Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the twenty-seventh chapter of Great Expectations.

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Today we'll be continuing Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Chapter 27 my dear Mr.

Pip, I write this by request of Mr.

gardery for to let you know that he's going to London in company with Mr.

Wapsel and would be glad, if agreeable to be allowed to see you.

He would call at Barnard's Hotel Tuesday morning at 09:00, when, if not agreeable, please leave word.

Your poor sister is much the same as when you left.

We talk of you in the kitchen every night and wonder what you're saying and doing.

If now considered in the light of a liberty, excuse it for the love of poor old days, no more.

Dear Mr.

Pip, from your ever obliged and affectionate servant, Biddy P.

S.

He wishes me most particular to write.

What larks.

He says.

You will understand, I hope and do.

Not doubt it will be agreeable to see him, even though a gentleman, for you had ever a good heart, and he is a worthy, worthy man.

I have read him all, accepting only the last little sentence, and he wishes me most particular to write again.

What larks.

I received this letter by the post on Monday morning, and therefore its appointment was for next day.

Let me confess exactly what feelings I looked forward to.

Joe's coming not with pleasure, no, I was bound to him by so many ties no, with considerable disturbance, some mortification, and a keen sense of incongruity.

If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money.

My greatest reassurance was that he was coming to Barnard's Inn, not to Hammersmith, and consequently would not fall in Bentley Drummel's way.

I had little objection to his being seen by Herbert or his father, for both of whom I had a respect, but I had the sharpest sensitiveness as to his being seen by Drummel, whom I held in contempt.

So throughout life our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise.

I'd begun to be always decorating the chambers in some quite unnecessary and inappropriate way or other, and very expensive those wrestles with Barnard proved to be.

By this time the rooms were vastly different from what I had found them, and I enjoyed the honor of occupying a few prominent pages in the books of a neighboring upholsterer.

I had got on so fast of late that I had even started A Boy in Boots, top boots and Bondage and Slavery, to whom I might have been said to pass my days.

For after I had made the monster out of the refuse of my Washerwoman's family and had clothed him with a blue coat, canary waistcoat, white cravat, creamy breeches and the boots already mentioned, I had to find him a little to do and a great deal to eat.

And with both of those horrible requirements, he haunted my existence.

This avenging phantom was ordered to be on duty at eight on Tuesday morning in the hall.

It was 2ft square, as charged for floorcloth, and Herbert suggested certain things for breakfast that he thought Joe would like.

While I felt sincerely obliged to him for being so interested and considerate, I had an OD half provoked sense of suspicion upon me that if Joe had been coming to see him, he wouldn't have been quite so brisk about it.

However, I came into town on the Monday night to be ready for Joe, and I got up early in the morning and caused the sitting room and breakfast table to assume their most splendid appearance.

Unfortunately the morning was drizzly and an angel could not have concealed the fact that Bernard was shedding sooty tears outside the window like some weak giant of a sweep.

As the time approached I should have liked to run away, but the avenger, pursuant to orders, was in the hall and presently I heard Joe on the staircase.

I knew it was Joe by his clumsy manner of coming upstairs, his state boots being always too big for him, and by the time it took him to read the names on the other floors in the course of his ascent.

When at last he stopped outside our door, I could hear his finger tracing over the painted letters of my name, and I afterwards distinctly heard him breathing in at the keyhole.

Finally he gave a faint single wrap and pepper.

Such was the compromising name of the Avenging boy, announced Mr.

gardery.

I thought he never would have done wiping his feet and that I must have gone out to lift him off the mat.

But at last he came in.

Joe.

How are you, Joe?

Pip.

How are you, Pip?

With his good honest face all glowing and shining and his hat put down on the floor between us, he caught both my hands and worked them straight up and down as if I'd been the last patented pomp.

I'm glad to see you, Joe.

Give me your hat.

But Joe, taking it up carefully with both hands like a bird's nest with eggs in it, wouldn't hear of parting with that piece of property, and persisted in standing talking over it in a most uncomfortable way.

Which you have that growed, said Joe, and that swelled.

And that gentle folked Joe considered a.

Little before he discovered this word as.

To be sure, you are an honor to your king and country.

And you, Joe, look wonderfully well, thank.

God, said Joe, I'm eckerville the most.

And your sister, she's no worse than she were, and biddy she's ever right and ready and all friends, is no backorder if no forwarder.

Kevin Wobsel.

He has had a drop all this time.

Still with both hands, taking great care of the bird's nest, joe was rolling his eyes round and round the room, and round and round the flowered pattern of my dressing gown had a drop.

Joe?

Why, yes, said Joe, lowering his voice.

He's left the church and went into the play acting, which the play acting, if likewise, brought him to London along with me.

And his wish were, said Joe, getting.

The bird's nest under his left arm for the moment, and groping it in for an egg with his right.

If, no offense, as I would and you, that I took what Joe gave.

Me and found it to be the crumpled playbill of a small metropolitan theater announcing the first appearance in that very week of the celebrated provincial amateur of Rocian Renown, whose unique performance in the highest tragic walk of our national bard has lately occasioned so great a sensation in local dramatic circles.

Were you at his performance, Joe?

I inquired.

I were, said Joe, with emphasis and solemnity.

Was there a great sensation?

Why, said Joe, yes, there certainly were.

A peck of orange peel particular.

When he see the ghost, though I put it to yourself, sir, whether it were calculated to keep a man up to his work, with a good heart to be continually cutting in betwixt him and the ghost with amen.

A man may have had a misfortune and been in the church, said Joe.

Lowering his voice to an argumentative and.

Feeling tone, but that is no reason why you should put him out at such a time.

Which I mean to say, if the ghost of a man's own father cannot be allowed to claim his attention.

What can, sir, still more, when his mourning at is unfortunately made so small as that the weight of the black feathers brings it off?

Try to keep it on how you may.

A ghost seeing effect in Joe's own countenance informed me that Herbert had entered the room.

So I presented Joe to Herbert, who held out his hand, but Joe backed from it and held on by the bird's nest.

Your servant, sir, said Joe, which I hope is you, and Pip here is.

I fell on the avenger, who was putting some toast on the table, and so plainly denoted an intention to make that young gentleman one of the family, that I frowned it down and confused him more.

I mean to say, you two gentlemen, which I hope as you get your ELFs in this closed spot for the present, may be a very good inn, according to London opinions, said Joe confidentially, and I believe its character do stand it.

But I wouldn't keep a pig in it myself, not in the case that I wished him to fatten wholesome and to eat with a mellow flavor on him.

Having borne this flattering testimony to the merits of our dwelling place and having incidentally shown this tendency to call me Sir Joe, being invited to sit down to table, looked all round the room for a suitable spot on.

Which to deposit his hat as if it were only on some very few rare substances in nature that it could find a resting place and ultimately stood it on an extreme corner of the chimney piece from which it ever afterwards fell off at intervals.

Do you take tea or coffee, Mr.

gardery?

Asked Herbert, who always presided of a morning.

Thank you, sir, said Joe, stiff from head to foot.

I'll take whichever is most agreeable to yourself.

What do you say to coffee?

Thank you, sir, returned Joe, evidently dispirited by the proposal.

Since you are so kind as to make chives of coffee, I will not run contrary to your own opinions.

But don't you never find it a little eating, say, tea then?

Said Herbert, pouring it out.

Here.

Joe's hat tumbled off the mantelpiece, and he started out of his chair and picked it up and fitted it to the same exact spot, as if it were an absolute point of good breeding that it should tumble off again soon.

When did you come to town, Mr.

gardery?

Were it yesterday afternoon, said Joe, after.

Coughing behind his hand, as if he had had time to catch the whooping cough since he came.

No, it were not.

Yes, it were.

Yes, it were.

Yesterday afternoon, with an appearance of mingled wisdom, relief and strict impartiality.

Have you seen anything of London yet?

Why, yes, sir.

Said Joe.

Me and Wapsel went off straight to look at the blacking wearers, but we don't find that it come up to its likeness in the red bills of the shop doors, which I mean to.

Say, added Joe in an explanatory manner.

As it is, they're drawed to architecture laurel.

I really believe Joe would have prolonged this word mightily expressive to my mind of some architecture that I know into a perfect chorus.

But for his attention being providentially attracted by his hat, which was toppling indeed, it demanded from him a constant attention and a quickness of eye and hand very like that, exacted by wicketkeeping.

He made extraordinary play with it and showed the greatest skill now rushing at it and catching it neatly as it dropped now merely stopping it midway beating it up and humoring it in various parts of the room and against a good deal of the pattern of the paper on the wall before he felt it safe to close with it, finally splashing it into the slot basin where I took the liberty of laying hands upon it.

As to his shirt collar and his coat collar, they were perplexing to reflect upon insoluble mysteries both.

Why should a man scrape himself to that extent before he could consider himself fully dressed?

Why should he suppose it necessary to be purified by suffering for his holiday clothes?

Then he fell into such unaccountable fits of meditation with his fork midway between his plate and his mouth, had his eyes attracted in such strange directions, was afflicted with such remarkable coughs, sat so far from the table, and dropped so much more than he ate, and pretended that he hadn't dropped it.

That I was heartily glad when Herbert left us for the city.

I had neither the good senses nor the good feeling to know that this was all my fault and if I had been easier with Joe, joe would have been easier with me.

I felt impatient of him and out of temper with him, in which condition he heaped coals of fire on my head.

US too, being now alone, sir, began Joe.

Joe.

I interrupted pettishly.

How can you call me sir?

Joe looked at me for a single instant with something faintly like reproach.

Utterly preposterous as his cravat was, and as his collars were, I was conscious of a sort of dignity in the look.

US too, being now alone, resumed Joe and me having the intentions and abilities to stay not many minutes more.

I will now conclude least ways begin to mention what have led to my having had the present honor for it.

Was not, said Joe, with his old.

Air of lucid exposition, that my only wish were to be useful to you.

I should not have had the honor of breaking whittles in the company and abode of gentlemen.

I was so unwilling to see the look again that I made no remonstrance against this tone.

Well, sir, pursued Joe, this is how it were I were at the bargeman the other night, pip.

Whenever he subsided into affection he called me Pip.

And whenever he relapsed into politeness he called me sir.

When there come up in his shay cart pumblechuck which that same identical said.

Joe going down a new track do.

Comb my hair the wrong way sometimes awful by giving out up and down town as if it were him which ever had your infant companionation and were looked upon as a playfellow by yourself.

Nonsense.

It was you, Joe, which I fully believed it were.

Pip, said Joe, slightly, tossing his head.

Though it signify little now, sir.

Well, Pip, this same identical, which his manners as given to blusterous, come to me at the bargeman.

What a pipe and a pint of beer do give refreshment to the working man, sir, and do not overstimulate.

And his word were Joseph.

Miss Havisham.

She wished to speak to you.

Miss havisham Joe.

She wish were Pumblechuk's word to speak to you.

Joe sat and rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

Yes, Joe.

Go on, please.

Next day, sir, said Joe, looking at.

Me as if I were a long.

Way off, having cleaned myself, I go and I see Miss A.

Miss a Joe miss havisham.

Which I say, sir, replied Joe, with.

An air of legal formality, as if.

He were making his will, miss A, or otherwise have a sham.

Her expression.

Err then is following Mr.

gardery, you err in correspondence with Mr.

Pip, having had a letter from you, I were able to say I am when I married your sister, sir, I said I will.

And when I answered your friend Pip, I said, I am.

Would you tell him then, said she, that which estella's come home and would be glad to see him.

I felt my face fire up as I looked at Joe.

I hope one remote cause of its firing may have been my consciousness, that if I had known as errand, I should have given him more encouragement.

Midi pursued Joe when I got home and asked her fur to write the message to you.

A little hung back, Midi says.

I know he'll be very glad to have it by word of mouth.

It is holiday time.

You want to see him go, I've now concluded, sir, said Joe, rising from his chair.

And Pip, I wish you ever well and ever prospering to a greater and a greater height.

But you're not going now, Joe.

Yes, I am, said Joe.

But you're coming back to dinner, Joe.

No, I'm not, said Joe.

Our eyes met, and all the sir melted out of that manly heart as he gave me his hand.

Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man's a blacksmith, and one's a whitesmith, and one's a goldsmith, and one's a coppersmith.

The visions among such must come, and must be met as they come.

If there's been any fault at all today it's mine, you and me.

It's not two figures to be together in London nor yet anywhere else but what is private and be known and understood among friends.

It ain't that I am proud, but that I want to be right.

As you shall never see me no.

More in these clothes I'm wrong, in these clothes I'm wrong.

Out of the forge, the kitchen or off the meshes.

You won't find half so much fault in me if you think of me in my forge dress with my hammer in my hand or even my pipe.

You won't.

Find half so much fault in me.

If supposing as you should ever wish to see me, you come and put your head in at the forge window and see Joe the blacksmith there at the old anvil in the old burnt apron sticking to the old work.

I'm awful dull but I hope I've beat out something nigh the rights of this at last.

And so God bless you, dear old Pip, old chap.

God bless you.

I had not been mistaken in my fancy that there was a simple dignity in him.

The fashion of his dress could no more come in its way when he spoke these words than it could come in its way in heaven.

He touched me gently on the forehead and went out.

As soon as I could recover myself sufficiently, I hurried out after him and looked for him in the neighboring streets.

But he was gone.

Thank you for joining Bite at a Time Books today while we read a bite of one of your favorite classics.

Again, my name is Brie Carlyle and.

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