"At the rate of, sir?"

"At," repeated Mr. Jaggers, still looking at the ceiling,

"the--rate--of?" And then looked all round the room, and paused with his

pocket-handkerchief in his hand, half-way to his nose.

I had looked into my affairs so often, that I had thoroughly destroyed

any slight notion I might ever have had of their bearings. Reluctantly,

I confessed myself quite unable to answer the question. This reply

seemed agreeable to Mr. Jaggers, who said, "I thought so!" and blew his

nose with an air of satisfaction.

"Now, I have asked you a question, my friend," said Mr. Jaggers. "Have

you anything to ask me?"

"Of course it would be a great relief to me to ask you several

questions, sir; but I remember your prohibition."

"Ask one," said Mr. Jaggers.

"Is my benefactor to be made known to me to-day?"

"No. Ask another."

"Is that confidence to be imparted to me soon?"

"Waive that, a moment," said Mr. Jaggers, "and ask another."

I looked about me, but there appeared to be now no possible escape from

the inquiry, "Have-I--anything to receive, sir?" On that, Mr. Jaggers

said, triumphantly, "I thought we should come to it!" and called to

Wemmick to give him that piece of paper. Wemmick appeared, handed it in,

and disappeared.

"Now, Mr. Pip," said Mr. Jaggers, "attend, if you please. You have been

drawing pretty freely here; your name occurs pretty often in Wemmick's

cash-book; but you are in debt, of course?"

"I am afraid I must say yes, sir."

"You know you must say yes; don't you?" said Mr. Jaggers.

"Yes, sir."

"I don't ask you what you owe, because you don't know; and if you did

know, you wouldn't tell me; you would say less. Yes, yes, my friend,"

cried Mr. Jaggers, waving his forefinger to stop me as I made a show

of protesting: "it's likely enough that you think you wouldn't, but

you would. You'll excuse me, but I know better than you. Now, take this

piece of paper in your hand. You have got it? Very good. Now, unfold it

and tell me what it is."

"This is a bank-note," said I, "for five hundred pounds."

"That is a bank-note," repeated Mr. Jaggers, "for five hundred pounds.

And a very handsome sum of money too, I think. You consider it so?"




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