Looking back at him, I thought of the first night of his return, when our positions were reversed, and when I little supposed my heart could ever be as heavy and anxious at parting from him as it was now.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 46. This shows Pip’s growth as a character, as his relationship with Magwitch improves and he begins to care for him. Earlier when he first learned that the criminal was his benefactor, he compared him to a snake. But now on hearing from Wemmick that Magwitch has come under suspicion and is being watched by the authorities, he is concerned for Magwitch’s safety. So Pip and Herbert plan to row him down river so that he can escape London and travel abroad to safety.