The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-12


 son, who was "something" in tie ship ping line, he could not say himslf just what.
 Soon these two were head over ears in debt. MT. Jaggers looked on silently and smiling and honored Pips growing re- quest for money without comment. T knew you would be getting on," said he.
 MT Jaggers smiled sometimes, but never laughed. His clients .trenpled be- fore him and accepted his services humbly. He looked on the whde world as reluctant witness unde cross examination. Even at his own table he cross-examined his guests.
 His house was left osteutatiously open to attack. No bolt is evsr drawn in my place." he often sad to the cracksmen and thieves who were his clients. Why don't you try o do some business with my platter" He knew, and the world knew, that there was not thief who would dare. Every link in his watch chain was well known to the criminals of London. There was not a man, woman or child among them who would not have dropped MT. Jag gers property like a hot ccal had It come into their hands.
 Mir Jaggers was surrounded with the evidences of his profession. His office was ornamented with casts of the heads of gentlemen who had come to untimely ends by the rope-generally wh en they were clients of another lawyer. He and his chief clerk wore jewelry that had been given to them by grateful persons who had escaped unpleasant treatment from the law. His housekeeper was a woman whom he had defended successfully in trial for murdering rival many years ago
 Pip's first sight of this woman af- fected him strangely. There was some thing intangible about her pale face. her blue eyes and her little, nimble figure that seemed to conjure up some memory. But the memory remained elusive-as elusive as the woman's face itself. which seemed to him as If It were disturbed by fiery air, like face s~.4. u....,g .h-oneh lighted mists.
 Pip had a boat on the river now, and fine friends; and theatres and life kept him so busy in London that he had no time to run down to see Joe Garsery' Joe did not come to see Pip in his handsome London apartments after one visit when he was sadly embarrassed and called Pip sir" When he said "goodbye" that time, he said to Pip' You and me Is not two figures to be together in London, nor yet anywhere else but what is private and under stoon among friends. And so God bless you, dear old Pip, old chap, God bless you"
 However, if Pip did not have time to visit Joe, he did find time to visit MISS Havisham. Estella, who had been abroad, had returned an elegant lady, proud and willful and naughty as of old, but all those qualities brought into subjection to her beauty
 'Is she much changed?. asked Miss Havisham, with her greedy look. He answered in confusion. "Is he much changed?" asked Miss Havisham, turn ing to Estella and playing with her hair. "Is he less coarse and common? When Estella left the room, she turned to Pip and whispered, "Is she beautiful, graceful well grown?" She drew an arm around his neck and exclaimed with sud den passion Love her, love her, love her. If she favors you, love her! If she | wounds you, love herl If she tears your l heart to pieces. love herb
 | That night Pip lay awake with Miss Havisham's words sounding in his ears ! A burst of gratitude came upon him that she should be destined for the black smiths boy. Then he thought when would she begin to love hime "I love her,
 I love her, I love her." he said to his pillow.
 1 He thought those were high and noble emotions. He never thought that there i was anything low and ignoble in keeping 1 away from Joe. because he knew that Estella would be contemptuous of him. It was but little while ago that Joe had brought tears of love to his eyes They had soon dried, God forgive him.
 soon dried.
 So came Pip's Fist birthday. MT. Jag gers sent for him then and informed him that thenceforth he was to receive an allowance of A5Oo year. It came as
 welcome news, for Pip's conscience was
 troubling him not only about the amounts of money that he owed, but the extrava-
 gances into which he had led Herper'
 Pocket who was poor and could not ai-
 ford them.
 With the aid of MT. Jaggers' chief cierh
 he arranged with young shipping broke'
 to take Herbert into partnership PIP
 paid him half of his annual allowance down and signed secret articles engaging