Several weeks passed, but nothing changed. We waited for a signal from Wemmick, but he said nothing. If I had only known him at his office, I might have doubted him. But I knew the "Castle" Wemmick, so I trusted him completely.
Meanwhile, my life was becoming difficult. I was running out of money and owed several people. I even had to sell some of my jewelry to get cash. However, I refused to take any more money from my patron, Provis. I felt it would be wrong to use his wealth when I wasn't sure about our future. I gave Herbert the unopened pocket-book to keep for me. It made me feel better to know I wasn't profiting from Provis’s generosity anymore.
As time went on, I felt more and more certain that Estella was now married. I was too afraid to look at the newspapers in case I saw the news. I even asked Herbert never to mention her name to me. It was an unhappy life. I lived in constant fear that Provis would be discovered. Every night, I listened for Herbert’s footsteps, terrified he would bring bad news. To stay busy, I continued to row my boat and wait.
One foggy afternoon in late February, I rowed back from Greenwich. I saw the signal in the window—all was well. Because it was a cold, raw evening and I was feeling lonely, I decided to go to the theater. My old friend Mr. Wopsle was acting in a play in that riverside neighborhood.
The play was quite silly. It was a story about sailors and a brave boatswain. Later, there was a second performance—a pantomime. Mr. Wopsle appeared on stage as a strange enchanter in a tall hat. While he was performing, I noticed something very strange. He kept staring at me with a look of total amazement. He seemed confused and kept turning things over in his mind.
I couldn’t understand why he was looking at me like that. After the play ended an hour later, I found him waiting for me near the door.
“How are you, Mr. Wopsle?” I said, shaking his hand. “I saw that you noticed me in the audience.”
“I saw you, Mr. Pip,” he replied, looking troubled. “But who else was there with you?”
“Who else?” I asked, surprised.
“It is the strangest thing,” Wopsle said. “I could swear it was him.”
I began to feel nervous. “What do you mean? Please explain.”
“I had a ridiculous idea that he was with you,” Wopsle continued. “But then I saw you didn't know he was there. He was sitting right behind you, like a ghost.”
A cold shiver went down my spine. I stayed quiet, waiting for him to say more.
“Mr. Pip, do you remember a Christmas Day a long time ago?” Wopsle asked. “When you were a child? Some soldiers came to the house, and we went into the marshes to look for two escaped convicts?”
“I remember it very well,” I said.
“Do you remember that we found two men fighting in a ditch? One of them had a badly scarred face because the other had beaten him?”
“Yes,” I said. “I remember.”
“Well, Mr. Pip, one of those two prisoners was sitting behind you tonight. I saw him over your shoulder.”
I tried to stay calm. “Which one do you think you saw?”
“The one who had been beaten,” Wopsle answered. “The more I think about it, the more certain I am. It was him.”
“How strange!” I said, pretending I wasn't worried. “Very strange indeed.”
But inside, I was terrified. Compeyson had been sitting right behind me! I had been so careful to hide Provis, yet my enemy was following me like a ghost. I realized that the danger was much closer than I had thought. Compeyson was watching me because he wanted to find Provis.
I asked Wopsle a few more questions. He said the man was dressed in black and looked like a successful gentleman. He hadn't noticed any scars on the man's face, but he was sure it was the same person from the marshes.
I reached the Temple after midnight. Herbert was home, and we sat by the fire to discuss the news. We realized there was nothing we could do except tell Wemmick. I didn't want to go to the Castle too often, so I wrote Wemmick a letter and posted it immediately.
Herbert and I agreed to be even more cautious. I stayed away from the house where Provis was hiding. I only looked at the windows from a distance as I rowed my boat past, praying that our secret was still safe.