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Magwitch, the "warmint" who "grew up took up," whose memory extended only to that period of his childhood when he was "a-thieving turnips for his living" down in Essex, but in whom a life of crime had only intensified the feeling of gratitude for the one kind action of which he was the object, is hardly equalled in grotesque grandeur by anything which Dickens has previously done.
"Very well," growled his captor; "but it's lucky for him, Master Aleck, as you spoke. Warmint!" he growled to the boy, lowering him to the rugged stones. "Get home with yer. I'm going on by and by to your father, my lad. Be off."
"I'll forgive him if he does," said my father, dryly, "for you are getting to be a very dictatorial, meddling, insolent servant, Morgan." "Well!" exclaimed Morgan. "Hear that, Master George, and after me following faithful all the way to these here wild shores. Ah, master, I didn't think you'd ha' said Hi! Keep back, you young warmint!"
The squaw's high sartain to come back a seekin' for the body, and 'tis a pity the poor crittur should be disappointed. Besides, the Indians will be high sartain to put it down to us; whereas, if so be as they'd found the body 'pon the spot, may be they'd onderstand as 'twas an accident like, for they 're unkimmon cunning warmint, though they an't got sense like Christians."
"I'm going to leave here," I said. "Get out, you discontented warmint!" he cried savagely, "you don't know when you're well off." "Yes, I do," I said; "but Mr Brownsmith's going to send me away." "What!" he roared, driving in his spade, and beginning to dig with all his might. "Mr Brownsmith's going to send me away." "Old Brownsmith's going to send you away?" "Yes."
"You're not a deceiving imp? You brought no one with you?" "No, sir! No!" "Nor giv' no one the office to follow you?" "No!" "Well," said he, "I believe you. You'd be but a fierce young hound indeed, if at your time of life you could help to hunt a wretched warmint hunted as near death and dunghill as this poor wretched warmint is!"
"Like Wandering Hares at the theatre," said the landlord, who had been told by Dickie's aunt that the "ungrateful little warmint" had run away. "I see." "And 'e's a jolly little chap," said Beale, warming to his subject and forgetting his caution, "as knowing as a dog-ferret; and his patter enough to make a cat laugh, 'e is sometimes.
Go right at him, and let him know as soon as you can that you beat. You'll be all right then. Maybe he'll let out at you at first, but all the time he'll be beginning to feel that you leathered a big hulking chap as is the worst warmint in Rockabie, and you'll come out all right. Day, Master Aleck!" "Good day, Tom, and thank you. I'll remind uncle about your shillings if he forgets."
"What is your real name?" I asked him in a whisper. "Magwitch," he answered, in the same tone; "chrisen'd Abel." "What were you brought up to be?" "A warmint, dear boy." He answered quite seriously, and used the word as if it denoted some profession. "When you came into the Temple last night " said I, pausing to wonder whether that could really have been last night, which seemed so long ago.
Then you ups and tells him you had it out with Big Jem and the rest. `What for, sir? he says just like that. `For saying, you know what, sir you says, and tells him right out, though you wouldn't tell me. `And you let that big, ugly, blackguardly warmint thrash you like that? he says, in his fierce way just like that.