Oliver Twist 446Chapter 42An Old Acquaintance Of Oliver’s, ExhibitingDecided Marks Of Genius, Becomes A PublicCharacter In The Metropolis.Upon the night when Nancy, having lulled Mr. Sikes tosleep, hurried on her self-imposed mission to RoseMaylie, there advanced towards London, by the GreatNorth Road, two persons, upon whom it is expedient that thishistory should bestow some attention.They were a man and a woman; or perhaps they would bebetter described as a male and female; for the former was one ofthose long-limbed, knock-kneed, shambling, bony people, to whomit is difficult to assign any precise age—looking as they do, whenthey are yet boys, like undergrown men, and when they are almostmen, like overgrown boys. The woman was young, but of a robustand hardy make, as she need have been to bear the weight of theheavy bundle which was strapped to her back. Her companionwas not encumbered with much luggage, as there merely dangledfrom a stick which he carried over his shoulder, a small parcelwrapped in a common handkerchief, and apparently light enough.This circumstance, added to the length of his legs, which were ofunusual extent, enabled him with much ease to keep some half-dozen paces in advance of his companion, to whom he occasionallyturned with an impatient jerk of the head, as if reproaching hertardiness, and urging her to greater exertion.Thus, they had toiled along the dusty road, taking little heed ofCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 447any object within sight, save when they stepped aside to allow awider passage for the mail-coaches which were whirling out oftown, until they passed through Highgate archway; when theforemost traveller stopped and called impatiently to hiscompanion.“Come on, can’t yer? What a lazybones ye are, Charlotte.”“It’s a heavy load, I can tell you,” said the female, coming up,almost breathless with fatigue.“Heavy! What are yer talking about! What are yer made for?”rejoined the male traveller, changing his own little bundle as hespoke, to the other shoulder. “Oh, there yer are, resting again!Well, if yer ain’t enough to tire anybody’s patience out, I don’tknow what is!”“Is it much farther?” asked the woman, resting herself against abank, and looking up with the perspiration streaming from herface.“Much farther! Yer as good as there,” said the long-leggedtramper, pointing out before him. “Look there! Those are thelights of London.”“They’re a good two mile off, at least,” said the womandespondingly.“Never mind whether they’re two mile off, or twenty,” saidNoah Claypole, for he it was; “but get up and come on, or I’ll kickyer, and so I give yer notice.”As Noah’s red nose grew redder with anger, and as he crossedthe road while speaking, as if fully prepared to put his threat intoexecution, the woman rose without any further remark, andtrudged onward by his side.“Where do you mean to stop for the night, Noah?” she asked,Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 448after they had walked a few hundred yards.“How should I know?” replied Noah, whose temper had beenconsiderably impaired by walking.“Near, I hope,” said Charlotte.“No, not near,” replied Mr. Claypole. ‘‘There! Not near; so don’tthink it.”“Why not?”“When I tell yer that I don’t mean to do a thing, that’s enough,without any why or because either,” replied Mr. Claypole, withdignity.“Well, you needn’t be so cross,” said his companion.“A pretty thing it would be, wouldn’t it, to go and stop at thevery first public-house outside the town, so that Sowerberry, if hecame up after us, might poke in his old nose, and have us takenback in a cart with handcuffs on,” said Mr Claypole, in a jeeringtone. “No! I shall go and lose myself among the narrowest streets Ican find, and not stop till we come to the very out-of-the-wayesthouse I can set eyes on. ’Cod, yer may thank yer stars I’ve got ahead; for if we hadn’t gone, at first, the wrong road a purpose, andcome back across country, yer’d have been locked up hard andfast a week ago, my lady. And serve yer right for being a fool.”“I know I ain’t as cunning as you are,” replied Charlotte; “butdon’t put all the blame on me, and say I should have been lockedup. You would have been if I had been, anyway.”“Yer took the money from the till, yer know yer did,” said Mr.Claypole.“I took it for you, Noah dear,” rejoined Charlotte.“Did I keep it?” asked Mr. Claypole.“No; you trusted in me, and let me carry it like a dear, and soCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 449you are,” said the lady, chucking him under the chin, and drawingher arm through his.This was indeed the case; but as it was not Mr. Claypole’s habitto repose a blind and foolish confidence in anybody, it should beobserved, in justice to that gentleman, that he had trustedCharlotte to this extent, in order that, if they were pursued, themoney might be found on her; which would leave him anopportunity of asserting his innocence of any theft, and wouldgreatly facilitate his chances of escape. Of course, he entered atthis juncture into no explanation of his motives, and they walkedon very leisurely together.In pursuance of this cautious plan, Mr. Claypole went on,without halting, until he arrived at the Angel at Islington, wherehe wisely judged, from the crowd of passengers and number ofvehicles, that London began in earnest. Just pausing to observewhich appeared the most crowded streets, and consequently themost to be avoided, he crossed into St. John’s Road, and was soondeep in the obscurity of the intricate and dirty ways, which, lyingbetween Gray’s Inn Lane and Smithfield, render that part of thetown one of the lowest and worst that improvement has left in themidst of London.Through these streets, Noah Claypole walked, draggingCharlotte after him; now stepping into the kennel to embrace at aglance the whole external character of some small public-house;and now jogging on again, as some fancied appearance inducedhim to believe it too public for his purpose. At length, he stoppedin front of one, more humble in appearance and more dirty thanany he had yet seen; and, having crossed over and surveyed itfrom the opposite pavement, graciously announced his intentionCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 450of putting up there, for the night.“So give us the bundle,” said Noah, unstrapping it from thewoman’s shoulders, and slinging it over his own; “and don’t yerspeak, except when yer spoke to. What’s the name of the house—th-r—three what?”“Cripples,” said Charlotte.“Three Cripples,” repeated Noah, “and a very good sign too.Now, then! Keep close at my heels, and come along.” With theseinjunctions, he pushed the rattling door with his shoulder, andentered the house, followed by his companion.There was nobody in the bar but a young Jew, who, with histwo elbows on the counter, was reading a dirty newspaper. Hestared very hard at Noah, and Noah stared very hard at him.If Noah had been attired in his charity-boy’s dress, there mighthave been some reason for the Jew opening his eyes so wide; butas he had discarded the coat and badge, and wore a short smock-frock over his leathers, there seemed no particular reason for hisappearance exciting so much attention in a public-house.“Is this the Three Cripples?” asked Noah.“That is the dabe of this ’ouse,” replied the Jew.“A gentleman we met on the road, coming up from the country,recommended us here,” said Noah, nudging Charlotte, perhaps tocall her attention to this most ingenious device for attractingrespect, and perhaps to warn her to betray no surprise. “We wantto sleep here tonight.”“I’b dot certaid you cad,” said Barney, who was the attendantsprite; “but I’ll idquire.”“Show us the tap, and give us a bit of cold meat and a drop ofbeer while yer inquiring, will yer?” said Noah. Barney compliedCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 451by ushering them into a small back room, and setting the requiredviands before them; having done which, he informed the travellersthat they could be lodged that night, and left the amiable couple totheir refreshment.Now, this back room was immediately behind the bar, andsome steps lower, so that any person connected with the house,undrawing a small curtain which concealed a single pane of glassfixed in the wall of the last-named apartment, about five feet fromits flooring, could not only look down upon any guests in the backroom without any great hazard of being observed (the glass beingin a dark angle of the wall, between which and a large uprightbeam the observer had to thrust himself), but could, by applyinghis ear to the partition, ascertain with tolerable distinctness, theirsubject of conversation. The landlord of the house had notwithdrawn his eye from this place of espial for five minutes, andBarney had only just returned from making the communicationabove related, when Fagin, in the course of his evening’s business,came into the bar to inquire after some of his young pupils.“Hush!” said Barney; “stradegers id the next roob.”“Strangers!” repeated the old man in a whisper.“Ah! Ad rud uds too,” added Barney. “Frob the cuttry, butsubthig in your way, or I’b bistaked.”Fagin appeared to receive this communication with greatinterest. Mounting a stool, he cautiously applied his eye to thepane of glass, from which secret post he could see Mr. Claypoletaking cold beef from the dish, and porter from the pot, andadministering homeopathic doses of both to Charlotte, who satpatiently by, eating and drinking at his pleasure.“Aha!” he whispered, looking round to Barney, “I like thatCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 452fellow’s looks. He’d be of use to us; he knows how to train the girlalready. Don’t make as much noise as a mouse, my dear, and letme hear ’em talk—let me hear ’em.”He again applied his eye to the glass, and turning his ear to thepartition, listened attentively; with a subtle and eager look uponhis face, that might have appertained to some old goblin.“So I mean to be a gentleman,” said Mr. Claypole, kicking outhis legs, and continuing a conversation, the commencement ofwhich Fagin had arrived too late to hear. “No more jolly oldcoffins, Charlotte, but a gentleman’s life for me; and, if yer like, yershall be a lady.”“I should like that well enough, dear,” replied Charlotte; “buttills ain’t to be emptied every day, and people to get clear off afterit.”“Tills be blowed!” said Mr. Claypole; “there’s more thingsbesides tills to be emptied.”“What do you mean?” asked his companion.“Pockets, women’s ridicules, houses, mail-coaches, banks!” saidMr. Claypole, rising with the porter.“But you can’t do all that, dear,” said Charlotte.“I shall look out to get into company with them as can,” repliedNoah. “They’ll be able to make us useful some way or another.Why, you yourself are worth fifty women; I never see such aprecious sly and deceitful creetur as yer can be when I let yer.”“Lor, how nice it is to hear you say so!” exclaimed Charlotte,imprinting a kiss on his ugly face.“There, that’ll do; don’t yer be too affectionate, in case I’m crosswith yer,” said Noah, disengaging himself with great gravity. “Ishould like to be the captain of some band, and have the whoppingCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 453of ’em, and follering ’em about, unbeknown to themselves. Thatwould suit me, if there was good profit; and if we could only get inwith some gentleman of this sort, I say it would be cheap at thattwenty-pound note you’ve got—especially as we don’t very wellknow how to get rid of it ourselves.”After expressing this opinion, Mr. Claypole looked into theporter-pot with an aspect of deep wisdom; and having well shakenits contents, nodded condescendingly to Charlotte, and took adraught, wherewith he appeared greatly refreshed. He wasmeditating another, when the sudden opening of the door, and theappearance of a stranger, interrupted him.The stranger was Mr. Fagin. And very amiable he looked, anda-very low bow he made, as he advanced, and setting himselfdown at the nearest table, ordered something to drink of thegrinning Barney.“A pleasant night, sir, but cool for the time of year,” said Fagin,rubbing his hands. “From the country, I see, sir?”“How do yer see that?” asked Noah Claypole.“We have not so much dust as that in London,” replied Fagin,pointing from Noah’s shoes to that of his companion and fromthem to the two bundles.“Yer a sharp feller,” said Noah. “Ha! ha! only hear that,Charlotte!”“Why, one need be sharp in this town, my dear,” replied theJew, sinking his voice to a confidential whisper; “and that’s thetruth.”Fagin followed up this remark by striking the side of his nosewith his right forefinger—a gesture which Noah attempted toimitate, though not with complete success, in consequence of hisCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 454own nose not being large enough for the purpose. However, Mr.Fagin seemed to interpret the endeavour as expressing a perfectcoincidence with his opinion, and put about the liquor whichBarney reappeared with, in a very friendly manner.“Good stuff that,” observed Mr. Claypole, smacking his lips.“Dear!” said Fagin. “A man need be always emptying a till, or apocket, or a woman’s reticule, or a house, or a mail-coach, or abank, if he drinks it regularly.”Mr. Claypole no sooner heard this extract from his ownremarks than he fell back in his chair, and looked from the Jew toCharlotte with a countenance of ashy paleness and excessiveterror.“Don’t mind me, my dear,” said Fagin, drawing his chair closer.“Ha! ha! it was lucky it was only me that heard you by chance. Itwas very lucky it was only me.”“I didn’t take it,” stammered Noah, no longer stretching out hislegs like an independent gentleman, but coiling them up as well ashe could under his chair; “it was all her doing: yer’ve got it now,Charlotte, yer know yer have.”“No matter who’s got it, or who did it, my dear!” replied Fagin,glancing, nevertheless, with a hawk’s eye at the girl and the twobundles. “I’m in that way myself, and I like you for it.”“In what way?” asked Mr. Claypole, a little recovering.“In that way of business,” rejoined Fagin; “and so are thepeople of the house. You’ve hit the right nail upon the head, andare as safe here as you could be. There is not a safer place in allthis town than is the Cripples; that is, when I like to make it so.And I have taken a fancy to you and the young woman; so I’ve saidthe word, and you may make your minds easy.”Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 455Noah Claypole’s mind might have been at ease after thisassurance, but his body certainly was not; for he snuffled andwrithed about, into various uncouth positions, eyeing his newfriend meanwhile with mingled fear and suspicion.“I’ll tell you more,” said Fagin, after he had reassured the girl,by dint of friendly nods and muttered encouragements. “I have gota friend that I think can gratify your darling wish, and put you inthe right way, where you can take whatever department of thebusiness you think will suit you best at first, and be taught all theothers.”“Yer speak as if yer were in earnest,” replied Noah.“What advantage would it be to me to be anything else?”