Great Expectations

She saw me looking at it, and she said, "You could drink without hurt

all the strong beer that's brewed there now, boy."

"I should think I could, miss," said I, in a shy way.

"Better not try to brew beer there now, or it would turn out sour, boy;

don't you think so?"

"It looks like it, miss."

"Not that anybody means to try," she added, "for that's all done with,

and the place will stand as idle as it is till it falls. As to strong

beer, there's enough of it in the cellars already, to drown the Manor

House."

"Is that the name of this house, miss?"

"One of its names, boy."

"It has more than one, then, miss?"

"One more. Its other name was Satis; which is Greek, or Latin, or

Hebrew, or all three--or all one to me--for enough."

"Enough House," said I; "that's a curious name, miss."

"Yes," she replied; "but it meant more than it said. It meant, when it

was given, that whoever had this house could want nothing else. They

must have been easily satisfied in those days, I should think. But don't

loiter, boy."

Though she called me "boy" so often, and with a carelessness that was

far from complimentary, she was of about my own age. She seemed much

older than I, of course, being a girl, and beautiful and self-possessed;

and she was as scornful of me as if she had been one-and-twenty, and a

queen.

We went into the house by a side door, the great front entrance had two

chains across it outside,--and the first thing I noticed was, that the

passages were all dark, and that she had left a candle burning there.

She took it up, and we went through more passages and up a staircase,

and still it was all dark, and only the candle lighted us.

At last we came to the door of a room, and she said, "Go in."

I answered, more in shyness than politeness, "After you, miss."

To this she returned: "Don't be ridiculous, boy; I am not going in." And

scornfully walked away, and--what was worse--took the candle with her.

This was very uncomfortable, and I was half afraid. However, the only

thing to be done being to knock at the door, I knocked, and was told

from within to enter. I entered, therefore, and found myself in a pretty

large room, well lighted with wax candles. No glimpse of daylight was to

be seen in it. It was a dressing-room, as I supposed from the furniture,

though much of it was of forms and uses then quite unknown to me. But

prominent in it was a draped table with a gilded looking-glass, and that

I made out at first sight to be a fine lady's dressing-table.