Chapter 10.
The Benefactor Revealed.
That strange night at Manor House haunted me for the next two years.
I no longer went to school in Hammersmith, but I still shared an apartment with Herbert.
I was alone one night reading when I heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.
Is it my sister's ghost?
I shivered.
Quickly getting hold of my senses, I opened the door.
Who's down there?
A deep voice called.
I'm looking for Mr. Pip.
I'm Pip.
How can I help you?
Is something the matter?
The man passed under the stairway lamplight.
When he reached the top of the stairs, I could tell he was very strong and had a long, gray beard.
The man laughed.
You've grown up nicely since that day on the marsh.
I gasped.
The man standing in front of me was my convict.
Years might have passed and we both might have changed, but as I looked closer I realized I would know that face anywhere.
You were kind to me, he said, and held out his hands.
I could do nothing but take them in my own.
My convict grabbed them both tightly.
I haven't forgotten.
As he stepped forward to give me a hug, I said There's no need to thank me if that's why you've come.
As you can see, See what, he said.
It's cold and rainy, so I can't ask you to leave, but I see no reason for us to be friends.
He asked, will you at least offer me a drink?
I nodded and led the way into my apartment.
As I poured the tea, I tried to keep my hands steady.
For an instant, I felt like the little boy he tipped upside down in the graveyard.
Sitting down in a chair, he took a long sip, My voice shook slightly as I asked, Do you work now?
My convict replied, I've had many jobs, mainly I was a sheep farmer, far away from London.
I hope you've been successful, I said.
Very.
He looked around the room at our fine furniture and asked, How are you doing so well, Pip? he asked.
I didn't know how to answer his question.
His eyes twinkled as he said, Don't you have a guardian named Mr. Jaggers?
How does he know that?
The room started to spin.
Been taken care of, too, by a clerk named Wimmick?
I grasped the chair beside me so I wouldn't fall.
He continued, It's me, Pip.
I am the one who made a gentleman of you.
I've worked hard to give you everything.
What?
The convict was my benefactor?
I shrank into the sofa cushions and looked at him with a mixture of confusion, fear, and hatred.
He went on.
I saw you every day in my mind, just like that day on the marshes.
I knew I wanted to help you in whatever way I could.
I knew you'd do well.
I knew it by the way you helped me all those years ago.
I wanted to be like a father to you.
Oh, I've looked forward to this day for so long.
Did you ever guess it was me who gave you the fortune?
Oh, no, I whispered, barely able to speak.
Never.
Never.
My convict told me all about his new life.
As he told me how he had made his fortune in Australia raising sheep, my stomach turned.
My heart was crushed.
My great expectations had nothing to do with Miss Havisham nor Estella.
They were all because of a convict.
I felt sick.
The man then asked, Where shall I sleep?
Pardon me, I said.
I've come all the way from Australia by ship.
My journey was long and hard.
If I don't get some rest, I'll fall asleep in this chair, he laughed.
I sighed.
My roommate Herbert is away for a few days.
You can stay in his room.
No one will see me, right?
What would it matter if you were seen?
They'll hang me this time if they catch me, he yawned.
I couldn't believe he was still wanted by the law.
I showed my convict to Herbert's room and shuttered all the windows.
Then I fell on my own bed in a miserable state.
My world was in shambles.
My benefactor had been and always would be a criminal.
All my dreams to fix Manor House for Miss Havisham and Estella were dashed.
But the worst part of it all I had deserted good kind Joe, and for nothing.
My landlady knocked the next morning, asking how many for breakfast.
I quickly lied.
Um, my uncle arrived late last night.
Please prepare breakfast for two.
My convict came into the room and said good morning.
I don't even know your name, I said.
When I came over on the ship, I was called Provis.
You couldn't call me that.
It's not your real name.
My real name is Magwitch, he said.
Abel Magwitch.
Did you see or talk to anyone last night before you came here?
I asked, worried someone might already know he was here.
Not a soul, he replied.
Our breakfast arrived.
Provis ate as if he had never seen food before.
Every slurp, every spill reminded me of that morning on the marsh.
I knew what was wrong, but I hated him.
You look fine, Pip.
It does me good to see you.
He took a thick wallet out of his jacket and threw it on the table.
Everything in there is yours.
I couldn't pick it up.
I didn't want anything from Provis.
Enough, I shouted.
Please stop talking about it.
We have much bigger problems.
What are your plans?
How long are you staying here?
How will you keep yourself safe?
No one but you, Mr. Jaggers, and Mr. Wimmick knows who I am.
I'm not going back.
Provis laughed.
I'll need a disguise.
For the second time in my life, I acted in secret for my convict.
I spent the day in town buying him new things and trying to find a place for him to stay.
In the afternoon, I went to see Mr. Jaggers.
He took one look at my troubled face and said, I don't want to know anything.
I sat down in an old leather chair.
He's told me everything.
You don't mean you've heard everything.
You can't be told something by someone who is in Australia.
As far as I know, he's been there since he was sent away on a prison ship years ago.
Fine, I said.
I have heard that Abel Magwitch is my benefactor.
Mr. Jaggers nodded.
Yes.
Abel Magwitch of Australia.
I continued.
I always believed it was Miss Havisham.
Mr. Jaggers looked at me strangely.
Whatever gave you that idea?
I suppose Mr. Provis has come to give you the good news.
Yes.
Yes.
That's the name he's using?
Wonderful.
I can send along the rest of your inheritance now.
You're a very wealthy young man, Pip, he winked.
You should write to Magwitch in Australia to thank him.
