“I cautioned him that I must hear no more of that; that he was not at all likely to obtain a pardon; that he was expatriated for the term of his natural life; and that his presenting himself in this country would be an act of felony, rendering him liable to the extreme penalty of the law.”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 40. Legal expert Mr. Jaggers sets out very clear to Pip why the criminal Magwitch should not return to England. After Magwitch hinted in a letter that he wanted to come to see Pip, Jaggers warned him of the severe legal consequences and not to expect forgiveness or pardon. This foreshadows Magwitch’s return to England where he is sentenced to be executed. However, while awaiting execution in Newgate Prison he dies peacefully in prison, thus escaping the hangman’s noose.