Chapter 13 The Getaway.
The note from Miss Havisham gave me an excuse to go see Mr Jaggers at his office the next morning.
After he read it, he said, "'I'm sorry that we can't do anything for you, Mr. Pip.
It's enough to help Herbert.
I don't want anything else but the truth.
She couldn't even give that to me.'
Mr. Jaggers bent forward and brushed some dirt off his boots.
What good would it do to learn the truth now, after all these years? he said.
I replied that I had a right to know.
It was more than just fate that tied Miss Havisham, Estella, and me together.
I wanted Mr. Jaggers to fill in the pieces.
He sighed.
Do you remember meeting my housekeeper, Molly?
Mr. Jaggers then told me Provost had been married to Molly once, and they had a daughter.
At the time, Provost was still working for Compison.
Provost, Molly, and Compison made a terrible mistake.
They tried to rob someone, and that person ended up dead.
Molly was brought up on charges of murder.
Mr. Jaggers defended her in the trial and won.
She asked him to take the child away to safety.
The girl, Estella, was given to Miss Havisham.
I jumped at the mention of Estella's name.
She was Provost's daughter.
Provost was sent away on the prison ship and hasn't seen Molly or his daughter since.
You see, Mr. Pip, I tried to keep them both safe.
Provost was a great friend to me, Mr. Jacker said.
We got to know each other well over the years.
He was a good man, stuck in a bad situation.
I've never trusted that snake, can't be said.
Sir, Wemmick shouted from the other room, you're needed out here.
I stood up and shook Mr. Jagger's hand.
I thanked him for telling me the truth.
I was shocked that Compison had ruined not only Provost's life, but Molly's and Estella's too.
It was strange to find out that all these relationships existed.
I'd never known about them until now.
As daylight began to open up the sky, Herbert and I were already rowing hard along the Thames.
Bundled in our coats, we were making the big escape today.
We're in agreement.
We'll row to the Hamburg steamer, Herbert said as softly as he could.
I think we could make the early one tomorrow morning, don't you?
I replied.
Herbert said, I think it's...
Best if you stay with Provost as long as you can.
It will be safer.
I can row the boat back to London and be back at work in two days' time.
We landed the boat at the docks near Provost's boarding house.
Is he where we told him to be?
I whispered to Herbert.
Here he comes.
Provost slipped onto the boat and we were quickly off.
Thank you, dear boys, he said.
If all goes well, you'll be free and safe in a few days, I said.
We rowed all day and through the night.
As careful as we thought we had been, we couldn't shake the feeling that we were being followed.
We strained our eyes to see if there were other boats on the water.
There were none we could see.
Is anyone hungry?
Provost asked.
Herbert said, I'm starving.
Let's row to shore and find something to eat.
Good idea, I said.
I can see a light on over there.
Perhaps it's an inn.
We pulled the boat up to where the light from the inn hit the shore.
I took a quick look around and couldn't see any reason not to stop.
The inn had warm food and soft beds, so we decided to stay for the night.
The next morning, we were barely on the water before a fast-moving boat pulled up beside us.
A man shouted, You've got Abel Magwitch on board.
He must surrender immediately.
It was Compison.
You scoundrel.
Provost shouted.
Compison reached over the side of his boat and grabbed Provost by the shoulders.
Before Herbert or I could do anything, both men went overboard.
I couldn't even grab Provost's boots before he went underwater.
I heard a loud crash and a cannonball landed in the middle of our boat.
Compison had thrown it on board.
Within minutes, Herbert and I were in the water.
Our boat sunk.
Almost out of nowhere came a large navy steamer ship.
Within minutes, the soldiers had pulled Herbert and me out of the water.
Compison's boat drifted farther and farther away.
I couldn't see him or Provis.
Over there, Herbert shouted.
I followed his finger to see Provis swimming fast toward us.
The guards pulled him out of the water, badly injured but alive.
We have a warrant for your arrest, Abel Magwitch, the sergeant said.
I have to put you back in cuffs.
You boys are lucky you aren't in more trouble, he said before he left us alone.
What happened to Compeyson?
I asked Magwitch.
I took him overboard with me and we fought, but he got away.
The Navy ship went back to London.
Magwitch had lost the wallet during his fight with Compeyson in the water.
It was filled with his banknotes and property deeds.
His entire fortune was lost.
He was headed back to jail for certain.
He must have seen the sorrow on my face.
Don't be sad, Pip, he said.
None of this matters now.
I'm just happy to have seen you become a gentleman.
He drifted off to sleep then, with Herbert and me by his side.
When we got back to London, Magwitch was taken straight to court.
They sent him to jail until it came time for his trial.
The police searched for Compison.
His body washed up to shore three days later.
In his pocket, they found a notebook.
It was filled with plans about how he was going to steal everything from Magwitch.
Even so, without the original documents that were in the wallet, Magwitch couldn't prove the fortune was his.
During the trial, I tried to convince the courts that Compison was the true villain.
I used myself as an example.
A poor, common boy turned into a gentleman by a good-hearted man.
Who cared if he had made some mistakes in his life?
My arguments fell on deaf ears.
He was found guilty.
Once a criminal.
Always a criminal.
Thank you, Pip, he said, when I came to see him in prison after the trial.
You never left my side.
I wouldn't, I said.
Magwitch's health had been poor since that night on the river.
Are you in much pain?
Nothing to complain about, he said.
My feelings toward him were different now.
I could see that he was a good man, someone who tried to change.
He gave up everything so I could have a better life.
I decided he deserved the truth.
I took a deep breath and told him the story about how I'd discovered that Estella was his daughter.
I told him Estella had grown up to be a beautiful woman.
He smiled, squeezed my hand, and then he was gone.
Oh, I cried, trying to wake him.
I wanted to thank him for all he had done for me.
I wanted to tell him I thought he was a good person, but now I couldn't.
As I left for the last time, I bent down beside the walls of the prison with my head in my hands.
Tears streamed down my face.
We had both made mistakes.
Magwitch had trusted Compison, and I had believed in Miss Havisham.
We were both common men trying to better our lives.
The only difference was that Magwitch gave me everything because I was once kind to him.
That Christmas on the marsh had changed us both.
The next few days passed in a blur.
I had no money to pay my debts and was in deep trouble.
The events of the past few weeks, Magwitch's death, losing my fortune, took their toll.
I fell into a terrible fever and didn't wake for many days.
When I came around, I was happy to discover that Joe had been taking care of me.
"'Joe,' I whispered, "'you've come.'
"'I have, Pip.
I had to.
You've been very sick.'
But he told me to come, and I did.
Joe, thank you.
Thank you so much, I said.
He smiled.
Pip, I have such news for you.
Joe told me that Miss Havisham had passed away too.
There were so many changes back home that Joe could barely get them all out.
Each day I grew stronger and he stayed with me until I was almost well.
But what was even more kind, Joe paid all my debts.
I decided it was time to go home.
Three days later, that's exactly what I did.
I happily discovered that Biddy and Joe had gotten married.
After a few happy months at home, I decided to join Herbert, whose work had sent him far away, to Cairo, Egypt.
The merchant he worked for had made him a partner, just as he said he would.
Herbert's dream of owning a shipping empire had come true at last.
We lived well.
Even though I wasn't a gentleman, I had everything I wanted.
Eleven years had passed since the last time I went home to see Joe, but something called me back and I knew I had to go.
The three of us, Joe, Biddy, and I, shared a lovely dinner.
They had a little boy they called Pip, and he was a sweet child.
I laughed when I saw him sitting in my old corner.
I had never seen either of them so happy.
After supper, I walked alone to Manor House to pay my respects.
Neither the factory nor the house was still there.
As the mist rose around the old courtyard, the place looked as strange as it had when I first saw it all those years ago as a young boy.
I opened the rusty old gate and walked through the garden.
I noticed someone else was also there.
It can't be, I thought.
Estella!
I shouted.
She said, I look so different, it's a wonder you even recognized me.
How odd that we're both here at the very same moment.
You come back often?
She answered, never.
This is the first time.
For me too, I said.
The grounds belong to me now, she said.
Are you still living far away?
Yes, I said.
I do quite well.
I think about you all the time, she said.
I told her that I thought about her, too.
She asked if I could ever forgive her for being so mean all those years ago.
Of course I forgave her.
I realized our lives were forever meant to be linked.
We walked together, away from Manor House, hand
