Oliver Twist
English Text
اُوليفر تويست
First Term
Second Term
Chapter I
It was late at night in a town in England during the Industrial Revolution. At this time, most English towns needed people to work in the factories that were beginning to open all over the country. Many people came to the towns to find work, but they were often so poor that they could not buy enough to eat and they had nowhere to sleep. So they went to the workhouses where at least they had a bed and some sort of food. In one such workhouse, an old nurse and a doctor were working in a small, dark room looking at a baby boy that had just been born. The baby found it difficult to breathe. They did not know if he would live. "What's the mother's name?" the doctor asked the nurse. "I don't know. She arrived at the workhouse last night," said the nurse. "She was ill and weak when she came." When the baby cried, the mother said weakly, "Can I see my new baby?" The nurse picked up the tiny boy and the mother saw him for the first time. She kissed him gently on the cheek and smiled. Then the mother died. "Poor woman," said the nurse. "She was so beautiful. We'll never know who she was."
The baby was called Oliver Twist. He was sent to live with other orphans in an old house nearby. The orphans were all the children of parents who had been destitute. A woman called Mrs Mann was given a little money to look after the orphans, but she decided that she needed some of this money for herself. For this reason, the boys never had very much to eat. On his ninth birthday, Oliver was a small, weak child. He had spent all his life in the old building with Mrs Mann, who was no kinder to Oliver than she was to the other orphans. Oliver did not go to school and he did not know the world outside.
One day, an important man called Mr Bumble visited Mrs Mann. Mr Bumble was an official from the workhouse, where the older children from poor families were big enough to work for their food. "Now Oliver's nine, you don't need to look after him," Mr Bumble told Mrs Mann. "He is old enough to work for us in the workhouse." Oliver was not sad to leave Mrs Mann, but he was sad to leave his friends and the only home he had ever known. He felt wretched as the door to the house was closed behind him. "Why are you crying? You're very lucky to work here," the managers of the workhouse told Oliver when he arrived. "We'll give you food and a bed for nothing." The workhouse was a large, cold building. Oliver was introduced to the other boys who were all as thin and weak as he was. They wore old clothes that were too big for them.
Oliver worked hard at the workhouse with these boys and I quickly realised that his life was not going to become any easier. His bed was very uncomfortable and the food was never enough. All they ate was a thin soup. The boys he worked with were always hungry. After a few months, they were all so close to starving that they made a plan. They decided they must have more food, and they chose Oliver to ask for it. That evening in the big, cold hall, the boys finished eating their usual thin soup. Then Oliver stood up and walked to the master who gave them their food. "Please, sir, I want some more," said Oliver. The master was furious. No one had ever asked for more before! "What did you say?" he cried. There was now silence in the big room. "Please, sir, I want some more," Oliver repeated.
The master angrily took Oliver's arm and immediately led him to the managers of the workhouse. He told them what Oliver had said. "If he is not happy with our generosity," the managers said, "he must leave." They decided to lock Oliver in a room and put a message on the door of the workhouse. It said that the workhouse would give five pounds, to anyone who could take the boy away from them. For weeks, Oliver stayed in the cold, dark room. He cried himself to sleep each night, then woke up each morning and began to cry again. He had never felt so alone. He was only taken from the room when it was time to eat. Mr Bumble did not want any of the other boys to ask for more food, so while they were eating, Mr Bumble made Oliver stand in front of them. Then he beat Oliver.
This happened every day until a man called Mr Sowerberry read the message on the workhouse gate. Mr Sowerberry, the coffin maker, decided that he needed an apprentice and told Mr Bumble that he could take Oliver Twist. A new chapter in the boy's life was about to start. The next day, Mr Bumble took Oliver from the workhouse and walked with him to Mr Sowerberry's house. As they were walking down the street, Mr Bumble was surprised to see that Oliver was crying. "Why are you crying?" Mr Bumble shouted. "You should be happy to have the opportunity to work with someone like Mr Sowerberry. "I’ll be a good boy," said Oliver. "But I have no ... '"You have no what?" asked Mr Bumble. "I have no friends," said Oliver quietly.
Mr Bumble was not interested in Oliver's feelings. They continued to Mr Sowerberry's house, but when Oliver's new employer saw him, he was not very happy. "He's very small, Mr Bumble," Mr Sowerberry complained. "He is small, but he'll grow," explained Mr Bumble. "But it will cost money to feed him," said Mr Sowerberry's wife. She took Oliver downstairs and gave him some old food that they had not eaten. "Now get some sleep," said Mrs Sowerberry. "You don't mind sleeping down in the shop, do you? There's nowhere else to sleep in our house." Oliver was alone in a strange, dark room, surrounded by unfinished coffins. It was not much better than the room he had slept in at the workhouse. It was not easy for him to sleep.
The next morning, Oliver woke up to the sound of someone kicking the shop door. Oliver opened it and saw a tall boy with a red nose eating some bread. "Hello. I'm Noah Claypole," he said. "You're from the workhouse, aren't you?" he continued, walking into the shop as if he lived there. "I help Mr Sowerberry. You do what I say, Workhouse Boy. Now open the shutters," he ordered, giving Oliver a small kick to make sure he knew who was the master. Mrs Sowerberry called and asked Noah to sit by the fire to have some breakfast. She gave Oliver a little bread and told him to eat it down below. It was freezing cold there. "Why can't I have a good breakfast like Noah?" he asked, but there was no one there to hear him. For the next few months, Oliver worked with Mr Sowerberry. He did not like the work, but Mr Sowerberry seemed pleased with him. This, however, did not please Noah Claypole, who was told to work inside when Oliver went out with Mr Sowerberry.
One day, after work, the two boys were alone in the shop. "What happened to your mother, Workhouse Boy?" said Noah. Oliver said quietly, "The nurse said she died of a broken heart." "I heard she died in the workhouse because she was no good at anything," laughed Noah. "What did you say?" cried Oliver, feeling both ashamed and angry. "I heard that if she hadn't died, they would have punished her," Noah cried unkindly. Oliver stood up and started to hit Noah hard. "Help!" shouted Noah. "He's killing me!" Mr and Mrs Sowerberry ran in and pulled Oliver away from Noah. "Help me lock him in here," they said to Noah. They pulled Oliver into a dark cellar and locked the door. "You poor boy," Mrs Sowerberry said to Noah. "We must get Mr Bumble at once."
When Mr Bumble heard what had happened, he hurried to Mr Sowerberry's house and knocked on the door to the cellar. "Oliver, do you know who's speaking?" he called loudly. "Yes," said Oliver. "Aren't you afraid, Oliver?" he continued in a menacing voice. "No!" Mr Bumble looked at Mr Sowerberry in surprise. "I understand the problem," said Mr Bumble. "You've given him too much meat, Mrs Sowerberry. You've been too kind to him. Leave him in this cellar without food for a few days, then feed him only soup," he advised. That night, in the cold cellar, Oliver tried to cry himself to sleep yet again. But he felt too angry to sleep. When the house was quiet, he went to the door and realised it was not locked. He waited until it was just light and quietly opened the door. No one was awake and it was easy to leave the house without anyone realising. He knew he could not stay in that place any longer. His life was unbearable. It was time for him to run away.
Chapter II
At first Oliver was careful to hide when he saw people in the street, thinking they would want to take him back to Mr Sowerberry, but he relaxed after a few hours. Surely no one was following him now. He saw a sign which said "London, 70 miles." He did not know how long this would take to walk, but he decided that London would be a good place for him to go. Even Mr Bumble would not be able to find him in that great city he had heard of where there would be so many opportunities for him. He followed the signs to London for seven days, sleeping in fields and eating very little. Although a few kind people gave him food, he felt hungry and weak.
Finally, he sat down to rest in the street of a small village. Another poor boy of about his age, who was wearing a man's coat and a tall hat, came and-sat next to him. "You look hungry. Where are you going?" said the boy. ''I'm going to London," Oliver replied. "Have you got a room there? Or any money?" Oliver said that he had almost nothing. "Well, I know a man who will give you work and a room for nothing," he said cheerfully. "My name's Jack Dawkins," he continued "although my friends call me the Artful Dodger." Jack seemed to be kind. He bought Oliver a meal and then said he could show him the way to London, but only when it was dark.
It was not too far to London, but it was not what Oliver had expected. Jack took Oliver through streets that were poorer and dirtier than he had ever seen, and he thought perhaps he should run away again. Then they arrived in front of an old house, and when Jack called out, a door opened and they went inside. Jack led him to a large and dark back room with a fire in one comer. Next to the fire, an ugly old man with red hair was cooking something in a big pan. Four or five boys sat on old beds around the fire. "This is Oliver," said Jack. At once, the boys stood up and began to take Oliver's few things from him. The old man laughed. "I'm Fagin," he said. "Sit down and have some food." Oliver sat by the fire and ate. Then, before he knew it, he fell asleep. When he woke up, the room was quiet.
He saw Fagin sitting at a table taking some things out of a wooden box. He looked carefully at a gold watch and some expensive jewellery before putting them back in the box. He then looked at Oliver. When he saw that Oliver was awake, he jumped up and quickly closed the wooden box. "What did you see?" he shouted, taking a knife in one hand. "Nothing, sir," said Oliver nervously. "Can I get up now?" "Yes, of course," said Fagin, putting the knife down again. Oliver relaxed and looked around the room. He thought the old gentleman must be a miser to live in such an old place, with so much jewellery and so many watches. He thought that perhaps Fagin used all his money to look after the boys. At that moment, Jack Dawkins arrived with a boy called Charley Bates. "I hope you've been at work this morning, boys," Fagin said when he saw them. "We've been working hard," said Jack. "Good. What have you got?" Fagin asked Jack.
Jack showed him some notebooks and Fagin looked at them carefully. "They're well made, aren't they?" Fagin said to Oliver. "Yes, very well made," answered Oliver. Fagin and the boys found this very funny, although Oliver did not know why. Then Charley showed Fagin some silk handkerchiefs. "They're good ones," said Fagin. "But they have
marks on them. We can show Oliver how to take off the marks." “Thank you, sir,” said Oliver. Charley laughed again and said, "The boy is so very young!" "Let's have breakfast, then we'll show Oliver our little game," said Fagin. When they had eaten, Fagin put a watch in one of his pockets, a notebook in another pocket and a wallet in another. Then he walked around the room, pretending to be looking in shop windows. Oliver thought that this game was very funny. Jack and Charley then walked very close to Fagin and without Oliver realising it, they suddenly had the watch, the notebook and the wallet in their hands. "Very good," said Fagin. "Now you try, Oliver." Oliver walked behind Fagin and took a handkerchief from his pocket. "Has it gone?" asked Fagin. "Well done, I felt nothing," he cried. "You're a clever boy. You’ll be as successful as the Artful Dodger." Oliver did not understand how taking handkerchiefs could make you successful, but because the old man was kind and gave him food, he did not question his advice. After a few days of practising the game, Fagin told Oliver that he was ready to go out into the streets of London with Charley and the Artful Dodger.
A few hours later, Oliver found himself in a strange London street with his two new friends. The Artful Dodger pointed to a gentleman who was reading a book outside a bookshop. "Look! He'll do," he said to Charley. Oliver watched as the two boys walked quietly behind the gentleman and carefully took a handkerchief from his pocket. Oliver suddenly understood why Fagin had so many watches and silk handkerchiefs and such a lot of jewellery. The boys were thieves! Before he knew what was happening, the gentleman turned round and called out, "Stop! Thief!" Oliver started to run away, but now everyone in the street was pointing at him and calling, "Stop him! He's a thief!" Suddenly Oliver fell over and a crowd of people stood all around him. "Is this the boy?" someone called. "Yes, that's him." Oliver saw the gentleman looking down at him. "The poor boy is hurt," the man said. At that moment a policeman arrived and told Oliver to stand up. "It wasn't me!" cried Oliver. "Oh, yes it was," called the policeman, who led Oliver roughly down the street.
The crowd of people and the gentleman followed the policeman down to the police station. "I don't think he did it," said the gentleman as Oliver was locked in a room. "Don't worry, sir," said a police officer. "A magistrate will see him soon. He'll decide." The gentleman, who was called Mr Brownlow, was puzzled. Where had he seen the boy before? A little while later, Oliver was called to see the magistrate. When the magistrate heard what had happened, it was quickly decided that Oliver should go to prison. On hearing the news, Oliver felt ill and fainted. He was carried out of the room. The magistrate was going to send everyone home when the owner of the bookshop suddenly appeared. "It wasn't that boy!" he said to the magistrate. "It was two other boys. He was with them, but he didn't take anything," he explained. "I saw the other boys running away." "Why didn't you tell me this before?" called the magistrate. "Let the boy go free and stop wasting my time." As he left the building, Mr Brownlow saw Oliver lying down on the street outside. "Poor boy," he said. "Somebody call a coach.
He must come home with me." Oliver was carefully put inside a coach and taken to Mr Brownlow's house, but he did not remember the journey. Oliver was very ill. He slept for many days in a warm, comfortable bed in Mr Brownlow’s large house in a good part of London. When he at last woke up, he said, "What room is this?" An old lady quickly appeared and smiled at him, "You must be quiet, or you'll be ill again. Lie down, there's a dear!" said the woman, Mrs Bedwin, who looked after the house. So Oliver stayed in bed, and it was several days before he was well enough to go downstairs. He walked slowly into a beautiful room and saw Mr Brownlow smiling at him. "You look a little better," said Mr Brownlow. Then he looked puzzled again. "But what is this? Look there." He pointed to a painting of a pretty woman on the wall above Oliver's head. Oliver was amazed. He could see that the eyes, the head and the mouth were almost the same as his own.
After Oliver was taken by the policeman, Charley and the Artful Dodger ran quickly back to the old house. Fagin was so angry to hear what had happened to Oliver that he threw a cup of coffee at Charley. "Stop wasting good coffee," said a deep voice. Fagin looked round and saw an angry looking man with big, strong shoulders. "What are you doing, Fagin?" he shouted. "Sorry, Bill," said Fagin, "but we have a problem." He explained to Mr Sikes, or Bill, as Fagin called him, what had happened to Oliver. "Oliver will probably tell the police where we are and what we do," explained Fagin. "We need to speak to him quickly," said Mr Sikes. "The police don't know Nancy, so she can go and find out what's happened," he suggested.
Nancy was a young woman who worked for Mr Sikes. She put on her best clothes and set off for the police station, but when she got there, she was told that Oliver had gone. "A police officer told me that he went somewhere in a coach with a gentleman called Mr Brownlow," Nancy told Fagin when she got back. When Fagin heard the news, he cried out, "We must find out where he is before he tells anyone about us!" He then gave Nancy and the Artful Dodger some money. "Go and find Oliver. Don't stop until you find him, not even for a minute."
Chapter III
When Oliver woke up the next day, he found that the painting of the woman on the wall had gone. "We took it down because it seemed to worry you," said Mrs Bedwin.
"But I liked it," protested Oliver. "Get well, then, Oliver, and we can put it back." A few days later, when Oliver was almost completely better, Mr Brownlow bought him some new clothes. Then, one day, he sat down with Oliver and asked the boy about his life. Oliver started to tell Mr Brownlow about his time at the workhouse but suddenly there was a knock at the door. An old gentleman in a blue coat entered the room. "Oliver, this is my friend Mr Grimwig," said Mr Brownlow. "Hello, is this the boy you told me about?" said the man when he saw Oliver. "Yes," said Mr Brownlow, and he began to tell Mr Grimwig all about Oliver. He had not quite finished describing Oliver's life when Mrs Bedwin came into the room with some books. "We need to pay for these new books, Mr Brownlow," she said. "Send the boy to pay for them," said Mr Grimwig. "Yes, do let me help you, sir," said Oliver. "Of course," said Mr Brownlow. "Here's five pounds. Take the money to the bookshop. I need one pound change. Some of the books need to go back, too." Oliver was very pleased to help Mr Brownlow. He took the money, put the books under his arm and then left. "Do you really think he'll come back?" asked Mr Grimwig. "Of course," said Mr Brownlow. "Don't you?" "He has new clothes, some books and five pounds. The boy will go straight to his friends the thieves and never come back." "I'm sure he'll be back soon," said Mr Brownlow. But he looked worried.
Oliver was enjoying his walk to the bookshop when suddenly; a strange woman grabbed him by the arm. "There you are!" she said. "I've found him!" "What are you stopping me for?'' asked Oliver in surprise. ”Let go of me." Some people in the street began to look at them. "He's run away from home," the woman explained to them. "I'm taking him back to his mother and father." Then a man appeared who seemed to know the woman and said, "Come with me, Oliver, you bad boy." Oliver was not strong enough to run away, and he was led away by the man, who was Mr Sikes, and the woman, who was Nancy. For half an hour Oliver was led like this through busy streets until they reached an old shop. Oliver was taken inside and there he saw Fagin, Charley and the Artful Dodger. When the boys saw him, they started laughing. "Look at his clothes and books! What a gentleman!" laughed Charley. "We must give you different clothes so those don't get dirty," said Fagin. "And I will have this five pound note for our troubles," said Mr Sikes, taking the money from Oliver's pocket. "You can have the books, Fagin." "Please, take the books and money back to Mr Brownlow," said Oliver. "He has been so good to me. He'll think I stole them!" "You're right, Oliver. He will think you stole them!" laughed Fagin.
Oliver tried to escape, but Mr Sikes held on to him and began to beat him with a stick. "Don't do that to the boy!" cried Nancy. "He's already a thief like me. You've got his money. Leave him alone or I’ll call the police!" Mr Sikes looked surprised, but stopped hitting Oliver. "Take his clothes and lock him in a room;" he said angrily. Oliver was kept in the room until the middle of the next day, when Fagin let him out. He told Oliver how kind he had been to him when he arrived in London. He also told Oliver that, if he said anything to the police, things would not be so good for him. A few days after Oliver had been taken back to Fagin's, Mr Bumble was in London on the day that an advertisement came out in a newspaper. It asked for any information people had about a lost boy called Oliver Twist. Mr Bumble read this with interest, then asked people how to find Mr Brownlow's house. When he got there, he told him all he knew about the bad and difficult boy that he knew so well. "I told you he was a bad one," said Mr Grimwig. "Sadly, you were right," said Mr Brownlow. "I do not want to hear his name ever again."
One day at Fagin's, the Artful Dodger asked Oliver to clean his boots. Oliver did not like doing these things, but at least he had people to talk to. "Why don't you join our gang? " the Artful Dodger asked Oliver. "Take things and you'll be rich. If you don't take people's watches, someone else will." "I would prefer to go back to Mr Brownlow's," said Oliver. "Fagin won't like that," said Charley. "He has plans for you." Indeed, at the same time in another house in London, Fagin was planning something for Oliver with Mr Sikes. And he was going to do more than take people's watches. "We need a boy to help us to get inside a large house in the countryside," said Mr Sikes. "Then use Oliver," said Fagin. "He'll be just right for the job. Nancy can bring him to your house tonight."
Oliver did not expect to see Nancy when she arrived at Fagin's that evening. "You must come with me to Mr Sikes's house," she said. "What for?'' asked Oliver. "It is better that you don't ask," said Nancy. She looked at Oliver and could see that he was worried. "Look," she said, "I'm not happy about this either. I've tried to help you, but it's no good. I'll try and help you again, but this is not the time. Now, come with me." So, Oliver had no choice and he followed Nancy to Mr Sikes's house. The next morning, after breakfast, Mr Sikes took Oliver by the hand and they set off into a cold, cloudy morning. They travelled all day, sometimes walking and sometimes going by coach. It was dark when they finally arrived at an old house somewhere in the country. Mr Sikes did not knock, but opened the door and they went inside. "Mr Sikes!" said a voice. Oliver looked up and saw a man with long hair, who told him to sit by the fire. "Hello, Toby Crackit," said Mr Sikes. "This is the boy who can help us tonight." "Good. Now let's rest by the fire," said Toby.
The fire was warm and it had been a long day, so Oliver soon began to fall sleep. At half past one in the morning, Mr Sikes woke Oliver up 1 from a deep sleep. Oliver watched as Mr Sikes and Toby each picked up a gun, then they told him to go with them. They left the warm fireside and went outside into a dark night. They then walked for some time through the countryside. It was cold and Oliver did not know where they were. Eventually, they stopped by a high brick wall. "Climb up!" ordered Toby, and Oliver followed him up onto the wall. From the top of the wall, Oliver could see a large house in front of him and finally understood what they were going to do. They were going to break into the house. "Please, no! Don't ask me to do this!" Oliver cried. "Be quiet. Do as I tell you or there'll be trouble," said Sikes menacingly, and he pointed to his gun to make sure Oliver understood what the trouble would be.
Oliver followed the two thieves across the gardens to a small window at the bottom of the house. It was too small for any adult to climb through, but it was not too small for a child. They easily broke it open and there was now a small space for Oliver to get into the house. "Take this light and go upstairs, then you can open the front door for us," said Mr Sikes. They pushed Oliver through the space in the window and Oliver began to walk into the dark house. Suddenly, Oliver heard someone inside the house shout something. Then there was a loud bang. "Come back!" cried Mr Sikes, who took Oliver's arm and pulled him back through the space in the window. "What's happened?" Toby asked. "The boy's been shot!" said Sikes. "Quick, run!"
Chapter IV
When Oliver woke up the next day, he found that the painting of the woman on the wall had gone. "We took it down because it seemed to worry you," said Mrs Bedwin.
"But I liked it," protested Oliver. "Get well, then, Oliver, and we can put it back." A few days later, when Oliver was almost completely better, Mr Brownlow bought him some new clothes. Then, one day, he sat down with Oliver and asked the boy about his life. Oliver started to tell Mr Brownlow about his time at the workhouse but suddenly there was a knock at the door. An old gentleman in a blue coat entered the room. "Oliver, this is my friend Mr Grimwig," said Mr Brownlow. "Hello, is this the boy you told me about?" said the man when he saw Oliver. "Yes," said Mr Brownlow, and he began to tell Mr Grimwig all about Oliver. He had not quite finished describing Oliver's life when Mrs Bedwin came into the room with some books. "We need to pay for these new books, Mr Brownlow," she said. "Send the boy to pay for them," said Mr Grimwig. "Yes, do let me help you, sir," said Oliver. "Of course," said Mr Brownlow. "Here's five pounds. Take the money to the bookshop. I need one pound change. Some of the books need to go back, too." Oliver was very pleased to help Mr Brownlow. He took the money, put the books under his arm and then left. "Do you really think he'll come back?" asked Mr Grimwig. "Of course," said Mr Brownlow. "Don't you?" "He has new clothes, some books and five pounds. The boy will go straight to his friends the thieves and never come back." "I'm sure he'll be back soon," said Mr Brownlow. But he looked worried.
Oliver was enjoying his walk to the bookshop when suddenly; a strange woman grabbed him by the arm. "There you are!" she said. "I've found him!" "What are you stopping me for?'' asked Oliver in surprise. ”Let go of me." Some people in the street began to look at them. "He's run away from home," the woman explained to them. "I'm taking him back to his mother and father." Then a man appeared who seemed to know the woman and said, "Come with me, Oliver, you bad boy." Oliver was not strong enough to run away, and he was led away by the man, who was Mr Sikes, and the woman, who was Nancy. For half an hour Oliver was led like this through busy streets until they reached an old shop. Oliver was taken inside and there he saw Fagin, Charley and the Artful Dodger. When the boys saw him, they started laughing. "Look at his clothes and books! What a gentleman!" laughed Charley. "We must give you different clothes so those don't get dirty," said Fagin. "And I will have this five pound note for our troubles," said Mr Sikes, taking the money from Oliver's pocket. "You can have the books, Fagin." "Please, take the books and money back to Mr Brownlow," said Oliver. "He has been so good to me. He'll think I stole them!" "You're right, Oliver. He will think you stole them!" laughed Fagin.
Oliver tried to escape, but Mr Sikes held on to him and began to beat him with a stick. "Don't do that to the boy!" cried Nancy. "He's already a thief like me. You've got his money. Leave him alone or I’ll call the police!" Mr Sikes looked surprised, but stopped hitting Oliver. "Take his clothes and lock him in a room;" he said angrily. Oliver was kept in the room until the middle of the next day, when Fagin let him out. He told Oliver how kind he had been to him when he arrived in London. He also told Oliver that, if he said anything to the police, things would not be so good for him. A few days after Oliver had been taken back to Fagin's, Mr Bumble was in London on the day that an advertisement came out in a newspaper. It asked for any information people had about a lost boy called Oliver Twist. Mr Bumble read this with interest, then asked people how to find Mr Brownlow's house. When he got there, he told him all he knew about the bad and difficult boy that he knew so well. "I told you he was a bad one," said Mr Grimwig. "Sadly, you were right," said Mr Brownlow. "I do not want to hear his name ever again."
One day at Fagin's, the Artful Dodger asked Oliver to clean his boots. Oliver did not like doing these things, but at least he had people to talk to. "Why don't you join our gang? " the Artful Dodger asked Oliver. "Take things and you'll be rich. If you don't take people's watches, someone else will." "I would prefer to go back to Mr Brownlow's," said Oliver. "Fagin won't like that," said Charley. "He has plans for you." Indeed, at the same time in another house in London, Fagin was planning something for Oliver with Mr Sikes. And he was going to do more than take people's watches. "We need a boy to help us to get inside a large house in the countryside," said Mr Sikes. "Then use Oliver," said Fagin. "He'll be just right for the job. Nancy can bring him to your house tonight."
Oliver did not expect to see Nancy when she arrived at Fagin's that evening. "You must come with me to Mr Sikes's house," she said. "What for?'' asked Oliver. "It is better that you don't ask," said Nancy. She looked at Oliver and could see that he was worried. "Look," she said, "I'm not happy about this either. I've tried to help you, but it's no good. I'll try and help you again, but this is not the time. Now, come with me." So, Oliver had no choice and he followed Nancy to Mr Sikes's house. The next morning, after breakfast, Mr Sikes took Oliver by the hand and they set off into a cold, cloudy morning. They travelled all day, sometimes walking and sometimes going by coach. It was dark when they finally arrived at an old house somewhere in the country. Mr Sikes did not knock, but opened the door and they went inside. "Mr Sikes!" said a voice. Oliver looked up and saw a man with long hair, who told him to sit by the fire. "Hello, Toby Crackit," said Mr Sikes. "This is the boy who can help us tonight." "Good. Now let's rest by the fire," said Toby.
The fire was warm and it had been a long day, so Oliver soon began to fall sleep. At half past one in the morning, Mr Sikes woke Oliver up 1 from a deep sleep. Oliver watched as Mr Sikes and Toby each picked up a gun, then they told him to go with them. They left the warm fireside and went outside into a dark night. They then walked for some time through the countryside. It was cold and Oliver did not know where they were. Eventually, they stopped by a high brick wall. "Climb up!" ordered Toby, and Oliver followed him up onto the wall. From the top of the wall, Oliver could see a large house in front of him and finally understood what they were going to do. They were going to break into the house. "Please, no! Don't ask me to do this!" Oliver cried. "Be quiet. Do as I tell you or there'll be trouble," said Sikes menacingly, and he pointed to his gun to make sure Oliver understood what the trouble would be.
Oliver followed the two thieves across the gardens to a small window at the bottom of the house. It was too small for any adult to climb through, but it was not too small for a child. They easily broke it open and there was now a small space for Oliver to get into the house. "Take this light and go upstairs, then you can open the front door for us," said Mr Sikes. They pushed Oliver through the space in the window and Oliver began to walk into the dark house. Suddenly, Oliver heard someone inside the house shout something. Then there was a loud bang. "Come back!" cried Mr Sikes, who took Oliver's arm and pulled him back through the space in the window. "What's happened?" Toby asked. "The boy's been shot!" said Sikes. "Quick, run!"
