So ,
I 1
called myself 1
Pip 1
, and came to be called Pip 1
.
I 1
give Pirrip 2
as 's family name , on the authority of his 0
tombstone and , -- Mrs. Joe Gargery , who married
the blacksmith 4
38 .
As I 1
never saw or my 1
mother 5
, and never saw any likeness of either of them 6
( for their 6
days were long before the days of photographs ) , my 1
first fancies regarding what they 6
were like were unreasonably derived from their 6
tombstones .
The shape of the letters on 's , gave me 1
an odd idea that he 0
was a square , stout , dark man , with curly black hair 39
.
From the character and turn of the inscription , “ Also Georgiana 5
, ” I 1
drew a childish conclusion that was freckled and sickly .
To five little stone lozenges , each about a foot and a half long , which were arranged in a neat row beside their 6
grave , and were sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine 7
, -- who gave up trying to get a living , exceedingly early in that universal struggle , -- I 1
am indebted for a belief I 1
religiously entertained that they 7
had all been born on their 7
backs with their 7
hands in their 7
trousers-pockets , and had never taken them 7
out in this state of existence .
Ours was the marsh country 8
, down by the river 9
, within , as the river 9
wound , twenty miles of the sea 10
.
My 1
first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things seems to me 1
to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening .
At such a time I 1
found out for certain that this bleak place overgrown with nettles 11
was the churchyard 100
; and that Philip Pirrip 0
, late of this parish 12
, and also Georgiana 5
, were dead and buried ; and that Alexander 13
, Bartholomew 14
, Abraham 15
, Tobias 16
, and Roger 17
, infant children of
the aforesaid 6
7 , were also dead and buried ; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond
the churchyard 11
18 , intersected with dikes and mounds and gates , with scattered cattle feeding on it 18
, was the marshes 101
; and that the low leaden line beyond 9
was the river 9
; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing 10
was the sea 102
; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry 1
, was Pip 103
.
“ Hold your 1
noise ! ”
cried a terrible voice , as a man 19
started up from among the graves at the side of
the church porch 21
20 .
“ Keep still , , or I 19
'll cut your 1
throat ! ”
A fearful man , all in coarse gray , with a great iron on
his 19
leg
19 .
A man with no hat , and with broken shoes , and with an old rag tied round
his 19
head
19 .
A man who had been soaked in water , and smothered in mud , and lamed by stones , and cut by flints , and stung by nettles , and torn by briars 19
; who limped , and shivered , and glared , and growled ; and whose teeth chattered in his 19
head as he 19
seized me 1
by the chin .
“ Oh !
Do n't cut my 1
throat , sir 19
, ” I 1
pleaded in terror .
“ Pray do n't do it , sir 19
. ”
“ Tell us 19
your 1
name ! ”
said the man 19
.
“ Quick ! ”
“ Pip 1
, sir 19
. ”
“ Once more , ” said the man 19
, staring at me 1
.
“ Give it mouth ! ”
“ Pip 1
.
Pip 1
, sir 19
. ”
“ Show us 19
where you 1
live , ” said the man 19
.
“ Pint out the place 22
! ”
I 1
pointed to where lay , on the flat in-shore 25
among the alder-trees and pollards , a mile or more from the church 26
.
The man 19
, after looking at me 1
for a moment , turned me 1
upside down , and emptied my 1
pockets .
There was nothing in them but a piece of bread .
When the church 26
came to itself , -- for he 19
was so sudden and strong that he 19
made it go head over heels before me 1
, and I 1
saw the steeple under my 1
feet , -- when the church 26
came to itself , I 1
say , I 1
was seated on a high tombstone , trembling while he 19
ate the bread ravenously .
“ You 1
young dog 1
, ” said the man 19
, licking his 19
lips , “ what fat cheeks you 1
ha ' got . ”
I 1
believe they were fat , though I 1
was at that time undersized for my 1
years , and not strong .
“ Darn me 19
if I 19
could n't eat em , ” said the man 19
, with a threatening shake of his 19
head , “ and if I 19
ha n't half a mind to ' t ! ”
I 1
earnestly expressed my 1
hope that he 1
would n't , and held tighter to the tombstone on which he 19
had put me 1
; partly , to keep myself 1
upon it ; partly , to keep myself 1
from crying .
“ Now lookee here ! ”
said the man 19
.
“ Where 's ? ”
“ There , sir 19
! ”
said I 1
.
He 19
started , made a short run , and stopped and looked over his 19
shoulder .
“ There , sir 19
! ”
I 1
timidly explained .
“ Also Georgiana 5
.
That 's . ”
“ Oh ! ”
said he 19
, coming back .
“ And is that alonger ? ”
“ Yes , sir 19
, ” said I 1
; “ him 19
too ; late of this parish 12
. ”
“ Ha ! ”
he 19
muttered then , considering .
“ Who d'ye live with , -- supposin ' you 1
're kindly let to live , which I 1
ha n't made up my 19
mind about ? ”
“ , sir 19
, -- Mrs. Joe Gargery 40
, -- wife of
Joe Gargery 4
,
the blacksmith 4
41 , sir 19
. ”
“ Blacksmith 4
, eh ? ”
said he 19
.
And looked down at his 19
leg .
After darkly looking at his 19
leg and me 1
several times , he 19
came closer to my 1
tombstone , took me 1
by both arms , and tilted me 1
back as far as he 19
could hold me 1
; so that his 19
eyes looked most powerfully down into mine , and mine looked most helplessly up into his 19
.
“ Now lookee here , ” he 19
said , “ the question being whether you 1
're to be let to live .
You 1
know what a file is ? ”
“ Yes , sir 19
. ”
“ And you 1
know what wittles is ? ”
“ Yes , sir 19
. ”
After each question he 19
tilted me 1
over a little more , so as to give me 19
a greater sense of helplessness and danger .
“ You 1
get me 19
a file . ”
He 19
tilted me 1
again .
“ And you 1
get me 19
wittles . ”
He 19
tilted me 1
again .
“ You 1
bring 'em both to me 19
. ”
He 19
tilted me 1
again .
“ Or I 19
'll have your 1
heart and liver out . ”
He 19
tilted me 1
again .
I 1
was dreadfully frightened , and so giddy that I 1
clung to him 19
with both hands , and said , “ If you 19
would kindly please to let me 1
keep upright , sir 19
, perhaps I 1
should n't be sick , and perhaps I 1
could attend more . ”
He 19
gave me 19
a most tremendous dip and roll , so that the church 26
jumped over its 26
own weathercock .
Then , he 19
held me 1
by the arms , in an upright position on the top of the stone , and went on in these fearful terms : -- “ You 1
bring me 19
, to-morrow morning early , that file and them wittles .
You 1
bring the lot to me 19
, at that old Battery over yonder 27
.
You 1
do it , and you 1
never dare to say a word or dare to make a sign concerning your 1
having seen such a person as
me 19
29 , or any person sumever 28
, and you 1
shall be let to live .
You 1
fail , or you 1
go from my 19
words in any partickler , no matter how small it is , and your 1
heart and your 1
liver shall be tore out , roasted , and ate .
Now , I 19
ai n't alone , as you 1
may think I 1
am .
There 's a young man hid with
me 19
30 , in comparison with which young man 30
I 19
am a Angel 42
.
That young man 30
hears the words I 19
speak .
That young man 30
has a secret way pecooliar to himself 30
, of getting at a boy 31
, and at his 31
heart , and at his 31
liver .
It is in wain for a boy 32
to attempt to hide himself 32
from that young man 30
.
A boy 33
may lock his 33
door , may be warm in bed , may tuck himself 33
up , may draw the clothes over his 33
head , may think himself 33
comfortable and safe , but that young man 30
will softly creep and creep his 30
way to him 33
and tear him 33
open .
I 19
am a keeping that young man 30
from harming of you 1
at the present moment , with great difficulty .
I 19
find it wery hard to hold that young man 30
off of your 1
inside .
Now , what do you 1
say ? ”
I 1
said that I 1
would get him 19
the file , and I 1
would get him 19
what broken bits of food I 1
could , and I 1
would come to him 19
at the Battery 27
, early in the morning .
“ Say Lord 34
strike you 1
dead if you 1
do n't ! ”
said the man 19
.
I 1
said so , and he 19
took me 1
down .
“ Now , ” he 19
pursued , “ you 1
remember what you 1
've undertook , and you 1
remember that young man 30
, and you 1
get home 22
! ”
“ Goo-good night , sir 19
, ” I 1
faltered .
“ Much of that ! ”
said he 19
, glancing about him 19
over the cold wet flat 35
.
“ I 19
wish I 19
was a frog .
Or a eel ! ”
At the same time , he 19
hugged his 19
shuddering body in both his 19
arms , -- clasping himself 19
, as if to hold himself 19
together , -- and limped towards the low church 26
wall .
As I 1
saw him 19
go , picking his 19
way among the nettles , and among the brambles that bound the green mounds , he 19
looked in my 1
young eyes as if he 19
were eluding the hands of the dead people , stretching up cautiously out of their 36
graves , to get a twist upon his 19
ankle and pull him 19
in .
When he 19
came to the low church 26
wall , he 19
got over it , like a man whose legs were numbed and stiff 37
, and then turned round to look for me 1
.
When I 1
saw him 19
turning , I 1
set my 1
face towards home 22
, and made the best use of my 1
legs .
But presently I 1
looked over my 1
shoulder , and saw him 19
going on again towards the river 9
, still hugging himself 19
in both arms , and picking his 19
way with his 19
sore feet among the great stones dropped into the marshes 18
here and there , for stepping-places when the rains were heavy or the tide was in .