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Filling in the Missing Pieces
Oliver was back in the town of his birth. He had come there with Mrs. Maylie, Rose, Dr. Losberne, Mrs. Bedwin, Mr. Brownlow, Mr. Grimwig, and a young man whose name he didn't know. But it was the same man who had cursed at him when he went to post the letter to the doctor and the same man who had peered in at him as he sat on the porch of the Maylies cottage.
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| Filling in the Missing Pieces |
When they were all seated in the big hotel room Mr. Brownlow had rented, Mr. Brownlow turned to Monks and, pointing at Oliver, he said, "This child is your half-brother, the son of your father and of Agnes Fleming - the young woman he had hoped to marry before his death. She died in giving birth to Oliver. Now, Monks, we must hear the rest of the story from you."
Monks was angry and sullen, but knew he had to tell his story to all the witnesses.
"Listen then!" he began. "My father - also Oliver's father - became ill in Rome. My mother and I joined him there. They had been living apart for a long time. After he died, I found two papers in his desk. One was a letter written to you, Mr. Brownlow, and the other was a latter to Agnes. She was carrying the unborn child then. He told her that he would marry her and hide her shame. He reminded her of the gifts of love he had given her - the ring and the little gold locket with her Christian name engraved on it and a blank space left for his name, which he hoped to add one day. He begged her to wear the locket next to her heart..."
Oliver Recognizes Monks.....
As Oliver listened, tears streamed down his face.
"That's enough, Monks!" interrupted Mr. Brownlow. "Now, tell us about the will."
Monks Tells His Story to Witnesses.....
Monks was silent.
"I'll tell about it, then," said Mr. Brownlow.
"It spoke of your father's unhappy marriage to your mother - a woman whose evil nature taught you, his only son, to hate him. You developed that same evil nature too. Yet in spite of that, your father left you and your mother each a yearly sum of 800 pounds in his will. Most of his property was left for Agnes Fleming and for their child. If the child were a boy, he would get his inheritance only if he never dishonored his name by breaking the law. This is why Monks conspired with Fagin to make the boy a criminal and one day have him get caught."
Oliver Weeps for His Mother.....
"My mother burned the will!" said Monks. "The letter never reached Agnes, but she told her father the truth about her unborn baby. Mr. Fleming fled with his two daughters to Wales. Because of his shame, he changed his name. But Agnes was too ashamed to stay, so she ran away and had her baby in the workhouse of this town. Her father searched for her in vain. He was so sure she had killed herself that he died of a broken heart."
Mr. Brownlow took up the story:
"Years later, when Monks was 18, he ran away from home. His mother came to me for help. He had robbed her of money and jewelry, he had gambled, he had forget checks, and he had finally fled to London, where he made friends with the lowest characters. When his mother knew she was dying, she started a search for him. He was found, and he returned to France with her."
"Before she died," Monks broke in, "she revealed these secrets to me. She believed that a baby boy had been born to Agnes. I swore to her that if that child ever crossed my path, I would hunt him down, never let him rest, and show him my deepest hate. And I found that child. If I could, I would drag him to the gallows!"
Agnes Fleming Ran Away in Shame.....
Everyone gasped at this villain's words.
Mr. Brownlow then told his listeners that Monks gave Fagin a large reward for keeping Oliver trapped, but that Fagin would have to give up some part of it if the boy were rescued. A fight over this led them both to the country house to indentify Oliver. That's when Oliver saw them, but they escaped.
"And now," said Mr. Brownlow, turning to Monks, "what about the locket and ring?"
"I bought them from the man and woman I told you about. They got the pawn ticket from the nurse who stole the gold from Agnes Fleming's dead body. You know where the locket and ring are now - at the bottom of the river."
Identifying Oliver.....
Mr. Brownlow nodded to Mr. Grimwig, who went to the door and brought Mr. and Mrs. Bumble into the room. At first, they denied knowing anything about the locket and ring. Then Mr. Grimwig led two toothless old hags into the room.
"You shut the door the night Old Sally died," said the first one to Mrs. Bumble. "But we heard what she said."
Then the other old hag added, "We heard Old Sally try to tell you what she had done. Then we peeked in and saw you take a paper from her hand, and we followed you to the pawnbroker. And we saw you get the locket and gold ring."
"Would you like to see the pawnbroker himself?" Mr. Grimwig asked Mrs. Bumble.
"No," she answered. "I did sell the locket and ring. And if he" - and she pointed to Monks - "if he has been a coward and confessed, I have nothing more to say. I did sell them....to him!"
"I shall see to it that you and your husband never hold a position of trust again," said Mr. Brownlow. "You may go."
After the Bumbles had gone, Mr. Brownlow turned to Rose. "Do not tremble, my dear. You need not fear my next few words."
Then, turning to Monks, he asked, "Do you know this young lady?"
The Old Hags Accuse Mrs. Bumble.....
"Yes," replied Monks. "I never saw you before," said Rose in arrangement.
"Agnes's father had two daughters," said Mr. Brownlow. "What happened to the other child, Monks?"
"When her father died in a strange place and with a strange name, no one was able to trace any relatives or friends for the young girl. So she was taken in and raised by some poor cottage people, but my mother found her and tormented her until her life was miserable. But one day, a widow lady living alone in the countryside saw the girl and took pity on her. She took the girl home to live with her and gave her a happy life. I didn't see the girl until a few months ago."
Agnes's Father Had Two Daughters!.....
"Where is she now?"
"Right in this room!" said Monks, pointing at Rose.
"Oh, my dear niece," cried Mrs. Maylie as Rose collapsed in her arms.
"My dear, darling aunt!" cried Oliver, rushing to hug Rose. The two orphans wept in each other's arms.
Just then, Harry Maylie entered the room.
"Dear Rose," he said, "I know everything. And I'm here to remind you of a promise you made to me."
"Now that you know all about my past," she cried, "I am even more unworthy of you than before."
"No," said the handsome young man. "I decided that if my world could not be yours, I would make your world mine. My important relatives and friends look down on me now, but I want nothing of their power and way of life. I want only to marry you, Rose, in a little country church!"