雾都孤儿:Oliver Twist II
There was no one to look after the baby in the workhouse. So Oliver was sent to a special “baby farm” nearby.
在济贫院里没有专人照顾婴儿，所以
奥利弗被送进了附近一家专门的“
育婴堂”。
There, he and thirty other children rolled around the floor all day, without the inconvenience of too much food or too much clothing.
在这里，奥利弗与其他三十多个孩子每天在地上滚爬着，没有过多的衣物和食物来“麻烦”他们。
Mrs Mann, the
old woman who “looked after” them, was very experienced．
曼太太“照顾”着这些孩子，这老女人非常有经验。
She knew what was good for children, and a full stomach was very dangerous to their health. She also knew what was good for herself, so she kept for her own use the money that she was given for the children’s food.
她知道什么对孩子们有好处，知道吃饱肚子对孩子们的身体是非常有害的。同时她也知道什么对她自己有好处，于是她把人家给孩子们的伙食费都留给自己。
The board responsible for the orphans sometimes checked on the health of the children, but They always sent the beadle. a kind of local policeman, to announce their visit the day before.
负责孤儿事务的地方董事会有时会来检查孩子们的健康状况，可他们往往在前一天派执事去通告他们要来访问，执事是一种地方警察。
So whenever the board arrived, of course, the children were always neat and clean．
所以，无论他们什么时候来，孩子们准是个个头净脚净的。
Oliver fought his first battle without much assistance from the two people present at his birth．
他出生时在场的两个人没有给他什么帮助，这使得奥利弗要独自承当他的第一场战斗。
One was an old woman，who was nearly always drunk， and the other was a busy local doctor，who was not paid enough to be very interested in Oliver’s survival．
其中一个是位老妇人，她几乎总是喝得醉醺醺的；另一个则是当地一位忙碌的医生，这位医生没有得到足够的报酬，所以对奥利弗能否活下来并不很在意。
After all，death was a common event in the workhouse，where only the poor and homeless lived．
在济贫院这个只有穷人和无家可归的人待的地方，死亡毕竟是一件非常平常的事。
This was the way Oliver was brought up.
奥利弗就是这样长大的。
Consequently, at the age of nine he was a pale,thin child and short for his age.
因此，他到了九岁时，还非常苍白瘦小，比同龄孩子矮一大截。
But despite frequent beatings by Mrs Mann, his spirit was strong, which was probably the reason why he managed to reach the age of nine at all．
尽管常常遭到曼太太的毒打，他的意志却很坚强。这大概也是他竟然能活到九岁的缘故吧。
On Oliver’s ninth birthday, Mr Bumble, the beadle,came to the house to see Mrs Mann.
奥利弗九岁生日的这天，执事班布尔先生来育婴堂看曼太太。
Through the front window Mrs Mann saw him at the gate, and turned quickly to the girl who worked with her．
曼太太透过楼前的窗户看见他站在大门口，慌忙转向和她一起干活的女孩。
“Quick！
Take Oliver and those others upstairs to be washed!” she said．
赶快！把奥利弗和其他孩子都带到楼上洗洗！”她说道。
Then she ran out to unlock the gate. It was always kept locked to prevent official visitors walking in unexpectedly.
然后她匆忙跑去开大门。为了防止官方人员料想不及的来访，这大门常常是锁着的。
“I have business to talk about, “ Mr Bumble told Mrs Mann as he entered the house. He was a big fat man, often bad-tempered, and was full of self-importance. He did not like to be kept waiting at a locked gate.
“我有点事要跟你谈。”班布尔先生跟曼太太说着，走进了屋子。他是个身材肥胖、脾气暴躁、妄自尊大的人。他可不喜欢被关在门外长时间地等候。
Mrs Mann took his hat and coat, placed a chair for him, and expressed great concern for his comfort．“You’ve had a long walk, Mr Bumble’ she said, “ and you must be thirsty.” She took out a bottle from the cupboard．
曼太太接过了他的帽子和外衣，替他端过—把椅子，并且对他是否舒适表示了极大的关心。“班布尔先生，您大老远地走来，一定是渴了。”她说着从橱子里拿出了一个瓶子。
“No, thank you, Mrs Mann. Not a drop.” He waved the bottle away.”
“不，谢谢，曼太太，我一滴都不喝。”他挥手推开瓶子。
“Just a little drop, Mr Bumble, with cold water,” said Mrs Mann persuasively．
“只稍稍来一点儿，班布尔先生，这是加了冰水的。”她极力地劝说着。