One afternoon, when Dodger and Bates were preparing for an evening outing, Dodger wanted to put a gloss on his boots. And since he was too lazy to take up the brush, he called Oliver. I stood in front of Oliver.

"He won't do this dirty want everyone to hate you... What is all this for?" Said Angelica

"Not you, Freckles! You're a runaway I'm a crook and the tiger is always striped." Said a Dodge

Dodger came up to me what's wrong with you?I raised my hand and slapped him. He blushed and took up his face. It's your choice, dear.

They grabbed me and dragged me into a room and locked me up.

I overheard their conversation

" What a pity he's not a mazurik, right?" He asked Charlie.

"That's right–" Bates agreed, "the guy doesn't understand his own benefits! Hey, Oliver, you probably don't even know who these Mazuriki are, do you?

"I think I do," Oliver said hesitantly. –Is... is this a thief really?"

" Absolutely right! - said the Dodger. I, Charlie Nancy, the Pussycat are all thieves – And I think my job is the best! Tell me, why don't you want to go to study with Fagin?

"And make a fortune right away," Bates added, grinning, "and then leave and become a respectable gentleman." I'll do that in four leap years on the forty-second Tuesday of the Trinity week.

"I don't like... I don't like what you're doing," Oliver replied timidly. – I would like to leave…

"And Fagin wouldn't want to! Bates replied sharply, and Oliver thought it prudent not to continue the conversation on this topic.

"Look! The Dodger shouted and pulled out a handful of shillings and halfpence from his pocket. Does it matter where they came from? Well, take it if you want! There's still a lot left where they were taken. What, you don't want to?"

" You know, you should get into the craft as soon as possible" – Fagin will force you anyway, so there's nothing to waste time in vain, Charlie Bates concluded.

From that day on, Oliver was rarely alone. Dodger and Charlie arranged training sessions in front of the boy, and the old often told all sorts of stories about robberies and praised the thieves in every possible way. The stories were disgusting in essence, but Fagin told them so funny that Oliver laughed heartily.

The old man was a good psychologist. He put the boy in such conditions when he was glad of any company. So Fagin intended to subdue the intractable boy to himself and force him to work on a par with the Cheat and Bates.

The next morning, Pussy put on her apron and boots before going downstairs, and saw that everyone was crowding around something, but Dodger was standing off to the side as if nothing bothered him. Pussy asked, looking at Nancy." Nancy turned and gave her a worried look.

"I'm sorry, Oliver," she said, and the boys let the Cat pass, and she saw Oliver lying on the table, covered in blood, with a bullet wound on his chest ."Oh, My God! she exclaimed, brushing his wet hair back from his face."What happened?"" "What is it?" she asked as tears filled her eyes.

"He was shot while he was robbing the house," Nancy replied, and Fagin touched the wound lightly, and Oliver gasped in pain. "he's as cold as ice, Fagin, he needs a bed," said Nancy, feeling his forehead; " he can have mine, it's upstairs, and none of the boys will go up there.""

"Nancy," Oliver whispered, opening his eyes slightly, she nodded, "Yes, Oliver, it's me, I promise you'll be fine," she said.

Fagin screamed, and the boys ran away, but Dodger stayed where he was: "Dodger," said Fagin, and Dodger had an annoyed look on his face, and he ran away, and the Cat sighed and caught up with him before going up to her room. Jack, please understand me, have you noticed that I'm very similar to him? And Mr. Branlow looks at us so suspiciously. Don't tell me he's your brother? Jack Asked. I'm not so sure yet. He's gone.

The doctor pulled another piece out of Olivers ' wound, and his grip on my arm tightened. "it's all right, Oliver, you'll be all right," whispered the Cat, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb ." "The wound is superficial," said fagin impatiently. "so he'll live?""

Fagin asked, "Well, the wound is small, but the infection, well, the infection can turn Red blood into green pus, pink limbs into rotting stumps, during the day death is a blessed release from agony," the doctor said, " he hears, said Cat.

"Last one," said the doctor, putting away a small bowl full of bullet fragments, " leeches I have leeches, how about a pultis to draw out the poison?" the doctor asked. "I'll pay you all you've got," said Fagin, and the doctor held out his hand, now waiting for the money,

Fagin sighed and handed over some money: "if he dies of an infection, give me the first refusal on kadavar, I can get a very good price for the hospital" the doctor said: "Get out," Nancy snapped, the man gathered up his things before leaving, "I'll take care of him," Nancy said, " Me too"

"I think he's my brother." Nancy nodded before turning to Fagin. "can you go and tell bill for me, Fagin?" she asked hopefully, "good-bye, my dear," he said,

Cat turned to the sleeping Oliver and prayed not to lose another important person in her life.

After about 2 days, Cat still hadn't spoken to Dodger, as much as I wanted to, she couldn't forgive him for allowing Oliver to be arrested. "A Cat?"

Cat turned to the sleeping Oliver and prayed not to lose another important person in her is back again after all. He saw that the Cat was crying.

"I'm so scared!"

"I don't believe you, you weren't afraid of anything before!"

And now I'm scared I'm afraid to end up in hell"

"Your health is excellent, perhaps there is no hell"

"He is there I know that"

"For what sins are you a sender to hell

I shouldn't have framed Oliver. I ruined his life."

"This is the first time I feel like I've been terrible with Oliver."

"If you had started living from the beginning nothing would have changed, you as a thief regret that you stole that you got behind bars"

"Mom was always honest and kind and I'm not like her"

"You're just having a drunken tantrum so let's change the subject"

"I can't live without you"

"You are tactless and not well-mannered if you allow yourself ..."

"It has not escaped your attention that my friendship with you has grown into something more, a feeling more sacred, don't you think that this is love?"

"I can't chase you all the time!"

"You are a vile and arrogant monster..."

"I will not be with you, you fool Dodger"

"Okay, enough of stupid talk!"

Dodger leaned over to Angelica and kissed her.

"Don't, Dodger, I'm going to faint!"

"That's what I'm trying to achieve, dear, no one has ever kissed you like that before!"

"Will you be mine?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Are you sure about this?"

"Tell me frankly why are you with me? You don't love me, do you?"

"If I said I loved you, I'd be lying."

I"t's like I'd say I'm in love with you and don't let me fall in love with you!" Dodger said

Finally Dodger came back with a slice of bread and a sausage on a plate, slipped them into the bottom latch, and then stood on the drawer and opened the top latch to look inside.

"Come on, honey, I took it on purpose, it's sausage, I love sausage," Dodger said, trying to convince her to either eat it or talk to him.

"You were stalking me, weren't you?" How was I supposed to know you'd be caught?" Dodger asked, turning away from the latch and sitting down on the box. "next time I'll run faster," she added, "they were kind to me, and now they'll find out I'm a thief, they'll find out I stole them!"""

The cat shouted from his little prison: "Why are you worried about them? Rich people, they expect a lot of them, more than enough, we won't get them if we ask and we'll end up starving, so we take them and they won't find anything about you because they'll forget about you, so do us a favor and eat it all"

Dodger said irritably at the end of the conversation, and she heard the plate slide inside, and Dodger looked back at the latch. "Is that all, dear?" "Go back to where you belong," he said, and immediately there was a knock on the door, followed by a crash from inside that told me the cat had thrown food at Dodger.

"Be like that and you'll see that I care," Dodger snapped, pushing the latch and sitting on the box, and she looked down at him.

"Dodge, I think Oliver is my brother, have you noticed how similar we are?" The cat started. He looked surprised, guilty.

"I know you're mad at me and everything, but I just wanted to tell you something," he said.

"I know where Nolly is, I can take you to him, I don't need it, but I'll do it," he said, brightening up and shuffling towards the stairs as fast as he could.

I'll do it for you, my dear," said the Dodger, taking her hand.

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"Who's there?"" "The cat feels a little weird talking through the door in the alley. "A cat?" a familiar voice asked from inside, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "are you all right?" - she exclaimed joyfully.

"Not really.

"I'm so sorry, Oliver, you know I haven't spoken to Dodger since he told me about your arrest," she said, and he came closer and leaned against the door, looking at her. "he fought to trust her, Kat, is it okay if I call you that?""What's the matter?" "what is it?" he asked, referring to my nickname.

"Of course it's little Oliver, now you look like my little brother.

She turned around and saw a small but vicious-looking dog, followed by Sykes, brandishing a baton on a chain.

The cat hammered on the iron door again: "It's no use, Cat," Dodger said behind her, and she screamed in frustration and rolled back against the wall: "I can't let him go again, Dodge," she whimpered, looking at him across the table.,

he sighed, and she shivered slightly: "Are you cold?" "what is it?" he asked, throwing his head back, not against the wall, she nodded, and he motioned me to him, she crawled up to him, he pressed her to his chest, the cat snuggled in the warmth, not caring now about what he was doing.

Pussy, what are you doing?"

She sat down at his feet and smiled shyly."

Sighing, Dodge sat up and grabbed her hands. "

He watched as she seemed to be going through some internal argument before putting her hand on his cheek."

"But why?" "I'm fine."

"Jack."

He sighed again, he could never lie to her, she ran her thumb over his cheekbone, a soothing sensation. He was always amazed at how her touch alone, or even her presence, could calm him down or infuriate him.

"Talk to me."

"Until the age of 13, I lived in a wealthy family, I had everything that an ordinary child would want, but everything changed overnight when my parents went to the next party to me, my only close person is the butler reports that they are dying in an accident, then I was handed over to the workhouse and I decided to run away from there then I met Fagin. Angelica gasps and hugs Dodger. You are like me! She whispers. "I could be a lady too... My parents were killed by a mugger, maybe there were two of them. I'm sure this person still lives around here somewhere..."

He was amazed to see a drop of tears fall on his hand, and when he looked up, he saw that she was trying to hold back tears. His eyes widened because he had no idea how to react to people crying.

"Don't cry, you know I can't stand tears."

"I don't know what happened to you in your past, I'll never be able to figure it out, but I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I know you won't, you know I won't let anyone hurt you, right?"

She nodded silently and gently pressed her lips to his. He put his hands on her waist, and she immediately wrapped them around his neck, playing with his hair. He carefully slipped his hands under her top before lifting her up. Pulling away from her to catch his breath, his lips immediately moved to her neck, and he gently kissed her neck and chin before returning to her lips, kissing now more passionately.

He slowly pulled her to him and lay down between her legs, without interrupting the kiss. Hesitantly, she tugged at the hem of his shirt. Pulling away, he stared at her for a few moments, breathing heavily.

Dodger tilted her head back and, pressing her to his shoulder, kissed her-gently at first, then with a rapidly growing passion that made her cling to him as to her only salvation in this drunken, swaying world. His greedy mouth parted her trembling lips, a current ran through her nerves, awakening sensations in her that she had not known before and did not think she was capable of knowing. And before she surrendered to the power of the whirlwind that swirled her, she realized that she was also kissing him.

"Stop... please, I'm going to faint," she whispered, making a weak attempt to turn away from him. But he pressed her head firmly against his shoulder again, and she, as if in a fog, saw his face. His wide-open eyes shone passionately, his hands trembled, so that she was even scared.

- And I want you to faint. I'll make you faint.

His lips pressed against hers again, and she gave up without a struggle, too weak to even turn her head away-and she didn't want to turn away; her heart was pounding so desperately that she was shaking all over from his blows, and she was afraid of Rhett's strength and her own weakness. What would he do to her now? She would really faint if he didn't let her go. If only he'd let her go... If only he'd never let her go.

"Say yes!" Their lips were almost touching, and his eyes were so close that they seemed huge and filled the entire space. "Say yes, damn you!" Or...

She whispered, "Yes," without even having time to think, as if he had forcibly snatched the word from her and she had uttered it without meaning to. But as soon as she uttered it, a sudden calm came to her soul, her head stopped spinning and even the feeling of intoxication seemed to have passed.

Did you say that consciously? he asked very calmly. - You don't want to take back your word?

" no."

"You didn't say that because I... how do they say it?.. "knocked the ground out from under your feet" by my, uh, my fervor?"

She couldn't answer because she didn't know what to say and couldn't meet his eyes. He took her chin in his hand and lifted her head.

" I told you once that I can take anything from you except lies, and now I want to know the truth. So why did you say yes?"

The words still wouldn't come out of her mouth, but her composure was beginning to return- she continued to look down, only the corners of her lips slightly lifted in a smile.

" Look at me. Because of my money?"

"How can you say that, Dodger! What a question!"

" Look at me and don't shirk. I'm not Charles, and I'm not Frank, and I'm not some goofball from your neighborhood who can be fooled by flapping his eyelashes. Is it because of my money?

"Well... partly, yes.

" Partially?"

" We understand each other. And you are the only man I know who is able to hear the truth from a woman, and it's nice to have a man who doesn't think you're a complete idiot and doesn't want you to lie to him... and besides... well, in a word, I like you."

"Do you like me?"

"You see," she said in a whimsical tone, "if I said I was head over heels in love with you, I would be lying, and most importantly, you would know that I was lying."

" Sometimes it seems to me that you go too far in your desire to tell the truth, my kitty. Don't you think it would be better at this moment to say, "I love you, Dodger," even if it's a lie and even if you don't feel it at all?

"If it would be a lie, and in general, why do we need all this nonsense? Like I told you, I like you. You know perfectly well what this means. You once told me that you don't love me, but we have a lot in common. You and I are both pretty crooks, you said then..."