A few days later, a visitor arrived in London from Oliver's home town. He was a large, fat man, and very proud of his hat, which showed the world that he was a most important official. It was, in fact, Mr Bumble the beadle, Oliver's old enemy.
几天后，有位访客到了伦敦，是从奥利弗家乡来的。他是个身形高大的胖绅士，对头上的帽子很自豪，因为那向世人证明了他是一位最重要的教区官员。事实上，班布尔先生教区干事，奥利弗的老对头。
Mr Bumble had completed his business in the city, and had just finished a most satisfactory meal in a pub. He pulled up his chair to the fire, to enjoy his hot gin-and-water in comfort, and opened the newspaper. The first thing he saw was this notice:
班布尔先生忙完了伦敦的事，在酒吧也心满意足地吃了一顿。他拉出椅子坐在炉火旁，打算尝热过的兑了水的杜松子酒，随手翻了份报纸看。他首先看到的就是一则启事：
A reward of five pounds is offered for any information leading to the discovery of a young boy, Oliver Twist, who was kidnapped from his home in Pentonville last Thursday evening. I am also interesting in any information about his past.
若能提供任何找小男孩――奥利弗·特维斯特的线索，就能得到5英镑的报酬。奥利弗于上周四晚在本顿维尔的家里被褥走。另外，我也有兴趣了解他的过往。
There was then a full description of Oliver's clothes and appearance, and Mr Brownlow's full address. Mr Bumble rubbed his eyes, read the notice again, and was at the address in less than ten minutes. He was shown into Mr Brownlow's study, where the old gentleman and his friend Mr Grimwig were sitting.
接着就是奥利弗着装、外貌的描述，以及布朗罗先生家的详细地址。班布尔先生擦了擦眼睛，又仔细阅了遍启事，这离布朗罗先生家不到10分钟。班布尔先生被带到布朗罗先生的书房，老绅士和他的朋友格雷姆威格先生正在书房等他。
'Do you know where the poor boy is now?' Mr Brownlow asked, when the beadle had explained the reason for his visit.
当教区干事说完拜访缘由时，布朗罗先生问：“您是知道那可伶的男孩现在在哪吗？”
Mr Bumble shook his head.
班布尔先生摇了摇头。
'Do you know anything good about him?' asked Mr Grimwig, looking closely at Mr Bumble's face.
“您有奥利弗的消息？”格雷姆威格先生盯着班布尔先生的脸问。
Mr Bumble shook his head again, very seriously, and turned down the corners of his mouth.
班布尔先生又摇了摇头，正了正色，把脸转向了一边。
'Then tell us everything you know about him.' said Mr Brownlow impatiently.
“那就跟我们讲讲你知道的奥利弗的事。”布朗罗先生耐心殆尽地说。
Mr Bumble put down his hat, unbottoned his coat, folded his arms, and sat back to his chair. He spoke in his most important and official voice, and talked for twenty minutes. His listeners heard all the details of Oliver's illegitimate birth, and how generously he had been treated as a workhouse orphan. They heard how he had always been an ungrateful and dangerous child, violently attacking another boy, and finally running away from the house where he had been working.
班布尔先生摘下帽子，解开大衣扣子，双手交叉坐回椅子上，用一幅郑重其事的官腔说了大概20分钟，两位听众听了奥利弗的不法出生的所有细节，以及在济贫院孤儿时受了何种优待。他们也听到了奥利弗是个忘恩负义、劣迹斑斑的男孩，对其他男孩子拳脚相加，和最后还从他工作的地方跑了。
The old gentleman shook his head sadly and gave Mr Bumble the five pounds. 'I would have been happy to give you three times the amount - if your story had proved that the boy was good.'
老绅士失望地摇了摇头，给了班布尔先生5英镑的报酬。“我愿意给你现在的3倍――你要是说的是奥利弗是个好孩子的话。”
If Mr Bumble had known this earlier, he might have told a different story, but now it was too late. So he took the money and left.
要是班布尔先生早知道这点，他应该会说个不一样的故事，但现在为时已晚。所以他拿着钱走了。
Mr Brownlow walked up and down his room for several minutes, deep in thought. He rang the bell for Mrs Bedwin, his housekeeper, and told her what he had heard.
布朗罗先生在房间里来来回回地思索了几分钟。他拉了铃叫贝德温太太――他的管家，跟她说了他听到的事。
'I don't believe it,' she said, with great certainty.
“我不信这些。”她坚定地说。
'I was right,' said Mr Grimwig with satisfaction. 'You should have listened to what i said.'
“我说对了，”格雷姆威格先生以胜利的姿态说。“你早该听我的话。”
Mr Brownlow said angrily, 'Never let me hear the boy's name again. Never. Remember that, Mrs Bedwin.'
布朗罗先生怒气冲冲地说：“永远别再跟我提那个孩子的名字了。别提了。记住了，贝德温太太。”
There was sad hearts at Mr Brownlow's house that night.
当晚，布朗罗先生一家都心情沮丧。
Meanwhile, in another part of London, Oliver remained a prisoner. Fagin had told Oliver how ungrateful he had been to run away. He had told him that he would have died of hungry without Fagin's kindness. He went on to tell Oliver the story of another young boy, who had gone to the police to tell them about gang, but who had finally been hanged one morning for being a thief. Fagin described the hanging in terrifying detail, and said that he hoped he would never have to tell the police about Oliver - and see Oliver with a rope around his neck. Oliver felt his blood turn cold.
同时，伦敦的另一处，奥利弗仍被关着。费金说奥利弗想要逃跑是多忘恩负义。他也告诉奥利弗要是没有他的怜悯他早就饿死了。他还给奥利弗讲了一个小男孩的事，小男孩跑去警察局告发他们，但结果是某天早上小男孩被当作小偷绞死了。费金还特意说了绞死时，让人毛骨悚然的细节，并希望他不必向警察告发奥利弗――看到奥利弗的脖子上缠着绳子。奥利弗吓得全身冰冷。
He remained locked in a room for many days, seeing nobody between early morning and midnight. He spent his time thinking sadly about his friends in Pentonville. After a week he was free to wander around the house during the day. It was a dirty place, full of rats and insects but on other living thing. All the windows were closed, and covered with wood and metal bars that kept out the light.
奥利弗被关了很多天，从早到晚都见不到人，他很想在本顿维尔的朋友。一周后，奥利弗白天可以在房子四周走动了。这是个肮脏地方，地上到处都是老鼠和虫蚁等，没有其他的活物。所有窗子紧闭，钉满木的和金属的横条挡住了光线。
One afternoon the Dodger and Charley Bates were at home and they started telling Oliver about their lives as thieves.
一天下午，机灵鬼和查理·贝兹没出门，他们开始给奥利弗灌输他们当小偷的生活。
'Why don't you become one?' Charley asked him. 'We are all here - both of us, and Fagin, Sikes, Nancy...all of us.'
“为什么你不愿当小偷呢？”查理问奥利弗。“这都是小偷――我们是，还有费金，赛克斯，南希……全都是。”
'I don't want to be,' replied Oliver. 'I wish they'd let me go.'
“我不想当小偷，”奥利弗说。“我只想他们放我走。”
'But it's a good life,' the Dodger said, taking some coins from his pocket and throwing them up in the air. 'What does it matter where the money comes from?' he said laughing. 'If you don't steal it, someone else will. You can be sure of that.'
“但这样的生活很好啊，”机灵鬼说，他从口袋里拿出几枚硬币，往上抛了抛。“钱是怎么来的，又有什么关系呢？”他笑着说，“你不偷，别人也会偷。你也知道是这样的。”
更多译文：
PS:本书为牛津系列简易读物，由著名作家查理德·罗杰根据英国作家查尔斯·狄更斯的同名小说改写。英文为书虫系列原文，译文是笔者翻译。
本文仅因个人兴趣而译，故本文谢绝转载和各种商业用途，同时承诺若出现任何责任由作者承担，必要时简书可删除文章
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