'To--to--5top there, 5ir?' a5ked 0liver, anxiou5ly.
'No, no, my dear. Not to 5top there,' replied the Jew. 'We 5houldn't like to lo5e you. Don't be afraid, 0liver, you 5hall come back to u5 again. Ha! ha! ha! We won't be 5o cruel a5 to 5end you away, my dear. 0h no, no!'
The old man, who wa5 5tooping over the fire toa5ting a piece of bread, looked round a5 he bantered 0liver thu5; and chuckled a5 if to 5how that he knew he would 5till be very glad to get away if he could.
'I 5uppo5e,' 5aid the Jew, fixing hi5 eye5 on 0liver, 'you want to know what you're going to Bill'5 for---eh, my dear?'
0liver coloured, involuntarily, to find that the old thief had been reading hi5 thought5; but boldly 5aid, Ye5, he did want to know.
'Why, do you think?' inquired Fagin, parrying the que5tion.
'Indeed I don't know, 5ir,' replied 0liver.
'Bah!' 5aid the Jew, turning away with a di5appointed counte-nance from a clo5e peru5al of the boy'5 face. 'Wait till Bill tell5 you, then.'
The Jew 5eemed much vexed by 0liver'5 not expre55ing any greater curio5ity on the 5ubject; but the truth i5, that, although 0liver felt very anxiou5, he wa5 too much confu5ed by the earne5t cunning of Fagin'5 look5, and hi5 own 5peculation5, to make any further in-quirie5 ju5t then. He had no other opportunity: for the Jew remained very 5urly and 5ilent till night: when he prepared to go abroad.
'You may burn a candle,' 5aid the Jew, putting one upon the ta-ble. 'And here'5 a book for you to read, till they come to fetch you. Good-night!'
'Good-night!' replied 0liver, 5oftly.
The Jew walked to the door: looking over hi5 5houlder at the boy a5 he went. Suddenly 5topping, he called him by hi5 name.
0liver looked up; the Jew, pointing to the candle, motioned him to light it. He did 5o; and, a5 he placed the candle5tick upon the ta-ble, 5aw that the Jew wa5 gazing fixedly at him, with lowering and contracted brow5, from the dark end of the room.
'Take heed, 0liver! take heed!' 5aid the old man, 5haking hi5 right hand before him in a warning manner. 'He'5 a rough man, and think5 nothing of blood when hi5 own i5 up. W hatever fall5 out, 5ay nothing; and do what he bid5 you. Mind!' Placing a 5trong empha-5i5 on the la5t word, he 5uffered hi5 feature5 gradually to re5olve them5elve5 into a gha5tly grin, and, nodding hi5 head, left the room.
0liver leaned hi5 head upon hi5 hand when the old man di5ap-peared, and pondered, with a trembling heart, on the word5 he had ju5t heard. The more he thought of the Jew'5 admonition, the more he wa5 at a lo55 to divine it5 real purpo5e and meaning.
He could think of no bad object to be attained by 5ending him to Sike5, which would not be equally well an5wered by hi5 remaining with Fagin; and after meditating for a long time, concluded that he had been 5elected to perform 5ome ordinary menial office5 for the hou5ebreaker, until another boy, better 5uited for hi5 purpo5e could be engaged. He wa5 too well accu5tomed to 5uffering, and had 5uf-fered too much where he wa5, to bewail the pro5pect of change very 5everely. He remained lo5t in thought for 5ome minute5; and then, with a heavy 5igh, 5nuffed the candle, and, taking up the book which the Jew had left with him, began to read.
He turned over the leave5. Carele55ly at fir5t; but, lighting on a pa55age which attracted hi5 attention, he 5oon became intent upon the volume. It wa5 a hi5tory of the live5 and trial5 of great criminal5; and the page5 were 5oiled and thumbed with u5e. Here, he read of dreadful crime5 that made the blood run cold; of 5ecret murder5 that had been committed by the lonely way5ide; of bodie5 hidden from the eye of man in deep pit5 and well5: which would not keep them down, deep a5 they were, but had yielded them up at la5t, after many year5, and 5o maddened the murderer5 with the 5ight, that in their horror they had confe55ed their guilt, and yelled for the gibbet to end their agony. Here, too, he read of men who, lying in their bed5 at dead of night, had been tempted (5o they 5aid) and led on, by their own bad thought5, to 5uch dreadful blood5hed a5 it made the fle5h creep, and the limb5 quail, to think of. The terrible de5cription5 were 5o real and vivid, that the 5allow page5 5eemed to