The Artful Dodger

Chapter 11

Having been dismissed by Fagin, Dodger stood awkwardly for a moment, then seeing the reassuring smile from Rose, walked over and sat opposite her. She looked up again from her work, her pale cheeks turning red at his intense stare.

"Hello, Dodger, did you have a good day?" Rose asked, then seeing the nod, "I need to talk to you. It's rather important. I like you a lot, Dawkins."

Then there hung a tense silence. Dodger tried to pass off the moment by taking off his hat then putting it back on, trying to avoid eye contact. He felt guilty about the incident with Nancy, and had no idea who he preferred out of the two.

"Dodger, it's supposed to be the boy asking this, but will you be my boyfriend?" she said, a spark of hope in her eyes, the first for a while. Dodger hesitated- guilt- then replied in the affirmative, hypnotised by her beautiful eyes. Rose smiled, and leaned across the table to embrace him.

"Tonight, we leave?" Rose whispered into his ear as they hugged, and she felt him nod against her shoulder.

"Ey up boys! Dodger's got 'imself a girlfriend!" shouted Charley, always one to rouse excitement. All the boys laughed and catcalled, but two boys were not yelling, for they were not present.

Dodger rolled his eyes.

"Boys! Shullup! Where's Peter and Davy?" he said, trying to distract the boys. In fact, Dodger had only noticed their absence from the lack of Davy talking about his 'true love' who had disappeared, some girl called Georgina. He seemed to bring this 'lost love' up every time girls were mentioned in the den.

It was past the usual return time already, and everyone looked around for the missing boys.

"Bit late innit?" said Paul, nodding towards the dusty windows that showed the sky rapidly darkening outside.

Everyone fell silent, and Fagin poked his head out of his bedroom area. A quick headcount by Fagin revealed that both boys had not returned, and Rose started to get worried. Many minutes passed and time seemed to have slowed as they all waited for footsteps outside. Finally, they heard someone coming. The door opened, and a flustered boy burst in.

"Everyone! Listen! They got Peter!" shouted the newcomer.

The whole room drew a collected breath, and Rose immediately turned white. Dodger, seeing that she was going to fall, steered her towards the bench and sat her down.

"How? Davy! You were supposed to be watchin' him! Where is he?" asked Fagin, smacking the boy around the head angrily.

"Someone saw 'im takin' some man's wallet an' I tried to help him run away but he got caught, the bobby said that he was gonna be tried in a Borough Quarter Session court an' I don't know what to do!"

"The Quarter session? That's tomorrow." Fagin wiped his wrinkled brow, looking worried. "Dodger, Rose, and I'll send Nancy, you'll go. If he says anythin' troublesome, tell us, as soon as yer can."

That night, no one slept. Their personal safety was being threatened, for one, and most of the boys had come to like Peter already, him being good natured and friendly.

The Dodger lay awake, knowing that the escape with Rose would have to be postponed because of the trial. However, he knew that she would be crying in her bed, so he still got up and pulled back the curtain as planned. Paul and Oliver watched him with glazed, sleepless eyes, but they were too tired to comment. She was crying. He slipped in the bed beside her to calm her down, and they both fell into a light sleep in each other's arms.