Chapter I My father 's family name being Pirrip , and my Christian name Philip , my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip .
So , I called myself Pip , and came to be called Pip .
I give Pirrip as my father 's family name , on the authority of his tombstone and my sister , -- Mrs. Joe Gargery , who married the blacksmith .
As I never saw my father or my mother , and never saw any likeness of either of them ( for their days were long before the days of photographs ) , my first fancies regarding what they were like were unreasonably derived from their tombstones .
The shape of the letters on my father 's , gave me an odd idea that he was a square , stout , dark man , with curly black hair .
From the character and turn of the inscription , “ Also Georgiana Wife of the Above , ” I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly .
To five little stone lozenges , each about a foot and a half long , which were arranged in a neat row beside their grave , and were sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine , -- who gave up trying to get a living , exceedingly early in that universal struggle , -- I am indebted for a belief I religiously entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their hands in their trousers-pockets , and had never taken them out in this state of existence .
Ours was the marsh country , down by the river , within , as the river wound , twenty miles of the sea .
My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening .
At such a time I found out for certain that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard ; and that Philip Pirrip , late of this parish , and also Georgiana wife of the above , were dead and buried ; and that Alexander , Bartholomew , Abraham , Tobias , and Roger , infant children of the aforesaid , were also dead and buried ; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard , intersected with dikes and mounds and gates , with scattered cattle feeding on it , was the marshes ; and that the low leaden line beyond was the river ; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing was the sea ; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry , was Pip .
“ Hold your noise ! ”
cried a terrible voice , as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the church porch .
“ Keep still , you little devil , or I 'll cut your throat ! ”
A fearful man , all in coarse gray , with a great iron on his leg .
A man with no hat , and with broken shoes , and with an old rag tied round his head .
A man who had been soaked in water , and smothered in mud , and lamed by stones , and cut by flints , and stung by nettles , and torn by briars ; who limped , and shivered , and glared , and growled ; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin .
“ Oh !
Do n't cut my throat , sir , ” I pleaded in terror .
“ Pray do n't do it , sir . ”
“ Tell us your name ! ”
said the man .
“ Quick ! ”
“ Pip , sir . ”
“ Once more , ” said the man , staring at me .
“ Give it mouth ! ”
“ Pip .
Pip , sir . ”
“ Show us where you live , ” said the man .
“ Pint out the place ! ”
I pointed to where our village lay , on the flat in-shore among the alder-trees and pollards , a mile or more from the church .
The man , after looking at me for a moment , turned me upside down , and emptied my pockets .
There was nothing in them but a piece of bread .
When the church came to itself , -- for he was so sudden and strong that he made it go head over heels before me , and I saw the steeple under my feet , -- when the church came to itself , I say , I was seated on a high tombstone , trembling while he ate the bread ravenously .
“ You young dog , ” said the man , licking his lips , “ what fat cheeks you ha ' got . ”
I believe they were fat , though I was at that time undersized for my years , and not strong .
“ Darn me if I could n't eat em , ” said the man , with a threatening shake of his head , “ and if I ha n't half a mind to ' t ! ”
I earnestly expressed my hope that he would n't , and held tighter to the tombstone on which he had put me ; partly , to keep myself upon it ; partly , to keep myself from crying .
“ Now lookee here ! ”
said the man .
“ Where 's your mother ? ”
“ There , sir ! ”
said I .
He started , made a short run , and stopped and looked over his shoulder .
“ There , sir ! ”
I timidly explained .
“ Also Georgiana .
That 's my mother . ”
“ Oh ! ”
said he , coming back .
“ And is that your father alonger your mother ? ”
“ Yes , sir , ” said I ; “ him too ; late of this parish . ”
“ Ha ! ”
he muttered then , considering .
“ Who d'ye live with , -- supposin ' you 're kindly let to live , which I ha n't made up my mind about ? ”
“ My sister , sir , -- Mrs. Joe Gargery , -- wife of Joe Gargery , the blacksmith , sir . ”
“ Blacksmith , eh ? ”
said he .
And looked down at his leg .
After darkly looking at his leg and me several times , he came closer to my tombstone , took me by both arms , and tilted me back as far as he could hold me ; so that his eyes looked most powerfully down into mine , and mine looked most helplessly up into his .
“ Now lookee here , ” he said , “ the question being whether you 're to be let to live .
You know what a file is ? ”
“ Yes , sir . ”
“ And you know what wittles is ? ”
“ Yes , sir . ”
After each question he tilted me over a little more , so as to give me a greater sense of helplessness and danger .
“ You get me a file . ”
He tilted me again .
“ And you get me wittles . ”
He tilted me again .
“ You bring 'em both to me . ”
He tilted me again .
“ Or I 'll have your heart and liver out . ”
He tilted me again .
I was dreadfully frightened , and so giddy that I clung to him with both hands , and said , “ If you would kindly please to let me keep upright , sir , perhaps I should n't be sick , and perhaps I could attend more . ”
He gave me a most tremendous dip and roll , so that the church jumped over its own weathercock .
Then , he held me by the arms , in an upright position on the top of the stone , and went on in these fearful terms : -- “ You bring me , to-morrow morning early , that file and them wittles .
You bring the lot to me , at that old Battery over yonder .
You do it , and you never dare to say a word or dare to make a sign concerning your having seen such a person as me , or any person sumever , and you shall be let to live .
You fail , or you go from my words in any partickler , no matter how small it is , and your heart and your liver shall be tore out , roasted , and ate .
Now , I ai n't alone , as you may think I am .
There 's a young man hid with me , in comparison with which young man I am a Angel .
That young man hears the words I speak .
That young man has a secret way pecooliar to himself , of getting at a boy , and at his heart , and at his liver .
It is in wain for a boy to attempt to hide himself from that young man .
A boy may lock his door , may be warm in bed , may tuck himself up , may draw the clothes over his head , may think himself comfortable and safe , but that young man will softly creep and creep his way to him and tear him open .
I am a keeping that young man from harming of you at the present moment , with great difficulty .
I find it wery hard to hold that young man off of your inside .
Now , what do you say ? ”
I said that I would get him the file , and I would get him what broken bits of food I could , and I would come to him at the Battery , early in the morning .
“ Say Lord strike you dead if you do n't ! ”
said the man .
I said so , and he took me down .
“ Now , ” he pursued , “ you remember what you 've undertook , and you remember that young man , and you get home ! ”
“ Goo-good night , sir , ” I faltered .
“ Much of that ! ”
said he , glancing about him over the cold wet flat .
“ I wish I was a frog .
Or a eel ! ”
At the same time , he hugged his shuddering body in both his arms , -- clasping himself , as if to hold himself together , -- and limped towards the low church wall .
As I saw him go , picking his way among the nettles , and among the brambles that bound the green mounds , he looked in my young eyes as if he were eluding the hands of the dead people , stretching up cautiously out of their graves , to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in .
When he came to the low church wall , he got over it , like a man whose legs were numbed and stiff , and then turned round to look for me .
When I saw him turning , I set my face towards home , and made the best use of my legs .
But presently I looked over my shoulder , and saw him going on again towards the river , still hugging himself in both arms , and picking his way with his sore feet among the great stones dropped into the marshes here and there , for stepping-places when the rains were heavy or the tide was in .