Большие надежды. Уровень 2 / Great Expectations

“Hulks are prison-ships[9 - prison-ships – плавучая тюрьма]!” exclaimed my sister.

She pointed me out with her needle and thread, and shook her head at me,

“Answer him one question, and he’ll ask you a dozen directly!”

It was too much for Mrs. Joe. She immediately rose.

“I tell you, young fellow,” said she, “people are in the Hulks because they murder, and because they rob, and forge, and do all sorts of bad things. And they always begin by asking questions[10 - they always begin by asking questions – они всегда начинают с задавания вопросов].

Now, you go to bed!”

She never allowed me to light a candle, and I went upstairs in the dark. Hulks! I was clearly on my way there. I began to asking questions, and I was going to rob Mrs. Joe.

But I was in mortal terror of the man who wanted my heart and liver. I was in mortal terror of my interlocutor with the iron leg. I was in mortal terror of myself, too.

In the early morning I got up and went downstairs.

Every board upon the way, and every crack in every board were calling after me, “Stop thief!” and “Get up, Mrs. Joe!” I stole some bread, some cheese, about half a jar of mincemeat, some brandy from a bottle, a meat bone and a beautiful round compact pork pie.

There was a door in the kitchen. It communicated with the forge. I unlocked and unbolted that door, and took a file from among Joe’s tools. Then I opened the door at which I had entered when I ran home last night.

I shut it, and ran away.

Chapter 3

It was a rimy morning, and very damp. The mist was heavier yet when I got out upon the marshes. Everything seemed to look at me. The gates and dikes and banks cried, “A boy with somebody’s else’s pork pie! Stop him!” The cattle came upon me. They were staring out of their eyes, and steaming out of their nostrils, “Halloa, young thief!”

All this time, I was getting on towards the river. I crossed a ditch, and scrambled up the mound beyond the ditch.

Then I saw the man. He was sitting before me. His back was towards me. His arms were folded, he was nodding forward, heavy with sleep.

I went forward softly and touched him on the shoulder. He instantly jumped up. It was not the same man, but another man!

And yet this man was dressed in coarse gray, too, and had a great iron on his leg. All this I saw in a moment. I had only a moment to see it in.