“Biddy,” said I, “I made a remark respecting my coming down here often, to see Joe, which you received with a marked silence. Have the goodness, Biddy, to tell me why.” “Are you quite sure, then, that you WILL come to see him often?” asked Biddy, stopping in the narrow garden walk, and looking at me under the stars with a clear and honest eye. “O dear me!” said I, as if I found myself compelled to give up Biddy in despair.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 35. After the funeral of Mrs. Joe, Pip pledges that he will visit the forge often to look after Joe. But Biddy doesn’t appear to believe Pip and questions his sincerity. Pip is offended by what Biddy says and keeps his distance from her for the rest of the evening. Foreshadowed here is Pip’s neglect of Joe following Mrs. Joe’s death because he becomes absorbed in the pursuits of a gentleman.