Great Expectations / Большие надежды. Чарльз Диккенс

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those cobwebs are?”

      “I can’t guess what it is, ma’am.”

      “It’s a great cake. A bride-cake. Mine!”

      She looked all round the room in a glaring manner, and then said, leaning on me while her hand twitched my shoulder, “Come, come, come! Walk me, walk me![58]”

      She was not strong, and after a little time said, “Slower!” After a while she said, “Call Estella!” so I went out on the landing and roared that name as I had done on the previous occasion. When her light appeared, I returned to Miss Havisham, and we started away again round and round the room.

      Estella brought with her the three ladies and the gentleman, I didn’t know what to do.

      “Dear Miss Havisham,” said a guest. “How well you look!”

      “I do not,” returned Miss Havisham. “I am yellow skin and bone. And how are you, Camilla?” said Miss Havisham.

      “Thank you, Miss Havisham,” she returned, “I am as well as can be expected.”

      Miss Havisham and I had never stopped all this time, but kept going round and round the room.

      “Matthew[59] couldnot come,” said Camilla.

      “Matthew will come and see me at last,” said Miss Havisham, sternly, when I am laid on that table. That will be his place – there,” striking the table with her stick, “at my head! And yours will be there! And your husband’s there! And Sarah Pocket’s[60] there! And Georgiana’s[61] there! Now you all know where to take your stations when you come to feast upon me when you come to feast upon me.[62] And now go!”

      She now said, “Walk me, walk me!” and we went on again.

      “Bless you, Miss Havisham dear!” said the guests.

      While Estella was away lighting them down, Miss Havisham still walked with her hand on my shoulder, but more and more slowly. At last she stopped before the fire, and said, after muttering and looking at it some seconds —

      “This is my birthday, Pip.”

      I was going to wish her many happy returns, when she lifted her stick.

      “I don’t want it to be spoken of.[63] They come here on the day, but they dare not refer to it.”

      Of course I made no further effort to refer to it.

      “On this day of the year, long before you were born, this heap of decay was brought here. It and I have worn away together. The mice have gnawed at it, and sharper teeth than teeth of mice have gnawed at me.”

      She held the head of her stick against her heart.

      “When the ruin is complete,” said she, with a ghastly look, “and when they lay me dead, in my bride’s dress on the bride’s table – which shall be done, and which will be the finished curse upon him, – so much the better if it is done on this day![64]”

      She stood looking at the table as if she stood looking at her own figure lying there. I remained quiet. Estella returned, and she too remained quiet. It seemed to me that we continued thus for a long time.

      At last, Miss Havisham said, “Let me see you two play cards; why have you not begun?” With that, we returned to her room, and sat down as before; I was beggared, as before; and again, as before, Miss Havisham watched us all the time, directed my attention to Estella’s beauty.

      When we had played some half-dozen games, a day was appointed for my return, and I was taken down into the yard to be fed in the former dog-like manner. There, too, I was again left to wander about as I liked.

      I found myself in the dismal corner upon which I had looked out of the window. I looked in and, to my great surprise, saw a pale young gentleman with red eyelids and light hair.

      This pale young gentleman quickly disappeared, and reappeared beside me.

      “Halloa!” said he, “young fellow!”

      I said, “Halloa!”

      “Who let you in?” said he.

      “Miss Estella.”

      “Come and fight,” said the pale young gentleman.

      What could I do but follow him?

      “Stop a minute,” he said, “I ought to give you a reason for fighting. There it is!” In a most irritating manner he pulled my hair, dipped his head, and butted it into my stomach.

      His spirit inspired me with great respect. He seemed to have no strength, and he never hit me hard. He got heavily bruised, for I am sorry to say that the more I hit him, the harder I hit him; but he came up again and again and again, until at last he got a bad fall with the back of his head against the wall. He went on his knees backwards and said, “That means you have won.”

      He seemed so brave and innocent, that I felt but a gloomy satisfaction in my victory. However, I said, “Can I help you?” and he said “No thank you,” and I said “Good afternoon,” and he said “Same to you.”

      When I got into the courtyard, I found Estella waiting with the keys. But she neither asked me where I had been, nor why I had kept her waiting; and there was a bright flush upon her face, as though something had happened to delight her. Instead of going straight to the gate, too, she stepped back into the passage, and beckoned me.

      “Come here! You may kiss me, if you like.”

      I kissed her cheek as she turned it to me. But I felt that the kiss was worth nothing.

      Chapter 12

      As we began to be more used to one another, Miss Havisham talked more to me, and asked me such questions as what had I learnt and what was I going to be? I told her I was going to be apprenticed to Joe, I believed. But I wanted to study, and I told her many times about that. I hoped that she might offer some help towards that desirable end. But she did not; on the contrary, she seemed to prefer my being ignorant. Neither did she ever give me any money – or anything but my daily dinner – nor ever say that I should be paid for my services.

      Estella always let me in and out, but never told me I might kiss her again. Sometimes, she would condescend to me; sometimes, she would be quite familiar with me; sometimes, she would tell me that she hated me. Miss Havisham would often ask me in a whisper, or when we were alone, “Does she grow prettier and prettier, Pip?” And when I said yes (for indeed she did), would seem to enjoy it. Miss Havisham would embrace her with lavish love, murmuring something in her ear that sounded like “Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!”

      One day Miss Havisham stopped short as she and I were walking, she leaning on my shoulder; and said with some displeasure —

      “You are growing tall, Pip! Tell me the name of that blacksmith of yours.”

      “Joe Gargery, ma’am.”

      “Meaning the master you were to be apprenticed to?[65]”

      “Yes, Miss Havisham.”

      “Would Gargery come here with you?”

      “At any particular time, Miss Havisham?”

      “There, there! I know nothing about times. Let him come soon, and come along with you.”

      Chapter 13

      On the next day, Joe was arraying himself in his Sunday clothes to accompany me to Miss Havisham’s. The forge was shut up for the day.

      We walked to town. As it was almost noon, Joe and I held straight on to Miss Havisham’s house. Estella opened the gate as usual, and, the moment

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