My hands were dressed several times during the night and again the next morning. My left arm was badly burnt up to the elbow, and it was very painful. My right hand was also burnt, but I could still move my fingers. Herbert was the kindest nurse. He spent the whole day taking care of me, gently changing my bandages and using cool water to ease the pain.
While I lay on the sofa, I found it hard to rest. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the bright flames again. I could still hear Miss Havisham’s screams and smell the smoke. This mental pain was almost worse than the physical pain in my arms.
Herbert tried to keep my mind busy by talking to me. Neither of us spoke about the boat, but we both knew that my recovery was now a race against time. We needed to be ready to leave as soon as possible.
"I sat with Provis for two hours last night," Herbert said as he changed my bandages by the light of the fire.
"How is he?" I asked.
"He is changing, Pip. He seems much softer now. He told me more about his life—specifically about a woman he was involved with long ago. He mentioned her once before, do you remember?"
I sat up suddenly, though it hurt to move. "I remember now. Tell me everything he said."
Herbert looked at me closely to make sure I wasn't getting a fever. "He said the woman was young and very jealous. In fact, she was so revengeful that she was accused of murder."
"Murder?" I whispered.
"Yes. She was accused of choking another woman to death in a barn. Mr. Jaggers defended her in court, and that was how Provis first heard of him. The woman was eventually found not guilty."
"And did they have a child?" I asked, my heart racing.
"Yes," Herbert replied. "They had a little girl whom Provis loved very much. But on the night of the murder, the woman came to Provis and swore she would destroy the child so he would never see her again. Then, she disappeared."
I breathed quickly. "And did she do it? Did she kill the child?"
"Provis believes she did," Herbert said. "He was so afraid that he would have to speak against the woman in court—and cause her to be hanged—that he went into hiding. He stayed away from the trial and lost both the mother and the child forever."
Herbert continued, "That villain Compeyson knew this secret. He used it to blackmail Provis for years, making him work harder and keeping him poor. That is why Provis hates him so much."
I looked at Herbert earnestly. "Did he say when this happened?"
"He said it was about twenty years ago. He told me that when he first met you in the churchyard, you reminded him of his lost little girl. She would have been about the same age as you."
I stayed silent for a moment, feeling a strange mix of shock and certainty.
"Herbert," I said, "look at me. Do I seem confused or sick?"
"No," Herbert said, looking at me with concern. "You seem excited, but you are yourself."
"I am myself," I said firmly. "And I know the truth now. The man we are hiding—the convict Provis—is Estella’s father."