I told him when I had arrived, and how Miss Havisham had wished me to

come and see Estella. To which he replied, "Ah! Very fine young lady!"

Then he pushed Miss Havisham in her chair before him, with one of his

large hands, and put the other in his trousers-pocket as if the pocket

were full of secrets.

"Well, Pip! How often have you seen Miss Estella before?" said he, when

he came to a stop.

"How often?"

"Ah! How many times? Ten thousand times?"

"Oh! Certainly not so many."

"Twice?"

"Jaggers," interposed Miss Havisham, much to my relief, "leave my Pip

alone, and go with him to your dinner."

He complied, and we groped our way down the dark stairs together. While

we were still on our way to those detached apartments across the paved

yard at the back, he asked me how often I had seen Miss Havisham eat

and drink; offering me a breadth of choice, as usual, between a hundred

times and once.

I considered, and said, "Never."

"And never will, Pip," he retorted, with a frowning smile. "She has

never allowed herself to be seen doing either, since she lived this

present life of hers. She wanders about in the night, and then lays

hands on such food as she takes."

"Pray, sir," said I, "may I ask you a question?"

"You may," said he, "and I may decline to answer it. Put your question."

"Estella's name. Is it Havisham or--?" I had nothing to add.

"Or what?" said he.

"Is it Havisham?"

"It is Havisham."

This brought us to the dinner-table, where she and Sarah Pocket awaited

us. Mr. Jaggers presided, Estella sat opposite to him, I faced my

green and yellow friend. We dined very well, and were waited on by a

maid-servant whom I had never seen in all my comings and goings, but

who, for anything I know, had been in that mysterious house the whole

time. After dinner a bottle of choice old port was placed before my

guardian (he was evidently well acquainted with the vintage), and the

two ladies left us.

Anything to equal the determined reticence of Mr. Jaggers under that

roof I never saw elsewhere, even in him. He kept his very looks to

himself, and scarcely directed his eyes to Estella's face once during

dinner. When she spoke to him, he listened, and in due course answered,

but never looked at her, that I could see. On the other hand, she often

looked at him, with interest and curiosity, if not distrust, but his

face never, showed the least consciousness. Throughout dinner he took

a dry delight in making Sarah Pocket greener and yellower, by often

referring in conversation with me to my expectations; but here,

again, he showed no consciousness, and even made it appear that he

extorted--and even did extort, though I don't know how--those references

out of my innocent self.




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