Great Expectations

"Dear Joe, have you heard what becomes of her property?"

"Well, old chap," said Joe, "it do appear that she had settled the most

of it, which I meantersay tied it up, on Miss Estella. But she had

wrote out a little coddleshell in her own hand a day or two afore the

accident, leaving a cool four thousand to Mr. Matthew Pocket. And why,

do you suppose, above all things, Pip, she left that cool four thousand

unto him? 'Because of Pip's account of him, the said Matthew.' I am told

by Biddy, that air the writing," said Joe, repeating the legal turn as

if it did him infinite good, "'account of him the said Matthew.' And a

cool four thousand, Pip!"

I never discovered from whom Joe derived the conventional temperature of

the four thousand pounds; but it appeared to make the sum of money more

to him, and he had a manifest relish in insisting on its being cool.

This account gave me great joy, as it perfected the only good thing I

had done. I asked Joe whether he had heard if any of the other relations

had any legacies?

"Miss Sarah," said Joe, "she have twenty-five pound perannium fur to

buy pills, on account of being bilious. Miss Georgiana, she have twenty

pound down. Mrs.--what's the name of them wild beasts with humps, old

chap?"

"Camels?" said I, wondering why he could possibly want to know.

Joe nodded. "Mrs. Camels," by which I presently understood he meant

Camilla, "she have five pound fur to buy rushlights to put her in

spirits when she wake up in the night."

The accuracy of these recitals was sufficiently obvious to me, to give

me great confidence in Joe's information. "And now," said Joe, "you

ain't that strong yet, old chap, that you can take in more nor one

additional shovelful to-day. Old Orlick he's been a bustin' open a

dwelling-ouse."

"Whose?" said I.

"Not, I grant you, but what his manners is given to blusterous," said

Joe, apologetically; "still, a Englishman's ouse is his Castle, and

castles must not be busted 'cept when done in war time. And wotsume'er

the failings on his part, he were a corn and seedsman in his hart."

"Is it Pumblechook's house that has been broken into, then?"

"That's it, Pip," said Joe; "and they took his till, and they took his

cash-box, and they drinked his wine, and they partook of his wittles,

and they slapped his face, and they pulled his nose, and they tied him

up to his bedpust, and they giv' him a dozen, and they stuffed his

mouth full of flowering annuals to prewent his crying out. But he knowed

Orlick, and Orlick's in the county jail."