Great Expectations

d I soon found myself getting heavily bumped from behind in the nape of the neck and the small of the back, and having

o many reservations. I felt convinced that if I described Miss Havisham's as my eyes had seen it, I should not be understood. Not only that, but I felt convinced that Miss Havisham too would not be understood; and although she was perfectly incomprehensible to me, I enter

came gaping over in his chaise-cart at tea-time, to have the details divulged to him. And the mere sight of the torment, with his fishy e

oon as he was seated in the chair of honou

ll, sir,' and my siste

ed. `Pretty well is no answer. Tell u

with whitewash from the wall on my forehead, my obstinacy was adamantine. I reflected f

usy in the forge when Mr Pumblechook interposed with `No! Don't lose your temper. Leave this lad to me, ma'am;

thoughts in order):

mblechook then put me through my pence-table from `twelve pence make one shilling,' up to `forty pence make three and fourpence,' and then triumphantly demanded, as if he had do

rew it out of me, and said, `Is forty-three pence

y ears, it was highly gratifying to me to see that the

k began again when he had recovered; folding his

and dark,'

cle?' asked

at once inferred that he had never seen Mis

(`This is the way to have him! We are b

e, `I wish you had him always: you

oing of, when you went in t

I answered, `in a b

e another - as they well might - and bo

e and wine at the coach-window, on a gold plate. And we all had cake and wine on

se there?' aske

dogs,'

e or

hey fought for veal cutle

utter amazement. I was perfectly frantic - a reckless wit

, in the name of grac

ses to it.' I added this saving clause, in the moment of rejecting four

uncle?' asked Mrs Joe.

it's a sedan-chair. She's flighty, you know - very flight

her in it, uncle

the admission, `when I never see her i

! And yet you ha

k up to the outside of her door, and the door has stood ajar, and she has spoke to me that way. Do

erve that I think of myself with amazement, w

echoed

Miss Havisham waved one sprinkled all over with little gold stars, o

y sister. `Where did

t - and jam - and pills. And there was no daylight i

much I've seen myself.' And then they both stared at me, and I, with an obtrusive show of artless

ut for my invention being divided between that phenomenon and a bear in the brewery. They were so much occupied, however, in discussing the marvels I had already presented for their consideration, that I esca

isham's acquaintance and favour. They had no doubt that Miss Havisham would `do something' for me; their doubts related to the form that something would take. My sister stood out for `property.' Mr Pumblechook was in favour of a handsome premium for binding me apprentice to some genteel trade - say, the corn and seed trade, for

into the forge to Joe, and remained by him until he had done for the night. Th

ng his shoeing-stool near the forg

sleeve, and twisting it between my finger and th

Joe. `I believe

le thing, Joe;

Joe, falling back in the greatest am

; it's li

t co - eh?' For, I stood shaking my head. `But at least there was dogs, Pip? Come, Pip

, J

id Joe. `A

was nothing at a

lated me in dismay. `Pip, old chap! This won't do

ible, Joe;

Joe. `Awful! Wha

ng down in the ashes at his feet, hanging my head; `but I wish you hadn't taught me to c

de to me, and that there had been a beautiful young lady at Miss Havisham's who was dreadfully proud, and that she had said I was commo

to deal with, as for me. But Joe took the case altogether out

nd they come from the father of lies, and work round to the same. Don't you tell no more of 'em, Pip. That ain't the way to get out of being common, old c

norant and b

print even! I've seen letters - Ah! and from gentlefolk

thing, Joe. You think muc

n upon his 'ed, can't sit and write his acts of Parliament in print, without having begun, when he were a unpromoted Prince, with the alphabet - Ah!' added Joe, wit

his piece of wisdom, and

be the better of continuing for a keep company with common ones, instead of going out

, J

that's a thing not to be thought of, as being done intentional. Lookee here, Pip, at what is said to you by a true friend. Which this to you the true friend say. If

t angry wit

g to them which bordered on weal-cutlets and dog-fighting - a sincere wellwisher would adwise, Pip, their being

: how thick his boots, and how coarse his hands. I thought how Joe and my sister were then sitting in the kitchen, and how I had come up to bed from the kitchen, and how Miss Havisham and Estella never sat in a kitchen, but were far above the level of such

out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain o