"I follow you, sir."

"Put the case, Pip, that here was one pretty little child out of the

heap who could be saved; whom the father believed dead, and dared make

no stir about; as to whom, over the mother, the legal adviser had this

power: "I know what you did, and how you did it. You came so and so, you

did such and such things to divert suspicion. I have tracked you through

it all, and I tell it you all. Part with the child, unless it should

be necessary to produce it to clear you, and then it shall be produced.

Give the child into my hands, and I will do my best to bring you off. If

you are saved, your child is saved too; if you are lost, your child is

still saved." Put the case that this was done, and that the woman was

cleared."

"I understand you perfectly."

"But that I make no admissions?"

"That you make no admissions." And Wemmick repeated, "No admissions."

"Put the case, Pip, that passion and the terror of death had a little

shaken the woman's intellects, and that when she was set at liberty,

she was scared out of the ways of the world, and went to him to be

sheltered. Put the case that he took her in, and that he kept down the

old, wild, violent nature whenever he saw an inkling of its breaking

out, by asserting his power over her in the old way. Do you comprehend

the imaginary case?"

"Quite."

"Put the case that the child grew up, and was married for money. That

the mother was still living. That the father was still living. That the

mother and father, unknown to one another, were dwelling within so many

miles, furlongs, yards if you like, of one another. That the secret was

still a secret, except that you had got wind of it. Put that last case

to yourself very carefully."

"I do."

"I ask Wemmick to put it to himself very carefully."

And Wemmick said, "I do."

"For whose sake would you reveal the secret? For the father's? I think

he would not be much the better for the mother. For the mother's? I

think if she had done such a deed she would be safer where she was.

For the daughter's? I think it would hardly serve her to establish her

parentage for the information of her husband, and to drag her back to

disgrace, after an escape of twenty years, pretty secure to last for

life. But add the case that you had loved her, Pip, and had made her the

subject of those 'poor dreams' which have, at one time or another, been

in the heads of more men than you think likely, then I tell you that you

had better--and would much sooner when you had thought well of it--chop

off that bandaged left hand of yours with your bandaged right hand, and

then pass the chopper on to Wemmick there, to cut that off too."




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