`No. Ask another.'

`Is that confidence to be imparted to me soon?'

`Waive that, a moment,' said Mr Jaggers, `and ask another.'

I looked about me, but there appeared to be now no possible escape from the inquiry, `Have - I - anything to receive, sir?' On that, Mr Jaggers said, triumphantly, `I thought we should come to it!' and called to Wemmick to give him that piece of paper. Wemmick appeared, handed it in, and disappeared.

`Now, Mr Pip,' said Mr Jaggers, `attend, if you please. You have been drawing pretty freely here; your name occurs pretty often in Wemmick's cash-book; but you are in debt, of course?'

`I am afraid I must say yes, sir.'

`You know you must say yes; don't you?' said Mr Jaggers.

`Yes, sir.'

`I don't ask you what you owe, because you don't know; and if you did know, you wouldn't tell me; you would say less. Yes, yes, my friend,' cried Mr Jaggers, waving his forefinger to stop me, as I made a show of protesting: `it's likely enough that you think you wouldn't, but you would. You'll excuse me, but I know better than you. Now, take this piece of paper in your hand. You have got it? Very good. Now, unfold it and tell me what it is.'

`This is a bank-note,' said I, `for five hundred pounds.'

`That is a bank-note,' repeated Mr Jaggers, `for five hundred pounds. And a very handsome sum of money too, I think. You consider it so?'

`How could I do otherwise!'

`Ah! But answer the question,' said Mr Jaggers.

`Undoubtedly.'

`You consider it, undoubtedly, a handsome sum of money. Now, that handsome sum of money, Pip, is your own. It is a present to you on this day, in earnest of your expectations. And at the rate of that handsome sum of money per annum, and at no higher rate, you are to live until the donor of the whole appears. That is to say, you will now take your money affairs entirely into your own hands, and you will draw from Wemmick one hundred and twenty-five pounds per quarter, until you are in communication with the fountain-head, and no longer with the mere agent. As I have told you before, I am the mere agent. I execute my instructions, and I am paid for doing so. I think them injudicious, but I am not paid for giving any opinion on their merits.'

I was beginning to express my gratitude to my benefactor for the great liberality with which I was treated, when Mr Jaggers stopped me. `I am not paid, Pip,' said he, coolly, `to carry your words to any one;' and then gathered up his coat-tails, as he had gathered up the subject, and stood frowning at his boots as if he suspected them of designs against him.

After a pause, I hinted:

`There was a question just now, Mr Jaggers, which you desired me to waive for a moment. I hope I am doing nothing wrong in asking it again?'

`What is it?' said he.