Kitabı oku: «Большие надежды. Уровень 2 / Great Expectations», sayfa 7

“Bless you, Miss Havisham dear!” said the guests.

Miss Havisham still walked with her hand on my shoulder, but more and more slowly. At last she stopped before the fire, and said,

“This is my birthday, Pip. On this day of the year, long before you were born, this heap of decay came here. The mice gnawed at it, and sharper teeth than teeth of mice gnawed at me.”

She held the head of her stick against her heart.

“When the ruin is complete,” said she, “they lay me dead, in my bride’s dress on the bride’s table!”

I remained quiet. Estella returned, and she too remained quiet. At last, Miss Havisham said,

“You two, play cards; why don’t you begin?”

With that, we returned to her room, and sat down as before. I was beggared, as before; and again, as before, Miss Havisham watched us all the time and directed my attention to Estella’s beauty.

We played some half-dozen games, then I went down to the yard and ate some food. After that I found myself in the dismal corner. I looked in and, to my great surprise, saw a pale young gentleman with red eyelids and light hair. This pale young gentleman quickly disappeared, and reappeared beside me.

“Halloa!” said he, “young fellow!”

I said, “Halloa!”

“Who let you in?” said he.

“Miss Estella.”

“Come and fight,” said the pale young gentleman. “But stop a minute. I must give you a reason for fighting. There it is!”

He pulled my hair, dipped his head, and butted it into my stomach. He did not hit me hard. I hit him, too, and he fell against the wall. He went on his knees backwards and said,

“That means you win.”

He seemed brave and innocent. I said,

“Can I help you?”

“No thank you,” he answered.

“Good afternoon,” I said

“Same to you.”

When I got into the courtyard, I found Estella with the keys. She stepped back into the passage, and beckoned me.

“Come here! You may kiss me, if you like.”

I kissed her cheek as she turned it to me.

Chapter 11

Day after day, Miss Havisham talked more and more to me. She asked me about my future plans. I was going to be apprenticed to Joe, I believed. But I wanted to study, and I told her many times about that. Did she help me? She did not; on the contrary, she seemed to prefer my ignorance. She did not ever give me any money or anything but my daily dinner.

Estella always let me in and out. Sometimes she coldly tolerated me; sometimes she condescended to me; sometimes she was quite familiar with me; sometimes she told me that she hated me. Miss Havisham liked to ask me in a whisper, or when we were alone,

“Does she grow prettier and prettier, Pip?”

When I said yes (for indeed she did), she enjoyed it greedily. Miss Havisham embraced Estella with lavish fondness, and murmured something in her ear that sounded like

“Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!”

One day Miss Havisham said with some displeasure,

“You are growing tall, Pip! Tell me the name of that blacksmith of yours.”

“Joe Gargery, ma’am.”

“The master you were to be apprenticed to?³⁶”

“Yes, Miss Havisham.”

“Will Gargery come here with you, and bring your indentures, do you think?”

“At any particular time, Miss Havisham?”

“There, there! I know nothing about times. Let him come soon, and come along with you.”

Chapter 12

On the next day, Joe was arraying himself in his Sunday clothes to accompany me to Miss Havisham’s. The forge was shut up for the day. We walked to town. As it was almost noon, Joe and I held straight on to Miss Havisham’s house. Estella opened the gate as usual, and, the moment she appeared, Joe took his hat off.

Estella led us the way that I knew so well. I followed next to her, and Joe came last.

Miss Havisham was seated at her dressing-table, and looked round at us immediately.

“Oh!” said she to Joe. “You are the husband of the sister of this boy?”

Dear old Joe was looking like some extraordinary bird. He was standing speechless, with his mouth open as if he wanted a worm.

“You are the husband,” repeated Miss Havisham, “of the sister of this boy?”

Strangely, but Joe addressed me instead of Miss Havisham.

“Yes, you see, Pip, I married your sister.”

“Well!” said Miss Havisham. “And you want to take the boy for your apprentice; is that so, Mr. Gargery?”

“You know, Pip,” replied Joe, “as you and me are friends… But, Pip, if you make objections to that, nobody will force you, don’t you see?”

“Does the boy,” said Miss Havisham, “like the trade?”

“Pip,” returned Joe, “I think, you do, right?”

“Do you have his indentures with you?” asked Miss Havisham.

“Well, Pip, you know,” replied Joe, “I put them in my bag, and therefore you know they are here.”

With which he took them out, and gave them, not to Miss Havisham, but to me. I was afraid I was ashamed of the dear good fellow. I saw that Estella stood at the back of Miss Havisham’s chair, her eyes laughed mischievously.

“You expected,” said Miss Havisham, “no premium with the boy?”

“Joe!” I remonstrated, for he made no reply at all. “Why don’t you answer – ”

“Pip,” returned Joe, “that is not a question that demands an answer.”

Miss Havisham glanced at him and took up a little bag from the table beside her.

“This is Pip’s premium,” she said. “Here it is. There are five-and-twenty guineas in this bag. Give it to your master, Pip.”

“This is very liberal on your part³⁷, Pip,” said Joe, “And now, old chap, may we do our duty!³⁸ ”

“Goodbye, Pip!” said Miss Havisham. “Let them out, Estella.”

“Must I come again, Miss Havisham?” I asked.

“No. Gargery is your master now.”

We got out of the room. In another minute we were outside the gate, and it was locked, and Estella was gone. When we stood in the daylight alone again, Joe said to me, “Astonishing!”

When I got into my little bedroom, I had a strong conviction that I did not like Joe’s trade. No more.