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A Chance Meeting
Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney were married. He was promoted to the job of master of the workhouse, and he became sterner than ever.
One night, after a violent quarrel with his new wife, Mr. Bumble went to a tavern for a drink. The only customer there, a tall, dark man with an ugly face and sharp eyes, stared at him. His hands, all covered with red sores, played nervously with his glass.
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| A Chance Meeting |
"Were you looking for me when you peered through the window just now?" asked the stranger.
"No," answered Mr. Bumble, "unless you are..." By stopping, Mr. Bumble hoped the man would reveal his name.
"I guess you werent, or you would have kown my name," said the stranger. "Well, don't ask for it! I recognize you, though. Aren't you a parish official here?"
"Yes, Im master of the workhouse," said Mr. Bumble proudly.
"Oh! What luck! I came here today to find said you, and by some stroke of luck you wandered into this very room. I need some information from you. I'll pay for it."
Mr. Bumble Meets a Stranger.....
The stranger Pushed some coins across the table, and Mr. Bumble pocketed them.
The stranger continued, "Think back on a scene in the workhouse one night about 12 years ago. A woman gave birth to a baby boy and then then died. The baby was left for the parish to take care of."
"There were many such cases," said Mr. Bumble.
"This one grew into a weak, pale-faced boy who was sent to work for a coffin-maker and later ran away to London...."
The Stranger Pays for Information.....
"Oh, you must mean Oliver! Oliver Twist!"
"Now tell me where I can find the hag who took care of his mother."
"She died last winter."
Perhaps I Know Something More.....
The stranger gazed into space and bit down hard on his swollen purple lips that already had teeth marks in them. Mr. Bumble couldn't decide whether he was disappointed or relieved. Suddenly, the stranger rose to leave. Mr. Bumble was cunning. He sensed that he could make some more money off the man.
"Wait, my friend," said Mr. Bumble. "Perhaps I know something more." Mr. Bumble remembered the day Old Sally died. It was the very day he had proposed marriage to Mrs. Corney. He wasn't sure what the dying woman had told his wife, but he knew it had something to do with Oliver's mother.
An Address with No Name.....
Then, when he saw the stranger's interest, he continued, "Another woman shared the old hag's secrets before she died. Perhaps she caan give you more information."
"Where can I find this woman?" asked the stranger eagerly.
"Only through me. I'll bring her to you."
"Here's the address. Come at 9:00 tomorrow evening."
Mr. Bumble looked at the paper. "There's no name. What name do I ask for?"
"Monks" replied the stranger as he hurried away.