‘Now, then!’ growled Sikes, as Oliver
started up; ’half-past five! Look sharp,
or you’ll get no breakfast; for it’s late
as it is.’
Oliver was not long in making his toilet; having taken
some breakfast, he replied to a surly inquiry from
Sikes, by saying that he was quite ready.
Nancy, scarcely looking at the boy, threw him a handkerchief
to tie round his throat; Sikes gave him a large rough
cape to button over his shoulders. Thus attired,
he gave his hand to the robber, who, merely pausing
to show him with a menacing gesture that he had that
same pistol in a side-pocket of his great-coat, clasped
it firmly in his, and, exchanging a farewell with Nancy,
led him away.
Oliver turned, for an instant, when they reached the
door, in the hope of meeting a look from the girl.
But she had resumed her old seat in front of the
fire, and sat, perfectly motionless before it.
THE EXPEDITION
It was a cheerless morning when they got into the
street; blowing and raining hard; and the clouds looking
dull and stormy. The night had been very wet:
large pools of water had collected in the road:
and the kennels were overflowing. There was a
faint glimmering of the coming day in the sky; but
it rather aggravated than relieved the gloom of the
scene: the sombre light only serving to pale
that which the street lamps afforded, without shedding
any warmer or brighter tints upon the wet house-tops,
and dreary streets. There appeared to be nobody
stirring in that quarter of the town; the windows
of the houses were all closely shut; and the streets
through which they passed, were noiseless and empty.
By the time they had turned into the Bethnal Green
Road, the day had fairly begun to break. Many
of the lamps were already extinguished; a few country
waggons were slowly toiling on, towards London; now
and then, a stage-coach, covered with mud, rattled
briskly by: the driver bestowing, as he passed,
an admonitory lash upon the heavy waggoner who, by
keeping on the wrong side of the road, had endangered
his arriving at the office, a quarter of a minute
after his time. The public-houses, with gas-lights
burning inside, were already open. By degrees,
other shops began to be unclosed, and a few scattered
people were met with. Then, came straggling
groups of labourers going to their work; then, men
and women with fish-baskets on their heads; donkey-carts
laden with vegetables; chaise-carts filled with live-stock
or whole carcasses of meat; milk-women with pails;
an unbroken concourse of people, trudging out with
various supplies to the eastern suburbs of the town.
As they approached the City, the noise and traffic
gradually increased; when they threaded the streets
between Shoreditch and Smithfield, it had swelled into
a roar of sound and bustle. It was as light
as it was likely to be, till night came on again,
and the busy morning of half the London population
had begun.
