4 A Bit of Meat

CHAPTER 4 A Bit of Meat It was already evening when Oliver and his new master arrived at the undertaker's home. Mr. Sowerberry entered the front hall and lit a small candle. Oliver stepped in slowly. He stood quietly by the door, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the gloomy hall. "Mrs. Sowerberry," Mr. Sowerberry called. "Would you come here for a moment?" Mrs. Sowerberry appeared from a back room. She was a small, thin woman who looked like she never smiled. She placed her

第四章一小块肉奥立弗和他的新主人来到殡仪馆时，已经是晚上了。 索尔贝里先生走进前厅，点燃了一支小蜡烛。 奥利弗慢慢地走了进来。他静静地站在门边，等着他的眼睛适应阴暗的大厅。 “索尔贝里太太，”索尔贝里先生喊道。 “你能过来一下吗？”索尔贝里太太从里屋走了出来。 她是个瘦小的女人，看上去从不笑。 她把她

hands on her hips and said, "Well?" She did not sound very happy. "My dear," said Mr. Sowerberry. "I've brought home a workhouse boy. We can put him to work in the shop." "He looks pretty small," she frowned. "Well, yes," Mr. Sowerberry said. "He is rather small. I'm sure that he will grow, though." "Of course," she snapped. "And on our food and money. These workhouse boys always cost more than they're worth." Mrs. Sowerberry took Oliver by the shoulders. She turned him around, checking his hair and teeth. Oliver did as she asked. He showed her his hands and tried to answer her questions. But every time he started to say something, his eyes welled up with tears. No words would come out. "Very well then," Mrs. Sowerberry sighed.

她把手放在屁股上，说：“怎么样？”她听起来不太高兴。 “亲爱的，”索尔贝里先生说。 “我带回来一个济贫院的男孩。 我们可以让他在店里干活。” “他看起来很小。”她皱起眉头。 “嗯，是的，”索尔贝里先生说。 “他个子很小。不过我相信他会长大的。” “当然，”她厉声说。“还有我们的食物和钱。 这些济贫院的孩子总是花得比他们的价值高。” 索尔贝里太太抓住奥利弗的肩膀。 她把他转过来，检查他的头发和牙齿。 奥利弗照她说的做了。他向她伸出双手，试图回答她的问题。 但每次他开口说话，他的眼睛里就充满了泪水。 一句话也说不出来。“那好吧，”索尔贝里太太叹了口气。

Her husband had too many plans, she thought. They would never get ahead at this rate. Not if he continued to bring home strays. "Come down to the cellar. Charlotte will give you some meat." Oliver's eyes grew wide at that word. Meat! Could it really be true? Was he about to enjoy meat for dinner? The boy's mouth started to water. Mrs. Sowerberry pulled him by the arm. She dragged him down the cellar stairs and pushed him toward the fire. He startled a young woman standing by the fire. Charlotte almost dropped her spoon into the cooking pot. She looked surprised and confused by this pale, thin boy. "Charlotte," Mrs. Sowerberry said. "My husband has brought home another boy. This one's from the workhouse." Mrs. Sowerberry started cleaning up Charlotte's work area. It

她想，丈夫的计划太多了。 以这样的速度，他们永远不会取得进步。 如果他继续把流浪狗带回家就不会了。 “到地窖里来。夏洛会给你一些肉的。” 听到这句话，奥利弗瞪大了眼睛。 肉!这真的是真的吗？ 他晚餐要吃肉吗？ 男孩开始流口水了。 索尔贝里太太拉着他的胳膊。 她把他拖下地下室的楼梯，把他推到火堆旁。 他吓了一跳站在火炉边的年轻女子。 夏洛蒂的勺子差点掉到锅里。 她对这个苍白、瘦弱的男孩感到惊讶和困惑。 “夏洛特，”索尔贝里太太说。 “我丈夫又带了一个男孩回家。 这个是从济贫院来的。” 索尔贝里太太开始清理夏洛特的工作区域。 它

was obvious that Mrs. Sowerberry liked things done her own way. "Give him whatever scraps you have. There must be something you were saving for the dog." Oliver ate his supper quickly. He pulled the meat from the bone, chewed off the extra bits of fat, and sucked out the last of the flavor. Charlotte and Mrs. Sowerberry watched with horror. They had never seen anything like it. Oliver knew he should be more careful about his manners, but he could not stop. Although his dinner was small by most standards, it was the largest he had ever enjoyed. When he was done Mrs. Sowerberry said, "Grab your things, boy. We'll make up your bed in the front room. You don't mind sleeping among the coffins, do you?" She did not wait for an answer. Once again she dragged him by the arm. "Don't suppose it matters much if you do mind, though.

很明显，索尔贝里太太喜欢按自己的方式做事。 “把你所有的残羹剩饭都给他。 你一定留着什么东西给狗吃。” 奥利弗很快就吃完了晚饭。 他把肉从骨头上扯下来，咀嚼掉多余的脂肪，吸出最后一点味道。 夏洛蒂和索尔贝里太太惊恐地看着。 他们从未见过这样的场面。 奥利弗知道他应该更注意自己的举止，但他停不下来。 虽然他的晚餐按大多数标准来说都不大，但这是他吃过的最大的一顿。 他吃完后，索尔贝里太太说：“拿上你的东西，孩子。 我们将在前厅为您铺床。 你不介意睡在棺材中间吧？”她没有等他回答。 她又一次拉着他的胳膊。 “不过，如果你介意的话，也没什么大不了的。

There's no place else for you to go." Oliver found himself in a room full of coffins. Some were set up on platforms for display. The lids were open, revealing plain or satin interiors. Many more were leaning up against the walls. Mrs. Sowerberry handed him a small candle. She told him not to waste it, as he was not likely to get another. "Thank you, Ma'am," he said meekly. "I'll be careful." "My word!" she exclaimed. "It does speak!" For a second, Oliver thought she might smile. He was wrong. "Now get to sleep, boy. We wake up early here and there'll be no dawdling." Mrs. Sowerberry left Oliver all alone. She shut the door tightly and walked away. Oliver was scared, but only because things were new. He had no idea what to expect. He was so used to the routine of the

你没有别的地方可去了。” 奥利弗发现自己身处一个满是棺材的房间。 有些被放置在平台上进行展示。 盖子开着，露出朴素或缎面的内部。 更多的人靠在墙上。 索尔贝里太太递给他一支小蜡烛。 她告诉他不要浪费它，因为他不太可能得到另一个。 “谢谢你，太太，”他温顺地说。 “我会小心的。”“我的天！” “它会说话！”有那么一瞬间，奥利弗以为她会笑。 他错了。“现在睡觉吧，孩子。 我们这儿起得很早，不会磨蹭的。” 索尔贝里太太留下了奥利弗一个人。 她紧紧关上门，走开了。 奥利弗很害怕，但那只是因为一切都是新的。 他不知道会发生什么。 他已经习惯了日常生活

workhouse that he could not imagine another way of living. Oliver was to learn a new trade in the morning. He would soon be an undertaker's assistant. He promised himself that he would work hard and not disappoint anyone. Oliver blew out the candle. He lay on his mat thinking about his mother. He wondered what his life might have been like had she lived. Oliver thought about his mother almost every night. Whenever the room full of workhouse boys settled down and everything was dark and quiet, he wondered what she looked like. Did she have the same hair color? Did she have a soft voice? He knew nothing about her, but he missed her terribly. Somehow he knew that she would have been tender and kind. He knew that she would have loved him dearly. She would have kissed him on the forehead every night and helped him say his prayers. Oliver fell

他无法想象还有别的生活方式。 奥利弗明天早上要学一门新手艺。 他很快就会成为殡仪馆的助手。 他答应自己要努力工作，不让任何人失望。 奥利弗吹灭了蜡烛。 他躺在垫子上想着他的母亲。 他想知道，如果她还活着，他的生活会是什么样子。 奥利弗几乎每天晚上都会想起他的母亲。 每当济贫院的孩子们坐下来，四周漆黑而安静时，他就想知道她长什么样。 她的发色和我一样吗？ 她的声音温柔吗？ 他对她一无所知，但他非常想念她。 不知怎的，他知道她会是温柔而善良的。 他知道她会深深地爱着他。 她每天晚上都会亲吻他的额头，帮他做祷告。 奥利弗下降