目 录 上一节 下一节 
老头儿又向她道了一声晚安，乘南希转过背去的功夫，他偷偷踹了倒在地上的赛克斯先生一脚，这才摸索着走下楼去。 'Always the way!' muttered the Jew to himself as he turned homeward. 'The worst of these women is, that a very little thing serves to call up some long-forgotten feeling; and, the best of them is, that it never lasts. Ha! ha! The man against the child, for a bag of gold!' “老是这一套。”费金一边往回走，一边嘟哝着自言自语。“这些娘们，最大的毛病就是，一件小事也会唤醒某种老早忘得干干净净的感情，最大的优点呢，就是这种事绝对长不了。哈哈！那家伙为了一袋金币，对付那个孩子。” Beguiling the time with these pleasant reflections, Mr. Fagin wended his way, through mud and mire, to his gloomy abode: where the Dodger was sitting up, impatiently awaiting his return. 费金先生边走边用这些令人愉快的回忆消磨时间。他趟过污水泥泞，回到自己那阴暗的老巢。机灵鬼还没有睡，正望眼欲穿地等他归来。 'Is Oliver a-bed? I want to speak to him,' was his first remark as they descended the stairs. “奥立弗睡了没有，我有话跟他说。”这是他们刚下扶梯时他讲的第一句话。 'Hours ago,' replied the Dodger, throwing open a door. 'Here he is!' “早睡了，”机灵鬼推开一道门，答道。“在这儿呢。” 
奥立弗躺在地板上一张粗陋的床上，睡得很沉，焦虑、哀愁以及紧闭的铁窗，使他显得那样苍白，像是死过去了一般--这不是裹上尸衣，装进棺材的死者模样，而是生命刚刚逝去时的形象：幼小柔弱的灵魂飞往天国只一瞬间的功夫，尘世间龌龊的空气还来不及玷污这正在升华的圣体。 'Not now,' said the Jew, turning softly away. 'To-morrow. To-morrow.' “现在不谈，”费金说着，轻轻地转身离去。”明天，明天。” When Oliver awoke in the morning, he was a good deal surprised to find that a new pair of shoes, with strong thick soles, had been placed at his bedside; and that his old shoes had been removed. At first, he was pleased with the discovery: hoping that it might be the forerunner of his release; but such thoughts were quickly dispelled, on his sitting down to breakfast along with the Jew, who told him, in a tone and manner which increased his alarm, that he was to be taken to the residence of Bill Sikes that night. 早晨，奥立弗醒了，发现自己那双旧鞋不翼而飞，床边放着一双鞋底厚厚实实的新鞋，他不禁吓了一大跳。刚开始他还很高兴，以为这是自己即将获得自由的预兆。他坐下来，跟费金一起吃早饭时，这些想法就顿时化为了泡影，老头儿说话时的口气和脸色更增添了他的恐慌，他告诉奥立弗，当天夜里要送他到比尔·赛克斯那里去。 'To--to--stop there, sir?' asked Oliver, anxiously. “就--就--留在那儿了，先生？”奥立弗急不可待地问。 'No, no, my dear. Not to stop there,' replied the Jew. 'We shouldn't like to lose you. Don't be afraid, Oliver, you shall come back to us again. Ha! ha! ha! We won't be so cruel as to send you away, my dear. Oh no, no!' “不，不，亲爱的，不是让你留在那儿，”老犹太答道，“我们舍不得你。奥立弗，别害怕，你还要回我们这儿来的。哈哈哈！我们可不会那样狠心，把你打发走，亲爱的。喔不，不会的。” 
这功夫，老头儿正躬着腰在火上烤面包，他一边这么逗弄奥立弗，一边回头看了看，格格地笑了起来，似乎表示他心中有数，只要有法子，奥立弗还是巴不得溜之大吉。 'I suppose,' said the Jew, fixing his eyes on Oliver, 'you want to know what you're going to Bill's for---eh, my dear?' “我寻思，”老犹太说话时一双眼睛盯在奥立弗身上，“你很想知道上比尔那里干什么去--啊，宝贝儿？” Oliver coloured, involuntarily, to find that the old thief had been reading his thoughts; but boldly said, Yes, he did want to know. 一见老贼对自己的想法了如指掌，奥立弗不由得红了脸，但还是大着胆子说，是的，他的确很想知道。 'Why, do you think?' inquired Fagin, parrying the question. “你想想看，去干什么？”费金反过来问他。 'Indeed I don't know, sir,' replied Oliver. “先生，我真的不知道。”奥立弗回答。 
“呸。”费金唾了一口，对着孩子的面孔细细察看了一番，带着一副沮丧的神情转过身去。“那，等比尔告诉你吧。” The Jew seemed much vexed by Oliver's not expressing any greater curiosity on the subject; but the truth is, that, although Oliver felt very anxious, he was too much confused by the earnest cunning of Fagin's looks, and his own speculations, to make any further inquiries just then. He had no other opportunity: for the Jew remained very surly and silent till night: when he prepared to go abroad. 看得出来，奥立弗在这个问题上没有表示出更浓厚的好奇心，老犹太显然大为光火。然而事实上，尽管奥立弗心急如焚，却被费金眉宇间那股掩藏不住的奸诈以及自己的种种猜测搅得六神无主，也顾不上继续问长问短。他已经没有别的机会了，老犹太直到天黑都是在作出门的准备，老是阴沉着脸，一声不吭。 'You may burn a candle,' said the Jew, putting one upon the table. 'And here's a book for you to read, till they come to fetch you. Good-night!' “你可以把蜡烛点上了，”老头儿说着，把一支蜡烛放在桌上。“这儿有本书，你看看吧，等他们来接你。祝你晚安。” 'Good-night!' replied Oliver, softly. “晚安。”奥立弗轻声答道。 The Jew walked to the door: looking over his shoulder at the boy as he went. Suddenly stopping, he called him by his name. 老犹太朝门口走去，边走边扭过头来打量这孩子。他突然停下来，叫了一声奥立弗的名字。 
奥立弗抬起头，看见费金用手指了指蜡烛，意思是要他点上。奥立弗照办了。他把烛台放到桌上，发现费金依旧站在房间对面的暗处，眉头紧锁，目不转睛地望着自己。 'Take heed, Oliver! take heed!' said the old man, shaking his right hand before him in a warning manner. 'He's a rough man, and thinks nothing of blood when his own is up. W hatever falls out, say nothing; and do what he bids you. Mind!' Placing a strong emphasis on the last word, he suffered his features gradually to resolve themselves into a ghastly grin, and, nodding his head, left the room. “当心一点，奥立弗。当心。”老头儿挥了挥右手，像是在警告他。“他是个鲁莽家伙，发起性子来连命都不要。不管发生什么事，一句话也别说，他要你干什么，你就干什么。留神些。”费金重重地吐出最后一句话，绷紧的面部表情逐渐化为一种狞笑，点了点头，离开了房间。 Oliver leaned his head upon his hand when the old man disappeared, and pondered, with a trembling heart, on the words he had just heard. The more he thought of the Jew's admonition, the more he was at a loss to divine its real purpose and meaning.He could think of no bad object to be attained by sending him to Sikes, which would not be equally well answered by his remaining with Fagin; and after meditating for a long time, concluded that he had been selected to perform some ordinary menial offices for the housebreaker, until another boy, better suited for his purpose could be engaged. He was too well accustomed to suffering, and had suffered too much where he was, to bewail the prospect of change very severely. He remained lost in thought for some minutes; and then, with a heavy sigh, snuffed the candle, and, taking up the book which the Jew had left with him, began to read. 老头儿走了，奥立弗用手支着脑袋，怀着一颗颤动的心，反复推敲着刚听到的一席话。对于老犹太的一番告诫，他越琢磨越猜不透其中的真实目的和含意，想不出派自己到赛克斯那儿去会有什么罪恶目的，而这个目的又是跟费金呆在一起所无法达到的。他沉思了好一会儿，才认定自己是被选去替那个强盗打打杂，等物色到另外一个更为合适的小孩再说。小奥立弗早就逆来顺受惯了，呆在这里也吃尽了苦头，面对瞬息万变的前景，他就是想哭也哭不出来。他怅然若失，想了一会儿，重重地叹了口气，剔掉烛花，拿起老犹太留给他的那本书，读了起来。 He turned over the leaves. Carelessly at first; but, lighting on a passage which attracted his attention, he soon became intent upon the volume. It was a history of the lives and trials of great criminals; and the pages were soiled and thumbed with use. Here, he read of dreadful crimes that made the blood run cold; of secret murders that had been committed by the lonely wayside; of bodies hidden from the eye of man in deep pits and wells: which would not keep them down, deep as they were, but had yielded them up at last, after many years, and so maddened the murderers with the sight, that in their horror they had confessed their guilt, and yelled for the gibbet to end their agony. Here, too, he read of men who, lying in their beds at dead of night, had been tempted (so they said) and led on, by their own bad thoughts, to such dreadful bloodshed as it made the flesh creep, and the limbs quail, to think of. The terrible descriptions were so real and vivid, that the sallow pages seemed to turn red with gore; and the words upon them, to be sounded in his ears, as if they were whispered, in hollow murmers, by the spirits of the dead. 他翻了几页，刚开始还漫不经心，突然，眼前一亮，其中的一节将他吸引住了，不多一会儿他就沉浸在这本书里了。这本书记录了一帮大名鼎鼎的罪犯的生活经历和审判过程，书页已经翻得污秽不堪，盖满指头的印迹。他在书中读到了足以使人四肢冰凉的一桩桩骇人听闻的罪行，发生在僻静路边的神秘凶杀，尸体神不知鬼不觉地给埋进了深坑，或者丢在井里，尽管这些坑和井很深，却还是瞒不过去，事隔多年到底还是给抖落出来，凶手见状一个个变得疯疯癫癫，惊恐之下只好从实招来，大声要求上绞刑架，以了结自己的痛苦。还有这儿，他读到有人深更半夜好端端地躺在床上，却禁不住自己的种种邪念引诱（他们就是这样说的），干出些个血腥的凶杀案，让人一想起来就心惊肉跳，四肢瘫软。这些吓人的描述是那样真实可靠，栩栩如生，仿佛一页页泛黄的纸张都叫血痕染红了，书上的话回荡在他的耳边，就好像那是死者的灵魂正在喃喃絮语低声诉说似的。 In a paroxysm of fear, the boy closed the book, and thrust it from him. Then, falling upon his knees, he prayed Heaven to spare him from such deeds; and rather to will that he should die at once, than be reserved for crimes, so fearful and appaling. By degrees, he grew more calm, and besought, in a low and broken voice, that he might be rescued from his present dangers; and that if any aid were to be raised up for a poor outcast boy who had never known the love of friends or kindred, it might come to him now, when, desolate and deserted, he stood alone in the midst of wickedness and guilt. 随着一阵突如其来的恐惧，奥立弗把书合上，扔到一边，然后双膝跪下，祈求上苍别让自己作这份孽，哪怕叫他立刻倒地身死，也别让他活着去于这些令人发指的弥天大罪。他渐渐平静下来，声音低弱而又断断续续，恳求上帝将自己从眼前的危难中解救出来，一个苦命的孤儿，从没有体验过朋友之爱或骨肉亲情，现在他孤苦伶仃，走投无路，处于邪恶与罪孽的包围之中，如果有什么援助是为这样的孩子发起的，这种援助也该到来了。
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