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Charles Dickens 12 page

‘I am instructed to communicate to him,’ said Mr. Jag-

gers, throwing his finger at me sideways, ‘that he will come

into a handsome property. Further, that it is the desire of

Great Expectations

the present possessor of that property, that he be immedi-

ately removed from his present sphere of life and from this

place, and be brought up as a gentleman - in a word, as a

young fellow of great expectations.’

My dream was out; my wild fancy was surpassed by so-

ber reality; Miss Havisham was going to make my fortune

on a grand scale.

‘Now, Mr. Pip,’ pursued the lawyer, ‘I address the rest of

what I have to say, to you. You are to understand, first, that

it is the request of the person from whom I take my instruc-

tions, that you always bear the name of Pip. You will have

no objection, I dare say, to your great expectations being

encumbered with that easy condition. But if you have any

objection, this is the time to mention it.’

My heart was beating so fast, and there was such a sing-

ing in my ears, that I could scarcely stammer I had no

objection.

‘I should think not! Now you are to understand, sec-

ondly, Mr. Pip, that the name of the person who is your

liberal benefactor remains a profound secret, until the per-

son chooses to reveal it. I am empowered to mention that

it is the intention of the person to reveal it at first hand by

word of mouth to yourself. When or where that intention

may be carried out, I cannot say; no one can say. It may be

years hence. Now, you are distinctly to understand that you

are most positively prohibited from making any inquiry

on this head, or any allusion or reference, however distant,

to any individual whomsoever as the individual, in all the

communications you may have with me. If you have a sus-

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picion in your own breast, keep that suspicion in your own

breast. It is not the least to the purpose what the reasons of

this prohibition are; they may be the strongest and gravest

reasons, or they may be mere whim. This is not for you to

inquire into. The condition is laid down. Your acceptance of

it, and your observance of it as binding, is the only remain-

ing condition that I am charged with, by the person from

whom I take my instructions, and for whom I am not oth-

erwise responsible. That person is the person from whom

you derive your expectations, and the secret is solely held

by that person and by me. Again, not a very difficult condi-

tion with which to encumber such a rise in fortune; but if

you have any objection to it, this is the time to mention it.

Speak out.’

Once more, I stammered with difficulty that I had no

objection.

‘I should think not! Now, Mr. Pip, I have done with stipu-

lations.’ Though he called me Mr. Pip, and began rather to

make up to me, he still could not get rid of a certain air of

bullying suspicion; and even now he occasionally shut his

eyes and threw his finger at me while he spoke, as much as

to express that he knew all kinds of things to my disparage-



ment, if he only chose to mention them. ‘We come next, to

mere details of arrangement. You must know that, although

I have used the term ‘expectations’ more than once, you are

not endowed with expectations only. There is already lodged

in my hands, a sum of money amply sufficient for your suit-

able education and maintenance. You will please consider

me your guardian. Oh!’ for I was going to thank him, ‘I tell

Great Expectations

you at once, I am paid for my services, or I shouldn’t render

them. It is considered that you must be better educated, in

accordance with your altered position, and that you will be

alive to the importance and necessity of at once entering on

that advantage.’

I said I had always longed for it.

‘Never mind what you have always longed for, Mr. Pip,’

he retorted; ‘keep to the record. If you long for it now, that’s

enough. Am I answered that you are ready to be placed at

once, under some proper tutor? Is that it?’

I stammered yes, that was it.

‘Good. Now, your inclinations are to be consulted. I don’t

think that wise, mind, but it’s my trust. Have you ever heard

of any tutor whom you would prefer to another?’

I had never heard of any tutor but Biddy and Mr. Wopsle’s

greataunt; so, I replied in the negative.

‘There is a certain tutor, of whom I have some knowl-

edge, who I think might suit the purpose,’ said Mr. Jaggers.

‘I don’t recommend him, observe; because I never rec-

ommend anybody. The gentleman I speak of, is one Mr.

Matthew Pocket.’

Ah! I caught at the name directly. Miss Havisham’s rela-

tion. The Matthew whom Mr. and Mrs. Camilla had spoken

of. The Matthew whose place was to be at Miss Havisham’s

head, when she lay dead, in her bride’s dress on the bride’s

table.

‘You know the name?’ said Mr. Jaggers, looking shrewdly

at me, and then shutting up his eyes while he waited for my

answer.

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My answer was, that I had heard of the name.

‘Oh!’ said he. ‘You have heard of the name. But the ques-

tion is, what do you say of it?’

I said, or tried to say, that I was much obliged to him for

his recommendation—

‘No, my young friend!’ he interrupted, shaking his great

head very slowly. ‘Recollect yourself!’

Not recollecting myself, I began again that I was much

obliged to him for his recommendation—

‘No, my young friend,’ he interrupted, shaking his head

and frowning and smiling both at once; ‘no, no, no; it’s very

well done, but it won’t do; you are too young to fix me with

it. Recommendation is not the word, Mr. Pip. Try another.’

Correcting myself, I said that I was much obliged to him

for his mention of Mr. Matthew Pocket—

‘That’s more like it!’ cried Mr. Jaggers.

- And (I added), I would gladly try that gentleman.

‘Good. You had better try him in his own house. The way

shall be prepared for you, and you can see his son first, who

is in London. When will you come to London?’

I said (glancing at Joe, who stood looking on, motion-

less), that I supposed I could come directly.

‘First,’ said Mr. Jaggers, ‘you should have some new

clothes to come in, and they should not be working clothes.

Say this day week. You’ll want some money. Shall I leave

you twenty guineas?’

He produced a long purse, with the greatest coolness,

and counted them out on the table and pushed them over

to me. This was the first time he had taken his leg from the

Great Expectations

chair. He sat astride of the chair when he had pushed the

money over, and sat swinging his purse and eyeing Joe.

‘Well, Joseph Gargery? You look dumbfoundered?’

‘I am!’ said Joe, in a very decided manner.

‘It was understood that you wanted nothing for yourself,

remember?’

‘It were understood,’ said Joe. ‘And it are understood.

And it ever will be similar according.’

‘But what,’ said Mr. Jaggers, swinging his purse, ‘what if

it was in my instructions to make you a present, as com-

pensation?’

‘As compensation what for?’ Joe demanded.

‘For the loss of his services.’

Joe laid his hand upon my shoulder with the touch of

a woman. I have often thought him since, like the steam-

hammer, that can crush a man or pat an egg-shell, in his

combination of strength with gentleness. ‘Pip is that hearty

welcome,’ said Joe, ‘to go free with his services, to honour

and fortun’, as no words can tell him. But if you think as

Money can make compensation to me for the loss of the

little child - what come to the forge - and ever the best of

friends!—‘

O dear good Joe, whom I was so ready to leave and so

unthankful to, I see you again, with your muscular black-

smith’s arm before your eyes, and your broad chest heaving,

and your voice dying away. O dear good faithful tender

Joe, I feel the loving tremble of your hand upon my arm, as

solemnly this day as if it had been the rustle of an angel’s

wing!

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But I encouraged Joe at the time. I was lost in the mazes

of my future fortunes, and could not retrace the by-paths

we had trodden together. I begged Joe to be comforted, for

(as he said) we had ever been the best of friends, and (as I

said) we ever would be so. Joe scooped his eyes with his dis-

engaged wrist, as if he were bent on gouging himself, but

said not another word.

Mr. Jaggers had looked on at this, as one who recognized

in Joe the village idiot, and in me his keeper. When it was

over, he said, weighing in his hand the purse he had ceased

to swing:

‘Now, Joseph Gargery, I warn you this is your last chance.

No half measures with me. If you mean to take a present

that I have it in charge to make you, speak out, and you shall

have it. If on the contrary you mean to say—’ Here, to his

great amazement, he was stopped by Joe’s suddenly work-

ing round him with every demonstration of a fell pugilistic

purpose.

‘Which I meantersay,’ cried Joe, ‘that if you come into

my place bull-baiting and badgering me, come out! Which I

meantersay as sech if you’re a man, come on! Which I mean-

tersay that what I say, I meantersay and stand or fall by!’

I drew Joe away, and he immediately became placable;

merely stating to me, in an obliging manner and as a po-

lite expostulatory notice to any one whom it might happen

to concern, that he were not a going to be bull-baited and

badgered in his own place. Mr. Jaggers had risen when Joe

demonstrated, and had backed near the door. Without

evincing any inclination to come in again, he there deliv-

Great Expectations

ered his valedictory remarks. They were these:

‘Well, Mr. Pip, I think the sooner you leave here - as you

are to be a gentleman - the better. Let it stand for this day

week, and you shall receive my printed address in the mean-

time. You can take a hackney-coach at the stage-coach office

in London, and come straight to me. Understand, that I ex-

press no opinion, one way or other, on the trust I undertake.

I am paid for undertaking it, and I do so. Now, understand

that, finally. Understand that!’

He was throwing his finger at both of us, and I think

would have gone on, but for his seeming to think Joe dan-

gerous, and going off.

Something came into my head which induced me to

run after him, as he was going down to the Jolly Bargemen

where he had left a hired carriage.

‘I beg your pardon, Mr. Jaggers.’

‘Halloa!’ said he, facing round, ‘what’s the matter?’

‘I wish to be quite right, Mr. Jaggers, and to keep to your

directions; so I thought I had better ask. Would there be any

objection to my taking leave of any one I know, about here,

before I go away?’

‘No,’ said he, looking as if he hardly understood me.

‘I don’t mean in the village only, but up-town?’

‘No,’ said he. ‘No objection.’

I thanked him and ran home again, and there I found

that Joe had already locked the front door and vacated the

state parlour, and was seated by the kitchen fire with a hand

on each knee, gazing intently at the burning coals. I too sat

down before the fire and gazed at the coals, and nothing

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was said for a long time.

My sister was in her cushioned chair in her corner, and

Biddy sat at her needlework before the fire, and Joe sat next

Biddy, and I sat next Joe in the corner opposite my sister.

The more I looked into the glowing coals, the more incapa-

ble I became of looking at Joe; the longer the silence lasted,

the more unable I felt to speak.

At length I got out, ‘Joe, have you told Biddy?’

‘No, Pip,’ returned Joe, still looking at the fire, and hold-

ing his knees tight, as if he had private information that

they intended to make off somewhere, ‘which I left it to

yourself, Pip.’

‘I would rather you told, Joe.’

‘Pip’s a gentleman of fortun’ then,’ said Joe, ‘and God

bless him in it!’

Biddy dropped her work, and looked at me. Joe held his

knees and looked at me. I looked at both of them. After a

pause, they both heartily congratulated me; but there was

a certain touch of sadness in their congratulations, that I

rather resented.

I took it upon myself to impress Biddy (and through Bid-

dy, Joe) with the grave obligation I considered my friends

under, to know nothing and say nothing about the maker of

my fortune. It would all come out in good time, I observed,

and in the meanwhile nothing was to be said, save that I

had come into great expectations from a mysterious patron.

Biddy nodded her head thoughtfully at the fire as she took

up her work again, and said she would be very particular;

and Joe, still detaining his knees, said, ‘Ay, ay, I’ll be eker-

Great Expectations

vally partickler, Pip;’ and then they congratulated me again,

and went on to express so much wonder at the notion of my

being a gentleman, that I didn’t half like it.

Infinite pains were then taken by Biddy to convey to my

sister some idea of what had happened. To the best of my

belief, those efforts entirely failed. She laughed and nodded

her head a great many times, and even repeated after Biddy,

the words ‘Pip’ and ‘Property.’ But I doubt if they had more

meaning in them than an election cry, and I cannot suggest

a darker picture of her state of mind.

I never could have believed it without experience, but

as Joe and Biddy became more at their cheerful ease again,

I became quite gloomy. Dissatisfied with my fortune, of

course I could not be; but it is possible that I may have been,

without quite knowing it, dissatisfied with myself.

Anyhow, I sat with my elbow on my knee and my face

upon my hand, looking into the fire, as those two talked

about my going away, and about what they should do with-

out me, and all that. And whenever I caught one of them

looking at me, though never so pleasantly (and they of-

ten looked at me - particularly Biddy), I felt offended: as if

they were expressing some mistrust of me. Though Heaven

knows they never did by word or sign.

At those times I would get up and look out at the door;

for, our kitchen door opened at once upon the night, and

stood open on summer evenings to air the room. The very

stars to which I then raised my eyes, I am afraid I took to

be but poor and humble stars for glittering on the rustic ob-

jects among which I had passed my life.

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‘Saturday night,’ said I, when we sat at our supper of

bread-and-cheese and beer. ‘Five more days, and then the

day before the day! They’ll soon go.’

‘Yes, Pip,’ observed Joe, whose voice sounded hollow in

his beer mug. ‘They’ll soon go.’

‘Soon, soon go,’ said Biddy.

‘I have been thinking, Joe, that when I go down town on

Monday, and order my new clothes, I shall tell the tailor

that I’ll come and put them on there, or that I’ll have them

sent to Mr. Pumblechook’s. It would be very disagreeable to

be stared at by all the people here.’

‘Mr. and Mrs. Hubble might like to see you in your new

genteel figure too, Pip,’ said Joe, industriously cutting his

bread, with his cheese on it, in the palm of his left hand, and

glancing at my untasted supper as if he thought of the time

when we used to compare slices. ‘So might Wopsle. And the

Jolly Bargemen might take it as a compliment.’

‘That’s just what I don’t want, Joe. They would make such

a business of it - such a coarse and common business - that

I couldn’t bear myself.’

‘Ah, that indeed, Pip!’ said Joe. ‘If you couldn’t abear

yourself—‘

Biddy asked me here, as she sat holding my sister’s plate,

‘Have you thought about when you’ll show yourself to Mr.

Gargery, and your sister, and me? You will show yourself to

us; won’t you?’

‘Biddy,’ I returned with some resentment, ‘you are so ex-

ceedingly quick that it’s difficult to keep up with you.’

(“She always were quick,’ observed Joe.)

Great Expectations

‘If you had waited another moment, Biddy, you would

have heard me say that I shall bring my clothes here in a

bundle one evening - most likely on the evening before I

go away.’

Biddy said no more. Handsomely forgiving her, I soon

exchanged an affectionate good-night with her and Joe, and

went up to bed. When I got into my little room, I sat down

and took a long look at it, as a mean little room that I should

soon be parted from and raised above, for ever, It was fur-

nished with fresh young remembrances too, and even at the

same moment I fell into much the same confused division

of mind between it and the better rooms to which I was go-

ing, as I had been in so often between the forge and Miss

Havisham’s, and Biddy and Estella.

The sun had been shining brightly all day on the roof

of my attic, and the room was warm. As I put the window

open and stood looking out, I saw Joe come slowly forth at

the dark door below, and take a turn or two in the air; and

then I saw Biddy come, and bring him a pipe and light it for

him. He never smoked so late, and it seemed to hint to me

that he wanted comforting, for some reason or other.

He presently stood at the door immediately beneath me,

smoking his pipe, and Biddy stood there too, quietly talk-

ing to him, and I knew that they talked of me, for I heard

my name mentioned in an endearing tone by both of them

more than once. I would not have listened for more, if I

could have heard more: so, I drew away from the window,

and sat down in my one chair by the bedside, feeling it very

sorrowful and strange that this first night of my bright for-

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tunes should be the loneliest I had ever known.

Looking towards the open window, I saw light wreaths

from Joe’s pipe floating there, and I fancied it was like a

blessing from Joe - not obtruded on me or paraded before

me, but pervading the air we shared together. I put my light

out, and crept into bed; and it was an uneasy bed now, and I

never slept the old sound sleep in it any more.

Great Expectations

Chapter 19

Morning made a considerable difference in my gener-

al prospect of Life, and brightened it so much that it

scarcely seemed the same. What lay heaviest on my mind,

was, the consideration that six days intervened between me

and the day of departure; for, I could not divest myself of a

misgiving that something might happen to London in the

meanwhile, and that, when I got there, it would be either

greatly deteriorated or clean gone.

Joe and Biddy were very sympathetic and pleasant when

I spoke of our approaching separation; but they only re-

ferred to it when I did. After breakfast, Joe brought out my

indentures from the press in the best parlour, and we put

them in the fire, and I felt that I was free. With all the nov-

elty of my emancipation on me, I went to church with Joe,

and thought, perhaps the clergyman wouldn’t have read

that about the rich man and the kingdom of Heaven, if he

had known all.

After our early dinner I strolled out alone, purposing

to finish off the marshes at once, and get them done with.

As I passed the church, I felt (as I had felt during service

in the morning) a sublime compassion for the poor crea-

tures who were destined to go there, Sunday after Sunday,

all their lives through, and to lie obscurely at last among

the low green mounds. I promised myself that I would do

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something for them one of these days, and formed a plan

in outline for bestowing a dinner of roast-beef and plum-

pudding, a pint of ale, and a gallon of condescension, upon

everybody in the village.

If I had often thought before, with something allied

to shame, of my companionship with the fugitive whom

I had once seen limping among those graves, what were

my thoughts on this Sunday, when the place recalled the

wretch, ragged and shivering, with his felon iron and badge!

My comfort was, that it happened a long time ago, and that

he had doubtless been transported a long way off, and that

he was dead to me, and might be veritably dead into the

bargain.

No more low wet grounds, no more dykes and sluices,

no more of these grazing cattle - though they seemed, in

their dull manner, to wear a more respectful air now, and to

face round, in order that they might stare as long as possible

at the possessor of such great expectations - farewell, mo-

notonous acquaintances of my childhood, henceforth I was

for London and greatness: not for smith’s work in general

and for you! I made my exultant way to the old Battery, and,

lying down there to consider the question whether Miss

Havisham intended me for Estella, fell asleep.

When I awoke, I was much surprised to find Joe sitting

beside me, smoking his pipe. He greeted me with a cheerful

smile on my opening my eyes, and said:

‘As being the last time, Pip, I thought I’d foller.’

‘And Joe, I am very glad you did so.’

‘Thankee, Pip.’

Great Expectations

‘You may be sure, dear Joe,’ I went on, after we had shak-

en hands, ‘that I shall never forget you.’

‘No, no, Pip!’ said Joe, in a comfortable tone, ‘I’m sure of

that. Ay, ay, old chap! Bless you, it were only necessary to

get it well round in a man’s mind, to be certain on it. But it

took a bit of time to get it well round, the change come so

oncommon plump; didn’t it?’

Somehow, I was not best pleased with Joe’s being so

mightily secure of me. I should have liked him to have be-

trayed emotion, or to have said, ‘It does you credit, Pip,’ or

something of that sort. Therefore, I made no remark on Joe’s

first head: merely saying as to his second, that the tidings

had indeed come suddenly, but that I had always wanted to

be a gentleman, and had often and often speculated on what

I would do, if I were one.

‘Have you though?’ said Joe. ‘Astonishing!’

‘It’s a pity now, Joe,’ said I, ‘that you did not get on a little

more, when we had our lessons here; isn’t it?’

‘Well, I don’t know,’ returned Joe. ‘I’m so awful dull. I’m

only master of my own trade. It were always a pity as I was

so awful dull; but it’s no more of a pity now, than it was -

this day twelvemonth - don’t you see?’

What I had meant was, that when I came into my proper-

ty and was able to do something for Joe, it would have been

much more agreeable if he had been better qualified for a

rise in station. He was so perfectly innocent of my mean-

ing, however, that I thought I would mention it to Biddy in

preference.

So, when we had walked home and had had tea, I took

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Biddy into our little garden by the side of the lane, and, af-

ter throwing out in a general way for the elevation of her

spirits, that I should never forget her, said I had a favour to

ask of her.

‘And it is, Biddy,’ said I, ‘that you will not omit any op-

portunity of helping Joe on, a little.’

‘How helping him on?’ asked Biddy, with a steady sort

of glance.

‘Well! Joe is a dear good fellow - in fact, I think he is the

dearest fellow that ever lived - but he is rather backward in

some things. For instance, Biddy, in his learning and his

manners.’

Although I was looking at Biddy as I spoke, and although

she opened her eyes very wide when I had spoken, she did

not look at me.

‘Oh, his manners! won’t his manners do, then?’ asked

Biddy, plucking a black-currant leaf.

‘My dear Biddy, they do very well here—‘

‘Oh! they do very well here?’ interrupted Biddy, looking

closely at the leaf in her hand.

‘Hear me out - but if I were to remove Joe into a higher

sphere, as I shall hope to remove him when I fully come

into my property, they would hardly do him justice.’

‘And don’t you think he knows that?’ asked Biddy.

It was such a very provoking question (for it had never in

the most distant manner occurred to me), that I said, snap-

pishly, ‘Biddy, what do you mean?’

Biddy having rubbed the leaf to pieces between her

hands - and the smell of a black-currant bush has ever since

Great Expectations

recalled to me that evening in the little garden by the side

of the lane - said, ‘Have you never considered that he may

be proud?’

‘Proud?’ I repeated, with disdainful emphasis.

‘Oh! there are many kinds of pride,’ said Biddy, look-

ing full at me and shaking her head; ‘pride is not all of one

kind—‘

‘Well? What are you stopping for?’ said I.

‘Not all of one kind,’ resumed Biddy. ‘He may be too

proud to let any one take him out of a place that he is com-

petent to fill, and fills well and with respect. To tell you the

truth, I think he is: though it sounds bold in me to say so,

for you must know him far better than I do.’

‘Now, Biddy,’ said I, ‘I am very sorry to see this in you. I

did not expect to see this in you. You are envious, Biddy,

and grudging. You are dissatisfied on account of my rise in

fortune, and you can’t help showing it.’

‘If you have the heart to think so,’ returned Biddy, ‘say so.

Say so over and over again, if you have the heart to think

so.’‘If you have the heart to be so, you mean, Biddy,’ said I,

in a virtuous and superior tone; ‘don’t put it off upon me. I

am very sorry to see it, and it’s a - it’s a bad side of human

nature. I did intend to ask you to use any little opportuni-

ties you might have after I was gone, of improving dear Joe.

But after this, I ask you nothing. I am extremely sorry to see

this in you, Biddy,’ I repeated. ‘It’s a - it’s a bad side of hu-

man nature.’

‘Whether you scold me or approve of me,’ returned poor

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Biddy, ‘you may equally depend upon my trying to do all

that lies in my power, here, at all times. And whatever opin-

ion you take away of me, shall make no difference in my

remembrance of you. Yet a gentleman should not be unjust

neither,’ said Biddy, turning away her head.

I again warmly repeated that it was a bad side of human

nature (in which sentiment, waiving its application, I have

since seen reason to think I was right), and I walked down

the little path away from Biddy, and Biddy went into the

house, and I went out at the garden gate and took a dejected

stroll until supper-time; again feeling it very sorrowful and

strange that this, the second night of my bright fortunes,

should be as lonely and unsatisfactory as the first.

But, morning once more brightened my view, and I ex-

tended my clemency to Biddy, and we dropped the subject.

Putting on the best clothes I had, I went into town as early

as I could hope to find the shops open, and presented myself

before Mr. Trabb, the tailor: who was having his breakfast


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