雾都狐儿 节选

APTER 22
THE BURGLARY
ALLO!' cried a loud, hoarse voice,
as soon as they set foot in the
passage.
'Don't make such a row,' said Sikes, bolting the door.
'Show a glim, Toby.'
'Aha! my pal!' cried the same voice. 'A giim, Barney, a
glim! Show the gentleman in, Barney; wake up first, if
convenient. '
The speaker appeared to throw a boot-jack, or some such
article, at the person he addressed, to rouse him from his
slumbers; for the noise ora wooden body, falling violently,
was heard; and then and indistinct muttering, as ora man
between sleep and awake.
'Do you hear?' cried the same voice. 'There's Bill Sikes in
the passage with nobody to do the civil to him; and you
sleeping there, as ifyou took laudanum with your meals,
and nothing stronger. Are you any fresher now, or do you
want the iron candlestick to wake you thoroughly?'
A pair of slipshod feet shuffled, hastily, across the bare
 floor of the room, as this interrogatory was put; and there
issued from a door on the right hand: first, a feeble candle:
                                                                                                                                                              .
and next, the form of the same individual who has been
heretofore described as labouring under the infirmity of
speaking through his nose, and officiating as waiter at the
public-house on Saffron Hill.
                          
  Bister Sikes. exclaimed Barney, with real or counterfeit
joy; 'cub id, sir; cub id.'
 'Here! you get on first,' said Sikes, putting Oliver in front
 of him. 'Quicker! or I shall tread upon your heels.'
 Muttering a curse upon his tardiness, Sikes pushed Oliver
 before him; and they entered a low dark room with a
 smoky fire, two or three broken chairs, a table, and a very
 old couch: on which, with his legs much higher than his
 head, a man was reposing at; full length, smoking a long
 clay pipe. He was dressed in a smartly-cut snuff-coloured
 coat, with large brass buttons; an orange neckerchief; a
 coarse, staring, shawl-pattern waistcoat, and drab
 breeches. Mr. Crackit (for he it was) had no very great
 quantity of hair, either upon his head or face; but what he
 had, was of a reddish dye, and tortured into long cork-
 screw curls, through which he occasionally thrust some i
 very dirty fingers, ornamented with large common rings.
 He was a trifle above the middle size, and apparently
 rather weak.in the legs; but this circumstance by no
 means detracted from his own admiration of his top-
 boots, which he contemplated, in their elevated situa-
 tion, with lively satisfaction.
 ' Bill, my boy!' said this figure, turning his head towards
 the door, ' I'm glad to see you. I was almost afraid you'd
 given it up: in which case I should have made a personal
wentur. Hallo!'
 Uttering this exclamation in a tone of great surprise, as
 his eyes rested on Oliver, Mr. Toby Crackit brought
 himself into a sitting posture, and demanded who that
  was.
The boy. Only the boy!' replied Sikes, drawing a chair
 towards the fire.
Wud of Bister Fagid's lads,' exclaimed Barney, with a
grin.
 'Fagin's, eh!' exclaimed Toby, looking at Oliver. 'Wot
 an inwalable boy that'll make, for the old ladies' pockets
 in chapels! His mug is a fortun' to him.'
 'There -- there's enough of that,' interposed Sikes impa-
 tiently; and stooping over his recumbent friend, he whis-
 pered a few words in his ear: at which Mr. Crackit laughed
 immensely, and honoured Oliver with a long stare of
 astonishment.
 'Now,' said Sikes, as he resumed his seat,' ifyou'll give
 us something to eat and drink while we're waiting, you'll
 put some heart in us; or in me, at all events. Sit down by
 the fire, younker, and rest yourself; for you'll have to go
 out with us again tonight, though not very far off.'
  Oliver looked at Sikes in mute and timid wonder; and
  drawing a stool to the fire, sat with his aching head upon
  his hands, scarecely knowing where he was, or what was
 passing around him.
  'Here,' said Toby, as the young Jew placed some frag-
  ments of food, and a bottle upon the table, 'Success to
  the crack!' He rose to honour the toast; and, carefully

雾都狐儿 内容简介

19世纪30年代，雾都伦敦，小男孩奥利佛·特维斯特自幼被父母抛弃，孤独地在教区抚幼院里长大，随后他被迫进入苛刻的巴姆鲍经营的棺材店里做学徒，由于不能承受繁重的劳动和老板的打骂，他逃到伦敦街上，成为一名雾都孤儿。在伦敦游荡的时候，独自一人的奥利佛被当地一个扒手黑帮盯上，并且被险恶的费金骗进充满罪恶和肮脏的贼窝，费金希望能够将奥利佛训练成一位盗窃能手以成为自己的“孩子盗窃集团”的一员，从而又多了一个可以为自己获取不义之财的途径。 身陷囫囵的奥利佛得到和蔼的布郎罗先生的帮助，但仅仅是他一系列冒险经历的开始。恶劣的环境、重重的误会、人性的黑暗包围着奥利佛，在流浪中他历尽艰辛，但奥利佛始终保持纯真的心，对生命抱有希望，甚至让二号贼首赛克斯的情妇南希良心发现，在他天真纯洁的身上看到往日清白的自己，*终冒着生命危险将奥利佛救出贼窟。然而，南希为了救这位可怜的孤儿而被杀，奥利佛·特维斯特经过百般周折之后，终于知道了自已真实的身份……

雾都狐儿 作者简介

查尔斯·狄更斯(1812-1870)：查尔斯·狄更斯，英国小说家。由于出身贫寒，从小没有在学校接受过正规的教育。他12岁便开始在工厂工作。19世纪初，资本主义开始盛行，这为英国大城市带来了繁荣，同时也造成了许多阴暗面：童工泛滥，工人阶级的生活极度困苦。狄更斯亲身体验到了社会的不公平，他开始通过自学创作小说，同时坚信只有学习才能使他脱离贫困。狄更斯凭借自己的亲身经历在小说中生动地描写了工人阶级大众的日常生活以及他们的喜怒哀乐，因而他的作品很受欢迎。狄更斯还通过诙谐的描写大胆地揭露了社会的不公正现象和社会矛盾。狄更斯最著名的作品包括《远大前程》和《雾都孤儿》等。1870年6月9日，查尔斯·狄更斯去世。他安息于威斯敏斯特教堂，与英国其他伟大的作家葬在一起。尽管人们常批评狄更斯为迎合读者的口味而过于多愁善感，但狄更斯仍与伟大的英国剧作家莎士比亚一样备受尊重，究其原因就是狄更斯创造的人物不仅被赋予了人性和幽默，同时还体现出人类真正的乐观和生命力。