I should not feel my task so difficult of performance, or have toencounter so many struggles in my own bosom, when I take whatseems to me to be the strict line of duty.”“This is unkind, mother,” said Harry. “Do you still suppose thatI am a boy ignorant of my own mind, and mistaking the impulsesof my own soul?”“I think, my dear son,” returned Mrs. Maylie, laying her handupon his shoulder, “that youth has many generous impulses whichdo not last; and that among them are some, which, being gratified,become only the more fleeting. Above all, I think,” said the lady,fixing her eyes on her son’s face, “that if an enthusiastic, ardent,and ambitious man marry a wife on whose name there is a stain,which, though it originate in no fault of hers, may be visited bycold and sordid people upon her, and upon his children also, and,in exact proportion to his success in the world, be cast in his teeth,and made the subject of sneers against him, he may, no matterhow generous and good his nature, one day repent of theconnection he formed in early life. And she may have the pain ofknowing that he does so.”“Mother,” said the young man impatiently,” he would be aselfish brute, unworthy alike of the name of man and of thewoman you describe, who acted thus.”“You think so now, Harry,” replied his mother.“And ever will!” said the young man. “The mental agony I havesuffered, during the last two days, wrings from me the avowal toyou of a passion which, as you well know, is not one of yesterday,nor one I have lightly formed. On Rose, sweet, gentle girl! myheart is set, as firmly as ever heart of man was set on woman. Ihave no thought, no view, no hope in life, beyond her; and if youCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 357oppose me in this great stake, you take my peace and happiness inyour hands, and cast them to the wind. Mother, think better ofthis, and of me, and do not disregard the happiness of which youseem to think so little.”“Harry,” said Mrs. Maylie, “it is because I think so much ofwarm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from beingwounded. But we have said enough, and more than enough, onthis matter, just now.”“Let it rest with Rose, then,” interposed Harry. “You will notpress these overstrained opinions of yours, so far, as to throw anyobstacle in my way?”“I will not,” rejoined Mrs. Maylie; “but I would have youconsider—”“I have considered!” was the impatient reply; “mother, I haveconsidered, years and years. I have considered, ever since I havebeen capable of serious reflection. My feelings remain unchanged,as they ever will; and why should I suffer the pain of a delay ingiving them vent, which can be productive of no earthly good? No!Before I leave this place, Rose shall hear me.”“She shall,” said Mrs. Maylie.“There is something in your manner, which would almost implythat she will hear me coldly, mother,” said the young man.“Not coldly,” rejoined the old lady; “far from it.”“How then?” urged the young man. “She has formed no otherattachment?”“No, indeed,” replied his mother; “you have, or I mistake, toostrong a hold on her affections already. What I would say,”resumed the old lady, stopping her son as he was about to speak,“is this. Before you stake your all on this chance; before you sufferCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 358yourself to be carried to the highest point of hope; reflect for a fewmoments, my dear child, on Rose’s history, and consider whateffect the knowledge of her doubtful birth may have on herdecision—devoted as she is to us, with all the intensity of her noblemind, and with that perfect sacrifice of self which, in all matters,great or trifling, has always been her characteristic.”“What do you mean?”“That I leave you to discover,” replied Mrs. Maylie. “I must goback to her. God bless you!”“I shall see you again tonight?” said the young ma eagerly.“By and by,” replied the lady; “when I leave Rose.”“You will tell her I am here?” said Harry.“Of course,” replied Mrs. Maylie.“And say how anxious I have been, and how much I havesuffered, and how I long to see her. You will not refuse to do this,mother?”“No,” said the old lady; “I will tell her all.” And pressing herson’s hand affectionately, she hastened from the room.Mr. Losberne and Oliver had remained at another end of theapartment while this hurried conversation was proceeding. Theformer now held out his hand to Harry Maylie; and heartysalutations were exchanged between them. The doctor thencommunicated, in reply to multifarious questions from his youngfriend, a precise account of his patient’s situation; which was quiteas consolatory and full of promise, as Oliver’s statement hadencouraged him to hope; and to the whole of which, Mr. Giles, whoaffected to be busy about the luggage, listened with greedy ears.“Have you shot anything particular, lately, Giles?” inquired thedoctor, when he had concluded.Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 359“Nothing particular, sir,” replied Mr. Giles, colouring up to theeyes.“Nor catching any thieves, nor identifying any housebreakers?”said the doctor.“None at all, sir,” replied Mr. Giles, with much gravity.“Well,” said the doctor, “I am sorry to hear it, because you dothat sort of thing admirably. Pray, how is Brittles?”“The boy is very well, sir,” said Mr. Giles, recovering his usualtone of patronage; “and sends his respectful duty, sir.”“That’s well,” said the doctor. “Seeing you here, reminds me,Mr. Giles, that on the day before that on which I was called awayso hurriedly, I executed, at the request of your good mistress, asmall commission in your favour. Just step into this corner amoment, will you?”Mr. Giles walked into the corner with much importance, andsome wonder, and was honoured with a short whisperingconference with the doctor, on the termination of which, he madea great many bows, and retired with steps of unusual stateliness.The subject matter of this conference was not disclosed in theparlour, but the kitchen was speedily enlightened concerning it;for Mr. Giles walked straight thither, and having called for a mugof ale, announced, with an air of majesty, which was highlyeffective, that it had pleased his mistress, in consideration of hisgallant behaviour on the occasion of the attempted robbery todeposit, in the local savings-bank, the sum of five-and-twentypounds, for his sole use and benefit. At this, the two women-servants lifted up their hands and eyes, and supposed that Mr.Giles would begin to be quite proud now; whereunto Mr. Giles,pulling out his shirt frill, replied, “No, no”; and that if theyCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 360observed that he was at all haughty to his inferiors, he wouldthank them to tell him so. And then he made a great many otherremarks, no less illustrative of his humility, which were receivedwith equal favour and applause, and were, withal, as original andas much to the purpose, as the remarks of great men commonlyare.Above stairs, the remainder of the evening passed cheerfullyaway; for the doctor was in high spirits; and however fatigued orthoughtful Harry Maylie might have been at first, he was not proofagainst the worthy gentleman’s good-humour, which displayeditself in a great variety of sallies and professional recollections, andan abundance of small jokes, which struck Oliver as being thedrollest things he had ever heard, and caused him to laughproportionately; to the evident satisfaction of the doctor, wholaughed immoderately at himself, and made Harry laugh almost asheartily, by the very force of sympathy. So, they were as pleasant aparty as, under the circumstances, they could well have been; andit was late before they retired, with light and thankful hearts, totake that rest of which, after the doubt and suspense they hadrecently undergone, they stood much in need.Oliver rose next morning, in better heart, and went about hisusual early occupations, with more hope and pleasure than he hadknown for many days. The birds were once more hung out, to sing,in their old places; and the sweetest wild flowers that could befound, were once more gathered to gladden Rose with theirbeauty. The melancholy which had seemed to the sad eyes of theanxious boy to hang, for days past, over every object, beautiful asall were, was dispelled by magic. The dew seemed to sparkle morebrightly on the green leaves; the air to rustle among them with aCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 361sweeter music; and the sky itself to look more blue and bright.Such is the influence which the condition of our own thoughtsexercises, even over the appearance of external objects. Men wholook on nature, and their fellow-men, and cry that all is dark andgloomy, are in the right; but the sombre colours are reflectionsfrom their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues aredelicate, and need a clearer vision.It is worthy of remark, and Oliver did not fail to note it at thetime, that his morning expeditions were no longer made alone.Harry Maylie, after the very first morning when he met Olivercoming laden home, was seized with such a passion for flowers,and displayed such a taste in their arrangement, as left his youngcompanion far behind. If Oliver were behindhand in theserespects, however, he knew where the best were to be found; andmorning after morning they scoured the country together, andbrought home the fairest that blossomed. The window of theyoung lady’s chamber was opened now; for she loved to feel therich summer air stream in, and revive her with its freshness; butthere always stood in water, just inside the lattice, one particularlittle bunch, which was made up with great care, every morning.Oliver could not help noticing that the withered flowers werenever thrown away, although the little vase was regularlyreplenished; nor, could he help observing, that whenever thedoctor came into the garden, he invariably cast his eyes up to thatparticular corner, and nodded his head most expressively, as heset forth on his morning’s walk. Pending these observations, thedays were flying by; and Rose was rapidly recovering.Nor did Oliver’s time hang heavy on his hands, although theyoung lady had not yet left her chamber, and there were noCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 362evening walks, save now and then, for a short distance, with Mrs.Maylie. He applied himself, with redoubled assiduity, to theinstructions of the white-headed old gentleman, and laboured sohard that his quick progress surprised even himself. It was whilehe was engaged in this pursuit, that he was greatly startled anddistressed by a most unexpected occurrence.The little room in which he was accustomed to sit, when busy athis books, was on the ground-floor, at the back of the house. It wasquite a cottage-room, with a lattice window, around which wereclusters of jessamine and honeysuckle that crept over thecasement, and filled the place with their delicious perfume. Itlooked into a garden, whence a wicket gate opened into a smallpaddock; all beyond, was fine meadowland and wood. There wasno other dwelling near, in that direction; and the prospect itcommanded was very extensive. One beautiful evening, when thefirst shades of twilight were beginning to settle upon the earth,Oliver sat at this window, intent upon his books. He had beenporing over them for some time; and, as the day had beenuncommonly sultry, and he had exerted himself a great deal, it isno disparagement to the authors, whoever they may have been, tosay that gradually and by slow degrees, he fell asleep.There is a kind of sleep that steals upon us sometimes, which,while it holds the body prisoner, does not free the mind from asense of things about it, and enable it to ramble at its pleasure. Sofar as an overpowering heaviness, a prostration of strength, and anutter inability to control our thoughts of power of motion, can becalled sleep, this is it, and yet, we have a consciousness of all thatis going on about us, and, if we dream at such a time, words whichare really spoken, or sounds which really exist at the moment,Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 363accommodate themselves with surprising readiness to our visions,until reality and imagination become so strangely blended that itis afterwards almost a matter of impossibility to separate the two.Nor is this, the most striking phenomenon, incidental to such astate. It is an undoubted fact, that although our senses of touchand sight be for the time dead, yet our sleeping thoughts, and thevisionary scenes that pass before us, will be influenced andmaterially influenced, by the mere silent presence of some externalobject; which may not have been near us when we closed our eyes,and of whose vicinity we have had no waking consciousness.Oliver knew, perfectly well, that he was in his own little room;that his books were lying on the table before him; that the sweetair was stirring among the creeping plants outside. And yet he wasasleep. Suddenly, the scene changed; the air became close andconfined; and he thought, with a glow of terror, that he was in theJew’s house again. There sat the hideous old man, in hisaccustomed corner, pointing at him, and whispering to anotherman, with his face averted, who sat beside him.“Hush, my dear!” he thought he heard the Jew say; “it is he,sure enough. Come away.”“He!” the other man seemed to answer; “could I mistake him,think you? If a crowd of ghosts were to put themselves into hisexact shape, and he stood amongst them, there is something thatwould tell me how to point him out. If you buried him fifty feetdeep, and took me across his grave, I fancy I should know, if therewasn’t a mark above it, that he lay buried there!”The man seemed to say this, with such dreadful hatred, thatOliver awoke with the fear, and started up.“Good Heaven! what was that, which sent the blood tingling toCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 364his heart, and deprived him of his choice, and of power to move?There—there—at the window—close before him—so close, that hecould have almost touched him before he started back, with hiseyes peering into the room, and meeting his, there stood the Jew!And beside him, white with rage or fear, or both, were thescowling features of the very man who had accosted him in theinn-yard.It was but an instant, a glance, a flash, before his eyes; and theywere gone. But they had recognised him, and he them; and theirlook was as firmly impressed upon his memory, as if it had beendeeply carved in stone, and set before him from his birth. He stoodtransfixed for a moment; then, leaping from the window into thegarden, called loudly for help.Charles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 365Chapter 35Containing The Unsatisfactory Result Of Oliver’sAdventure; And A Conversation Of SomeImportance Between Harry Maylie And Rose.When the inmates of the house, attracted by Oliver’scries, hurried to the spot from which they proceeded,they found him, pale and agitated, pointing in thedirection of the meadows behind the house, and scarcely able toarticulate the words, “The Jew! the Jew!”Mr. Giles was at a loss to comprehend what this outcry meant;but Harry Maylie, whose perceptions were something quicker, andwho had heard Oliver’s history from his mother, understood it atonce.“What direction did he take?” he asked, catching up a heavystick which was standing in a corner.“That,” replied Oliver, pointing out the course the man hadtaken; “I missed them in an instant.”“Then, they are in the ditch!” said Harry. “Follow! And keep asnear me as you can.” So saying, he sprang over the hedge, anddarted off with a speed which rendered it matter of exceedingdifficulty for the others to keep near him.Giles followed as well as he could; and Oliver followed too; andin the course of a minute or two, Mr. Losberne, who had been outwalking, and just then returned, tumbled over the hedge afterthem, and picking himself up with more agility than he could havebeen supposed to possess, struck into the same course at noCharles Dickens ElecBook ClassicsOliver Twist 366contemptible speed, shouting all the while, most prodigiously, toknow what was the matter.On they all went; nor stopped they once to breathe, until theleader, striking off into an angle of the field indicated by Oliver,began to search, narrowly, the ditch and hedge adjoining; whichafforded time for the remainder of the party to come up; and forOliver to communicate to Mr. Losberne the circumstances thathad led to so vigorous a pursuit.The search was all in vain. There were not even the traces ofrecent footsteps to be seen. They stood now on the summit of alittle hill, commanding the open fields in every direction for threeor four miles. There was the village in the hollow on the left; but,in order to gain that, after pursuing the track Oliver had pointedout, the men must have made a circuit of open ground, which itwas impossible they could have accomplished in so short a time. Athick wood skirted the meadowland in another direction; but theycould not have gained that covert for the same reason.
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