按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
I covered my face with my hands．After a moment I lifted my head and cried，‘Dont't throw yourself away on an animal like him！Even if you won't marry me，there must be others who love you．Any of them would be a thousand times better than Drummle！’
‘I can't marry a man who expects me to love him．So Drummle will do well enough as my husband．You will soon forget me．’
‘Never，Estella！You are part of myself．You are in every line I've read，in every view I've seen，in every dream I've dreamt．To the last hour of my life，you will remain part of me． God bless you and God forgive you！’I held her hand to my lips for a moment．As I left，Estella's lovely face looked at me in wonder，but Miss Havisham was staring at me with a mixture of pity and guilt．
It was all over．To calm my feelings I walked all the way back to London．At night the Temple gates were always closed，but the night－porter let me in when I told him my name．He gave me an envelope addressed to Mr Pip．Inside，in Wemmick's writing，it said：‘DON’T GO HOME．’
15 Shelter for Magwitch
I spent a restless night at a hotel，worrying about the reasons for Wemmick's warning．Early in the morning I went to see him at the Castle．He told me he had heard I was being watched，and that someone was looking for Magwitch．He also knew that Compeyson was alive and in London．While I was absent，Wemmick had warned Herbert to move our guest to a safer place．Clara，the girl Herbert was in love with，lived with her old father in a house on the river，quite near the open sea，and Herbert had arranged to rent rooms for Magwitch in this house．It was further away from the centre of London and our home，and we could easily take Magwitch abroad by boat from there．
‘Our friend is there now，’said Wemmick，‘and you can visit him tonight，but don't go back there after that．And re－member，Mr Pip，’he added firmly，‘remember to get his cash．You don't know what may happen to him．Don't let anything happen to his cash．’
I could not explain to Wemmick how I felt about Magwich's money，so I said nothing．
That evening I visited the house，and met Clara，a lovely girl，obviously in love with Herbert．How lucky she and Herbert were！I thought of Estella，and felt very sad．
Magwitch seemed quieter and more likeable than the last time I had seen him．He accepted all our arrangements for him gratefully．I was almost sorry to say goodbye to him．
I decided to keep a rowing boat near our rooms，so that Her－bert or I could row up and down the river，as far as Clara's house．If Magwitch saw us on the river，he could draw his bedroom curtain to show everything was all right．
For the next few weeks，life went on as normal．Herbert went to work and visited Clara in the evenings．I rowed on the river，and waited for news from Wemmick．
One evening，instead of reading alone in my room，I went to the theatre where Mr Wopsle was acting．He noticed me in the audience，and kept looking at me in a very strange way．After the play we met outside the theatre，and he asked immediately，
‘You didn't see that man sitting right behind you，Mr Pip？’
I felt suddenly cold．‘Who was he？’I asked．
‘You remember，Mr Pip，that Christmas Day，when you were a boy？We went on to the marshes with the soldiers and found the escaped convicts fighting each other．Well，one of those two was looking over your shoulder tonight．’
‘Which one？’I asked，holding my breath．
‘The one with the bleeding face，’he answered．
So Compeyson was still following me！I knew Magwitch was in great danger．Later that evening Herbert and I discussed the problem，and promised each other to be more careful than ever．
About a week later I met Mr Jaggers by chance in the street，and he invited me to dinner that evening．Wemmick was there too．Mr Jaggers told me Miss Havisham wished to see me on business，so I said I would go the next day．
Then Jaggers said，‘Well，Pip！Our friend Drummle has won a great prize！He has married Estella！’
I had been expecting this news for some time but it still came as a terrible shock．
‘I wonder，’continued Jaggers，‘who will be the stronger in the end，the wife or the husband？He may beat her—’
‘Surely he isn't wicked enough to do that！’I cried．
‘He may，or he may not．But she is certainly more intelligent than him．We shall see．’
Just then I noticed the housekeeper putting a dish on the table．I stared at her．I had seen exactly such eyes，and such hands，very recently！And suddenly I was absolutely certain that this woman was Estella's mother．
Later，as Wemmick and I left Jaggers’house together，I asked him about his employer's housekeeper．He told me that，many years before，she had been jealous of her husband and another woman，and had been accused of murdering this woman．Jaggers was her lawyer，and at her trial he managed to show that she was not strong enough to kill anyone．She was also suspected of killing her three－year－old daughter，who had disappeared．But because of Jaggers’clever arguing，she was judged innocent of murder．Aftef the trial she left her husband and became Jaggers’housekeeper．
16 Miss Havisham realizes how Pip has suffered
When I went to see Miss Havisham the next day，as she had requested，her house looked darker than ever，and I realized how lonely she was without Estella．She looked sadly at me．
‘Tell me，Pip，’she said，stretching out her hand to me，‘how can I help your friend？You said something about it last time．
I explained my agreement with Clarrikers to make Herbert a partner．Nine hundred pounds still had to be paid．
‘And you will be happier if I pay this？’
‘Much happier．’
‘can't I help you yourself，Pip？’
‘There is nothing you can do，’I answered．
She wrote a cheque which she handed to me．‘Mr Jaggers will give you the money．And…here，Pip，’handing me another piece of paper，‘here is a note with my name on．If，one day，you can write under my name“I forgive her”，please do it．’
‘Oh Miss Havisham，’I said，‘I can do it now．We have all made mistakes．I can't be bitter with anyone．’
‘What have I done，Pip！’she cried，dropping to her knees in front of me．‘I should never have brought up Estella like that，or allowed you to be hurt！’
‘Could I ask you something about Estella？How and why did you adopt her？’
‘I never knew her parents，’she said quietly．‘I asked Jaggers to find a little girl for me to adopt，and he brought Estella here，when she was about three．’
We had no more to say to each other，and so I left．But on my way through the old garden I had a strange feeling that something was wrong，and I ran back upstairs to check that Miss Havisham was all right．As I opened the door of her room，I saw her sitting close to the fire．Suddenly a great flame lit the room．She turned and rushed towards me，screaming，her hair and clothes on fire．Somehow I managed to cover her with my coat and put out the flames with my hands．
I sent for a doctor，who cleaned her wounds．Her bed was placed on the great dining table，wher