13 The Getaway

CHAPTER 13 The Getaway The note from Miss Havisham gave me an excuse to go see Mr. Jaggers at his office the next morning. After he read it, he said, "I'm sorry that we can't do anything for you, Mr. Pip." "It's enough to help Herbert. I don't want anything else but the truth. She couldn't even give that to me." Mr. Jaggers bent forward and brushed some dirt off his boots, "What good would it do to learn the truth now, after all these years?" he said. I replied that I had a right to know. It was more than just fate that tied Miss Havisham, Estella, and me together. I wanted Mr. Jaggers to fill in the

pieces. He sighed. "Do you remember meeting my housekeeper, Molly?" Mr. Jaggers then told me Provis had been married to Molly once, and they had a daughter. At the time, Provis was still working for Compeyson. Provis, Molly, and Compeyson made a terrible mistake. They tried to rob someone, and that person ended up dead. Molly was brought up on charges of murder. Mr. Jaggers defended her in the trial and won. She asked him to take the child away to safety. The girl, Estella, was given to Miss Havisham. I jumped at the mention of Estella's name. She was Provis's daughter? "Provis was sent away on the prison ship, and hasn't seen Molly or his daughter since. You see, Mr. Pip, I tried to keep them both safe. Provis was a great friend to me," Mr. Jaggers said. "We got to know each other well over the years. He was a good man stuck in a bad situation. I've never trusted that snake, Compeyson." "Sir!" Wemmick shouted from the other room. "You're needed out here."

I stood up and shook Mr. Jaggers's hand. I thanked him for telling me the truth. I was shocked that Compeyson had ruined not only Provis's life, but Molly's and Estella's, too. It was strange to find out that all these relationships existed. I'd never known about them until now. As daylight began to open up the sky, Herbert and I were already rowing hard along the Thames. Bundled in our coats, we were making the big escape today. "We're in agreement, we'll row to the Hamburg steamer?" Herbert said as softly as he could. "I think we can make the early one, tomorrow morning. Don't you?" I replied. Herbert said, "I still think it's best if you stay with Provis as long as you can—it will be safer. I can row the boat back to London and be back at work in two days' time." We landed the boat at the docks near Provis's boardinghouse. "Is he where we told him to be?" I whispered to Herbert.

"Here he comes." Provis slipped onto the boat, and we were quickly off. "Thank you, dear boys," he said. "If all goes well, you'll be free and safe in a few days," I said. We rowed all day and through the night. As careful as we thought we had been, we couldn't shake the feeling that we were being followed. We strained our eyes to see if there were other boats on the water. There were none we could see. "Is anyone hungry?" Provis asked. Herbert said, "I'm starving! Let row to shore and find something to eat." "Good idea," I said. "I can see a light on over there. Perhaps it's an inn." We pulled the boat up to where the light from the inn hit the shore. I took a quick look around and couldn't see any reason not to stop. The inn had warm food and soft beds, so we decided to stay for the night.

The next morning we were barely on the water before a fast-moving boat pulled up beside us. A man shouted, "You've got Abel Magwitch on board. He must surrender immediately!" It was Compeyson! "You scoundrel!" Provis shouted. Compeyson reached over the side of his boat and grabbed Provis by the shoulders. Before Herbert or I could do anything, both men went overboard! I couldn't even grab Provis's boots before he went underwater. I heard a loud crash and a cannonball landed in the middle of our boat. Compeyson had thrown it onboard! Within minutes, Herbert and I were in the water, our boat sunk. Almost out of nowhere came a large navy

steamer ship. Within minutes the soldiers had pulled Herbert and me out of the water. Compeyson's boat drifted farther and farther away. I couldn't see him or Provis. "Over there!" Herbert shouted. I followed his finger to see Provis swimming fast toward us. The guards pulled him out of the water badly injured, but alive. "We have a warrant for your arrest, Abel Magwitch," the sergeant said. "I have to put you back in cuffs. You boys are lucky you aren't in more trouble," he said before he left us alone. "What happened to Compeyson?" I asked Magwitch. "I took him overboard with me, and we fought, but he got away." The navy ship went back to London. Magwitch had lost the wallet during his fight with Compeyson in the water. It was filled with his banknotes and property deeds. His entire fortune was lost! He was headed back to jail for certain. He must have seen the sorrow on my face. "Don't be sad, Pip," he said. "None of this