"Thank you. Thank you."
As I brought another of the ragged chairs to the hearth and sat down, I
remarked a new expression on her face, as if she were afraid of me.
"I want," she said, "to pursue that subject you mentioned to me when you
were last here, and to show you that I am not all stone. But perhaps you
can never believe, now, that there is anything human in my heart?"
When I said some reassuring words, she stretched out her tremulous right
hand, as though she was going to touch me; but she recalled it again
before I understood the action, or knew how to receive it.
"You said, speaking for your friend, that you could tell me how to do
something useful and good. Something that you would like done, is it
not?"
"Something that I would like done very much."
"What is it?"
I began explaining to her that secret history of the partnership. I had
not got far into it, when I judged from her looks that she was thinking
in a discursive way of me, rather than of what I said. It seemed to be
so; for, when I stopped speaking, many moments passed before she showed
that she was conscious of the fact.
"Do you break off," she asked then, with her former air of being afraid
of me, "because you hate me too much to bear to speak to me?"
"No, no," I answered, "how can you think so, Miss Havisham! I stopped
because I thought you were not following what I said."
"Perhaps I was not," she answered, putting a hand to her head. "Begin
again, and let me look at something else. Stay! Now tell me."
She set her hand upon her stick in the resolute way that sometimes was
habitual to her, and looked at the fire with a strong expression of
forcing herself to attend. I went on with my explanation, and told her
how I had hoped to complete the transaction out of my means, but how
in this I was disappointed. That part of the subject (I reminded her)
involved matters which could form no part of my explanation, for they
were the weighty secrets of another.
"So!" said she, assenting with her head, but not looking at me. "And how
much money is wanting to complete the purchase?"
I was rather afraid of stating it, for it sounded a large sum. "Nine
hundred pounds."