'Miss Havisham, Joe?'

'"She wished," were Pumblechook's word, "to speak to you."'
Joe sat and rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

'Yes, Joe? Go on, please.'

'Next day, Sir,' said Joe, looking at me as if I were a long way
off, 'having cleaned myself, I go and I see Miss A.'

'Miss A., Joe? Miss Havisham?'

'Which I say, Sir,' replied Joe, with an air of legal formality, as
if he were making his will, 'Miss A., or otherwise Havisham. Her
expression air then as follering: " Mr. Gargery. You air in corres-
pondence with Mr. Pip?" Having had a letter from you, I were
able to say "I am." (When I married your sister, Sir, I said "I
will"; and when I answered your friend, Pip, I said, "I am.")
"Would you tell him, then," said she, "that which Estella has come
home, and would be glad to see him." '

I felt my face fire up as I looked at Joe. I hope one remote cause
of its firing, may have been my consciousness that if I had known
his errand, I should have given him more encouragement.

' Biddy,' pursued Joe, 'when I got home and asked her fur to
write the message to you, a little hung back. Biddy says, "I know
he will be very glad to have it by word of mouth, it is holiday-
time, you want to see him, go!" I have now concluded, Sir,' said
Joe, rising from his chair, 'and, Pip, I wish you ever well and ever
prospering to a greater and greater height.'

'But you are not going now, Joe?'

'Yes I am,' said Joe.

'But you are coming back to dinner, Joe?'

'No I am not,' said Joe.

Our eyes met, and all the 'Sir' melted out of that manly heart
as he gave me his hand.

' Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings weld-
ed together, as I may say, and one man's a blacksmith, and one's
a whitesmith, and one's a goldsmith, and one's a coppersmith.
Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come.
If there's been any fault at all to-day, it's mine. You and me is not
two figures to be together in London; nor yet anywheres else but
what is private, and beknown, and understood among friends. It

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