vestry a room in a church where the clergy put on their vestments and the sacred vessels are kept. Pip is scared and wants to tell someone about the convict on the marshes. One possibility he thinks of is to wait for the minister to announce the banns of marriage — that is when they announce upcoming marriages and ask if anyone has any objections — and at that moment stand up and ask for a private conference in the vestry. However because it is Christmas, no banns are announced and Pip has no opportunity for help from the Church.
walk all the way to London from Pip’s home area, this was a distance of about twenty-six miles.
weazen an obsolete word for weasand, meaning throat.
went upon ’Change the floor of the Royal Exchange — the London Stock Market. Lloyd’s, a marine insurance business at the time, operated from this building.
whist a card game that was the forerunner to bridge.
whitewash a mixture of lime, whiting, size, water, and so on for whitening walls. Whiting is a chalk-like material and sizing is similar to glue. It would have been the commonly used material for painting walls in Pip’s time.
wine-cooper someone involved in the retail wine trade, especially making, repairing, or filling wine barrels. This was Wemmick’s first trade, a far cry from his current legal work.
young person in bed-furniture the person’s clothes appear to be made from the curtains off of a four-poster bed.
