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-.a.L.-W... atf-yr‘ ‘ -
GREAT EXPECTATIONS. , I‘
oner start up, lean‘ across his eaptor, and pun the cloak
from the neck of the shrinkin sitter in the galley. - Still
in the same? moment I saw-that! the face disclosed, was
the face of the" other convict of long ago. Still in the
same moment, I saw the face tilt backward with a white
‘ terror ouiit that I shall never forget, and heard a great
cry on board the steainer and a loud splash in the water,
and felt the boat sink from under me. - i > . .
It was but for an instant that Iseemed to struggle
yrithla thousand-mill-weirs and a thousand flashes of
light; that instant past, Iwas taken on board the galley.
Herbert was there, and Startop was there ; but our boat
was gone, and the two convicts were gone.
What with the cries on board the steamer, and the
furious blowing off of her steam, and her driving on,
and our driving on, I could not at first distinguish sky
from water or shore from share; but, the crew of the
galley righted liei- with great speed, and pulling certain
swiftistrong strokes ahead, lay upon their oars, every
man looking silently and eagerly at the water astern.
Presently a dark object was seen in it, bearing towards us
on the tide. No man spoke, but the sfeeisrnan held up
his hand, and all softly backed water, and kept the boat
straight and true before it. As it came nearer, I saw it
to be Magwitcli, swimming, but not swimming freely. He
was taken on board, and instantly nianacled at the wrists
and ancles.
- The galley was kept steady, and the silent eager
looker-out at the water was resumed. But, the Rotter-
dam steamer now came up, and apparently not under-
standing wliat had happened, came on at speed. By the
time ‘she had been hailed and stopped, both steamers
were drifting away from us, and we were rising and fall-
ing in a troubled wake of water. The look-out was kept,
long after all was still again, and the two steamers were
gone ; but, everybody know that it was hopeless now.
At length we gave it up, and pulled under the shore
towards the tavern we had lately left, where we were
received with no little surprise. Here, I was able to get
some comforts for Magwitcli-Provis no longer-who
had received some very severe injury in the chest and a
degp cut in the head.
e told me that he believed himself to have gone un-
der the keel of the steamer, and to have been struck on
the head in rising. The injury to his chest (which ren-
dered his breathing extremely painful) he thought he
had received against the side of the galley. He added
that he did not pretend to say what he might or might
not have done to Compeyson, but, that in the moment of
his layiiig- his hand on his cloak to identify him, that
villain had staggered up and staggered back, and they
hadibotli gone overboard together ; when the sudden
wrenching of him (Magwitch) out of our boat, and the
endeavour of his captor to keep him in it, had capsized
us. He told me in a whisper that they had gone down,
fiercely locked in each other's arms, and that there had
been a. struggle under water, and that he had disengaged
himself, struck out, and swum away. .
Inever had any reason to doubt the exact truth of
what he thus told me. The oilicer who steered the gal-
ley gave the same account of their going overboard.
When I asked this oilicer’s permission to change the
risoner’s wet clothes by purchasinglany spare garments
could get at the public-house, e gave it readily:
merely observing that he must take charge of everythin
his prisoner had about him. So the pocket-book whic
- had once been in my hands, passed into the officer's. He
further gave me leave to accompany the prisoner to
London‘; but, declined to accord that grace to my two
friends. -
The Jack at the Ship was instructed where the drowned
man had gone down, and undertook to search for the
body in the places where it was likeliest to come ashore.
His interest in its recovery seemedto me to be much heiglit-
ened when he heard that it had stockings on. Probably
it took-about a dozen drowned men to fit him out com-
pletely; and that may have been the reason why the differ-
entarticles of his dress were in various stages of decay.
"-Ve remained at the public house until the tide turned,
‘andthen Magwitcli was carried down to the galley and
ct to Lon-
Herbert and Startop were to
a doleful
t be (1.
Pu on M VVe ha
dou by land, as soon as they could.
i
708
parting, and when I took my place by Magwitclfs side,
felt that that was my place henceforth while he lived.
For now, my repugnance.to him had all melted awa v,
and in the hunted wounded shackled creature who held
my hand in his, I only saw a man .,Vv'l).0 had meant to be
my benefactor, and who had felt affectionately, grate-
fully, and generously, towards me with great constanc
through a series of years’. I only saw in. him a muc i
better man than I had been to Joe. .
His breathing became more diflicult and painful as
the night drew on, and often he could not repress a
groan. I tried to rest him on the arm I could use, in an
easy position; but, it was dreadful to think that I could
not be sorry at heart for his being badly hurt, since it
was unquestionably best that he should die. That there
were, still living, people who were able and .willing to
identify him, I could not doubt. That he would be leni-
ently treated, I could not hope. He who had been pre-
sented in the worst light at his trial, who had since
broken prison and been tried again, who had returned
from transportation under a life sentence, and who had
occasioned the death of the man who was the cause of
his arrest.
As we returned towards the setting sun we had yester-
day left behind us, and as the stream of our hopes
seemed all running back, I told him how grieved I was
to think he had come home for my sake.
“ Dear boy,” he answered “ I’m quite content to take
my chance. I've seen my boy, and he can be a gentle-
man without me."
No. I had thought about that while we had been
there side by side. No. Apart from any inclinations of
my own, I understand V.Vemmick's hint now. I foresaw
that, being convicted, his possessions would be forfeited
to the Crown.
“Lookee here, dear boy,” said he. “It’s best as a.
gentleman should not be knowed to belong to me now.
Only come to see me as if you come by chance alonger
VVemmick. Sit where I can see you when I am swore
to, for the last 0’ many times, and I don’t ask no more.”
“ I will never stir from your side,” said I, “ when I
am suffered to be near you. Please God, I will be as
true to you as you have been to me I”
I felt his hand tremble as it held mine, and he turned
his face away as he lay in the bottom of the boat, and I
heard that old sound in his throat-softened now, like all
the rest of him. It was a good thing that ho had
touched this point, for it put into my mind what I might
not otherwise have thought of until too late : that he
need never know how his hopes of enriching me had
perished.
CHAPTER LV.
III; was taken to the Police Court next day, and would
have been immediately committed for trial, but that it
was necessary to send down for an old oflicer of the
risen-ship from which he had once escaped, to speak to
his identity. Nobody doubted it; but, Compeyson, who
had meant to depose to it, was tumbling on the tides,
dead, and it happened that there was not at that time
any prison officer in London who could give the required
evidence. I had gone direct to Mr. Jaggcrs at his pri-
vate house, on my arrival over-night, to retain his assist-
ance, and Mr. Ja gets on the prisoner’s behalf would
admit nothing. was the sole resource, for he told me
that the case must be over in five minutes when the wit-
ness was there, and that no power on earth could prevent
its going against us. -
I imparted to Mr. J aggers my design of keeping him in
ignorance of the fate of his wealth. Mr. J aggcrs was queru-
lous andangry with me for having " let it slip through my
fingers,” and said we must memorialise by-and-by, and
try at all events for some of it. But, he did not conceal
from me that although there might be many cases in
which forfeiture would not be exacted, there were no
circumstances in this case to make it one of them. I
understood that very well. I was not related to the out-
law, or connected with him by any recognisable tie; he
had put his hand to no writing or settlement in my
favour before his apprehension, and to do so now would