Miss Havisham (Flashback)

I am quite in love! Compeyson is the sweetest gentleman and I care tenderly for him. With poor old Daddy being gone and all, I have come across a great fortune. That wretched half-brother of mine, Arthur, was such a bafoon as to be disinherited by Daddy, and even though he was forgiven, did not prosper in the way that I have. This extravagant sum has allowed me to treat my adoring fiancee to whatever his heart desires, filling me with joy in seeing him so happy! The days seem to float by, me only being concerned with my soon to be bridegroom and how we will spend the rest of our passionate lives together! That insolent Matthew Pocket warned me of spoiling my true love, but only I can understand my true feelings of love, so I ordered him and his nonsense away. The date has been set for the wedding and all the preparations are to be made. It is only a short time away that I will be in the arms of my prince!

" 'Miss Havisham was now an heiress, and you may suppose was looked after as a great match. Her half-brother had now ample means again, but what with debts and what with new madness wasted them most fearfully again. There were stronger differences between him and her, than there had been between him and his father, and it is suspected that he cherished a deep and mortal grudge against her, as having influenced the father's anger.' " (190)

" 'This man pursued Miss Havisham closely, and professed to be devoted to her. I believe she had not shown much susceptibility up to that time; but all the susceptibility she possessed, certainly came out then, and she passionately loved him. There is no doubt that she perfectly idolized him. He practised on her affection in that systematic way, that he got great sums of money from her, and he induced her to buy her brother out of a share in the brewery (which had been weakly left him by his father) at an immense price, on the plea that when he was her husband he must hold and manage it all. Your guardian was not at that time in Miss Havisham's councils, and she was too haughty and too much in love to be advised by any one. Her relations were poor and scheming, with the exception of my father; he was poor enough, but not time-serving or jealous. The only independent one among them, he warned her that she was doing too much for this man, and was placing herself too unreservedly in his power. She took the first opportunity of angrily ordering my father out of the house, in his presence, and my father has never seen her since.' " (191)