Chapter 43 Chapter 42

"Dear children and friends of Pip, I'm here to tell you about my life. It's a story, not a song or a story. In order to give you a brief overview of my situation, a few quotes There is a popular jingle on the lips of the British: "In and out of the cell, out of the cell, in the cell, in and out of the cell, in and out, and broken." You see how clear the meaning is, this is my life experience, so I am After making Pip a friend, he was loaded on a ship and escorted overseas. "I've been through all the punishments, luckily I haven't been hanged. Sometimes they lock me up like a silver teapot, sometimes they cart me here and there and out of this city , and transported away from that city. I was put in stocks by them, beaten by them, tortured and driven away by them. As for where I was born, I have no idea at all. When I first knew that I was in the world, that It was in Essex, stealing turnips for life. I was with a man, a tinker. He left me and took his stove, and I was alone The torment of the cold.

"I know my name is Magwitch, and my Christian name is Abel. How do I know my name? It's like I know the names of the birds in the hedge. This is a chaffinch, that is a sparrow, and Thrush, I know my name like I know the name of a bird. I also suspected that my name might be a nonsense at first, but the names of birds are all true, and I think my name is also true. Can't go wrong. "As far as I can remember, this little Abel Magwitch had nothing to wear and nothing to eat, and there was no one who didn't hate him and either chased him away or caught him. So I was caught by them After being caught and caught, he was finally caught and grew up.

"That's the way it was, when I was a ragged little thing, and I don't think there was anybody in the world more miserable than I was, but I never looked in a mirror. For I've been in a lot of houses and I haven't found the thing. That's when I got the name of the little habitual criminal. As soon as the guests who came to visit the prison came in, the jailer pointed to me and said, "This is a terrible little habitual criminal. It can be said that he lived in the cell. Don't Underestimate him as a boy.' Then they looked at me, and I looked at them. They looked at my head, when they should have looked at my belly; Some religious pamphlets such as "Turn Back to the Shore", some told me some exhortations to change from good to evil, but I couldn't understand them at all. They always said repeatedly that I met the devil. What the devil has a fart with me Relation? My main concern is food. Am I going to starve to death? I'm sorry, I'm being rude again, dear children and friends of Pip, you don't have to worry about my speaking rudely, I know what to do do it.

"I wander around, beg everywhere, steal things everywhere, and sometimes I will work when I have the opportunity. Don't think that there are many such opportunities, you may as well ask yourself, will you give me the work? Sometimes I go to other people's manors Sometimes I work as a helper, sometimes I help people drive carts, turn hay, sometimes I do some peddling and so on. In short, I do more and get less. This is how I grew up. In a traveling inn there was a soldier who deserted, wrapped in rags up to his chin, and taught me to read. Then I met a big man who traveled all over the world. I received a penny for signing someone's name, and he taught me to write for a while. At this stage, I was locked into the cell less often than before, but anyway, the key to open and close the cell was worn more and more. Fine, it has a lot to do with my "multiple entry into the palace".

I met a man at Epsom Racecourse more than twenty years ago, and if I had the chance to meet him again, I would have smashed his head with these pokers like a prawn's pincers.This person is Compeyson.Dear child, this is the man you saw me wrestling with in the ditch, the man you talked to your friends about last night after I was gone. "This is Compeyson, who was educated and educated at a public boarding school, and was supposed to be a gentleman. He was a very good talker, he always thought of himself as a man of the upper class, and he looked all right. It was a I saw him the night before the big horse race at a small tavern I used to hang out on the moors. He was sitting in the tavern with a few other guys when I entered. The owner knew me and was an opportunist. The adventurous person greeted him and said loudly: "I think this person is quite suitable for you." The person he was talking about was me.

"Compeyson looked at me very intently, and I stared at him. He had a watch on a chain, a ring on his hand, and a brooch on his clothes. The texture of the clothes was very particular. "'You look unlucky,' Compeyson said to me. "'Oh, sir, that's right, I've never been lucky.' (I was put in for vagrancy shortly after I was released from Kingston Gaol. If not for vagrancy, then was imprisoned for the crime of vagrancy; but that time it was vagrancy and nothing else.) "'Time will turn,' said Compeyson, 'and maybe your luck is turning.'

"I said: 'I hope the times will turn around, just wait for the opportunity.' "'What can you do?' asked Compeyson. "I replied: 'What do you want to feed me, I can eat and drink.' "Compeyson laughed, and stared at me very intently again, and gave me five shillings to come back to-morrow evening, in the same place. "The next night I went to see Compeyson at the same place, and Compeyson made me his man and partner with him. What on earth did Compeyson want me to be a partner with? It turned out that what he was doing was swindling, forging papers, stealing money and Throwing out quickly, etc., all the traps and traps that Compeyson could think of, he pretended that nothing happened and had nothing to do with him, but he never let go of the benefits he got, and let others suffer when something went wrong. It's all his business. His heart is as hard as a steel file, he is as cold as a corpse, and his mind is like the devil mentioned just now.

"Compeyson has an accomplice, known as Arthur, which is not his Christian name, but his nickname. He is suffering from a severe case of lung disease, and looks like a ghost. He and Compeyson are two people. , the partnership cheated a rich lady many years ago and made a fortune. But Compeyson can gamble and race horses. He is so extravagant that the royal treasury is not enough for him to spend, so he spends all the money he cheated Light up. And Arthur is sick and poor, and haunted by fear. Compeyson's wife (whom Compeyson beats and kicks a lot) tries to be sympathetic to him, and Compeyson is sympathetic to everything and everyone. No mercy.

"I could have learned a lesson from Arthur, but I didn't; I don't have to pretend I'm special, what can I do? My dear boy and friend, so I hang out with Compeyson and become one of his poor wretches." Arthur lived in the top floor of Compeyson's house, which was very close to Brantford, and Compeyson kept a detailed record of his living expenses here, and he was required to work and pay back as soon as he was in good health. But Arthur paid off the bill very quickly. I remember the second or third time I saw him, it was late at night, and he suddenly ran down from the attic into Compeyson's drawing room, wearing only his clothes. In a long flannel nightgown, all his hair soaked in sweat, he said to Compeyson's wife: 'Sally, she's upstairs messing with me and I can't get rid of her. She's all in white, With white flowers in her hair, she was so mad that she put a shroud over her arm, and said she would wrap me in it at five o'clock tomorrow morning.'

"Compeyson said, 'You big fool, don't you know she's alive? How did she get up here? She didn't come in the door, she didn't come in the window. How did she get up the stairs?' "'I don't know how she got in,' said Arthur, trembling with terror, 'but she was standing in a corner by the bed, looking mad. Her heart was broken , you broke her heart! The blood is still dripping from her heart.' "Compeyson was very hard-spoken and a coward in fact. He said to his wife, 'You take this sleepwalking patient upstairs; and you Magwitch, you help her to take him up with you, how about that? ?' And he himself dared not move a step.

"Compeyson's wife and I helped him back upstairs and put him on the bed, but he was babbling like hell: 'Didn't you see her! She's unpacking the shroud and wrapping it around me! Don't you see her? Look into her eyes! It's terrible to see her go mad! 2Take the shroud out of her hand, take it off!' Then he seized us, and went on with the She spoke and answered, which made me half-believe, as if I saw her too. "Compeyson's wife, accustomed to him in this state, gave him some wine to take away his fears. It didn't take long for him to be quiet, 'Oh, now she's gone! Taken?' said he. 'Yes.' said Compeyson's wife. 'Did you tell him to lock the door and shut her up?' 'Yes.' 'You told him to take the thing she was holding. Have you taken it?''Called, called, everything is taken care of.' He said: 'You are such a good man, please don't leave me, now I beg you, in any case, don't go!' "He slept there very quietly until a few minutes before five o'clock the next morning when he suddenly jumped out of bed with a loud cry. He cried out: 'Here she is again! The shroud. She's spreading the shroud. She's coming out of the corner! She's coming this way. Hug me, both of you, one on each side, don't let her The shroud touches me! Ha! Not this time. Don't let her spread the shroud over my shoulders. Don't let her pick me up and wrap me up. She's coming to drag me, get me down Hold it down!' Then, with a jerk of his body, he died. "Compeyson took his death in stride. He thought it was a thorn in his side, which was beneficial to both parties. He and I got busy. The first thing this slippery guy did was ask me to take this "Bible" Swear. My dear boy, this is the little black book, the little black book I want your friend to swear on. "As to how Compeyson thought bad ideas, and how I worked my life for him, I don't need to go into details, because there are too many to tell in a week. I just want to tell you briefly, dear boy and Pip's friend , tell you how this fellow got me into his snare and his nigger slave. I'm forever in his debt, always led by him, always working for him, always going through fire and water for him. He He is younger than me, but he has more tricks and knowledge than me. It can be said that he is 500 times better than me, and he is cruel. My wife and I were also going through a difficult time at the time, so let’s not mention her! I Don't let her get involved-" Then he looked about him with a feeling of apprehension, as if he had forgotten where he was recalling; Put it on your knee again. "It goes without saying," he said, looking around again, "my days with Compeyson were the hardest of my life; During that time, I was tried alone for a misdemeanor?" I said he didn't. "Well!" he said, "let me tell you, I was tried and convicted. As for my arrest on suspicion, there were two or three times in the course of four or five years, but in the end I was arrested. Insufficient evidence. Things will come out. Both Compeyson and I have committed felonies for stealing currency and several other crimes. Compeyson said to me at the time: 'Ask your own lawyer, defend yourself separately, and don't contact each other.' This is Everything he said. I was a poor man, and I had to sell all my clothes except what I was wearing to find Jaggers to speak for me. "When he was also escorted to the dock of the court, I first noticed how Compeyson was dressed like a gentleman, with curly hair, black goggles, and a snow-white handkerchief in his hand; What a wretched wretch I am. The prosecution begins with a brief presentation of the evidence, and I see at a glance that all the major incriminations are laid upon me, while the lesser ones are connected with him. When the witnesses appear, I Also notice that they always make me out as a leading figure in the public eye, and swear again and again that all the money is in my hands, that I always have a hand in every bad thing, and always benefit from it. In the defendant When the lawyers started their case, I saw their conspiracy more clearly. Look at the defense lawyer that Compeyson brought in, and he said: 'Your Honor, gentlemen, you see two people standing side by side in front of you. Your eyes can tell at a glance that the one is younger, well-educated, and these conditions should be taken into account in his sentence, and the other is older, uneducated, and these should also be taken into account in the sentence. For some, it is difficult to see that he has anything to do with these cases, but it is just a little suspicion; as for the older one, it is obvious that he has something to do with the cases, and he must plead guilty. If only one of the two commits a crime, or Of these two men, although both committed crimes, is there any doubt as to which one is the most serious?' Wait, he said something like that. As for the qualities of both of us, he said that Compeyson was educated. , his classmates are either working here or there, and they all have status; these witnesses are all acquainted with him, have met in this club or that society, and they will not say anything against him. As for me, it is different, before I have been interrogated, in prisons, reformatory schools, detention centers, where they don’t know me? As for our speech, Compeyson lowered his face as soon as he talked with them, and took out a white handkerchief to cover his face. A few verses, when I meet me, I just say: 'Gentlemen, this guy standing next to me is a heinous rascal. And he tried his best to report and expose me, so he was treated leniently. As for my sentence, there was no other words except charges. At that time, I said to Compeyson: "As long as I get out of this court, I will smash your Face!' Compeyson hurriedly asked the judge for personal protection, and asked the judge to send two guards to stand between us and separate us. The verdict is certain, he was sentenced to seven years in prison, and I had fourteen years. He only had seven years , the judge also feels sorry for him, because he should be a good person, as for me, in the eyes of the judge, I am a habitual criminal with a violent personality, so the situation is getting worse." The more he talked, the more excited he became, but he controlled himself as much as possible, took two or three quick breaths, swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva, and then stretched out his hand to me with an attitude of reassurance. Said to me: "My dear boy, I will not be rough and uncivilized again." Steaming with excitement, he hastily took out a handkerchief and wiped his face, forehead, neck and hands before continuing. "I told Compeyson I was going to smash his face, and I swore to myself, if I don't smash his face, I'll let God smash mine. We're on the same prison ship, but in the long run we're close I couldn't get around him, and my efforts were useless. Later, when I had an opportunity, I followed him and punched him hard in the face. When he turned his face and punched him again, I happened to be seen. I was caught by them and put in a dark cell on the ship, which was useless and not strong for a swimmer and diver, so I took the opportunity to escape to the shore and hide among the graves. I I was envious and praising those old people, because everything is over when I die, and I saw you at this moment, my child!" At this time, he looked at me with deep friendship. Originally, I had developed greater sympathy for him, but after seeing him, my disgust for him returned to my heart. "My boy, I knew at that time from your words that Compeyson was on the swamp. I half think he escaped from fear of me, according to my opinion, but he didn't know that I was on shore. I I searched for him and finally found him. I smashed his face and said to him: "No matter what happens to me now, I will take the risk and drag you back to the prison boat." If nothing happens later I'll drag him by the hair and swim back to the prison boat, and I won't need the help of soldiers to get him aboard. "Naturally, he was the one who got cheap in the end, because his character turned out to be good. Why did he run away? Because I beat him and wanted to murder him, so he was driven half-mad, so I didn't care about him. The punishment was light. I was handcuffed and fettered, tried again, and sentenced to life exile. My dear boy and Pip's friend, now that I am back, life exile will not matter." He spoke hotly again, took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and hands, the same as before.Then he slowly drew a wad of tobacco from his pocket, drew the pipe from the buttonhole, filled it slowly with tobacco, and began to smoke. "Is he dead?" I asked after a moment's silence. "My dear child, who do you say is dead?" "Compeyson." "If he lived he would have wished me dead, that's for sure," said he, with a fierce look in his eyes. "I haven't heard from him since." Herbert took the pencil and wrote something on the inside cover of a book, which he handed me softly, while Provis stood smoking, keeping his eyes on the fire. , I read what he wrote: "Miss Havisham's younger brother is Arthur, and Compeyson is the guy who pretended to be Miss Havisham's lover back then." I closed the book, gave Herbert a little nod, and put the book aside.Neither of us spoke, but gazed at Provis, who stood smoking by the fire.