Next morning after breakfast we asked Magwitch to tell us more about his past life，so that we could protect him better．

第二天上午，早饭后，我们让马格韦契多给我们讲点他过去的经历，以便我们能够更好地保护他。

You promise to keep it a secret，Pip's friend？he said to Herbert．Well I'll put it in a few words．

你许诺为此事保密，匹普的朋友。他对赫伯特说，我将用几句话就能讲清楚，

In prison and out of prison．That's been my life，more or less．Don't remember my parents．

进过监狱和出过监狱，那或多或少就是我的生活。不记得我的父母，

No idea where I was born．I slept in fields，I stole food，sometimes I worked．

不记得自己在哪儿出生。我在田间睡过，我偷过吃的，有时我也干活，

And I grew to be a man．It was about twenty years ago I met Compeyson．I'd kill him now，at once，if I met him！

我就是这样长大成人的。20多年前，我遇见了康培生，如果我现在遇见他，我会立刻杀了他！

He's the man I was fighting when the soldiers found me on the marshes，Pip．

他就是士兵在沼泽地里发现我和他正在厮打的那个家伙。匹普，

He was handsome and educated，so people thought he was a gentleman and trusted him．

他清秀漂亮有教养，因此，人们认为他是一名绅士并相信他。

I was a partner in his business，and a dirty business it was，too．

我是他生意上的合伙人，也是一个不干净的生意。

We persuaded rich people to invest their money with us，we used stolen banknotes，we wrote false cheques．

我们说服有钱的人向我们投资。我们经常偷钞票，伪造支票，康培生很精明。

Compeyson was clever，but what a wicked，cold hear the had！He always got the profits but never the blame．

但是，他有一个很毒辣、冷酷的心！他总是得到好处却从来没有受到谴责。

His former partner，Arthur，lived in Compeyson's house and was very ill．

他以前的合伙人，阿瑟，住在康培生家里，病得很重。

In fact he was dying．He and Compeyson had got a lot of money out of a rich lady some years before，and Arthur kept dreaming of this lady．

事实上已是垂死挣扎。几年以前，他和康培生从一位富贵小姐那里得到一大笔钱，阿瑟梦想得到这位小姐。

关于《远大前程》

皮普质疑地问为什么那未婚夫不直接和老处女结婚而得到一切财产，却愚蠢地选择和弟弟合作只得到一半财产，赫伯斯解释说那可能是因为那未婚夫已经结婚了，而弟弟亚瑟和康生的老婆联盟。