05-01-远大前程 [39]
，当晚餐结束时，我很高兴，我和赫伯特能一起赶快回我们的房间了。
■ 9 A visit from Joe
‘My dear Pip，Mr Gargery asks me to tell you he will be in Lon－don soon，and could visit you at 9 o’clock on Tuesday morning，at Mr Herbert Pocket's rooms， if that is all right with you．He and I talk about you every night， and wonder what you are saying and doing．
Best wishes，
Biddy．
P．S．I hope you will not refuse to see him， even though you are a gentleman now． He is such a good man．’
I received this letter on Monday， and realized that Joe would arrive the next day． I am sorry to confess that I did not look forward to seeing him at all．If I could have kept him away by paying money， I certainly would have paid money．I knew that his clothes， his manners and uneducated way of speaking would make me ashamed of him． Luckily Herbert would not laugh at him．
At nine o’clock the next morning I heard Joe's clumsy boots on the stairs， and at last he entered Herbert's rooms．
‘Pip， how are you， Pip？’ He shook both my hands together， his good honest face shining with happiness．
‘I'm glad to see you， Joe．Give me your hat．’
But Joe insisted on holding it carefully in front of him．He was wearing his best suit， which did not fit him at all．
‘Well！What a gentleman you are now， Pip！’
‘And you look wonderfully well， Joe．’
‘Yes， thank God．And your poor sister is no worse． And Biddy is as hard－working as ever． But Wopsle isn't our church clerk any longer！ He's become an actor！Acting in one of your London theatres， he is！’Joe's eyes rolled around the room，noticing the expensive furniture I had bught recently．
‘Do sit down to breakfast， Mr Gargery，'said Herbert politely．Joe looked round desperately for a place to put his hat，and finally laid it lovingly on a shelf． Breakfast was a painful experience for me．Joe waved his fork in the air so much， and dropped so much more than he ate， that I was glad when Her－bert left to go to work．I was not sensitive enough to realize that it was all my fault， and that if I hadn't considered him common， he wouldn't have been so clumsy．
‘As we are now alone， sir——’began Joe．
‘Joe，’ I said crossly，‘how can you call me sir？’
He looked at me quietly for a moment．‘Wouldn't have come， you see，’he said slowly and carefully．‘wouldn't have had the pleasure of breakfast with you gentlemen． But I had to come．Got a message for you， Pip．Miss Havisham says Es-tella's come home and would be glad to see you．’
I felt the blood rush to my face as I heard her name．
‘And now I've given my message，'said Joe，standing up and picking up his hat．‘Pip，I wish you even more success．’
‘But you aren't leaving already， Joe？’I protested．
‘Yes， I am，’he said firmly． Our eyes met， and all the ‘sir’ melted out of his honest heart as he gave me his hand．‘Pip，dear old boy，life is full of so many goodbyes．I'm a blacksmith， and you're a gentleman． We must live apart．I'm not proud，it's just that I want to be in the right place．I'm wrong in these clothes， and I'm wrong in London，but I'm fine at the forge， or in the kitchen， or on the marshes． You won't find so much wrong with me if you come to see Joe，the blacksmith， at the old forge，doing the old work．I know I'm stupid， but I think I've understood this at last． And so God bless you， Pip， dear old boy， God bless you！’
His words， spoken simply and from the heart，touched me deeply． By the time I had managed to control my tears， and looked round for him， he had gone．
I decided to visit Miss Havisham as soon as possible． Next day， when I arrived to take my seat on the coach to our town，I discovered I was sitting in front
■ 9 A visit from Joe
‘My dear Pip，Mr Gargery asks me to tell you he will be in Lon－don soon，and could visit you at 9 o’clock on Tuesday morning，at Mr Herbert Pocket's rooms， if that is all right with you．He and I talk about you every night， and wonder what you are saying and doing．
Best wishes，
Biddy．
P．S．I hope you will not refuse to see him， even though you are a gentleman now． He is such a good man．’
I received this letter on Monday， and realized that Joe would arrive the next day． I am sorry to confess that I did not look forward to seeing him at all．If I could have kept him away by paying money， I certainly would have paid money．I knew that his clothes， his manners and uneducated way of speaking would make me ashamed of him． Luckily Herbert would not laugh at him．
At nine o’clock the next morning I heard Joe's clumsy boots on the stairs， and at last he entered Herbert's rooms．
‘Pip， how are you， Pip？’ He shook both my hands together， his good honest face shining with happiness．
‘I'm glad to see you， Joe．Give me your hat．’
But Joe insisted on holding it carefully in front of him．He was wearing his best suit， which did not fit him at all．
‘Well！What a gentleman you are now， Pip！’
‘And you look wonderfully well， Joe．’
‘Yes， thank God．And your poor sister is no worse． And Biddy is as hard－working as ever． But Wopsle isn't our church clerk any longer！ He's become an actor！Acting in one of your London theatres， he is！’Joe's eyes rolled around the room，noticing the expensive furniture I had bught recently．
‘Do sit down to breakfast， Mr Gargery，'said Herbert politely．Joe looked round desperately for a place to put his hat，and finally laid it lovingly on a shelf． Breakfast was a painful experience for me．Joe waved his fork in the air so much， and dropped so much more than he ate， that I was glad when Her－bert left to go to work．I was not sensitive enough to realize that it was all my fault， and that if I hadn't considered him common， he wouldn't have been so clumsy．
‘As we are now alone， sir——’began Joe．
‘Joe，’ I said crossly，‘how can you call me sir？’
He looked at me quietly for a moment．‘Wouldn't have come， you see，’he said slowly and carefully．‘wouldn't have had the pleasure of breakfast with you gentlemen． But I had to come．Got a message for you， Pip．Miss Havisham says Es-tella's come home and would be glad to see you．’
I felt the blood rush to my face as I heard her name．
‘And now I've given my message，'said Joe，standing up and picking up his hat．‘Pip，I wish you even more success．’
‘But you aren't leaving already， Joe？’I protested．
‘Yes， I am，’he said firmly． Our eyes met， and all the ‘sir’ melted out of his honest heart as he gave me his hand．‘Pip，dear old boy，life is full of so many goodbyes．I'm a blacksmith， and you're a gentleman． We must live apart．I'm not proud，it's just that I want to be in the right place．I'm wrong in these clothes， and I'm wrong in London，but I'm fine at the forge， or in the kitchen， or on the marshes． You won't find so much wrong with me if you come to see Joe，the blacksmith， at the old forge，doing the old work．I know I'm stupid， but I think I've understood this at last． And so God bless you， Pip， dear old boy， God bless you！’
His words， spoken simply and from the heart，touched me deeply． By the time I had managed to control my tears， and looked round for him， he had gone．
I decided to visit Miss Havisham as soon as possible． Next day， when I arrived to take my seat on the coach to our town，I discovered I was sitting in front