El relojero, siempre inclinado sobre un pequeño pupitre con una lupa en el ojo, y siempre inspeccionado por un grupo de blusas campesinas que lo observaban a través del cristal del escaparate, parecía ser la única persona de la calle Mayor cuya ocupación reclamaba su atención.
Mr. Pumblechook and I breakfasted at eight o’clock in the parlor behind the shop, while the shopman took his mug of tea and hunch of bread and butter on a sack of peas in the front premises. I considered Mr. Pumblechook wretched company. Besides being possessed by my sister’s idea that a mortifying and penitential character ought to be imparted to my diet—besides giving me as much crumb as possible in combination with as little butter, and putting such a quantity of warm water into my milk that it would have been more candid to have left the milk out altogether—his conversation consisted of nothing but arithmetic. On my politely bidding him Good morning, he said, pompously, “Seven times nine, boy?” And how should I be able to answer, dodged in that way, in a strange place, on an empty stomach! I was hungry, but before I had swallowed a morsel, he began a running sum that lasted all through the breakfast. “Seven?” “And four?” “And eight?” “And six?” “And two?” “And ten?” And so on. And after each figure was disposed of, it was as much as I could do to get a bite or a sup, before the next came; while he sat at his ease guessing nothing, and eating bacon and hot roll, in (if I may be allowed the expression) a gorging and gormandizing manner.
Por tales razones, me alegré mucho cuando dieron las diez y pusimos rumbo a casa de la señorita Havisham; aunque no me sentía nada tranquilo respecto a cómo sabría dร่างas me comportaría bajo el techo de aquella señora. En el espacio de un cuarto de hora llegamos a la casa de la señorita Havisham, que era de ladrillo antiguo, lúgubre y tenía gran cantidad de rejas de hierro. Algunas de las ventanas habían sido tapiadas; de las que quedaban, todas las inferiores estaban cubiertas de rejas oxidadas.