目 录 上一节 下一节 
屋子卫点着两盏煤气灯，窗板紧闭，褪色的红窗帘拉得严严实实，不透一点光。天花板漆成了黑色，反正别的颜色也会被烛火熏黑的。室内浓烟滚滚，乍一进去，简直什么东西也分辨不出来。不过渐渐地，部分烟雾从打开的门口散出去，可以看出屋子里是一大片和涌进耳朵的噪音一样乱糟糟的脑袋。随着眼睛逐渐适应环境，旁观者看得出室内来客众多，男男女女挤在一条长桌的周围，桌子上首坐着手拿司令锤的主席，一位鼻子发青，脸部因牙疼而包扎起来的专业人士坐在室内一角，正叮叮咚咚地弹奏着一架钢琴。费金轻手轻脚地走进去，那位专业人士的手指以弹奏序曲的方式，飞快地滑过键盘，结果引来了要求点歌的普遍呼声。鼓噪停息之后，一位小姐为大家献上了一支有四段歌同的民谣，在每一节之间，伴奏的人都要把这支曲子从头弹一遍，他使出浑身解数，弹得震天价响。一曲唱罢，上席发表了一通感受，随后，坐在主席左右的两位专业人士又自告奋勇唱了一首二重唱，赢得一片喝彩。 As Fagin stepped softly in, the professional gentleman, running over the keys by way of prelude, occasioned a general cry of order for a song; which having subsided, a young lady proceeded to entertain the company with a ballad in four verses, between each of which the accompanyist played the melody all through, as loud as he could. When this was over, the chairman gave a sentiment, after which, the professional gentleman on the chairman's right and left volunteered a duet, and sang it, with great applause. It was curious to observe some faces which stood out prominently from among the group. There was the chairman himself, (the landlord of the house,) a coarse, rough, heavy built fellow, who, while the songs were proceeding, rolled his eyes hither and thither, and, seeming to give himself up to joviality, had an eye for everything that was done, and an ear for everything that was said--and sharp ones, too. Near him were the singers: receiving, with professional indifference, the compliments of the company, and applying themselves, in turn, to a dozen proffered glasses of spirits and water, tendered by their more boisterous admirers; whose countenances, expressive of almost every vice in almost every grade, irresistibly attracted the attention, by their very repulsiveness. Cunning, ferocity, and drunkeness in all its stages, were there, in their strongest aspect; and women:some with the last lingering tinge of their early freshness almost fading as you looked: others with every mark and stamp of their sex utterly beaten out, and presenting but one loathsome blank of profligacy and crime; some mere girls, others but young women, and none past the prime of life; formed the darkest and saddest portion of this dreary picture. 真正有意思的还在于观察一下某些超群出众的面孔。主席本人（也是店主）是一个粗俗暴躁、膀大腰圆的家伙，演唱进行的时候，他一双眼睛滴溜溜地转个不停，像是陶醉在欢乐之中似的，他一只眼观察着发生的一切，一只耳朵聆听着人们议论的每一件事--两者都很敏锐。他身边的歌手个个面带职业上的淡漠，接受大家的赞誉，把越来越喧闹的崇拜者献上的十来杯掺水烈酒喝下去。这些崇拜者脸上流露出的邪恶表情几乎可以说应有尽有，而且几乎是每一个阶段的都有，正是他们脸上这种可憎可恶的表情让人非看一眼不可。他们脸上的奸诈、凶恶和不同程度的醉态都表现得淋漓尽致。女人--有几个女人还保留着最后一丝若有若无的青春气息，几乎眼看就要褪去。另外一些女人已经丧失了作为女性所具有的一切特征和痕迹，展现出来的不过是淫乱和犯罪留下的一具令人恶心的空壳，有几个还仅仅是姑娘，其余的是些少妇，都还没有度过生命的黄金时代--构成了这幅可怕的画面上最阴暗最凄凉的部分。 Fagin, troubled by no grave emotions, looked eagerly from face to face while these proceedings were in progress; but apparently without meeting that of which he was in search. Succeeding, at length, in catching the eye of the man who occupied the chair, he beckoned to him slightly, and left the room, as quietly as he had entered it. 费金感到烦恼的并不是什么高尚的感情，当这一切正在进行的时候，他急切地顺着一张张面孔看过去，但显然没有看见要找的那个人。接着，他终于捕捉到了坐在主席位子上的那个人的目光，便微微向他招了招手，跟进来时一样无声无息地离开了房间。 'What can I do for you, Mr. Fagin?' inquired the man, as he followed him out to the landing. 'Won't you join us? They'll be delighted, every one of 'em.' “有什么事要我效劳吗，费金先生？”那人尾随着来到楼梯口，问道。“你不跟大伙一块儿乐乐？他们一定高兴，个个都会很高兴。” 
费金烦躁地摇了摇头，低声悦：“他在这儿吗？” 'No,' replied the man. “不在。”那人回答 'And no news of Barney?' inquired Fagin. “也没有巴尼的消息？”费金问。 'None,' replied the landlord of the Cripples; for it was he. 'He won't stir till it's all safe. Depend on it, they're on the scent down there; and that if he moved, he'd blow upon the thing at once. He's all right enough, Barney is, else I should have heard of him. I'll pound it, that Barney's managing properly. Let him alone for that.' “没有，”那人答道，他正是瘸子店老板，“非等到平安无事了，他不会出来活动。我敢肯定，那边查到线索了，只要他动一动，立刻就会把这档子事搞砸了。他一点没事，巴尼也是，要不我也该听到他的消息了。我敢打赌，巴尼会办得稳稳当当的。那事就交给他了。” 'Will HE be here to-night?' asked the Jew, laying the same emphasis on the pronoun as before. “他今天晚上会来这儿吗？”老犹太和先前一样，把这个“他”字说得特别重。 
“孟可司，你是指？”老板迟疑地问。 'Hush!' said the Jew. 'Yes.' “嘘！”老犹太说，“是啊。” 'Certain,' replied the man, drawing a gold watch from his fob; 'I expected him here before now. If you'll wait ten minutes, he'll be--' “肯定会来，”老板从表袋里掏出一块金表。“刚才我还以为他在这儿呢，你只要等十分钟，他准--” 'No, no,' said the Jew, hastily; as though, however desirous he might be to see the person in question, he was nevertheless relieved by his absence. 'Tell him I came here to see him; and that he must come to me to-night. No, say to-morrow. As he is not here, to-morrow will be time enough.' “不，不，”老犹太连声说道，他好像尽管很想见一见此人，又因为他不在而感到庆幸。“你告诉他，我来这儿找过他，叫他今天晚上一定到我那儿去。不，就说明天。既然他没在，那就明天好了。” 'Good!' said the man. 'Nothing more?' “好吧。”那人说，“没别的事了？” 
“眼下没什么要说的了。”老犹太说着往楼下走去。 'I say,' said the other, looking over the rails, and speaking in a hoarse whisper; 'what a time this would be for a sell! I've got Phil Barker here: so drunk, that a boy might take him!' “我说，”对方从扶手上探出头来，沙哑地低声说道，“现在做买卖正是时候。我把菲尔·巴克弄这儿来了，喝得个醉，连一个毛孩子都能收拾他。” 'Ah! But it's not Phil Barker's time,' said the Jew, looking up.'Phil has something more to do, before we can afford to part with him; so go back to the company, my dear, and tell them to lead merry lives--WHILE THEY LAST. Ha! ha! ha!' “啊哈！现在可不是收拾菲尔·巴克的时候，”老犹太抬起头来，说道，“菲尔还有些事要做，然后我们才会和他分手。招呼客人去吧，亲爱的，告诉他们好好乐一乐--趁他们还活着。哈哈哈！” The landlord reciprocated the old man's laugh; and returned to his guests. The Jew was no sooner alone, than his countenance resumed its former expression of anxiety and thought. After a brief reflection, he called a hack-cabriolet, and bade the man drive towards Bethnal Green. He dismissed him within some quarter of a mile of Mr. Sikes's residence, and performed the short remainder of the distance, on foot. 老板跟着老头儿打了个哈哈，回客人那边去了。左右无人，费金脸上立刻恢复了先前那副忧心忡忡的表情。他沉思了一会儿；叫了一辆出租马车，吩咐车夫开到贝丝勒尔草地去。他在离赛克斯先生的公馆还有几百码的地方下了马车，徒步走完余下的一小段路。 'Now,' muttered the Jew, as he knocked at the door, 'if there is any deep play here, I shall have it out of you, my girl, cunning as you are.' “哼，”老犹太嘟嘟哝哝地敲了敲门。“要是这里头有什么鬼把戏的话，我也要从你这儿弄个明白，我的小妞，随你怎么机灵。” 
开门的女人说南希在房间里。费金蹑手蹑脚地走上楼，连问也没有问一声就走了进去。姑娘独自一人，蓬头散发地伏在桌子上。 'She has been drinking,' thought the Jew, cooly, 'or perhaps she is only miserable.' “她在喝酒，”老犹太冷漠地思忖着，“也许是有什么伤心事。” The old man turned to close the door, as he made this reflection; the noise thus occasioned, roused the girl. She eyed his crafty face narrowly, as she inquired to his recital of Toby Crackit's story. When it was concluded, she sank into her former attitude, but spoke not a word. She pushed the candle impatiently away; and once or twice as she feverishly changed her position, shuffled her feet upon the ground; but this was all. 老头儿这样思忖着，转身关上房门，这声音一下子把南希姑娘惊醒了。她紧紧盯住费金那张精明的面孔，问有没有什么消息，又听他把托比·格拉基特说的情况细细讲了一遍。事情讲完了，她一句话也没说，又像刚才那样趴在桌上，一言不发。她烦躁地把蜡烛推到一边，有一两次，她神经质地换一下姿势，双脚沙沙地在地上蹭来蹭去，不过，也就是如此了。 During the silence, the Jew looked restlessly about the room, as if to assure himself that there were no appearances of Sikes having covertly returned. Apparently satisfied with his inspection, he coughed twice or thrice, and made as many efforts to open a conversation; but the girl heeded him no more than if he had been made of stone. At length he made another attempt; and rubbing his hands together, said, in his most concilitory tone, 趁着彼此无话可说的功夫，老犹太的目光忐忑不安地在屋子里扫了一圈，好像是要证实一下房间里的确没有赛克斯已经偷偷溜回来的任何迹象。这一番巡视显然使他感到满意，他咳嗽了三两声，千方百计地想打开话题，可姑娘根本不理他，只当他是个石头人。末了，他又作了一次尝试，搓了搓手，用最婉转的口气说： 'And where should you think Bill was now, my dear?' “你也该想想，眼下比尔在什么地方，是吗，亲爱的？” 
姑娘呻吟着，作出了某种只能听懂一半的答复，她说不上来，从她发出这种压抑的声音来看，她像是快哭出来了。
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