诺亚·克莱波尔受费金委派执行一项秘密任务
次日清晨，老头子起得很早，不耐烦地等着他的新搭档露面。那人磨蹭了仿佛无尽无休的工夫，终于现身，随即对早餐发起了狼吞虎咽的进攻。
“博尔特，”费金拉过一把椅子，在莫里斯·博尔特对面坐下，开口说道。
“哎，我来了，”诺亚应道，“怎么了？在我吃完东西之前，可别支使我干活。这是这地方的一大毛病。吃饭的时间从来都不够。”
“你边吃边说不行吗？”费金说，打心眼里咒骂他这位亲爱小友的贪吃。
“哦，行，我能说。我边说还吃得更香，”诺亚切下厚厚一大片面包，说道，“夏洛特呢？”
“出去了，”费金说，“今早我打发她跟另一个姑娘出去了，因为我想咱俩单独待着。”
“哦！”诺亚说，“我真希望您先吩咐她做些奶油吐司。得，说吧。您碍不着我。”
看来确实没什么能碍着他，因为他显然坐下来就打定主意要干不少活儿。
“你昨天干得漂亮，亲爱的，”费金说，“太妙了！头一天就弄到六先令九便士半！这小崽子营生能让你发大财。”
“别忘了还得加上三个 pint 壶和一个牛奶罐，”博尔特先生说。
“忘不了，忘不了，亲爱的。那几个壶是天才手笔，可那牛奶罐简直是完美杰作。”
“我觉得，对生手来说还算不错，”博尔特先生得意地说，“壶是我从栏杆上顺的，牛奶罐就立在一家酒馆外头。我寻思着，您知道，下雨会锈了它，或者着凉，呃？哈！哈！哈！”
费金装出大笑不止的样子；博尔特先生笑够之后，连咬几大口，吃完第一块黄油面包，又去拿第二块。
“我要你，博尔特，”费金探过桌子说，“替我办件事，亲爱的，得格外细心谨慎。”
“我说，”博尔特回道，“别把我往险地里推，也别再打发我去你那些警察局了。那不合我意，就是不合，我明告诉你。”
“那里头半点危险也没有——半点也没有，”犹太人说道，“不过是盯个女人的梢。”
“老女人？”博尔特先生问。
“年轻的，”费金答。
“这活儿我拿手，我知道，”博尔特说，“上学那会儿我就是个诡溜溜的跟梢鬼。我盯她干嘛？不会是去——”
“啥也别干，只告诉我她去哪儿、见谁，可能的话还说些啥；若是街就记街名，若是屋就记屋址；把打听到的全带回来给我。”
“你给多少？”诺亚放下杯子，急切地盯着东家脸问。
“办得好，一镑，亲爱的。一镑，”费金说，恨不得把他的嗅觉全吊起来，“这价钱我可从来没出过，除非是能捞着值钱油水的活儿。”
“她是谁？”诺亚问。
“自己人。”
“哦天！”诺亚翘起鼻子叫道，“你信不过她，是吧？”
“她攀上了新朋友，亲爱的，我得知道是谁，”费金答。
“我懂了，”诺亚说，“就为图个乐儿认识认识，要是体面人的话，呃？哈！哈！哈！这差事归我了。”
“我就知道你肯，”费金叫道，提议得逞，满心欢喜。
“自然，自然，”诺亚答，“她在哪？我在哪等她？我去哪？”
“这些，亲爱的，你听我吩咐。到时辰我指给你看，”费金说，“你备着就是，余下交给我。”
那夜，翌夜，再一夜，密探都蹬靴披挂，一身车夫打扮坐着：只等费金一句话就出动。六夜过去——六夜漫长疲人——每夜费金回来都一脸扫兴，只简短说还不到时候。第七夜，他回来早些，掩不住得意。是礼拜日。
“她今夜出门，”费金说，“准是奔正事；她整日独处，她怕那男的天亮前回不来。跟我来。快！”
诺亚一言不发跳起身；犹太人兴奋至极，也染了他。他们悄悄离屋，急穿迷宫似的街巷，终抵一家酒馆前，诺亚认出正是他到伦敦那夜睡过的那家。
过十一点，门已闭。费金低吹一声哨，门轴轻转开了。他们无声进去；门在身后合上。
几乎不敢出声，以哑剧代语，费金同放他们进的年轻犹太人指给诺亚一块玻璃，打手势叫他爬上去瞧隔壁屋里的人。
“那女人？”他气声问。
费金点头是。
“我看不清她脸，”诺亚低语，“她低着头，蜡烛在她后头。”
“待那，”费金耳语。他向巴尼示意，巴尼退下。瞬息，小子进隔壁屋，佯装剪烛芯，把烛挪到要的位置，同姑娘说话，逗她抬起脸。
“我瞧见了，”密探叫。
“清不？”
“千人里我也认得她。”
屋门开，姑娘出来，他忙溜下。费金拽他躲进帘隔的小隔子，她过离藏处几尺，从他们进的门出，两人屏息。
“嘘！”把门的小子叫，“下。”
诺亚同费金交换一眼，窜出。
“往左，”小子耳语，“走左手，挨另一边。”
他照办；借灯光见姑娘退去的身形，已在前头些距离。他近到以为妥便止，留街对面，好观她动静。她紧张左右瞧了两三回，有一回停步让紧跟她后头两男先过。似愈行愈勇，步也稳坚。密探距她不变，眼随她行。
NOAH CLAYPOLE IS EMPLOYED BY FAGIN ON A SECRET MISSION
The old man was up, betimes, next morning, and waited impatiently for
the appearance of his new associate, who after a delay that seemed
interminable, at length presented himself, and commenced a voracious
assault on the breakfast.
“Bolter,” said Fagin, drawing up a chair and seating himself opposite
Morris Bolter.
“Well, here I am,” returned Noah. “What’s the matter? Don’t yer ask me
to do anything till I have done eating. That’s a great fault in this
place. Yer never get time enough over yer meals.”
“You can talk as you eat, can’t you?” said Fagin, cursing his dear
young friend’s greediness from the very bottom of his heart.
“Oh yes, I can talk. I get on better when I talk,” said Noah, cutting a
monstrous slice of bread. “Where’s Charlotte?”
“Out,” said Fagin. “I sent her out this morning with the other young
woman, because I wanted us to be alone.”
“Oh!” said Noah. “I wish yer’d ordered her to make some buttered toast
first. Well. Talk away. Yer won’t interrupt me.”
There seemed, indeed, no great fear of anything interrupting him, as he
had evidently sat down with a determination to do a great deal of
business.
“You did well yesterday, my dear,” said Fagin. “Beautiful! Six
shillings and ninepence halfpenny on the very first day! The kinchin
lay will be a fortune to you.”
“Don’t you forget to add three pint-pots and a milk-can,” said Mr.
Bolter.
“No, no, my dear. The pint-pots were great strokes of genius: but the
milk-can was a perfect masterpiece.”
“Pretty well, I think, for a beginner,” remarked Mr. Bolter
complacently. “The pots I took off airy railings, and the milk-can was
standing by itself outside a public-house. I thought it might get rusty
with the rain, or catch cold, yer know. Eh? Ha! ha! ha!”
Fagin affected to laugh very heartily; and Mr. Bolter having had his
laugh out, took a series of large bites, which finished his first hunk
of bread and butter, and assisted himself to a second.
“I want you, Bolter,” said Fagin, leaning over the table, “to do a
piece of work for me, my dear, that needs great care and caution.”
“I say,” rejoined Bolter, “don’t yer go shoving me into danger, or
sending me any more o’ yer police-offices. That don’t suit me, that
don’t; and so I tell yer.”
“That’s not the smallest danger in it—not the very smallest,” said the
Jew; “it’s only to dodge a woman.”
“An old woman?” demanded Mr. Bolter.
“A young one,” replied Fagin.
“I can do that pretty well, I know,” said Bolter. “I was a regular
cunning sneak when I was at school. What am I to dodge her for? Not
to—”
“Not to do anything, but to tell me where she goes, who she sees, and,
if possible, what she says; to remember the street, if it is a street,
or the house, if it is a house; and to bring me back all the
information you can.”
“What’ll yer give me?” asked Noah, setting down his cup, and looking
his employer, eagerly, in the face.
“If you do it well, a pound, my dear. One pound,” said Fagin, wishing
to interest him in the scent as much as possible. “And that’s what I
never gave yet, for any job of work where there wasn’t valuable
consideration to be gained.”
“Who is she?” inquired Noah.
“One of us.”
“Oh Lor!” cried Noah, curling up his nose. “Yer doubtful of her, are
yer?”
“She has found out some new friends, my dear, and I must know who they
are,” replied Fagin.
“I see,” said Noah. “Just to have the pleasure of knowing them, if
they’re respectable people, eh? Ha! ha! ha! I’m your man.”
“I knew you would be,” cried Fagin, elated by the success of his
proposal.
“Of course, of course,” replied Noah. “Where is she? Where am I to wait
for her? Where am I to go?”
“All that, my dear, you shall hear from me. I’ll point her out at the
proper time,” said Fagin. “You keep ready, and leave the rest to me.”
That night, and the next, and the next again, the spy sat booted and
equipped in his carter’s dress: ready to turn out at a word from Fagin.
Six nights passed—six long weary nights—and on each, Fagin came home
with a disappointed face, and briefly intimated that it was not yet
time. On the seventh, he returned earlier, and with an exultation he
could not conceal. It was Sunday.
“She goes abroad tonight,” said Fagin, “and on the right errand, I’m
sure; for she has been alone all day, and the man she is afraid of will
not be back much before daybreak. Come with me. Quick!”
Noah started up without saying a word; for the Jew was in a state of
such intense excitement that it infected him. They left the house
stealthily, and hurrying through a labyrinth of streets, arrived at
length before a public-house, which Noah recognised as the same in
which he had slept, on the night of his arrival in London.
It was past eleven o’clock, and the door was closed. It opened softly
on its hinges as Fagin gave a low whistle. They entered, without noise;
and the door was closed behind them.
Scarcely venturing to whisper, but substituting dumb show for words,
Fagin, and the young Jew who had admitted them, pointed out the pane of
glass to Noah, and signed to him to climb up and observe the person in
the adjoining room.
“Is that the woman?” he asked, scarcely above his breath.
Fagin nodded yes.
“I can’t see her face well,” whispered Noah. “She is looking down, and
the candle is behind her.”
“Stay there,” whispered Fagin. He signed to Barney, who withdrew. In an
instant, the lad entered the room adjoining, and, under pretence of
snuffing the candle, moved it in the required position, and, speaking
to the girl, caused her to raise her face.
“I see her now,” cried the spy.
“Plainly?”
“I should know her among a thousand.”
He hastily descended, as the room-door opened, and the girl came out.
Fagin drew him behind a small partition which was curtained off, and
they held their breaths as she passed within a few feet of their place
of concealment, and emerged by the door at which they had entered.
“Hist!” cried the lad who held the door. “Dow.”
Noah exchanged a look with Fagin, and darted out.
“To the left,” whispered the lad; “take the left had, and keep od the
other side.”
He did so; and, by the light of the lamps, saw the girl’s retreating
figure, already at some distance before him. He advanced as near as he
considered prudent, and kept on the opposite side of the street, the
better to observe her motions. She looked nervously round, twice or
thrice, and once stopped to let two men who were following close behind
her, pass on. She seemed to gather courage as she advanced, and to walk
with a steadier and firmer step. The spy preserved the same relative
distance between them, and followed: with his eye upon her.
