Great Expectations

"I'll eat my breakfast afore they're the death of me," said he. "I'd do

that, if I was going to be strung up to that there gallows as there is

over there, directly afterwards. I'll beat the shivers so far, I'll bet

you."

He was gobbling mincemeat, meatbone, bread, cheese, and pork pie, all

at once: staring distrustfully while he did so at the mist all round

us, and often stopping--even stopping his jaws--to listen. Some real or

fancied sound, some clink upon the river or breathing of beast upon the

marsh, now gave him a start, and he said, suddenly,-"You're not a deceiving imp? You brought no one with you?"

"No, sir! No!"

"Nor giv' no one the office to follow you?"

"No!"

"Well," said he, "I believe you. You'd be but a fierce young hound

indeed, if at your time of life you could help to hunt a wretched

warmint hunted as near death and dunghill as this poor wretched warmint

is!"

Something clicked in his throat as if he had works in him like a clock,

and was going to strike. And he smeared his ragged rough sleeve over his

eyes.

Pitying his desolation, and watching him as he gradually settled down

upon the pie, I made bold to say, "I am glad you enjoy it."

"Did you speak?"

"I said I was glad you enjoyed it."

"Thankee, my boy. I do."

I had often watched a large dog of ours eating his food; and I now

noticed a decided similarity between the dog's way of eating, and the

man's. The man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog. He

swallowed, or rather snapped up, every mouthful, too soon and too fast;

and he looked sideways here and there while he ate, as if he thought

there was danger in every direction of somebody's coming to take the pie

away. He was altogether too unsettled in his mind over it, to appreciate

it comfortably I thought, or to have anybody to dine with him, without

making a chop with his jaws at the visitor. In all of which particulars

he was very like the dog.

"I am afraid you won't leave any of it for him," said I, timidly; after

a silence during which I had hesitated as to the politeness of making

the remark. "There's no more to be got where that came from." It was the

certainty of this fact that impelled me to offer the hint.