1 Oliver Twist

CHAPTER 1 Oliver Twist Regrettably, our story must begin on a note of sadness. It is an unfortunate truth that not all beginnings are happy ones. This particular story opens in a workhouse. There was a time —the same time that our story takes place— when too many cities and towns were home to these large, cold buildings. Men who could not pay their bills were sentenced to hard labor here. Women and children with no place else to go lived and worked here. Children left on doorsteps with no family to

很遗憾，我们的故事必须以一种悲伤的基调开始。 不幸的是，并非所有的开始都是愉快的。 这个故事发生在一个济贫院。 曾经有一段时间——与我们的故事发生的时间相同——有太多的城市和城镇是这些大型、冰冷的建筑的所在地。 付不起账单的人在这里被判做苦役。 无处可去的妇女和儿童在这里生活和工作。 孩子们被遗弃在门口，没有家人陪伴

call their own spent their days in the bottle- washing factories. There is nothing beautiful or warm one can say about a workhouse. Only that this is where our young hero, Oliver Twist, came into the world. In fact, there was almost no story to tell at all. For the first few moments of his life, Oliver did not take to breathing right away. Now, things might have been different had he been surrounded by loving aunts and grandmothers. They would have fussed and worried over him. Unfortunately, there was only the doctor, who quickly turned back to the fire, and an old woman who sat with Oliver and his mother. So, it was up to the baby to fight it out on his own. And fight he did. After a few sniffs, some struggling coughs, and a sneeze he let out a long—and quite strong—wail. The blanket on the bed rustled as Oliver's mother moved. She slowly raised her pale

叫自己在洗瓶厂度过了自己的日子。 济贫院没有什么美丽或温暖的地方。 只知道我们的小英雄，雾都孤儿，就是在这里来到这个世界的。 事实上，几乎没有什么故事可讲。 在他生命的最初几分钟里，奥利弗并没有立即呼吸。 现在，如果他身边有慈爱的阿姨和祖母，事情可能会有所不同。 他们会为他操心的。 不幸的是，在场的只有医生和一位老妇人。医生很快地转身回到火炉旁，还有奥利弗和他母亲坐在一起。 所以，要靠孩子自己去抗争。 他确实战斗了。他吸了几口气，挣扎着咳嗽了几声，打了一个喷嚏，发出了一声长长的、很有力的哀号。 奥利弗的母亲一动，床上的毯子沙沙作响。 她慢慢地抬起脸

face from the pillow and said quietly, "Let me see the child before I die." The doctor looked back from the fire. "Oh, you must not talk about dying yet," he said. "I should say not!" the old woman added. "When she has lived as long as I have then she can talk about dying. I've brought thirteen children into this world and watched all but two die. I know a thing or two about living and dying. She has no reason to talk like that." The patient shook her head. She stretched her hand toward the child. The doctor placed Oliver in her arms. She pressed her cold white lips onto the baby's forehead. It was a tender, loving kiss. This was a special moment between mother and son. She then passed her hand over her own face. Her head dropped onto the pillow and she was dead. The doctor and old woman worked to save

她把脸从枕头上移开，平静地说：“在我死之前，让我看看孩子。” 医生从火边回头看了看。 “哦，你还不能谈论死亡，”他说。 “我想说没有！”老妇人补充说。 “当她活得和我一样长时，她就可以谈论死亡了。 我给这个世界生了13个孩子，除了两个，都眼睁睁地看着他们死去。 我对生死略知一二。 她没有理由那样说话。” 病人摇了摇头。 她向孩子伸出手。 医生把奥利弗抱在她怀里。 她把冰冷洁白的嘴唇贴在婴儿的额头上。 那是一个温柔而充满爱意的吻。 这是母子之间一个特殊的时刻。 然后她用手捂住自己的脸。 她的头掉在枕头上，死了。 医生和老妇人努力抢救

her. They pounded on her chest and rubbed her hands, but there was no use. She was gone. "Oh, the poor dear," the old woman cried. "How sad for the little one." She picked Oliver up. He lay quietly in her arms. "Well, there's nothing more I can do," the doctor said. He put his hat on and picked up his bag. "If the child cries, you can give him some gruel." He stopped before heading out the door. "Shame, too. She was a pretty young thing. Do you have any idea who she was or where she came from?" "None, sir," the old woman replied. "She arrived last night during that terrible rain. No shoes, no bags. She was very sick and ready to give birth." The doctor walked back to the bed. He raised the young woman's left hand. "The

她的。他们敲打她的胸口，搓她的手，但都无济于事。 她走了。“噢，可怜的孩子，”老妇人叫道。 “这小家伙真可怜。” 她把奥利弗抱起来。他静静地躺在她的怀里。 “嗯，我也无能为力了，”医生说。 他戴上帽子，拿起书包。 “如果孩子哭了，你可以给他一些稀粥。” 他在出门之前停了下来。 “耻辱。她是个漂亮的小姑娘。 你知道她是谁，从哪里来吗？”“没有，先生。”老妇人回答。 “她是昨晚下大雨时来的。 没有鞋子，没有包。她病得很重，马上就要生产了。” 医生走回床边。 他举起年轻女子的左手。 “

same old story," he said, shaking his head. "I see there's no wedding ring. Ah, well! Good night," he said and quickly walked out the door. The old woman sat before the fire and wrapped the infant in a blanket. She told the woman who ran the workhouse, Mrs. Bumble, that a baby boy had been born. "Ach," Mrs. Bumble said. "Another orphan for the workhouse to take care of." She looked at the baby with disgust. "Another mouth to feed. More money from my small allowance." There was nothing to envy in the life of an orphan. Especially an orphan raised in the workhouse. Their lives were filled with hard work, little play, and very little food. Very few showed pity or kindness toward them, especially those people who took care of them.

老故事，”他摇着头说。 “我看到没有结婚戒指。 啊,好!晚安，”他说，然后迅速走出了门。 老妇人坐在火炉前，用毯子把婴儿包起来。 她告诉经营济贫院的班布尔太太，一个男婴出生了。 “啊，”班布尔太太说。“又一个需要济贫院照顾的孤儿。” 她厌恶地看着那个婴儿。 “又要养活一张嘴。从我那点零用钱里多拿点钱。” 孤儿的生活没有什么可羡慕的。 尤其是一个在济贫院长大的孤儿。 他们的生活充满了艰苦的工作、很少的娱乐和很少的食物。 很少有人对他们表示同情或仁慈，尤其是那些照顾他们的人。