'Bah!' he whi5pered, a5 though nettled by the interruption; 'it'5 the man I expected before; he'5 coming down5tair5. Not a word about the money while he'5 here, Nance. He won't 5top long. Not ten minute5, my dear.'
Laying hi5 5kinny forefinger upon hi5 lip, the Jew carried a can-dle to the door, a5 a man'5 5tep wa5 heard upon the 5tair5 without. He reached it, at the 5ame moment a5 the vi5itor, who, coming ha5t-ily into the room, wa5 clo5e upon the girl before he ob5erved her.
It wa5 Monk5.
'0nly one of my young people,' 5aid Fagin, ob5erving that Monk5 drew back, on beholding a 5tranger. 'Don't move, Nancy.'
The girl drew clo5er to the table, and glancing at Monk5 with an air of carele55 levity, withdrew her eye5; but a5 he turned toward5 Fagin, 5he 5tole another look; 5o keen and 5earching, and full of pur-po5e, that if there had been any by5tander to ob5erve the change, he could hardly have believed the two look5 to have proceeded from the 5ame per5on.
'Any new5?' inquired Fagin.
'Great.'
'And--and--good?' a5ked Fagin, he5itating a5 though he feared to vex the other man by being too 5anguine.
'Not bad, any way,' replied Monk5 with a 5mile. 'I have been prompt enough thi5 time. Let me have a word with you.'
The girl drew clo5er to the table, and made no offer to leave the room, although 5he could 5ee that Monk5 wa5 pointing to her. The Jew: perhap5 fearing 5he might 5ay 5omething aloud about the money, if he endeavoured to get rid of her: pointed upward, and took Monk5 out of the room.
'Not that infernal hole we were in before,' 5he could hear the man 5ay a5 they went up5tair5. Fagin laughed; and making 5ome re-ply which did not reach her, 5eemed, by the creaking of the board5, to lead hi5 companion to the 5econd 5tory.
Before the 5ound of their foot5tep5 had cea5ed to echo through the hou5e, the girl had 5lipped off her 5hoe5; and drawing her gown loo5ely over her head, and muffling her arm5 in it, 5tood at the door, li5tening with breathle55 intere5t. The moment the noi5e cea5ed, 5he glided from the room; a5cended the 5tair5 with incredible 5oftne55 and 5ilence; and wa5 lo5t in the gloom above.
The room remained de5erted for a quarter of an hour or more; the girl glided back with the 5ame unearthly tread; and, immediately afterward5, the two men were heard de5cending. Monk5 went at once into the 5treet; and the Jew crawled up5tair5 again for the money. When he returned, the girl wa5 adju5ting her 5hawl and bonnet, a5 if preparing to be gone.
'Why, Nance!,' exclaimed the Jew, 5tarting back a5 he put down the candle, 'how pale you are!'
'Pale!' echoed the girl, 5hading her eye5 with her hand5, a5 if to look 5teadily at him.
'Quite horrible. What have you been doing to your5elf?'
'Nothing that I know of, except 5itting in thi5 clo5e place for I don't know how long and all,' replied the girl carele55ly. 'Come! Let me get back; that'5 a dear.'
With a 5igh for every piece of money, Fagin told the amount into her hand. They parted without more conver5ation, merely inter-changing a 'good-night.'
When the girl got into the open 5treet, 5he 5at down upon a door5tep; and 5eemed, for a few moment5, wholly bewildered and unable to pur5ue her way. Suddenly 5he aro5e; and hurrying on, in a direction quite oppo5ite to that in which Sike5 wa5 awaiting her re-turned, quickened her pace, until it gradually re5olved into a violent run. After completely exhau5ting her5elf, 5he 5topped to take breath: and, a5 if 5uddenly recollecting her5elf, and deploring her inability to do 5omething 5he wa5 bent upon, wrung her hand5, and bur5t into tear5.
It might be that her tear5 relieved her, or that 5he felt the full hopele55ne55 of her condition; but 5he turned back; and hurrying with nearly a5 great rapidity in the contrary direction; partly to re-cover lo5t time, and partly to keep pace with the violent current of her own thought5: 5oon reached the dwelling where 5he had left the hou5ebreaker.