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1He was taken to the Police Court next day, and would have been immediately committed for trial, but that it was
2necessary to send down for an old officer of the prison-ship from which he had once escaped, to speak to his identity.
3Nobody doubted it; but Compeyson, who had meant to depose to it, was tumbling on the tides, dead, and it happened that
4there was not at that time any prison officer in London who could give the required evidence. I had gone direct to Mr.
5Jaggers at his private house, on my arrival over night, to retain his assistance, and Mr. Jaggers on the prisoner's
6behalf would admit nothing. It was the sole resource; for he told me that the case must be over in five minutes when the
7witness was there, and that no power on earth could prevent its going against us. I imparted to Mr. Jaggers my design of
8keeping him in ignorance of the fate of his wealth. Mr. Jaggers was querulous and angry with me for having "let it slip
9through my fingers," and said we must memorialise by and by, and try at all events for some of it. But he did not
10conceal from me that, although there might be many cases in which the forfeiture would not be exacted, there were no
11circumstances in this case to make it one of them. I understood that very well. I was not related to the outlaw, or
12connected with him by any recognisable tie; he had put his hand to no writing or settlement in my favour before his
13apprehension, and to do so now would be idle. I had no claim, and I finally resolved, and ever afterwards abided by the
14resolution, that my heart should never be sickened with the hopeless task of attempting to establish one. There appeared
15to be reason for supposing that the drowned informer had hoped for a reward out of this forfeiture, and had obtained
16some accurate knowledge of Magwitch's affairs. When his body was found, many miles from the scene of his death, and so
17horribly disfigured that he was only recognisable by the contents of his pockets, notes were still legible, folded in a
18case he carried. Among these were the name of a banking-house in New South Wales, where a sum of money was, and the
19designation of certain lands of considerable value. Both these heads of information were in a list that Magwitch, while
20in prison, gave to Mr. Jaggers, of the possessions he supposed I should inherit. His ignorance, poor fellow, at last
21served him; he never mistrusted but that my inheritance was quite safe, with Mr. Jaggers's aid. After three days' delay,
22during which the crown prosecution stood over for the production of the witness from the prison-ship, the witness came,
23and completed the easy case. He was committed to take his trial at the next Sessions, which would come on in a month. It
24was at this dark time of my life that Herbert returned home one evening, a good deal cast down, and said,-- "My dear
25Handel, I fear I shall soon have to leave you." His partner having prepared me for that, I was less surprised than he
26thought. "We shall lose a fine opportunity if I put off going to Cairo, and I am very much afraid I must go, Handel,
27when you most need me." "Herbert, I shall always need you, because I shall always love you; but my need is no greater
28now than at another time." "You will be so lonely." "I have not leisure to think of that," said I. "You know that I am
29always with him to the full extent of the time allowed, and that I should be with him all day long, if I could. And when
30I come away from him, you know that my thoughts are with him." The dreadful condition to which he was brought, was so
31appalling to both of us, that we could not refer to it in plainer words. "My dear fellow," said Herbert, "let the near
32prospect of our separation--for, it is very near--be my justification for troubling you about yourself. Have you thought
33of your future?" "No, for I have been afraid to think of any future." "But yours cannot be dismissed; indeed, my dear
34dear Handel, it must not be dismissed. I wish you would enter on it now, as far as a few friendly words go, with me." "I
35will," said I. "In this branch house of ours, Handel, we must have a--" I saw that his delicacy was avoiding the right
36word, so I said, "A clerk." "A clerk. And I hope it is not at all unlikely that he may expand (as a clerk of your
37acquaintance has expanded) into a partner. Now, Handel,--in short, my dear boy, will you come to me?" There was
38something charmingly cordial and engaging in the manner in which after saying "Now, Handel," as if it were the grave
39beginning of a portentous business exordium, he had suddenly given up that tone, stretched out his honest hand, and
40spoken like a schoolboy. "Clara and I have talked about it again and again," Herbert pursued, "and the dear little thing
41begged me only this evening, with tears in her eyes, to say to you that, if you will live with us when we come together,
42she will do her best to make you happy, and to convince her husband's friend that he is her friend too. We should get on
43so well, Handel!" I thanked her heartily, and I thanked him heartily, but said I could not yet make sure of joining him
44as he so kindly offered. Firstly, my mind was too preoccupied to be able to take in the subject clearly. Secondly,--Yes!
45Secondly, there was a vague something lingering in my thoughts that will come out very near the end of this slight
46narrative. "But if you thought, Herbert, that you could, without doing any injury to your business, leave the question
47open for a little while--" "For any while," cried Herbert. "Six months, a year!" "Not so long as that," said I. "Two or
48three months at most." Herbert was highly delighted when we shook hands on this arrangement, and said he could now take
49courage to tell me that he believed he must go away at the end of the week. "And Clara?" said I. "The dear little
50thing," returned Herbert, "holds dutifully to her father as long as he lasts; but he won't last long. Mrs. Whimple
51confides to me that he is certainly going." "Not to say an unfeeling thing," said I, "he cannot do better than go." "I
52am afraid that must be admitted," said Herbert; "and then I shall come back for the dear little thing, and the dear
53little thing and I will walk quietly into the nearest church. Remember! The blessed darling comes of no family, my dear
54Handel, and never looked into the red book, and hasn't a notion about her grandpapa. What a fortune for the son of my
55mother!" On the Saturday in that same week, I took my leave of Herbert,--full of bright hope, but sad and sorry to leave
56me,--as he sat on one of the seaport mail coaches. I went into a coffee-house to write a little note to Clara, telling
57her he had gone off, sending his love to her over and over again, and then went to my lonely home,--if it deserved the
58name; for it was now no home to me, and I had no home anywhere. On the stairs I encountered Wemmick, who was coming
59down, after an unsuccessful application of his knuckles to my door. I had not seen him alone since the disastrous issue
60of the attempted flight; and he had come, in his private and personal capacity, to say a few words of explanation in
61reference to that failure. "The late Compeyson," said Wemmick, "had by little and little got at the bottom of half of
62the regular business now transacted; and it was from the talk of some of his people in trouble (some of his people being
63always in trouble) that I heard what I did. I kept my ears open, seeming to have them shut, until I heard that he was
64absent, and I thought that would be the best time for making the attempt. I can only suppose now, that it was a part of
65his policy, as a very clever man, habitually to deceive his own instruments. You don't blame me, I hope, Mr. Pip? I am
66sure I tried to serve you, with all my heart." "I am as sure of that, Wemmick, as you can be, and I thank you most
67earnestly for all your interest and friendship."
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