Любимые герои. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Oliver Twist

He’ll join his old friends the thieves, and laugh at you. No, he won’t come back.”

It grew so dark that it was difficult to see the figures on the face of the watch: but the two old gentlemen continued to sit in silence with the watch between them.

II

Meanwhile Oliver Twist was walking quietly along the street. Suddenly a young woman caught him by the arm and cried, “Oh, my dear brother!” “Don’t!” cried Oliver, struggling1. “Let go of me!2

Who are you? Why are you stopping me?”

“Oh, I have found him! Oh, Oliver, Oliver! Come home, dear, come. Oh, I’ve found him!”

She was crying so loudly that two women who came up at the moment, asked a butcher’s boy who was standing near to run for the doctor.

“Oh, no, no, never mind,” said the young woman, “I am better now. Come home at once, you bad boy! Come!”

“What’s the matter, ma’am?” asked one of the women.

“Oh, ma’am,” replied the young woman, “he ran away a month ago from his parents, and went and joined the thieves and almost broke his mother’s heart.”

“Young wretch,” said one woman.

1struggling — сопротивляясь

2Let go of me! — Отпустите меня!

41

Charles Dickens

“Go home,” said the other.

“But I am not her brother,” cried Oliver. “I don’t know her. I have no sister, or father, or mother. I am an orphan.”

“What the devil is this?1” said a man who came out of a beer-shop. “Why2, it’s young Oliver! Come home to your poor mother, you young dog! Come home at once!”

“I don’t belong to them! I don’t know them! Help! Help!” cried Oliver.

“Help”, repeated the man. “Yes, I’ll help you! What books are these? You have stolen them, haven’t you? Give them here!”

With these words the man took the books and struck Oliver on the head. Then he took him by the hand and they walked along narrow streets. Soon they came to Fagin’s house.

In Mr. Brownlow’s house the lamps were lit, Mrs. Bedwin was waiting at the open door; the servant had run up the street twenty times to see if Oliver was coming; and still the two gentlemen sat in the dark room, with the watch between them.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1.What kind of man was Mr. Grimwig?

2.Why did Mr. Brownlow send Oliver to the bookstallkeeper with the books?

1What the devil is this? — Что, черт возьми, это такое?

2Why — О (выражает удивление)

42

Oliver Twist

3.Find sentences in the text to prove that Mr. Grimwig was sure that Oliver would not come back.

4.Why didn’t Oliver come back?

Part IV

I

(Bill Sikes1 and Toby Crackit2, two thieves and friends of Fagin, were planning to rob a country- house not far from London. To fulfil their plan, they wanted a boy. Fagin gave them Oliver. Sikes took Oliver out of London to a small town in the country. On the next day Sikes woke the boy very early. They left the house and walked all day long. On the way Toby joined them. Late at night they came to the house which they wanted to rob.)

Sikes, Toby and Oliver stopped before a house which was surrounded by a wall. Toby climbed the wall.

“The boy next,” he said. “Lift him up. I’ll catch hold of3 him.” In a few moments all three were lying on the grass on the other side. They stood up and walked towards the house. At the back of the house there was a little lattice window4. Sikes soon broke the lattice, and opened the window. The window was too small for a grown-up man to pass through; but a boy of Oliver’s size could do so.

1Bill Sikes ['bIl'saIks] — Билл Сайкс

2Toby Crackit ['tAubI'krBkIt] — Тоби Крекит

3I’ll catch hold of — Я подхвачу

4lattice window — окно с решеткой

43

Charles Dickens

Sikes took a dark lantern out of his pocket and threw the light on Oliver’s face. “Now, listen,” he whispered, “I shall put you through here. Take this light, go softly up the steps straight before you and along the little hall to the street door; open it and let us in.”

Toby bent down, so that his head touched the wall of the house, and put his hands on his knees. Thus he made a step of his back1. Sikes climbed up on him and put Oliver gently through the win- dow with his feet first.

1 made a step of his back — сделал ступеньку из своей спины

44

Oliver Twist

“Take the lantern,” said Sikes. “Do you see the steps before you?”

Oliver, more dead than alive, said, “Yes.” Sikes pointed to the street door with his pistol and whispered to Oliver:

“If you don’t go straight to the door, I shall kill you.” Oliver took the lantern and made a few steps to the door. “Come back!” Sikes suddenly shouted. “Back! back!” A loud cry followed immediately. Oliver was frightened. He dropped the lantern and did not know whether to go forward or run away.

At the top of the steps a light appeared, and Oliver saw two half-dressed1 men. There was a flash — a loud noise — some smoke — and he fell.

Sikes seized him by the collar and pulled him back through the window. The boy was bleeding. Sikes ran, holding2 him in his arms. Toby was running in front. Behind them men were shouting and dogs were barking. “It’s all over!” cried Toby. “Leave the boy and run away!” Sikes put Oliver on the ground, and the two men ran in different directions.

II

Oliver lay all night in the place where Sikes had left him. In the morning he came to himself3. His left arm hung at his side. It gave him much

1half-dressed — полуодетых

2holding — держа

3came to himself — пришел в себя

45

Charles Dickens

pain. He was so weak that he could not rise at first. Finally, with much difficulty, he got up and started walking1. He looked about and saw a house. It was not a long way off, and he tried to reach it. When he came up to the garden wall, he recognized the house. It was the house which they had tried to rob at night! He was afraid, but he could not go anywhere else. He walked up to the door and knocked.

The servants were sitting in the kitchen and talking about the events of the night.

“It was about half past two,” said Mr. Giles2, the head servant, “or a little nearer three, when I woke up and I thought I heard a noise.”

Here the cook turned pale3 and asked the housemaid to shut the door; who asked Brittles4, another servant, who asked yet another servant, who pretended not to hear.

“Heard a noise,” continued Mr. Giles. “I sat up in bed and listened. “Somebody,” I said, “is trying to break a door or window. I shall wake up Brittles, or they will murder him in his bed.”

Everybody looked at Brittles, and he looked at Mr. Giles.

“I put on my clothes,” said Giles, “took the pistol and walked softly to his room. ‘Brittles,’ I said when I woke him up, ‘don’t be afraid’!”

1started walking — пошел

2Giles [dZaIlz] — Джайлз

3turned pale — побледнел(а)

4Brittles ['brItlz] — Бритлз

46

Oliver Twist

“That’s right,” said Brittles in a low voice. “‘We are dead men, I think, Brittles,’ I said,”

continued Giles, “‘but don’t be afraid.’” “Was he afraid?” asked the cook.

“Not at all1,” replied Mr. Giles. “We took a dark lantern, that was standing in the room, and went downstairs in the dark.”

Mr. Giles rose from his chair and took two steps with his eyes shut2 to show how they were moving, when suddenly they heard a knock on the door. Mr. Giles quickly went back to his chair. The cook and the housemaid screamed.

“It was a knock,” said Mr. Giles. “Open the door, somebody.” Nobody moved.

“It is strange that somebody is knocking in the morning,” said Mr. Giles, “but the door must be opened. Do you hear, somebody?”

But everybody was afraid. At last they decided to go together. They took the dogs with them, went to the door and opened it.

“A boy!” exclaimed Mr. Giles. “What’s the matter with the— eh! Why, Brittles, look — don’t you know?”

He seized Oliver by one leg and one arm and pulled him in. “Here he is!” he shouted, “here is one of the thieves, ma’am! Here’s a thief, miss! Wounded, miss! I shot him, miss, and Brittles held the light!”

“Giles,” whispered a voice from upstairs.

1Not at all — Вовсе нет

2with his eyes shut — с закрытыми глазами

47

Charles Dickens

“I’m here, miss,” replied Mr. Giles. “Don’t be afraid, miss.”

“Hush,” replied the young lady, “you frighten my aunt as much as the thieves did. Is the poor man much hurt?”

“Wounded badly1, miss,” replied Giles.

“Hush! Wait quietly a little, I shall speak to aunt.” Soon the young lady returned and told Giles to carry the wounded person upstairs. She told Brittles to saddle the horse immediately, ride to town

and bring the doctor.

III

The doctor came soon. He was a very fat kind man. The doctor shook hands with both ladies.

“Oh, Dr. Losberne2,” said the young lady, “there is a poor man upstairs, whom aunt wishes you to see3.”

“Oh, yes,” replied the doctor, “so there is. Where is he? Show me the way.”

The doctor stayed with the patient a long time. At last he returned.

“This is a very strange thing, Mrs. Maylie4,” said the doctor.

“He is not in danger, I hope?” said the old lady.

1Wounded ['wu:ndId] badly — Тяжело ранен

2Losberne ['lDsbA:n] — Лосберн

3aunt wishes you to see — тетя хочет, чтобы вы по-

смотрели

4Maylie ['meIlI] — Мейли

48

Oliver Twist

“No, he isn’t,” answered the doctor. “Have you seen this thief?”

“No.”

“Have you heard anything about him?”

“No,” said the old lady. “Rose wished to see the man, but I did not allow her.”

“Oh,” said the doctor, “there is nothing frightening in his appearance. Would you like1 to see him in my presence?”

“If it is necessary,” replied the old lady.

They all went upstairs, entered the room and approached the bed. And there, to the ladies’ great surprise, they saw a child!

“What can this mean?” exclaimed the old lady. “So young,” said Rose.

“This poor child cannot be the pupil of robbers,” said Mrs. Maylie.

“Even if he has been wicked,” said Rose, “think how young he is! Maybe he has never known a mother’s love, or the comfort of a home, maybe he has always been hungry! Aunt, dear aunt, think of this and have pity upon2 this poor child!”

“My dear!” said the old lady, “be sure that I won’t harm a hair of his head.”

The boy was sleeping quietly. Dr. Losberne waited with the two ladies till he woke up. Then he examined him again and they all spoke to him. Oliver told them his sad story. After that it was

1Would you like — Не хотите ли вы

2have pity upon — пожалейте

49