shadow of britain

Chapter 52 Orphan in the Twist?

Arthur and others in common clothes stood at the entrance of St. Giles Parish.

Close your eyes, you can feel the hustle and bustle of the world here, the loud hawking, and the conversation of the crowd, as if this place is the same as other magnificent squares and streets in the West End of London.

In fact, it does have its own glorious past.

In the 16th century, the Parish of St. Giles was just a rural village outside London, with only a few groups of villages and dozens of villagers who lived here for generations.

However, an act in 1541 changed the fate of this area. Because of the increasingly crowded living conditions in the city of London, the parliament planned to extend the city to the edge, and a road from Holborn Bar to St. Giles Church was paved. out.

Due to the construction of this road, many high-class people living in the city of London began to come here often during their rest. They like to hunt hares and foxes in the Maryleben Black Forest near St. Giles Parish.

With the arrival of these high-class people, the parish of St. Giles began to gradually become prosperous, and the number of residents began to increase.

During the reign of Charles II, an upper-class settlement known as the Seven Street Sundial was gradually established in the parish of St Giles.

And the number of houses here is rapidly moving towards the goal of 2000 from dozens.

In the London map of 1720, it is difficult to find the vacant land of St. Giles parish.

However, such a luxurious upper-class community quickly transformed into a gathering place for the poor and a hiding place for crimes after entering the 18th century.

One of the most important reasons is the large-scale development of the remaining parishes in London's West End.

In this wave of development, the Diocese of St. Giles has been unable to start construction and renewal due to the confusion of land ownership.

A large number of houses have become dilapidated due to lack of maintenance and maintenance.

The rich fled here one after another, and the gap between the rich and the poor made some people have stronger purchasing power. They began to favor aristocratic real estate such as manors built in the suburbs, and abandoned the once-favored St. Giles Parish.

And after the rich fled here, the poor and the needy discovered the value of St. Giles Parish.

First of all, it is conveniently located, with Covent Garden Market, Soho business district, Westminster Abbey and the Thames Pier all within easy reach.

These places provide a large number of job opportunities and can support a large number of service industry groups engaged in manual labor.

They began to occupy the empty houses left behind by the rich. They came from various backgrounds, including Irish, English, Scots, and even French. Although the cultures were different, these people also had one thing in common.

That is, they are all foreigners who cannot live in their hometown and have to come to London to make a living.

And landlords in St. Giles see unique value in these people.

Therefore, since the poor began to pour into this place, the city of St. Giles Parish has not only not shrunk in size, but has even expanded faster than when the rich lived there.

The construction speed of the houses is more than one year. The original spacious avenue is occupied by the ever-extending sheds, and various rooms that are not suitable for living have been expanded on the basis of the original houses.

The reputation St. Giles built up over 200 years was ruined in a few decades.

According to statistics from the non-governmental organization 'Suppressing the Life of Beggars', more than a quarter of beggars in London now come from this parish.

And yet, that's where little Adam spent nine of his nine years of life.

Arthur looked at the little Adam who was being held by Tom, and said, "Adam, I'm sorry to bring you back here again."

Today's little Adam is no longer what he looked like in court.

His yellowish hair, which would have covered his eyes, was cropped short, and he wore a dark blue jumpsuit with a white ruched cape sewn on his shoulders for decoration.

Although judging from the texture of the clothes, this is not an expensive material, but from the stitches on the shawl, it can be seen that Mrs. Tom made it with care.

Adam looked up at Arthur and blinked.

"Mr. Hastings, you don't need to apologize. In fact, I have always wanted to come back. I have some things left here. Maybe I don't need them now, but I can give them to others."

Hearing this, Tony couldn't help asking, "Adam, are you sure the things are still there? Didn't your bastard mother take all the valuable things in the house..."

Unexpectedly, before Tony finished speaking, Tom stared and punched him hard in the stomach.

Tony was in pain for a while, and couldn't help cursing: "Fuck! Tom, what are you doing?"

Tom ignored Tony, but squatted down and said to Adam: "Adam, don't listen to his nonsense. Your mother just went to visit relatives, and you will live in my house during this time. Of course, even if your mother comes back, You can also live in my house, where you want to live."

Adam pursed his lips when he heard this, and said nothing, just walked in front of Tom.

Tom asked gently: "Adam, what's wrong with you?"

Adam stared at his face for a long time, then suddenly put his arms around Tom.

"dad."

Tom was taken aback for a moment, but in an instant, tears had already wet his eyes.

He hugged Adam, and the father and son cried together.

"Adam! My dear son."

Seeing this situation, Tony first smiled, then shrugged helplessly at Arthur.

Arthur glanced at the father and son, took out a pipe from the iron box in his arms, and lit it in his mouth.

Since he is not wearing a police uniform today, he is rarely allowed to smoke in public places.

Arthur took a drag on his cigarette and said, "Tom, Adam's adoption papers haven't been completed yet. Just change his name. The past, let it pass. The past is not important, the important thing is the present and future."

Tom wanted to answer, but he was so crying that he couldn't even utter a complete sentence at this time, so he couldn't stop nodding.

Seeing his appearance, Tony felt so angry: "I can't even speak a word! Tom, can you wipe away your tears, we still have to work!"

Arthur saw that Tom was hopeless, so he could only throw the topic to his son.

"Adam, I remember when I was chatting with you before, you told me that there was an old man who adopted homeless children in this area? You also told me that you also learned your pickpocketing skills from him. Can you take us to meet him ?"

Adam was held in Tom's arms. He wiped his red eye sockets, and immediately said intermittently: "You mean Mr. Fei, Fei Jin? You, do you want to arrest him?"

"Fagin?"

Arthur frowned and thought about it. He always felt that the name was a little familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere.

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard someone greet him in front of him: "Arthur!"

Arthur looked up and saw that it was Dickens wearing the hat he gave him and carrying a small cloth bag across his shoulders.

Arthur's pupils shrank, and he turned his head to Tom beside him.

"Have you thought about changing Adam's name?"

Tom sniffed and said with red eyes, "Just, just call him Oliver."

(End of this chapter)