Chapter 10
"I'm sorry, my dear"
The fox was waiting for Dodger, she was waiting without suspecting anything bad, she dumbfounded opened her green eyes someone covered her mouth with her hand it was her ex-boyfriend, he dragged her somewhere her ex-gang was waiting for her, their mistress laughed, they also laughed at the same time her ex-boyfriend pulled her to him then kissed her on the lips, he pushed her her the gang in front of her was Monks, no one had caught him yet and arrested him, he threw money at her mentor then pushed her into the carriage. they went somewhere.
"Where are we going?" The Fox screams
"To a psychiatric hospital, remember when I said I could put you in there?" Monks leans over to her and sneers nastily
"You're nobody to me, I'm a free man!" The Fox screams
They quickly arrived at the hospital, they were met by doctors, she was pushed into a small room and closed, Dodger followed the Fox here, he was definitely not going to leave her with these psychopaths, doctors came to the Fox with a syringe and gave her a soothing injection The Fox calmed down, she flopped down on the couch she was completely exhausted her beautiful red curls were scattered on the pillow she just crying, an employee of this hospital came to her, he began to molest her, he did not have time to close the door, Dodger came to them with a syringe, he was in a white coat, the fox hit him Dodger stuck a syringe into the doctor took off his mask.
"Dodger, it's you!" The fox runs up to him, then hugs him.
"I feel very bad, Dodger, they've already pumped a lot of some kind of medicine into me!" The fox is about to lose her consciousness Dodger gives her a white coat they run out of the building but they come face to face with the police.
"Run!" Dodger tells her then kisses her goodbye on her soft lips.
"No!" The Fox shakes his head
Dodger points a gun at her, she runs away, Dodger is arrested and taken to jail, the fox runs to Mr. Branlow's house, she finds Oliver.
"Oliver, please ask Mr. Branlow to commute his sentence!"
The Fox speaks and cries
"Okay, but you're not going to live a life of crime anymore?" Oliver says
The fox looked around impatiently in search of Dodder, but although many of the women present could perfectly pass for the man's mother or sister and several men could resemble his father, there was absolutely no one in sight, to whom would a description of Dodger's appearance fit, the fox sat down on a bench. Finally, Dodger was brought to the courtroom. The judge stood in his place. He pronounced the final verdict on him. "Artful Dodger will be deported to the colony of Australia!" The fox met Dodger's gaze for the last time when the trial was over, she went to Dodger in prison, she took hold of the bars and pressed her face against them, she looked at Dodger sadly then asked:
"Dodger, how come? Did you get caught easily?"
"I do not know, forgive me!" Dodger says
"I'm going to live with Oliver!" Says the Fox
"You deserve a better life, trust me!" Dodger says, he leans over to her and kisses her goodbye.
The fox does not say anything, she runs out of prison to get into the carriage to Oliver and Mr. Branlow, Oliver asks her:
"Are you okay?
"I don't know!" Says the Fox
Their carriage is going to a new house, Lisa is met by Miss Rose, a maid, she will have her own large room and clothes, but she feels that she is not happy at all in this new world.
The fox began to climb the stairs, hoping to find him after all, she quietly opened the door and looked into the dining room. He was sitting bent over at the table, there was a decanter full of alcohol in front of him, she pulled towards the door, trying not to rush to him. But when he looked at her, something in his gaze stopped her and the words died on her lips.
He stared at her with his black eyes from under the lids swollen with fatigue, and there were no lights in his eyes. Although her hair fell in disarray over her shoulders, her chest heaved heavily, and her skirts were splattered with mud to her knees, there was no surprise or question on his face, and his lips did not curl into a slight smile. He was sprawled heavily in an armchair — the coat that hugged his plumped, once so slender and beautiful body was crumpled, his strong-willed face was roughened. He looked at the Fox, and she stood at the threshold with her hand pressed to her heart — he looked at her for a long time, calmly, almost tenderly, and this scared in, sit down," he said.
The fox approached him hesitantly, not knowing how to act or what to say at the sight of this new expression on his face. He didn't get up, just pushed a chair towards her with his foot, and she sank into it. She wanted so much to shout, "I love you!" and it seemed to her that now, on this night, the hour had come when she had to tell Dodger what was on her mind. But something in his face held her back, and suddenly she felt ashamed to talk about love at such a moment.
"God rest Nancy's soul!" he said with difficulty.
"She was the only truly kind person I knew!"She was a real lady!" Dodger said
"Oh, Dodger!" she cried plaintively, for his words revived in her memory all the good things that Nancy had done for her. "Why didn't you come with me? It was so terrible... and I needed you so much!"
"I couldn't stand it," he said simply, and was silent for a moment. Then, with an effort, he said very softly: "She was a real lady."
He looked over her shoulder with his heavy gaze, as if he saw Nancy walking quietly across the room to the door. He seemed to be saying goodbye to her, but there was no grief or suffering in his face, only surprise at himself, only a painful awakening of feelings that had not declared themselves since his youth, and he repeated:
"She was a real lady."
A shudder passed through the Fox's body, and the light of joy that had warmed in her disappeared, — the warmth and ecstasy that prompted her to rush home on wings disappeared. She began to understand what was going on in Dodger's soul when he said "I'm sorry" to the only person in the world whom he respected. And the Fox again felt despair at the irreplaceability of the loss that she was not the only one who suffered. Of course, she still hadn't fully realized and couldn't figure out how Dodger felt, but for a second it seemed to her as if the rustling skirts touched her with the soft caress of the last "I'm sorry." When she met his gaze—and his eyes were so tired—she fell into an embarrassed silence, shy, like a girl left alone with her boyfriend for the first time. If only he could help her a little! If only he would hold out his arms to her, and she would gratefully rush into his arms, curl up in his lap and put her head on his chest! Her lips, pressed against his, could have told him everything much better than those stumbling words. But looking at him, she realized that he was not keeping her at a distance out of vindictiveness. He looked devastated, as if everything she had told him didn't matter at all.
"Fox, has it ever occurred to you that even the most immortal love can wear out?" Dodger asked
"So mine is worn out!Everything said that we were meant for each other. That's because I am the only one of your acquaintances who was able to love you, even after learning what you really are: tough, greedy, unscrupulous, like me. But I loved you and decided to take a chance. However," he shrugged, "I've tried everything and nothing has helped. And I loved you so much, Fox. If you would only let me, I would love you so tenderly, so carefully, as no man has ever loved before. But I couldn't let you feel it, because I knew that you would consider me weak and immediately try to use my love against me.
"So... so I've destroyed everything... and you don't love me anymore?" The Fox asks
"That's nodded
"But," she continued stubbornly, like a child who thinks it's enough to express a wish for it to come true, "but I love you!"
"This is your trouble!" Dodger shrugged his shoulders
She quickly looked up at him, checking to see if there was mockery in those words, but there was no mockery. He was just stating a fact. But she still didn't believe it—she couldn't believe it. She stared at him, narrowing her eyes a little, the stubbornness of despair burned in her eyes, her chin, suddenly pushed out sharply, breaking the soft line of her cheek.
" Don't be silly, Dodger, Because I can…"
He raised his hand in mock horror, and his black eyebrows rose, giving his face a familiar mocking expression.
"Don't look so determined, Fox! No, I won't let you chase me, and besides, I'm leaving."
Her lips trembled before she could clench her teeth and stop trembling. Is he leaving? No, anything but that! How could she live without him? After all, everyone left her. Everyone who mattered in her life except Dodger. He can't leave. But how could she stop him? She is powerless when he has decided something so coldly and speaks so dispassionately.
"I'm leaving."
"Are you leaving me?" The Fox asked
"I need you. Take me with you!"
"No!" he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
She felt like she was going to burst into tears, uncontrollably, like a child. She was ready to throw herself on the floor, curse, scream, kick. But some remnants of pride and common sense held her back. She thought, "If I behave like this, he'll just laugh or stand and look at me. I shouldn't cry, I shouldn't ask. I shouldn't do anything that might arouse his contempt. He should respect me, even... even if he doesn't love me anymore."
She raised her head and tried to ask calmly:
"Where are you going?"
Admiration flashed in his eyes, and he replied:
"Maybe to America..."