The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-12
c0gYS0cT. ND0@sRT 1RVG NRNG. ALL R8GTG REeGERWEMe


 in her faded finery like a corpse.
 Each time Estella was more naughty
 and more insulting. Pip looked at his
 coarse hands and his common boots. They
 had never troabled him before. Now he | wished that Joe had been more genteley
 brought up, SO that he. too, might be a
 gentleman.
 His cogitations brought him to the de-
 cision to get learning, and soon he amazed
 honest Joe by showing him written char actors. With the poor help of the village
 school he stumbled through books. Blind ly blunderingly, curiously driven by a hot and burning passon of resentment against Estella, he forced his brain to its new and unwonted tasks
 | Deeply as she hurt his young heart every time he entered Miss Havisham' $ house, he looked for her longngly each time Each time he departed with new shame of the forge and the mean home ] and even of Joe himself
 Then a thick curtain seemed suddenly to l descend on all the interest and romance that had grown into hIs life. Miss Havi- ! sham sent for Joe and told him that Pip would better be bound apprentice to him at once Pip has armed a premium" :" said she Here are 25 pounds. Give 1t to your master, Pip.
 Owing to his sisters temper, home had never been a pleasant place to Pip, but Joe had sanctified it. Joe's love had made | it seem as all that was worth having in the world. Before he saw Estella he had believed in the forge as the glowing road to manhood. Now all was changed. l It was all coarse and common. If he worked honestly and hard, 1t was only because Joe was faithful. But all the time he dreaded lest Estella should look through the forge windows and see him at his grimiest and commoneSt Joes slips in grammar and manners be- , came intolerable to him. Even Joe's in nocent and hearty admiration of his learn ing only served to make the good black smith seem all the more something to be ashamed of.
 Once or twice he confided to Joe that he wanted to be a gentleman, and Joe, looking uncommonly helpless and be- wildered replied that he thought Pip was a really learned gentleman al- ready. It was only by a strong effort that Pip could refrain from breaking out into a mad burst of woe and laying bare all his grief and his hatred of the forge.
 Perhaps in the end he would have reach ed even this open pitch of ingrati- tude had not a fairy godmother come l unexpectedly. It was queer form. to be sure, in which the said fairy god mother arrived-in the form of tall man with an exceedingly dark com plexion, black, bushy eyebrows, large hands and disagreeably sharp eyes. He was the celebrated MT. Jaggers, whom Pip had once seen at Miss Havlshan's, whose lawyer he was.
 He arrived at the Gargery house one day and announced that he had unusual business to transact. "If my advice had been asked said he, "I should not have been here. I act merely as the agent. The communication I have to make to this young fellow is that he has great expectations. He will come Into hand some property some day. It is the de- sire of the present owner of that prop erty that he be brought up as gen. tleman. There Is a sum of money 'n mx bapds ta x-syizo Tor this. NOW, .nere are two conditions. One Is that he Is always to bear the name of Pip. The other Is that the name of his bene factor must remain a profound secret till the person chooses to reveal it. There must never be any allusion or reference to it or inquiry about 1t. If you have a suspicion In your own breast as to who it is. keep 1t in your own breast Will you accept the condi- | tions?"
 Pip stammered that he would. And now I am empowered to make you compensation for the loss of his services" said MT. Jaggers to Joe, pro- | ducing a heavy purse.
 | Joe laid his hand on Pip's shoulder. The great hand fell as gently as woman's.
 Pip Is that hearty welcome" said ! he, ito go free to honor and forum as no words can tell him. But if you think as money can make compensa- | tion to me for the loss of the little l child-what come to the forge-and ever the best of friendsn' His huge arm was before his eyes and his voice died away.
 A Many times afterward, long afterward, | Pip saw him thus in his dreams, and felt
 the loving tremble of his hand as
 solemnly as if it had been the rustic of i an angels wing. But not then. He was
 lost in the golden light of fortune, and 1 he hastily tried to comfort Joe Joe rubbed his eyes again with his free hand. 1 but said not another word.
 And so Pip went into the world and be- ] came gentleman. Uncle Pumblechool1 was overwhelmed with the praises of all i his friends for having introduced the boy ] to Miss Havisham and so having made
 his fortune He accepted the gratitude ! calmly and more than implied that he
 had suggested it to her. When Pip went ! to bid her farewell, he found her besieged
 by her relatives, who had gained 4d-
 mission to her at last, much to their own
 surprise. They looked at Pip malevo- Iently and Miss Havisham gloated openly
 over their discomflture.
 MT. Jaggers, who acted as his guardian
 placed him in charge of MT Matthews
 Pocket to be educated, explaining that
 Pip was not designed for profession and
 should be trained to hold his own with