第61章

`I start for London, Miss Havisham, to-morrow,' I was exceedingly careful what I said, `and I thought you would kindly not mind my taking leave of you.'

`This is a gay figure, Pip,' said she, making her crutch stick play round me, as if she, the fairy godmother who had changed me, were bestowing the finishing gift.

`I have come into such good fortune since I saw you last, Miss Havisham,'

I murmured. `And I am so grateful for it, Miss Havisham!'

`Ay, ay!' said she, looking at the discomfited and envious Sarah, with delight. `I have seen Mr Jaggers. I have heard about it, Pip. So you go to-morrow?'

`Yes, Miss Havisham.'

`And you are adopted by a rich person?'

`Yes, Miss Havisham.'

`Not named?'

`No, Miss Havisham.'

`And Mr Jaggers is made your guardian?'

`Yes, Miss Havisham.'

She quite gloated on these questions and answers, so keen was her enjoyment of Sarah Pocket's jealous dismay. `Well!' she went on; `you have a promising career before you. Be good - deserve it - and abide by Mr Jaggers's instructions.'

She looked at me, and looked at Sarah, and Sarah's countenance wrung out of her watchful face a cruel smile. `Good-bye, Pip! - you will always keep the name of Pip, you know.'

`Yes, Miss Havisham.'

`Good-bye, Pip!'

She stretched out her hand, and I went down on my knee and put it to my lips. I had not considered how I should take leave of her; it came naturally to me at the moment, to do this. She looked at Sarah Pocket with triumph in her weird eyes, and so I left my fairy godmother, with both her hands on her crutch stick, standing in the midst of the dimly lighted room beside the rotten bridecake that was hidden in cobwebs.

Sarah Pocket conducted me down, as if I were a ghost who must be seen out. She could not get over my appearance, and was in the last degree confounded.

I said `Good-bye, Miss Pocket;' but she merely stared, and did not seem collected enough to know that I had spoken. Clear of the house, I made the best of my way back to Pumblechook's, took off my new clothes, made them into a bundle, and went back home in my older dress, carrying it -to speak the truth - much more at my ease too, though I had the bundle to carry.

And now, those six days which were to have run out so slowly, had run out fast and were gone, and to-morrow looked me in the face more steadily than I could look at it. As the six evenings had dwindled away, to five, to four, to three, to two, I had become more and more appreciative of the society of Joe and Biddy. On this last evening, I dressed my self out in my new clothes, for their delight, and sat in my splendour until bedtime.

We had a hot supper on the occasion, graced by the inevitable roast fowl, and we had some flip to finish with. We were all very low, and none the higher for pretending to be in spirits.

I was to leave our village at five in the morning, carrying my little hand-portmanteau, and I had told Joe that I wished to walk away all alone.

I am afraid - sore afraid - that this purpose originated in my sense of the contrast there would be between me and Joe, if we went to the coach together. I had pretended with myself that there was nothing of this taint in the arrangement; but when I went up to my little room on this last night, I felt compelled to admit that it might be so, and had an impulse upon me to go down again and entreat Joe to walk with me in the morning. I did not.