Page 832 - GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Great Expectations

determined, on my account, to come at everything by
degrees.
‘Dear Joe, have you heard what becomes of her
property?’

‘Well, old chap,’ said Joe, ‘it do appear that she had
settled the most of it, which I meantersay tied it up, on
Miss Estella. But she had wrote out a little coddleshell in
her own hand a day or two afore the accident, leaving a
cool four thousand to Mr. Matthew Pocket. And why, do
you suppose, above all things, Pip, she left that cool four
thousand unto him? ‘Because of Pip’s account of him the
said Matthew.’ I am told by Biddy, that air the writing,’
said Joe, repeating the legal turn as if it did him infinite
good, ‘account of him the said Matthew.’ And a cool four
thousand, Pip!’
I never discovered from whom Joe derived the
conventional temperature of the four thousand pounds,
but it appeared to make the sum of money more to him,
and he had a manifest relish in insisting on its being cool.
This account gave me great joy, as it perfected the only
good thing I had done. I asked Joe whether he had heard
if any of the other relations had any legacies?
‘Miss Sarah,’ said Joe, ‘she have twenty-five pound
perannium fur to buy pills, on account of being bilious.

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