 
机灵鬼没有回答，只是重新戴上帽子，把拖着长尾巴的外套下摆拉起来塞在腋下，用舌头顶了顶腮帮子，摆出一副亲昵而又意味深长的神气，用手在鼻梁上拍了五六下，向后一转，拐进一条胡同，贝兹少爷若有所思地跟了上去。 The noise of footsteps on the creaking stairs, a few minutes after the occurrence of this conversation, roused the merry old gentleman as he sat over the fire with a saveloy and a small loaf in his hand; a pocket-knife in his right; and a pewter pot on the trivet. There was a rascally smile on his white face as he turned round, and looking sharply out from under his thick red eyebrows, bent his ear towards the door, and listened. 上述这番对话进行之后不过几分钟，那位快活老绅士听到楼梯上响起一阵嘎嘎作响的脚步声，不由得一惊，此刻他正坐在壁炉旁，左手拿着一条干香肠和一小片面包，右手握一把小刀，壁炉的三角铁架上搁着一只白锡锅。他回过头来，苍白的脸上露出一道狰狞的笑容，一双眼睛从棕红色的浓眉底下灼灼地往外看去。他把耳朵侧向门口，专注地谛听着。 'Why, how's this?' muttered the Jew: changing countenance; 'only two of 'em? Where's the third? They can't have got into trouble. Hark!' “嗨，怎么回事？”老犹太的脸色变了，喃喃地说，“只回来两个？还有一个哪儿去了？他们出不了事的，听听。” The footsteps approached nearer; they reached the landing. The door was slowly opened; and the Dodger and Charley Bates entered, closing it behind them. 脚步声越来越近，到楼梯口了。房门缓缓地推开，机灵鬼与查理·贝兹走了进来，又随手把门关上了。 'Where's Oliver?' said the Jew, rising with a menacing look. 'Where's the boy?' “奥立弗哪儿去了？”犹太人杀气腾腾地站了起来，说道，“那小子在哪儿？” 
两个小扒手呆呆地望着自己的师傅，似乎被他的火气吓了一跳，彼此忐忑不安地看了一眼，没有回答。 'What's become of the boy?' said the Jew, seizing the Dodger tightly by the collar, and threatening him with horrid imprecations. 'Speak out, or I'll throttle you!' “那孩子怎么啦？”费金一边死死揪住机灵鬼的衣领，一边用可怕的诅咒恐吓他。“说啊，不然我掐死你。” Mr. Fagin looked so very much in earnest, that Charley Bates, who deemed it prudent in all cases to be on the safe side, and who conceived it by no means improbable that it might be his turn to be throttled second, dropped upon his knees, and raised a loud, well-sustained, and continuous roar--something between a mad bull and a speaking trumpet. 费金先生的神气全然不像是在开玩笑，查理·贝兹一向认为不管出现什么情况，明哲保身都是上策，估计第二个被掐死的肯定就是自己了，他立刻跪倒在地，发出一阵响亮的、绵延不绝的嚎叫--既像是发了疯的公牛叫，又像传声筒里的说话声。 'Will you speak?' thundered the Jew: shaking the Dodger so much that his keeping in the big coat at all, seemed perfectly miraculous. “你说不说？”费金暴跳如雷，狠命地摇拽着机灵鬼，那件宽宽大大的外套居然没把他人整个抖出来，真是不可思议。 'Why, the traps have got him, and that's all about it,' said the Dodger, sullenly. 'Come, let go o' me, will you!' And, swinging himself, at one jerk, clean out of the big coat, which he left in the Jew's hands, the Dodger snatched up the toasting fork, and made a pass at the merry old gentleman's waistcoat; which, if it had taken effect, would have let a little more merriment out, than could have been easily replaced. “唷，他给逮住了，就这么回事，”机灵鬼沮丧地说，“喂，你放手啊，你放不放？”机灵鬼晃了一下，一使劲挣脱了身子，将肥大的外套留在了费金手里。机灵鬼猛地抓起烤面包的叉子，照着这位快活老绅士的背心就是一下，这一下要是叉中了的话，管保叫他损失不少乐子，决不是轻而易举就能恢复过来的。
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