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"‘ Lord, Mr. Pip 1'’ said he. “ Don't you know?”
“No,”said I. r ‘ . " I ‘ ‘I I‘ .
“ Dear me l It's quite astoty, and shall be saved till
dinner-time. And now let me take the liberty of asking
you a question. How did you come there, that day ‘? " '
I told him, and! hewas attentive until I had finished,
‘and then burst out laughing again, and asked me if 21
was sore afterwards? ‘ I didn’t ask him if he was, for my
conviction on that point was perfectly established.‘ " -
‘.‘Mr.‘Jaggers is your guardian,.'I understand?” he
wenton. r‘ ‘- -V ’ "
u Yes‘): . 1 V V ‘ . . A , '7 ‘
“You know he is‘Miss Havisham's man of business
‘and solicitor, and has her confidence ‘when nobody else
:has?” ‘ I ‘ ' i i ' '
This was bringing me (I felt) towards idangerous
ground. I answered with a constraintl made no attempt
to disguise, that-I had seen Mr. Jaggersin Miss Havi-
shziin’s house on the very day of our combat, but never
at any other time, and that I believe he had no ‘recollec-
tion of having eyrlar seen mp there. ‘ If th: ‘ I’ '
“He was soo i ‘n as‘ o sugges my a er or your
tutor, and he callgill %n my father to propose it. -'0f
course he knew about my father from his connexion with
Miss Havisham. My father is Miss Havishanfs cousin ;
not that that implies familiar intercourse between them,
for he is a bad coiirtier and will not propitiate her.”I
Herbert Pocket had a'frank'und easy way with‘him
that was very taking. I hadnever seen any one .then,
and I have never seen any one since, who more strongly
expressed to me, in every look and tone, :1. natural in-
capacity to do anything secret and mean. There was
‘something wonderfully hopeful about his general air,
and something that at the same time whispered to me
he would never be very successful or rich. ' I don’t know
liow this was. I became imbued ‘with the notion on that
first occasion beforewo sat down to dinner, but I can-
not define by what means. - ' . 2 ' ' 2 c
He was still apalo youn entleman and had a certain
conquered languor about iiiirin the midst of his spirits
and briskness, that did not seem indicative of natural
strenwth, He had not ahandsome face, but it was better
than handsome 2 being extremely amiable and cheerful.
ilis flgl1rehW(zlI.S aklittle ungainly,’ as in the days wlienmy
'nuckles a ta ‘en such liberties with it, but it looked
as if.it would always be light and young. lVhether Mr.
Trabb’s local work would have sat more gracefullyon
him than on me, ma be a question ; but I am conscious
that he carried olI his rather old clothes, much better
than I carried off my new suit. . . , I’
As he was so comniunicative, I felt that reserve on‘my
part would be a bad return‘Iunsuited to our years. I
therefore told him my small story, and laid stress on my
being forbidden to inquire who my benefactor‘was.' I
further mentioned that as I had been brought up a black-
smltli in a country place, and knew very little of; the
ways of politeness, I would take it as a great kindness in
him if he would give me a hint whenever he saw me at
a loss or going wrong. . , I .
“ With pleasure,” saidhe, “ though I venture to pro-
phesy that you ll want very few hints. I dare say we
shall be often together, and I should- like to banish any
needless restraint between us.‘ lVill you’ do me the fa-
vour to begin at once to call me by my christian name,
Herbert?" . I . I -I
I thanked him, and said I would. I informed him in
exchange that my christian name was Philip. I ,
“ I don’t take to Philip,” said he, smiling, “ for it
sounds like a moral boy out of the spelling-book, who
Was so lazy that he fell into.a pond, or" so fat that he
couldn't see out of his eyes,‘or so avaricious that he locked
up his cake till the mice ate it, or'so determined to go a
birds’-nesting that he got himself eaten by bears who
lived handy in the neighborhood. . I tell you what I
should like. “Io are so harmonious, and you have been
a llilacksmith--would youmind it ?” ,
“ I shouldn’t mind anything you propose,” I answered,
bptl don’t understand you.” . I I I
IV ouid you mind Handel for a familiar name?
%1;:Il'X(l3(':1;1oI(;1Isl’a113'iItI;lcIll;gs’()f music by Handel, called the
CHARLES "DICKENS? ' WQRKS. I
2
“.Then,‘ my dear Handel,” said be, turning round as
the door. opened,‘ “here is the dinner,‘ and I must beg of
you to take the top of the table,-because the dinner is of
your providing.” ‘ ' ' ‘ ' ‘ '
This I’would not hear of, so he took the to >, and I
faced hirn.‘I It Iwas‘a‘nice little dinner-seeme to me
then, mvery Lord Mayor's Feast-and it acquired addi-
tional relish from being eaten under those independent
circumstances,‘withfno ‘old people by,‘ and with London
all around us. This again was heightened by a certain
I gipsy character’-that set the banquet off ; for, while the
table was, as ‘Mr. Pumhlechook ‘might have said, ‘the
lap offlnxury-being entirely -furnished’ forth from the
coffee-house-’-[the circuinjacenti region, of sitting-room
was of a‘comparativelypastureless and shifty character;
imposing on the waiter the wandering habits‘ of putting
the covers on the floor (where he"fell over them), the
melted butter.in‘the arm-chair, the bread on tthe book-
shelves, the cheese inIthe coaliscuttle, and‘ the‘boiled
fowl into my bed=in the next room--where I found much
of. its parsley and butter in a state “of congelation when
Irretiredffor the night. All this made the feast delight-
ful,gand when the waiter was not there to watch me, my
pleasure was without alloy. ’ ‘I I I I I ‘
VVe had made some progress in the dinner, when I re-
minded Herbert of his promise to tellI‘me-about Miss
Havishham. I 1 I I“ ' I ‘ v ’
“True, ’-’-‘he replied. “I’llIredeein it at once. Let
me introduce the topic, Handel, by mentioning that in
London it.is"not the custom ‘to put the knife in the
mouth-for fear of accidents-andytliat while the fork
is reserved for that‘ use,‘it is ‘not put Ifurther-‘ in than
necessary. alt is scarcely worth mentioning, only its as
well to do as other people do. Also, the spoon is not
generally used over-hand,’ but under. This has two ad-
vantages. You get at your mouth better (which after all
is the object), and? you save a good deal of the attitude
of opening oysters, on the part of the right elbow.” I‘
He offered these friendly suggestions in such a lively
way, that we both laughed and I scarcely blushed. I I’
“ Now,” he pursued, “ concerning Miss Havisham.
Miss Havisham, you must know, was a spoilt child. Her
mother died when sho'was a‘ baby, and her. father de-
nied her nothing. Her father was a country gentleman
down in your part of the world, and was a hrewcr. I
don’t’know why it should be a- crack thing to be‘ a
brewer; but it‘ isfindisputable that while you cannot
possibly. be genteel and bake, you 'rnay,bc as ‘genteel as
never was and brew. You see it every day.” I
“ Yet a gentleman may not keep a public-house zmay
he?”saidI. ‘ '. t -I .I <4.
“Not on any’ account,’f returned lIerbert;I“but n
public-house may keep a gentleman. ‘Veil! Mr. Hav-
isharuwas very rich and very proud. 7 So was his dangli-
ter.” "I V
“Miss Havisliam was an only child?” I hazarded. I
.“ Stop a moment, I am coming to that. I No, she‘was
not an only child; she had a half-brother.’ IHer.‘father
privatelymarried again--his cook, I rather think.” '
..“I thought he was proud,”, said I, - ;, . I , I r
" MY good Handelrso he was. Hemarried his second
wife privately, because he was ‘proud; and in the course
of time she died. I When she ‘was dead,‘ I 'apprehend he
first told his daughter what he had done,‘ and then the
son became a part of the family, residing in the house
I011 are acquainted with. x’ As the son grew ayoung man-
he turned 0“ 1'i0l0T1S. extravagant, uncliitiful-altogetlief
bad. At last his father (lisinligrited him - but he softened
when he wasdying, and left him welliofl, though 110‘
nearly so well off as Miss Havisliain.-'l‘ake another
glass of wine, and excuse my mentioning that society as
3 bod)’ (1068 not expect one to be so strictly conscieuti0115
ii‘ eml'”5Yin3 0D9’$‘glass, as to turn it bottom upwards
with the rim on one’s nose.” - . I .- ‘
Ihad been doingthis, in an excess of attention to his
recital. - I thanked him,’ and apologised. ‘ He said,’ “ N9‘
3-N111.” and resumed. E I 4 w I C '
: “Miss Havisham was now an heiress,’ and ‘you may
Suppose was looked after as a great match. Her 139"‘
brother had now ‘ample means again but what With
debts and what with new madness wiisted them most
“ I should like it very much.” I . , I r n
fearfully again. There were stronger differences be‘
....,.-v"“‘
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