After leaving Mr. Jaggers, I went to see an accountant to finish the secret arrangement for Herbert. I paid the money so that Herbert could become a partner in Clarriker’s business. It was the only good thing I had done since I first received my fortune.
Clarriker told me that the business was growing. He was going to open a new office in the East, and Herbert would move there to manage it. I was happy for my friend, but I felt sad, too. I realized that soon I would be all alone in London. Herbert didn't know that I had paid for his success. He spent his evenings telling me his dreams of taking his girlfriend, Clara, to live in a land of wonders.
It was now March. My left arm was still healing from the fire and was very painful, but my right arm was better. One Monday morning, while Herbert and I were having breakfast, I received a short note from Wemmick. It said: “Burn this as soon as you read it. On Wednesday, you might try the plan we talked about.”
We knew this was the signal. It was time to help Magwitch escape from England.
"I’ve been thinking," Herbert said. "We shouldn't hire a stranger to help us row the boat. We should ask our friend Startop. He is a good rower, and we can trust him."
I agreed. We decided to row Magwitch down the river to a quiet spot. There, we would wait for a foreign steamer heading to Hamburg and get him on board. We spent the whole morning checking boat schedules and getting the necessary passports. Everything was ready for Wednesday.
When I got back to my rooms later that day, I found a dirty letter in my mailbox. It said:
“If you are not afraid, come to the old marshes tonight at nine o’clock. Go to the little house by the limekiln. If you want information about your 'uncle Provis,' you must come alone. Bring this letter with you.”
I was shocked. Who knew about Provis? I had very little time to decide what to do. If I wanted to get there by nine o’clock, I had to catch the afternoon coach immediately. I was worried it might be a trap, but I couldn't take the risk of ignoring it. What if the information was important for Magwitch's safety?
I left a quick note for Herbert. I didn't tell him the truth because the letter told me to be secret. Instead, I wrote that I was going to visit Miss Havisham to see how she was doing. Then, I rushed to the coach office and just managed to get a seat.
The journey was long and dark. I sat inside the coach, feeling nervous and confused. I wondered if I was making a mistake. Why was I going to a lonely house on the marshes in the middle of the night? But every time I thought about turning back, I remembered the name "Provis." I had to go for his sake.
When I arrived at the town, I didn't go to the Blue Boar hotel because I didn't want anyone to see me. I stayed at a small, cheap inn instead. As I ate a simple dinner, the landlord began to talk to me. He didn't recognize me, so he told me the local gossip. He talked about a young man—meaning me—who had become a rich gentleman.
"He was made by Mr. Pumblechook," the landlord said. "But now the boy is ungrateful and never comes to see the man who gave him everything."
It was a lie, of course. Pumblechook had done nothing for me. But hearing this made me feel a deep sense of guilt. I thought of Joe and Biddy. They were the ones who had truly loved me and helped me, but I had ignored them because I wanted to be a gentleman. I felt very small and ashamed.
After dinner, I looked in my pockets for the mysterious letter, but it was gone! I must have dropped it in the straw on the coach. I felt a moment of fear, but I remembered the directions. I had to go to the sluice-house by the limekiln at nine o'clock.
I put on my coat and walked out into the dark, cold night. I headed straight toward the marshes, where the wind was blowing and the land was empty and silent.