Oliver Twist Chapter 18 (narrated by Syrile) Sikes Escapes As the sun came up over the city, Sikes tried to clean the blood from his clothes. The floor was covered with blood. Even the dog's feet had blood on them. Then he went out, carrying the dog. He walked quickly through the city until he came to the country roads outside London. He lay down in a field and slept. Morning and afternoon soon passed. In the evening, Sikes walked again. Where could he go for food and drink? At nine o'clock, he came to a village and went to the inn. He sat alone, throwing a few pieces of food to his dog as he ate. When he came out, he saw a coach bringing letters from London. It passed him on the road and stopped at the little village post office. As he got nearer, Sikes could hear the guard talking to the man at the post office. 'People in London are talking about a murder,' said the guard. 'A terrible murder!' 'Man or woman?' 'A woman,' said the guard. The coach drove away. As he walked, Sikes began to feel a terrible fear. Every thing on the road - every tree, every shadow seemed like a ghost. He imagined that there was blood everywhere. He could not stop thinking about his terrible crime. 'I can't spend another night alone in the fields,' he thought. 'I will go back to London. The police will never expect to find me there. Why can't I hide there for a week and then get away to France? Fagin will help me.' Sikes began his journey back immediately. He went by different roads and he decided to enter the city by night. 'But the dog?' he thought. 'The police must guess that the dog is with me.' He came near a small river. Picking up a heavy stone, he tied it to his handkerchief. The dog looked up into his master's face. Sikes went down to the edge of the river. The dog did not follow. 'Come here!' cried Sikes. The dog came towards him, and then moved back. 'Come here!' cried Sikes again. The dog stopped for a moment, then turned and ran away as fast as it could. Sikes called and called, and then sat down and waited. But no dog appeared and at last Sikes continued his journey alone.