This was a hard thing to bear, but this was nothing. I had not

advanced another two hundred yards, when, to my inexpressible

terror, amazement, and indignation, I again beheld Trabb's boy

approaching. He was coming round a narrow corner. His blue bag was

slung over his shoulder, honest industry beamed in his eyes, a

determination to proceed to Trabb's with cheerful briskness was

indicated in his gait. With a shock he became aware of me, and was

severely visited as before; but this time his motion was rotatory,

and he staggered round and round me with knees more afflicted, and

with uplifted hands as if beseeching for mercy. His sufferings were

hailed with the greatest joy by a knot of spectators, and I felt

utterly confounded.

I had not got as much further down the street as the post-office,

when I again beheld Trabb's boy shooting round by a back way. This

time, he was entirely changed. He wore the blue bag in the manner

of my great-coat, and was strutting along the pavement towards me

on the opposite side of the street, attended by a company of

delighted young friends to whom he from time to time exclaimed,

with a wave of his hand, "Don't know yah!" Words cannot state the

amount of aggravation and injury wreaked upon me by Trabb's boy,

when, passing abreast of me, he pulled up his shirt-collar, twined

his side-hair, stuck an arm akimbo, and smirked extravagantly by,

wriggling his elbows and body, and drawling to his attendants,

"Don't know yah, don't know yah, pon my soul don't know yah!" The

disgrace attendant on his immediately afterwards taking to crowing

and pursuing me across the bridge with crows, as from an

exceedingly dejected fowl who had known me when I was a blacksmith,

culminated the disgrace with which I left the town, and was, so to

speak, ejected by it into the open country.

But unless I had taken the life of Trabb's boy on that occasion, I

really do not even now see what I could have done save endure. To

have struggled with him in the street, or to have exacted any lower

recompense from him than his heart's best blood, would have been

futile and degrading. Moreover, he was a boy whom no man could

hurt; an invulnerable and dodging serpent who, when chased into a

corner, flew out again between his captor's legs, scornfully

yelping. I wrote, however, to Mr. Trabb by next day's post, to say

that Mr. Pip must decline to deal further with one who could so far

forget what he owed to the best interests of society, as to employ

a boy who excited Loathing in every respectable mind.

The coach, with Mr. Jaggers inside, came up in due time, and I took

my box-seat again, and arrived in London safe - but not sound, for

my heart was gone. As soon as I arrived, I sent a penitential

codfish and barrel of oysters to Joe (as reparation for not having

gone myself), and then went on to Barnard's Inn.

I found Herbert dining on cold meat, and delighted to welcome me

back. Having despatched The Avenger to the coffee-house for an

addition to the dinner, I felt that I must open my breast that very

evening to my friend and chum. As confidence was out of the

question with The Avenger in the hall, which could merely be

regarded in the light of an ante-chamber to the keyhole, I sent him

to the Play. A better proof of the severity of my bondage to that

taskmaster could scarcely be afforded, than the degrading shifts to

which I was constantly driven to find him employment. So mean is

extremity, that I sometimes sent him to Hyde Park Corner to see

what o'clock it was.

Dinner done and we sitting with our feet upon the fender, I said to

Herbert, "My dear Herbert, I have something very particular to tell

you."

"My dear Handel," he returned, "I shall esteem and respect your

confidence."

"It concerns myself, Herbert," said I, "and one other person."

Herbert crossed his feet, looked at the fire with his head on one

side, and having looked at it in vain for some time, looked at me

because I didn't go on.