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<v Speaker 1>Chapter fifty nine of Great Expectations. This is a LibriVox recording.

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<v Speaker 1>All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more

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<v Speaker 1>information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. This

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<v Speaker 1>recording is by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. Great

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<v Speaker 1>Expectations by Charles Dickens, Chapter fifty nine, the final chapter.

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<v Speaker 1>For eleven years, I have not seen Joe nor Biddy

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<v Speaker 1>with my bodily eyes, though they had both been often

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<v Speaker 1>before my fancy in the east. When upon an evening

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<v Speaker 1>in December, an hour or two after dark, I laid

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<v Speaker 1>my hands softly on the latch of the old kitchen door.

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<v Speaker 1>I touched it so softly that I was not heard,

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<v Speaker 1>and looked in unseen, there smoking his pipe in the

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<v Speaker 1>old place, by the kitchen firelight as hale and as

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<v Speaker 1>strong as ever, though a little gray sat Joe. And there,

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<v Speaker 1>fenced into the corner with Joe's leg, and sitting on

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<v Speaker 1>my own little stool, looking at the fire, was I again.

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<v Speaker 1>We give him the name of Pip for your sake,

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<v Speaker 1>dear old Chap, said Joe, delighted when I took another

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<v Speaker 1>stool by the child's side. But I did not rumple

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<v Speaker 1>his hair, and we hoped he might grow a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit like you.

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<v Speaker 2>And we think he do.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought so too, and I took him out for

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<v Speaker 1>a walk next morning, and we talked immensely, understanding one

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<v Speaker 1>another to perfection. And I took him down to the

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<v Speaker 1>churchyard and set him on a certain tombstone there, and

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<v Speaker 1>he showed me from that elevation which stone was sacred

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<v Speaker 1>to the memory of Philip Pirrip late of this parish,

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<v Speaker 1>and also Georgiana, wife of the above. Biddy said I

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<v Speaker 1>when I talked with her after dinner, as her little

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<v Speaker 1>girl lay sleeping in her lap, You must give Pip

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<v Speaker 1>to me one of these days, or lend him at

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<v Speaker 1>all events. No, no, said Biddy gently. You must marry

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<v Speaker 1>so Herbert and Clara say, but I don't think I shall, Biddy,

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<v Speaker 1>I have so settled down in their home that it's

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<v Speaker 1>not at all likely. I'm already quite an old bachelor.

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<v Speaker 1>Biddy looked down at her child and put its little

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<v Speaker 1>hand to her lips, and then put the good matronly

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<v Speaker 1>hand with which she had touched it into mine. There

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<v Speaker 1>was something in the action, and in the light pressure

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<v Speaker 1>of Biddy's wedding ring that had a very pretty eloquence

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<v Speaker 1>in it. Dear Pip said, Biddy, you are sure you

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<v Speaker 1>don't fret for her? Oh no, I think not, Biddy.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell me, as an old old friend, have you quite

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<v Speaker 1>forgotten her? My dear Biddy, I have forgotten nothing in

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<v Speaker 1>my life that ever had a foremost place there, and

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<v Speaker 1>little that ever had any place there. But that poor dream,

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<v Speaker 1>as I once used to call it, has all gone by, Biddy,

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<v Speaker 1>all gone by. Nevertheless, I knew while I said those words,

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<v Speaker 1>that I secretly intended to revisit the side of the

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<v Speaker 1>old house that evening alone for her sake. Yes, even so,

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<v Speaker 1>for Estella's sake. I had heard of her as leading

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<v Speaker 1>a most unhappy life, and as being separated from her husband,

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<v Speaker 1>who had used her with great cruelty, and who had

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<v Speaker 1>become quite renowned as a compound of pride, avarice, brutality,

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<v Speaker 1>and mean And I had heard of the death of

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<v Speaker 1>her husband from an accident consequent on his ill troapment

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<v Speaker 1>of a horse. This release had befallen her some two

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<v Speaker 1>years before. For anything, I knew she was married again.

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<v Speaker 1>The early dinner hour at Joe's left me in abundance

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<v Speaker 1>of time without hurrying my talk with Biddy to walk

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<v Speaker 1>over to the old spot before dark. But what with

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<v Speaker 1>loitering on the way to look at old objects and

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<v Speaker 1>to think of old times, The day had quite declined

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<v Speaker 1>when I came to the place. There was no house now,

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<v Speaker 1>no brewery, no building whatever left but the wall of

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<v Speaker 1>the old garden. The cleared space had been enclosed with

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<v Speaker 1>a rough fence, and looking over it, I saw that

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<v Speaker 1>some of the old ivy had struck root anew and

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<v Speaker 1>was growing green on low, quiet mounds of Ruin a

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<v Speaker 1>gate in the fence, standing ajar, I pushed it open

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<v Speaker 1>and went in. A cold, silvery mist had veiled the afternoon,

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<v Speaker 1>and the moon was not yet up to scatter it.

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<v Speaker 1>But the stars were shining beyond the mist, and the

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<v Speaker 1>moon was coming, and the evening was not dark. I

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<v Speaker 1>could trace out where every part of the old house

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<v Speaker 1>had been, and where the brewery had been, and where

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<v Speaker 1>the gates and where the casks. I had done so,

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<v Speaker 1>and was looking along the desolate garden walk when I

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<v Speaker 1>beheld a solitary figure in it. The figure showed itself

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<v Speaker 1>aware of me as I advanced. It had been moving

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<v Speaker 1>towards me, but it stood still. As I drew nearer.

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<v Speaker 1>I saw it to be the figure of a woman.

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<v Speaker 1>As I drew nearer, yet it was about to turn

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<v Speaker 1>away when it stopped and let me come up with it.

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<v Speaker 1>Then it faltered, as if much surprise, and uttered my name,

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<v Speaker 1>and I cried out, Estella, I am greatly changed. I

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<v Speaker 1>wonder you knew me. The freshness of her beauty was

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<v Speaker 1>indeed gone, but its indescribable majesty and its indescribable charm remained.

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<v Speaker 1>Those attractions in it I had seen before. What I

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<v Speaker 1>had never seen before was the saddened, softened light of

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<v Speaker 1>the once proud eyes. What I had never felt before

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<v Speaker 1>was the friendly touch of the once insensible hand. We

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<v Speaker 1>sat down on a bench that was near, and I said,

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<v Speaker 1>after so many years, it is strange that we should

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<v Speaker 1>thus meet again, Estella, here where our first meeting was.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you often come back? I have never been here since.

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<v Speaker 2>Nor I.

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<v Speaker 1>The moon began to rise, and I thought of the

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<v Speaker 1>placid look at the white ceiling which had passed away.

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<v Speaker 1>The moon began to rise, and I thought of the

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<v Speaker 1>pressure on my hand when I had spoken the last

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<v Speaker 1>words he had heard on earth. Estella was the next

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<v Speaker 1>to break the silence that.

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<v Speaker 2>Ensued between us.

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<v Speaker 1>I have very often hoped and intended to come back,

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<v Speaker 1>but have been prevented by many circumstances. Poor, poor old place.

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<v Speaker 1>The silvery mist was touched with the first rays of

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<v Speaker 1>the moonlight, and the same rays touched the tears that

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<v Speaker 1>dropped from her eyes. Not knowing that I saw them,

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<v Speaker 1>and setting herself to get the better of them, she

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<v Speaker 1>said quietly. Were you wondering, as you walked along how

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<v Speaker 1>it came to be left in this condition? Yes, Estella,

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<v Speaker 1>the ground belongs to me. It is the only possession

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<v Speaker 1>I have not relinquished. Everything else has gone from me

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<v Speaker 1>little by little, but I have kept this. It was

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<v Speaker 1>the subject of the only determined resistance I made in

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<v Speaker 1>all the wretched years. Is it to be built on?

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<v Speaker 2>At last? It is?

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<v Speaker 1>I came here to take leave of it before its change.

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<v Speaker 1>And you, she said, in a voice of touching interest

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<v Speaker 1>to a wanderer, you live abroad still still and do well.

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<v Speaker 1>I am sure. I worked pretty hard for a sufficient living,

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<v Speaker 1>and therefore, yes I do well. I have often thought

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<v Speaker 1>of you, said Estella, have you.

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<v Speaker 2>Of late?

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<v Speaker 1>Very often? There was a long hard time when I

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<v Speaker 1>kept far from me The remembrance of what I had

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<v Speaker 1>thrown away when I was quite ignorant of it's worth.

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<v Speaker 1>But since my duty has not been incompatible with the

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<v Speaker 1>admission of that remembrance, I have given it a place

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<v Speaker 1>in my heart. You have always held your place in

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<v Speaker 1>my heart, I answered, and we were silent again until

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<v Speaker 1>she spoke. I little thought, said Estella, that I should

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<v Speaker 1>take leave of you. In taking leave of the spot,

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<v Speaker 1>I am very glad to do so, glad to part again, Estella.

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<v Speaker 1>To me, parting is a painful thing to me. The

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<v Speaker 1>remembrance of our last parting has been ever mournful and painful.

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<v Speaker 1>But you said to me, returned Estella, very earnestly. God

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<v Speaker 1>bless you, God forgive you. And if you could say

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<v Speaker 1>that to me, then you will not hesitate to say

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<v Speaker 1>that to me now, now, when suffering has been stronger

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<v Speaker 1>than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand

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<v Speaker 1>what your heart used to be. I have been bent

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<v Speaker 1>and broken, but I hope into a better shape. Be

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<v Speaker 1>as considerate and good to me as you were, and

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<v Speaker 1>tell me we are friends. We are friends, said I,

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<v Speaker 1>rising and bending over her as she rose from the bench.

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<v Speaker 1>And will continue friends.

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<v Speaker 2>Apart said Estella.

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<v Speaker 1>I took her hand in mine, and we went out

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<v Speaker 1>of the ruined place. And as the morning miss had

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<v Speaker 1>risen long ago when I first left the forge, so

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<v Speaker 1>the evening mists were rising now. And in all the

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<v Speaker 1>broad expanse of tranquil light they showed to me, I

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<v Speaker 1>saw no shadow of another parting from.

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<v Speaker 2>Her end of chapter, end of book. Thank you for listening,