relation who brought her up.” His eyes twinkled with delight.

“Her name is
Rose Maylie and she is your aunt!”
For a moment, Oliver and Rose stared at him, so astonished that they
couldn’t speak. Then they flung their arms around each other. “I could
never call you Aunt!” said Oliver, laughing happily. “I love you like a sister,
Rose, and now we really are a family!”
The orphan boy who’d been born in a workhouse without a name or a
friend in the world knew who he was at last.
 OLIVER TWIST

A short while later, Fagin and Dodger were both arrested for theft.
Dodger was sent to Australia, but Fagin was sentenced to death for his
many crimes. It was the end of his notorious gang of thieves.
Oliver was safe at last. Mr. Brownlow adopted him and became his
father. They moved out of London with Mrs. Bedwin and took a house in
the country, close to Rose and Mrs. Maylie.
One day, Mr. Brownlow invited Rose and Mrs. Maylie to visit. “I have
news for Oliver that you might like to hear,” he told them. When everyone
was gathered, Mr. Brownlow explained that he’d been making inquiries
about Oliver’s family. Oliver listened eagerly.
“I once had a friend named Edward Leeford,” explained Mr. Brownlow.
“Edward fell in love with a girl named Agnes, whom he adored. When they
discovered that Agnes was going to have a baby, they made plans to get
married, but unfortunately, before the wedding, Edward suddenly fell ill and
died. Agnes was left all alone without any money. The painting you saw
long ago in my parlor, Oliver, is a portrait of Agnes that Edward gave me to
look after.” Mr. Brownlow took Oliver’s hand in his. “I am sure now,
Oliver, that it is a portrait of your own mother.”
Oliver listened in astonishment.
“But I have discovered more,” continued Mr. Brownlow. “Agnes had a
young sister. When their parents died, the sister went to live with a kind
CAST OF CHARACTERS Oliver had lost a lot of blood and was very weak from his injury. It took
several days before he was able to sit up and talk. As soon as he could, he
explained to Mrs. Maylie and Rose how he had come to be with Bill Sikes.
The two women listened to his extraordinary tale with tears in their eyes.
Oliver told them how much he wanted to see Mr. Brownlow again, to let
him know that he hadn’t stolen his money and his books, so Rose promised
that she would take him back to London as soon as he was strong enough.
Safe in the care of his new friends, Oliver sank back onto his soft pillows
and slept.
It took many weeks for Oliver to recover. During that time, Rose
constantly looked after him, and Oliver came to love her almost like a sister.
At last, when he was strong enough to travel, Rose took him to London, to
be reunited with Mr. Brownlow.
Oliver Twist Mr. Brownlow was overjoyed to see Oliver again. He welcomed him
A poor orphan home and called for Mrs. Bedwin.
Mrs. Bedwin burst into tears when she saw Oliver. “I knew you would
come back!” she cried. Mr. Brownlow invited Rose to stay and join their
happy reunion.
Meanwhile, Fagin was still afraid that Oliver would tell the police about
his gang. One day, Nancy overheard him talking to Bill about trying to
recapture Oliver. Unfortunately, Bill noticed her listening secretly to their
conversation.
That night, he angrily accused Nancy of spying on him.
“I’m sorry, Bill,” cried Nancy, begging him for mercy. “I’ll never do it
again, I swear I won’t!” But Bill flew into a violent rage. In a fit of fury, he
struck Nancy so hard that she fell dead to the floor.
Bill was horrified by what he’d done and ran away from the scene. When
Mr. Bumble
the murder was discovered, a reward was offered for his arrest.
Manager of the workhouse and orphanage A few weeks later, somebody recognized Bull’s-Eye outside a house
where Bill was hiding and told the police. Officers soon came beating at the
door. Thinking fast, Bill grabbed a rope and climbed out of a window onto
the roof. He tied the rope to the chimney, intending to escape by lowering
himself to the ground, but in his haste his foot slipped and he fell to his
death on the cobbled street below.
 The Artful Dodger
A pickpocket

Bill pulled a pistol out of his pocket. “You’ll do as I say,” he hissed.

“Climb in and open the door for me.” He handed Oliver a lantern and lifted
him through the window, feetfirst.
As Oliver wriggled inside, he decided that he would take a chance and
wake the family rather than help Bill. At that moment, he heard hurried
footsteps.
“Somebody’s coming!” said Bill. “Quick, climb out.”
Oliver froze. Out of the dark, a servant appeared with a pistol. A shot
rang out, and Oliver dropped to the floor. At the sound of gunshot, Bill fled
for his life over the wall and away.
When Oliver came to, he was in a soft warm bed. He had been shot in Mr. Brownlow
the arm, but a doctor had tended to his wound and the owner of the house, A kind old gentleman
an elderly lady called Mrs. Maylie, was sitting beside him with her niece,
Rose.
“He’s just a child,” said Rose, brushing Oliver’s hair from his pale face.
“Who knows what desperate reasons led him into the company of thieves.
We mustn’t report this to the police, Aunt. They’ll send him to prison. He
needs love and care, just like I did when my parents died and you brought
me here to live with you.”
The old woman smiled. “I wouldn’t harm a hair on his head,” she said
gently. “There’s no need to tell anyone about what happened.”
 Rose Maylie
A kind young woman
The following night, Nancy came to fetch Oliver and take him to Bill’s
house. On the way, she warned Oliver to do exactly whatever Bill told him
to do. “I’ve tried to make things easier for you,” she said nervously. “If I
could help you more, I would, but I daren’t go against Bill.”
Bill took Oliver out of London, into the country, and by the time they
reached their destination, it was the dead of night. Bill heaved Oliver over a
Fagin
wall, and they crept across a garden toward a large house. Oliver trembled
Leader of a den of thieves with terror as he watched Bill force open a small window.
“Don’t make me go inside,” Oliver cried. “Don’t make me steal
anything.”
 “Good,” chuckled Fagin. “Then he won’t take you back!”
With tears in his eyes, Oliver gazed around in desperation for a chance to
escape. The moment Fagin looked away, he darted to the door and ran out
of the house, but in a flash, the boys were after him and moments later he
was dragged back inside.
Fagin raised his hand to strike Oliver, but Nancy stopped him.
“Leave him alone, Fagin,” she warned, for although she’d fallen into
dishonest ways Nancy had a kind heart. “It’s bad enough that you’re going
to turn the boy into a thief, he doesn’t deserve a beating as well!”
Oliver was made to change out of his expensive clothes into rags once
more and locked in a room for the night.
The next morning, Fagin was no longer angry. The old villain patted
Oliver on the head and said that if he kept himself quiet and worked hard,
then they would turn out to be very good friends. Over the days that Nancy
A barmaid, Bill Sikes’s girlfriend
followed, Oliver was allowed to spend time with Dodger and the other boys
and play the pickpocket game. Fagin often told them funny stories about
robberies he had committed when he was younger and despite Oliver’s
disapproval of the old man’s wickedness he couldn’t help but laugh along
with the others. Slowly, day by day, Fagin cunningly drew Oliver into his
little family of thieves, hoping to turn him as bad as the rest.
A few weeks later, Bill told Fagin that he was planning a robbery. “I
need a boy to climb through a window,” he said. “It has to be a small one.”
Fagin grinned. “Take Oliver,” he suggested, rubbing his hands with
delight. “Once Oliver has committed a crime, then he’s one of us—there’s
no other life for him!”

Bill Sikes
A wicked robber
 OLIVER TWIST
L ong ago, most towns had a workhouse where people in desperate need
were given food and shelter.
One night, a young woman was found lying in the street, weak with
exhaustion. She was carried to the nearby workhouse, where, a few hours
later, she gave birth to a baby boy. The young mother held her tiny son in
her arms and kissed him tenderly, but she was so ill that she died before she
could even give him a name. Nobody knew who she was or where she’d
come from, so Mr. Bumble, who ran the workhouse, named the baby Oliver
Twist.
Mr. Bumble took Oliver to an orphanage, where he was brought up by a
mean old woman who neglected the children in her care and never spoke a
kind word to any of them. However, on his ninth birthday, Mr. Bumble
returned to fetch Oliver and take him back to the workhouse. “You’re old
enough to earn your keep now, boy,” Mr. Bumble told him sternly.
Oliver’s life at the orphanage had been miserable, but things were no
“I’ll take that, you greedy old skeleton,” he growled. “It’s payment for
better at the workhouse. It was a harsh place where inmates had to work
all the bother I’ve had finding the boy.” Fagin was too afraid of Bill’s
long hours to pay for their food and bed. From six o’clock in the morning,
violent temper to argue.
Oliver and the other boys had to unpick huge piles of tough old ropes. All
they were fed was a thin soup of oats and water, called gruel, along with an Oliver pleaded with Fagin to return the books to Mr. Brownlow. “He was
onion twice a week and half a bread roll on Sundays. so kind to me,” Oliver sobbed, “now he’ll think I’m a thief!”
 Bill knew that if the police caught Fagin they’d soon be after him too, so
The growing boys were always hungry, so one day they decided that
he set off for Pentonville with Nancy to search for Oliver.
somebody should ask for more food. As Oliver was the smallest and
Meanwhile, as soon as Oliver was well again, Mr. Brownlow asked him thinnest, he was chosen for the task. That evening when he’d finished his
about his past. When he heard Oliver’s sad story, he shook his head and meager helping, Oliver bravely stepped forward and held out his bowl and
sighed. spoon.
“You can live here with us, Oliver,” he said kindly. “I promise I shall be “Please sir, I want some more,” he said quietly to the master in charge of
your friend and I won’t ever desert you.” the gruel.
Oliver was delighted. For the first time in his life, he had a happy home. The master glared at him in amazement. “What?” he roared.
One morning, Mr. Brownlow asked Oliver to deliver a package of books Oliver trembled with fear. “P-p-please, sir,” he stuttered, “I want some
and some money to a bookshop. Oliver was pleased to have a chance to more.”
prove that he was honest and could be trusted. He set off with directions The horrified master grabbed Oliver roughly by the collar and called for
from Mrs. Bedwin, wearing a new suit of clothes that Mr. Brownlow had Mr. Bumble.
bought him. Oliver was marched away, crying bitterly, and locked up in a cell. The
Unfortunately, as Oliver walked along the street he was spotted by governors of the workhouse were informed, and they all agreed that Oliver
Nancy, who’d been searching for him. She ran up and grabbed him from was a troublemaker and had to go. At once, Mr. Bumble put a notice on the
behind. gate offering five pounds to anyone who would take him for an apprentice.
Oliver struggled to free himself. “Let me go!” he shouted angrily, but
Nancy was strong and held him tight. A crowd of people gathered to see
what was wrong.
“It’s my little brother, Oliver,” said Nancy. “He was stolen away by a
gang of thieves. At last I’ve found him and I’m going to take him home!”
At that moment, Bill Sikes came out of a beer shop nearby.
“What’s this?” he roared. “If it isn’t Oliver! Have you been stealing
books, you young villain? Come home at once to your dear mother.” Bill
snatched the books and seized Oliver by the wrist.
“Help!” Oliver cried desperately. “I don’t belong to them!”
However, nobody in the crowd wanted to challenge a man like Bill
Sikes. Despite his protests, Oliver was dragged away, with Bull’s-Eye
snapping at his heels.
Bill and Nancy took Oliver to the house where Fagin and the boys were
hiding out.
Fagin was relieved that Oliver had been caught. “Delighted to see you, The local undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry, needed someone to help him
my dear,” he said with a grin. Fagin made Oliver hand over Mr. collect the bodies of people who had died and attend funerals, so he agreed
Brownlow’s money, but before he could put it in his pocket, Bill snatched it to give Oliver a job.
out of his hand.
 “Hush, hush, Bill,” said Fagin, trembling. “Don’t speak so loud.” He
At the undertaker’s, Oliver was given scraps from the dog’s bowl to eat poured Bill a drink and they sat around the table with the boys. Dodger told
and had to sleep among the empty coffins. But he was so afraid of being them what had happened with Oliver that day. The news made Fagin very
sent back to the workhouse that he kept to himself as much as possible and nervous.
didn’t complain.
“If Oliver tells the police about us and our hideout we’ll be in trouble,”
After a few weeks, Oliver was allowed to walk in front of the coffins in a Fagin murmured. “And our friends may find themselves in trouble too.”
black suit and top hat. His sorrowful little figure set a mournful tone that
Bill frowned. “Then somebody needs to get hold of the boy before he
delighted Mr. Sowerberry. However, this didn’t please Mr. Sowerberry’s
young assistant, Noah, who became very jealous of Oliver. talks.” However, nobody at that table wanted to go anywhere near a police
Noah got his revenge on Oliver by tormenting him whenever they were
station. While they were wondering what to do, Nancy arrived. Nancy
alone. Oliver suffered Noah’s taunts in silence, but one day, while Mr. loved Bill despite his rough ways, and so he soon persuaded her to go to the
Sowerberry was away, Noah went too far. “Hey, Workhouse,” he scoffed, “I police station, to find out what had happened to Oliver.
bet your mother was bad through and through! Lucky for you she died, When Nancy got to the police station she pretended to be Oliver’s sister
otherwise she’d be in prison!” and asked to see him but an officer explained that Oliver was no longer
Oliver was filled with rage and flung himself at Noah with his fists there. “An old gentleman took pity on the boy and said he’d look after
flying. The boys fought fiercely until Mr. Sowerberry’s wife came running him,” he told Nancy. “I heard him tell a carriage driver to take them to
up and pulled them apart. Pentonville.”
That night, Oliver lay awake, terrified that he’d be sent back to the Nancy hurried back to Fagin and reported what she’d heard.
workhouse when Mr. Sowerberry returned. Filled with dread, he decided to “Oliver still might give us away,” said Fagin with alarm. “It’s not safe to
run away. When everyone was asleep, he crept into the kitchen, packed a stay here.” Muttering nervously to himself, he took his jewelry box from its
small bundle of food, and escaped out of the window. hiding place and left hurriedly with Dodger and the other boys.
Oliver had heard about the great city of London and decided to go there,
hoping that Mr. Bumble would never find him in such a crowded place. It
took him seven long days to walk to London. When he arrived, Oliver sat
on a doorstep, hungry and footsore, without any idea what to do next.
Before long, he realized he was being watched from across the street, by a
dirty-looking boy with sharp eyes, wearing an oversized coat and a tall,
battered hat. The boy swaggered over to Oliver with his hands in his
pockets.
 “Look, Mrs. Bedwin,” he said to his housekeeper, “The eyes, the mouth,
the expression even…this boy is the living copy of the woman in the
painting!”
Meanwhile, although Oliver was far from Fagin’s den, he was not
forgotten. When Dodger and Charley returned home without Oliver, Fagin
was furious. He grasped Dodger by the collar. “Where is he?” he cried
angrily. “Tell me or I’ll throttle you!”
“The police have got him,” wheezed Dodger, and he wriggled out of his
coat and pulled himself free. Fagin seized a pot of beer and flung it at
Dodger, but the boy ducked and it flew across the room, narrowly missing a
huge, dark figure who’d appeared in the doorway.
“Who threw that at me?” growled Bill Sikes in a threatening tone. A
stocky, rough-looking man in a grubby black velveteen coat with a dirty
handkerchief around his neck entered the room. Behind him followed a
shaggy white dog, scratched and torn from many fights.

“Hello,” he said cheerily, “what’s up with you?”

“I’m hungry and tired,” replied Oliver with tears in his eyes. “I’ve been
walking for seven days.”
The boy studied him for a moment. “Have you got anywhere to sleep
tonight?” he asked.
“No,” said Oliver.
“Any money?”
Oliver shook his head.
“Well, don’t worry yourself,” said the boy. “I know a respectable
gentleman who’ll give you lodgings for nothing.”
Oliver thanked him and the boy introduced himself as Jack Dawkins.
“Known to my friends as ‘The Artful Dodger,’” he explained.
Dodger bought Oliver some bread and ham, which he devoured hungrily.
Then he led him through a maze of narrow streets and alleyways, among
desperate-looking men, miserable women, and thin, starved children. Oliver
had never seen such a wretched place. He was just thinking that he would
run away again, when Dodger pulled him through a doorway and along a
“Get inside, Bull’s-Eye,” snapped Bill, and he slammed the door shut. dark passage. They entered a low candlelit room where half a dozen boys
He scowled at Fagin with burning eyes. “Why have you been mistreating were sitting around a table. A rope had been stretched across the end of the
room, on which hung a row of colored handkerchiefs. At the fire, cooking a
these boys, you greedy old thief?” he muttered.
huge pan of sausages, stood a wrinkled old man with matted red hair and
wicked, twinkling eyes. “Stop, the prisoner is innocent!” he cried. “I saw everything. Two other
The boys all crowded around Dodger as he whispered a few words to the boys committed the robbery, and this boy looked truly surprised at the
old man. Then he beckoned Oliver forward. crime.”
“This is my new friend, Fagin,” said Dodger. “His name is Oliver The judged grumbled, but he agreed to dismiss the case. As there was
Twist.” nobody to take care of Oliver, a policeman carried him outside and left him
“We are very glad to see you, Oliver, very glad indeed,” said Fagin with lying on the pavement.
a smile. “I notice you’re staring at the handkerchiefs?” He laughed merrily. The old gentleman, whose name was Mr. Brownlow, came out and knelt
“We’ve just got them out, ready for washing, Oliver, my boy.” beside him. He saw that Oliver was very ill, so he called for a carriage and
That evening, Fagin and the boys made Oliver very welcome. After a took Oliver to his home, where he sent for a doctor at once.
supper of sausages, he was so tired that he curled up on a pile of sacks and Oliver was taken care of by a kind, motherly housekeeper named Mrs.
was soon fast asleep. Bedwin. For three days, she sat at his bedside until, at last, he started to
recover. With plenty of rest and good food, Oliver was soon well enough to
sit with her in the parlor. For the first time in his life, he felt safe and happy.
On the parlor wall Oliver noticed the portrait of a young woman. Something
about her face cast a spell on him. As he sat there staring at the portrait, Mr.
Brownlow appeared. The old gentleman looked at Oliver with
astonishment.
When Oliver woke up the next morning, he still felt very drowsy.
Dodger and the boys had gone out, and Fagin was sitting alone at the table,
hunched over a large jewelry box. Oliver lay still, staring silently as the old
man picked gold watches, silver bracelets, and sparkling necklaces out of
the box, studying each one carefully with murmurs of delight.
Suddenly, Fagin turned and spotted Oliver awake. He jumped up and
seized the bread knife from the table.
 “How long have you been awake?” he asked fiercely, afraid that Oliver
might have seen him fetch the jewelry box from its hiding place.
“Not long, sir,” cried Oliver. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
Fagin stroked the knife. “There, there,” he said in a kindly voice once
more, “no need to be upset, my boy. Did you see these pretty things,
Oliver? They’re mine, all I have to live on in my old age, you understand.”
He told Oliver to fetch a jug of water from the corner of the room so that he
could wash himself, and by the time Oliver handed it to him, the jewelry
box had vanished.
A short while later, Dodger returned with another boy named Charley.
They pulled several wallets and purses out of their pockets and put them on
the table, along with four handkerchiefs.
“I see you’ve been hard at work this morning, boys,” said Fagin,
fingering everything with great satisfaction.
Oliver wondered what work the boys had been doing, but before he
could ask, Fagin suggested to Dodger and Charley that they play a game.
The old man put a watch in one trouser pocket, a purse in the other, a chain
With horror, Oliver realized that his new friends were a pair of thieves, around his neck, a handkerchief in his coat pocket, and a tie pin on his shirt.
and all at once he understood what Fagin’s games had really been about. Then he strolled around the room, stopping here and there as if he was
Frightened and confused, he turned on his heels and started to run away. staring at shopwindows. Dodger and Charley followed him, hiding
whenever he turned around until, suddenly, Dodger darted out and trod on
However, at that very moment, the old gentleman realized what had
Fagin’s toes while at the same time, Charley ran into him. In that instant,
happened. “Stop, thief!” he cried, pointing at Oliver. People started to run
they took from him the watch, the purse, the chain, the handkerchief, and
after Oliver, and before he could escape, he was seized and thrown to the
the tie pin without the old gentleman apparently feeling a thing.
ground. Injured and shaken, he was taken off to the police station.
When the old gentleman saw Oliver at the police station, he felt that
there was something about his face that he recognized, although he couldn’t
think why. He told the officer in charge that he couldn’t be sure Oliver was
the thief and asked for him to be released. However, the officer refused, and
right away, Oliver was taken before Mr. Fang, the judge.
In the court, Oliver felt faint. He told the judge that he was an orphan
and had never stolen anything in his life. However, even though no
handkerchief could be found in his possession, Mr. Fang decided he was
guilty. Oliver felt his head swim, and he collapsed on the floor. Just at that
moment, the man who owned the bookshop came running into the
courtroom.
 loudly and made a fuss of Oliver. Then, after a few drinks, they went out
with Dodger and Charley, and Oliver was left alone with Fagin once more.
“Is there a handkerchief hanging out of my pocket?” the crafty old man
asked.
“Yes, sir,” Oliver replied.
“Then see if you can take it without me noticing,” suggested Fagin, “like
the boys did.”
Oliver held the bottom of the pocket, just as he’d seen Dodger do, and
drew the handkerchief lightly out of it.
“Is it gone yet?” asked Fagin.
“Here it is!” cried Oliver, and he waved it triumphantly.
“You’re a clever boy, Oliver,” said Fagin, patting him on the head.
“Here’s a shilling for you. Carry on like this and you’ll be a great man one
day.”
For many days, Oliver stayed in the house, helping Fagin wash the
handkerchiefs and playing the pickpocket game. Before long he begged to
be allowed out in the fresh air.
At last, one morning, Fagin agreed that Oliver could go out to work with
Dodger and Charley.
To Oliver’s surprise, the boys didn’t seem in a hurry to get to work and
just wandered idly through the streets. “Maybe they’re tricking the old man
and not going to work at all,” he thought to himself. Then, suddenly,
Dodger stopped and put his finger to his lips. He pointed to a well-dressed
old gentleman standing in front of a book stall. The old gentleman was so
absorbed in the book he was reading that he was as still as a statue. Charley
nodded. Oliver watched in alarm as the boys crept toward the bookstall. In
an instant, Dodger pulled the old gentleman’s handkerchief out of his
pocket, handed it to Charley, and then they both shot off around the corner
The pickpocket game was repeated with much merriment, and Oliver at great speed.
laughed until he cried.
Later that day, two young ladies came to visit. They introduced
themselves to Oliver as Nancy and Bet. The girls danced and laughed