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“来得真巧。”费金说话了，“蓓特会去的，是不是啊，我亲爱的？” 'Wheres?' inquired the young lady. “去哪儿？”蓓特小姐问。 'Only just up to the office, my dear,' said the Jew coaxingly. “到局子里跑一趟，我亲爱的。”犹太人诱戏道。 It is due to the young lady to say that she did not positively affirm that she would not, but that she merely expressed an emphatic and earnest desire to be 'blessed' if she would; a polite and delicate evasion of the request, which shows the young lady to have been possessed of that natural good breeding which cannot bear to inflict upon a fellow-creature, the pain of a direct and pointed refusal. 应该为这位小姐说句公道话，她并没有直截了当承认自己不想去，只是表达了一个热切而强烈的愿望：要去的话，她宁可“挨雷劈”，用一个客气而又巧妙的适词，避开了正面回答。据此看来，这位小姐天生具有良好的教养，不忍心叫一位人类同胞蒙受断然拒绝、当面开销的痛苦。 The Jew's countenance fell. He turned from this young lady, who was gaily, not to say gorgeously attired, in a red gown, green boots, and yellow curl-papers, to the other female. 费金的脸色沉了下来，视线离开了这位身穿绛色长大衣、绿色靴子，头上夹着黄色卷发纸的小姐，她虽然说不上雍容华贵，倒也打扮得花枝招展。费金转向另一位姑娘。 
“南希，亲爱的，”费金用哄小孩的口气说，“你说怎么样呢？”” 'That it won't do; so it's no use a-trying it on, Fagin,' replied Nancy. “我说这办法行不通。试都不用试，费金。”南希回答。 'What do you mean by that?' said Mr. Sikes, looking up in a surly manner. “你这是什么意思？”赛克斯先生板着面孔，眼睛往上一抬。 'What I say, Bill,' replied the lady collectedly. “我就是这个意思，比尔。”小姐不紧不慢地说。 'Why, you're just the very person for it,' reasoned Mr. Sikes: 'nobody about here knows anything of you.' “唔，你恰好是最合适的人，”赛克斯先生解释说，“这附近没有一个人知道你的底细。” 
“我也并不希罕他们知道，”南希仍旧十分泰然。“比尔，我看多一事不如少一事。” 'She'll go, Fagin,' said Sikes. “她会去的，费金。”赛克斯说道。 'No, she won't, Fagin,' said Nancy. “不，费金，她不去。”南希说道。 'Yes, she will, Fagin,' said Sikes. “噢，她会去的，费金。”赛克斯说。 And Mr. Sikes was right. By dint of alternate threats, promises, and bribes, the lady in question was ultimately prevailed upon to undertake the commission. She was not, indeed, withheld by the same considerations as her agreeable friend; for, having recently removed into the neighborhood of Field Lane from the remote but genteel suburb of Ratcliffe, she was not under the same apprehension of being recognised by any of her numerous acquaintance. 赛克斯先生终归说中了。经过轮番的恐吓哄骗，发誓许愿，这位小姐最后还是屈服了，接受了任务。说实话，她的考虑跟她那位好朋友不一样，因为她最近刚从虽说远一些但却相当体面的拉特克里佛郊区转移到菲尔胡同附近，她才不担心叫自己那些数不清的熟人认出来呢。 
于是，一条洁白的围裙系到了她的长大衣外边，一顶软帽遮住了满头的卷发纸，这两样东西都是从费金的取用不尽的存货中拿出来的--南希小姐准备出门办事了。 'Stop a minute, my dear,' said the Jew, producing, a little covered basket. 'Carry that in one hand. It looks more respectable, my dear.' “等一下，我亲爱的，”费金一边说，一边拿出一只盖着的小篮子。“用一只手拎住这个，看上去更像规矩人，我亲爱的。” 'Give her a door-key to carry in her t'other one, Fagin,' said Sikes; 'it looks real and genivine like.' “费金，给她一把大门钥匙，挂在另外一只手上，”赛克斯说，“看上去才体面，像那么回事。” 'Yes, yes, my dear, so it does,' said the Jew, hanging a large street-door key on the forefinger of the young lady's right hand. “对，对，亲爱的，是那么回事，”费金将一把临街大门的大钥匙挂在姑娘右手食指上。 'There; very good! Very good indeed, my dear!' said the Jew, rubbing his hands. “得，好极了。真是好极了，我亲爱的。”费金搓着手说。 
“喔，我的弟弟啊。我可怜的、可亲的、可爱的、天真的小弟啊。”南希放声大哭，一边痛不欲生地将那只篮子和大门钥匙绞来绞去。“不知道他到底怎么样了。他们把他带到哪儿去了？啊，可怜可怜吧，先生们，告诉我吧，这可爱的孩子到底怎么了，求求你们，先生，行行好，先生。” Having uttered those words in a most lamentable and heart-broken tone: to the immeasurable delight of her hearers: Miss Nancy paused, winked to the company, nodded smilingly round, and disappeared. 南希小姐说了这一段声调极其哀痛，令人心碎欲裂的台词，在场的几位听得乐不可支，她停下来，向伙伴们眨了眨眼，微笑着面面俱到地点点头，走了出去。 'Ah, she's a clever girl, my dears,' said the Jew, turning round to his young friends, and shaking his head gravely, as if in mute admonition to them to follow the bright example they had just beheld. “啊。真是个伶俐的丫头，诸位好人儿。”老犹太说着，朝一班年轻朋友转过身来，一本正经地摇了摇头，像是在用这无声的劝告，要他们向刚刚看到的那个光辉榜样学着点儿似的。 'She's a honour to her sex,' said Mr. Sikes, filling his glass, and smiting the table with his enormous fist. 'Here's her health, and wishing they was all like her!' “说得上是娘们中的大角色了，”赛克斯先生斟满自己的酒杯，大拳头往桌上一捶，说道，“这一杯祝她健康，但愿她们个个都像她。” While these, and many other encomiums, were being passed on the accomplished Nancy, that young lady made the best of her way to the police-office; whither, notwithstanding a little natural timidity consequent upon walking through the streets alone and unprotected, she arrived in perfect safety shortly afterwards. 正当诸如此类的赞颂言词纷纷加到才艺出众的南希头上的时候，这位小姐正全速赶往警察局，尽管孤身一人穿过大街，什么保护也没有，她不免显出了一点固有的胆怯，但仍然过了不多久就太太平平地到了。 
她从警察局后边那条路走了进去，用钥匙在一堵牢门上轻轻敲了敲，谛听着。里边没有响动。她咳了两声，又听了听。她依然没见有回音，便开口说道。 'Nolly, dear?' murmured Nancy in a gentle voice; 'Nolly?' “诺利在吗，喂？”南希小声地说，话音十分柔和。“诺利在不在？” There was nobody inside but a miserable shoeless criminal, who had been taken up for playing the flute, and who, the offence against society having been clearly proved, had been very properly committed by Mr. Fang to the House of Correction for one month; with the appropriate and amusing remark that since he had so much breath to spare, it would be more wholesomely expended on the treadmill than in a musical instrument. He made no answer: being occupied mentally bewailing the loss of the flute, which had been confiscated for the use of the county: so Nancy passed on to the next cell, and knocked there. 这间屋子里关着一个倒霉的犯人，连鞋也没穿，他是因为吹长笛被关起来的，扰乱社会治安的指控业已查证清楚，范昂先生做了极其适当的判决：交感化院关一个月。范昂先生十分中肯而又风趣地指出，既然他力气多得没地方使，消磨在踏车上总比用在一种乐器上来得更卫生一些。这名犯人没有回答，还在一门心思地痛惜失去了笛子，那东西已经叫郡里充公了。于是南希来到下一间牢房，敲了敲门。 'Well!' cried a faint and feeble voice. “唉。”一个有气无力的声音叫道。 'Is there a little boy here?' inquired Nancy, with a preliminary sob. “这儿关着一个小男孩吗？”南希的话音里带上了作为开场白的硬咽。 
“没有，”那声音答道，“没那事。” This was a vagrant of sixty-five, who was going to prison for NOT playing the flute; or, in other words, for begging in the streets, and doing nothing for his livelihood. In the next cell was another man, who was going to the same prison for hawking tin saucepans without license; thereby doing something for his living, in defiance of the Stamp-office. 这是一个六十五岁的流浪者，他进监狱是因为不吹笛子，换句话说，是因为不干活糊口，沿街乞讨被抓了进来。再下一间关的是另一个男人，罪名是无照兜销铁锅，他为求生计，竟目无印花税税务局，那还有个不进监狱的？ But, as neither of these criminals answered to the name of Oliver, or knew anything about him, Nancy made straight up to the bluff officer in the striped waistcoat; and with the most piteous wailings and lamentations, rendered more piteous by a prompt and efficient use of the street-door key and the little basket, demanded her own dear brother. 可是，这些囚犯听见叫奥立弗没有一个应声，也压根没有听说过他。南希径直找到那位穿条纹背心的憨厚警官，以最最凄苦的悲叹哀泣，请求他归还自己的小弟弟，大门钥匙和那只小篮子的作用立竿见影，使她显得更为楚楚动人。 'I haven't got him, my dear,' said the old man. “我没有抓他啊，亲爱的。”老人说道。 'Where is he?' screamed Nancy, in a distracted manner. “那他在哪儿呢？”南希心烦意乱地哭喊着说。
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