Summary

The scene opens in London on a foggy, smoggy day. The High Court of Chancery is in session, and it appears that the fog has settled thickest on this part of London. This is where the legal suit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce is being argued. A little mad old woman (Miss Flite), and a man from Shropshire (Mr. Gridley) are in attendance. A "sallow prisoner" is brought forward. Mr. Tangle, a lawyer, speaks with the Lord High Chancellor, and the matter of the two young wards in Jarndyce is discussed. This matter will come up before the court tomorrow.

The scene changes in Chapter 2 to Chesney Wold, a stately home in Lincolnshire. Here the weather is also bad, but it is constant rain rather than fog. The lady of the manor, Lady Dedlock, is bored to death. She had been in London, and has come back to the country seat before leaving for Paris in a few days.

Lady Dedlock is introduced to us as a very beautiful middle-aged society lady, her charms undimmed by time. She is exceedingly dignified and self-controlled, but her "caprices," which she tries to hide, are known to her servants and tradesmen. She is the wife of Sir Leicester Dedlock, a baronet, who has married somehat beneath him. It is clear that Lady Dedlock has brought neither an aristocratic lineage or a fortune to the marriage. It is also clear that Sir Leicester has such a great amount of both of those things, and loves her so dearly, that it matters not to him.

Mr. Tulkinghorn, the family solicitor, has come down to Chesney Wold to discuss the Jarndyce case, in which Lady Dedlock has some slight interest. He is a secretive, enigmatic man, of the most controlled and logical character. He brings many legal papers with him, and Lady Dedlock seems to take an interest in the handwriting on one of them. She asks whose writing it is, but Mr. Tulkinghorn cannot answer her. She becomes faint and must be taken to her room.

In Chapter 3, Esther Summerson's life story is told. She has been materially provided for but emotionally neglected by her "godmother" in the town of Windsor. When Esther is about fourteen, her godmother dies, and Esther is sent to Greenleaf school. Through Mr. Kenge, John Jarndyce's solicitor, who comes to see Esther after her godmother's death, she learns her benefactor is Mr. Jarndyce. She has never seen him, but he appears, unbeknownst to her until years later, in the carriage that takes her to Greenleaf school. She is sent there after her godmother's death, and passes six happy years there, being taught by the Misses Donny. Her accounts are paid by her unknown benefactor all the while. When she is older she becomes a teacher of the other girls there, and inspires great affection in her students.

When she has grown old and educated enough to leave Greenleaf school, she is asked to serve in her benefactor's house, Bleak House. She is brought to Chancery Court to meet Ada Clare and Richard Carstone, two wards in the Jarndyce suit, who are also under the guardianship of Mr. Jarndyce. Esther is meant to be Ada's lady companion.

As they leave the court, they meet Miss Flite, who introduces herself. They learn she is also a suitor in Chancery, and observe that she is poor, eccentric, and perhaps a little mad.

In Chapter 4, the three young people are sent to stay the night at the Jellyby household. Mrs. Jellyby is a philanthropic lady who neglects her large and chaotic household in favor of writing long letters, dictated to her eldest daughter Caddy, about the social conditions in places in Africa. Caddy, an overworked waif, clings to Esther and becomes her friend, as does the youngest neglected child, Peepy.

Analysis

Dickens immediately plunges the readers in medias res, enveloping us in the Jarndyce suit. The suit is never fully explained, as the main thrust of the suit has been buried beneath legal wrangling, pointless jargon, details and niceties. The dirty, smutty fog surrounding Chancery Lane is a metaphor for the fogged proceedings of the Chancery court. The pathetic victims of the suit, Gridley, Miss Flite, and soon young Richard and Ada are introduced. Dickens makes no compunction about depicting the court as a cesspool of injustice, waste, and corruption, and the cold, foggy, muddy weather is indicative of it. This is the first example of many instances of weather reflecting the meaning of situations, characters, and locations.

Chesney Wold is immersed in rain, to reflect the cynical and bored nature of its mistress, Lady Dedlock. She is portrayed as the most indulged of society's ladies, and her boredom among the manorial splendor and extreme comfort of her wealthy situation is implicitly criticized. It is important that she be a figure of feminine envy, since it will become apparent that she has paid the price for owning such personal charms later. She is shown as a figure of extreme self control and dignity, to match with the high prestige and aristocratic brittleness of her husband Sir Leicester. He, though hidebound and reactionary, is portrayed a little softer, with clear love and concern for his wife.

Tulkinghorn appears as the quintessential family solicitor. He is exceedingly careful and correct, and without emotions of any kind. He immediately seizes upon Lady Dedlock's interest in the handwriting, as anything out of the ordinary concerning the Dedlock family intrigues him.

Esther is also brought in fully formed, and we already know of her desire to do her duty, and her humble, almost apologetic acknowledgement of her own existence. She is remarkably virtuous for a child that has never been shown love or affection, and remarkably willing to do her duty and desire love and respect from others.

Curiosity about Mr. Jarndyce is rife -- is he Esther's secret father, or some other kind of relation? Why is he so kind to people he has never met? The instant friendship between Ada and Richard and Esther is neither explained or questioned, and the three young people are thrust upon the world together.

The Jellyby household, in its extreme dissarray and concern for unimportant things, is Dickens' miniature England. The society at large is like the family which does not care for its children but unloads its charitable efforts abroad. The neglected Jellyby children are like the poor and dispossesed of England, forgotten by both government and philanthropy alike, for those institutions are concerned with matters that are not for the public good. Caddy is introduced less than sympathetically, and realistically speaks for all neglected, angry children. She is unable to speak or express her disaffection, having been deprived of any fuction but that of scribe to her mother's zealous "charity." She is brought round quickly by Esther, showing Esther's almost saintly ability to overcome systemic neglect (including her own) with tender and careful modesty.

Summary

Caddy Jellyby has spent the night in Esther and Ada's room, sleeping near Esther in a fit of despair. Before breakfast, she proposes a walk, and all the young people agree. Esther again shows kindness to Peepy, washing him and putting him to sleep in her bed. Esther, Ada, Caddy, and Richard take their first walk about London.

They soon meet Miss Flite again, who begs them to come to her lodgings. They go and visit Krook's rag-and-bottle shop, above which is Miss Flite's room. As they enter, Esther sees a legal handwritten advertisement for Mr. Nemo, requesting work as a law writer (copyist). Neither Esther nor we yet know it, but she is looking at the handwriting of her father and entering the house where he lives.

The group meets Mr. Krook, who is obsessed with Chancery documents. He rambles on about the Jarndyce suit, mentioning the names Barbary, Clare, and Dedlock, giving Esther, unaware, two more names of her mysterious parentage. They see Miss Flite's bare and sad room, and Richard surreptitiously leaves some money for her. They return to the Jellyby house, much affected by the sad states to which Chancery can reduce people.

In Chapter 6, the long awaited meeting with Mr. Jarndyce happens at his home, Bleak House. He is described as a handsome, robust man in his 50s -- exceedingly kindly, genteel, and self-effacing. He has a little quirk of mentioning the "east wind" whenever something he doesn't like is brought up. The three young people instantly like and feel affection for their mutual benefactor.

A "perfect child" is abruptly introduced -- the parasitic poet, Mr. Skimpole. The three young people are instantly brought into his inbroglios when the bailiff, a man called Neckett, arrives and demands payment of a debt. Richard and Esther come to the rescue, and, upon learning of it, Mr. Jarndyce warns them not to give money to Skimpole.

At the end of the day, Esther is given the keys to the household, the mark of the housekeeper of Bleak House. She is excited and honored to have this position. She sets up residence in a room adjoining Ada's, with a sitting room in between, and everything in the house is to the young people's liking.

Chapter 7 is back in Chesney Wold. Sir Leicester and Lady Dedlock have left for Paris. The rain continues, and Mrs. Rouncewell, the aged housekeeper, is introduced. She is instructing a young village girl of considerable beauty in the ways of housekeeping and maid's work in a great house. Mrs. Rouncewell's grandson, Watt, who loves Rosa, is visiting.

In the midst of the rain a couple of visitors come to see the house, but are told it "isn't the day". They persist, and are admitted, by using Mr. Tulkinghorn's name. Mr. Guppy and his friend are brought through the house, and Mr. Guppy admires a portrait of Lady Dedlock. He exclaims that he must have seen the subject somewhere before. Guppy, who had met Esther Summerson briefly in London at Kenge and Carboy's, is unconsciously remembering Lady Dedlock's resemblence to Esther. Guppy leaves a bit perplexed.

Mrs. Rouncewell had refused to tell the family ghost story, but now recounts it to her grandson and her charge, Rosa. The Ghost's Walk is a terraced walk outside the house, and an eerie footstep is often heard echoing from it. It is supposed that two hundred years ago, a previous Lady Dedlock had sabotaged horses meant for Cavaliers fighting Cromwellian forces. She had lamed them, and, upon being discovered, was lamed herself by her husband in a struggle. She was limping on the terrace and fell and died, and she vowed to haunt the terrace until "the pride of the house is tumbled." Watt and Rosa can still hear the phantom footsteps.

Analysis

The coincidence of Esther arriving at the home of her unknown father on her only day in London is an extraordinarily bold plot device by Dickens. The fact that the extreme unlikelihood of this event occurring is made more plausible by the fact that the reader does not know that Nemo is Esther's father, and neither are his lodging or his occupation known. The smaller coincidence, of Krook rattling off three important names in the Jarndyce suit, which are also important names to Esther (namely Clare, which is Ada's name; Barbary, which is Esther's unknown mother's maiden name; and Dedlock, which is the said mother's married name) is also softened, since the reader and Esther do not know the significance of the names Barbary and Dedlock yet. This sort of blatantly unlikely plot manipulation is easily assimilated by the reader hundreds of pages later, and the coincidence does not seem so unlikely. It is neatly done. The visit to Miss Flite's sad little room is more significant to Esther than she will know for some time.

Dickens also firmly emphasizes Esther's female virtues by her tender kindnesses to the pathetic Peepy. Dickens returns to the neglected boy, which is a perhaps a recollection of himself during the hard times in his childhood, in the person of Jo later on in the novel. The neglected boys are signs for all the neglected and misused people of England, and are exceedingly affecting portraits to the reader because they are so well-drawn and believable.

Krook's shop is meant to be an almost completely undisguised symbol of the Court of Chancery. Krook is even called jocularly the Lord High Chancellor by his neighbors, because of his obsession with documents and the vast disorderedness of his shop. "All's fish that comes to my net" Krook says, and things go into Krook's shop and never come out. This tendency to swallow documents and lives captures exactly Dickens' commentary on the useless consumption and lack of justice in Chancery.

Miss Flite's little birds are introduced but not yet named, and her extreme poverty is shown as another wasteful result of the whole Chancery system. In this episode in Krook's shop, too, we learn of John Jarndyce's cousin Tom's suicide over the Jarndyce suit.

In Chapter 6, Bleak House becomes a haven of rest, order, and happiness. The young people are very glad to have found their benefactor and his home to be so inviting and agreeable. But even within the happiness and order of Bleak House an evil resides -- Mr. Skimpole, who appears to be most charming and amusing, raises the spectre of vice and parasitism, waste and selfishness that has been so evident in the descriptions of Chancery. Even in the best of British homes an evil can lurk, Dickens seems to say.

In Chapter 7 at Chesney Wold, the history of the Dedlocks is slightly illuminated. The past baronet appears to have been cruel to his wife, who in her own turn betrayed him, so the reader wonders if there is a parallel with the present baronet and his wife. The fantastic story of the Ghost's Walk is effectively told, in the darkening house on a rainy day.

Another clue as to the interconnectedness of Esther with the Dedlocks and the Chancery suit is dropped when Guppy has a moment of recognition with the portrait of Lady Dedlock. The reader is left hanging as to what the significance of that could be, for the reader doesn't know the exact age of Lady Dedlock, the but the possibility is tantalizingly dangled. Guppy is enforced as an unintentionally rude, lower-middle-class character who tries to be polite, but is nevertheless earnest, clever, and unfailingly honest and direct. He is a good foil to the machinations of Tulkinghorn, the stoicism of Lady Dedlock, and the rigidity of Sir Leicester and even of the good Mrs. Rouncewell.

The recounting of the ghost story sets the stage for a significant event which takes place on the Ghost's Walk, and also gives a feeling of impending doom.

Summary

Esther and Mr. Jarndyce discuss the Chancery suit, and Esther leans that it is a hopeless muddle, and anything left of the great fortune disputed within it has been consumed by legal costs. The story of Tom Jarndyce is related again; we learn that Bleak House, once called Peaks, took its name during Tom Jarndyce's lifetime because he allowed it to go to rack and ruin. The street of houses in London, which we will learn later is called Tom-all-Alone's, is part of the suit also. Esther learns that Mr. Jarndyce, who begs her to call him Guardian, has a little room he retreats to when he is out of sorts called "The Growlery."

Mrs. Pardiggle and her five miserable sons arrive for a visit. Mrs. Pardiggle is a country version of Mrs. Jellyby, another obsessive and misguided philanthropist who neglects her children in favor of a fashionable charity. She takes the young people to a brickmaker's hovel in the village, and there Ada and Esther witness not only the lives of poverty and filth and despair that the people there live, but also the death of the brickmaker's baby in his mother's (Jenny) lap. The girls are much moved, and Esther significantly covers the tiny corpse with her handkerchief. The young ladies are moved by the downtrodden, beaten brickmakers' wives (Jenny and Liz) comforting each other, and it is contrasted with their bluster and ineffectual do-gooding. They come back later to comfort Jenny.

In Chapter 9 Richard is unsure what to do with his life. Esther and Jarndyce had discussed what he should do for a profession, and the two agree that to ask him what he would like to do would be best. But Richard cannot decide, and it becomes apparent that the spectre of the Chancery suit, though he claims to ignore it, holds a psychic hold on him.

Mr. Boythorn has written Mr. Jandyce a letter, and he is coming for a visit. He arrives and proves to be a boisterous and agreeable companion. We learn that he was once to have been married, but his fiance "died to him." The dispute over the right-of-way between Sir Leicester Dedlock and Boythorn, who are neighbors, is introduced, and Boythorn is voluble in his criticism of the baronet. However, Boythorn is fond of Lady Dedlock.

Mr. Jarndyce writes to Sir Leicester Dedlock, who is a distant relative of Richard, to ask with help placing Richard in the world. He receives no likely help from that quarter.

It becomes obvious to Esther that Ada and Richard have fallen in love. Mr. Guppy arrives at Bleak House on an errand for Kenge and Carboy's. He proposes marriage to Esther, who firmly rejects him.

In Chapter 10 Mr. and Mrs. Snagsby and their law-stationery shop in London are described. Mrs. Snagsby is an awful termagent, and Mr. Snagsby is timid and cowed. They have a maid, Guster, who is prone to fits. It is a pathetic description, for Mr. Snagsby appears to be a decent man.

Mr. Tulkinghorn's London lodgings are described, where "lawyers lie like maggots in nuts". Mr. Tulkinghorn goes to Snagsby's shop to find out who copied out the paper of Jarndyce and Jarndyce in which Lady Dedlock took such an interest. The Coavinses sherrif's officers (bailiff's -- repossesion agents) offices, the firm in which Neckett the debt-collector for Skimpole employed, are nearby.

Mr. Snagsby informs Mr. Tulkinghorn that a man called Nemo (the Latin for "no one"), who lives above Krook's shop, is the copyist. Mr. Snagsby brings Mr. Tulkinghorn to Krook's shop, and Mr. Tulkinghorn goes up to Nemo's room, where he finds him lying on the bed with the scent of opium in the shabby room.

Analysis

We find Esther settled comfortably at Bleak House, and exploring the possible directions of the four denizens therein. An agreeable pattern of life is established, contrasting with the insitutional paralysis of Chancery and the dreary comfort of the Dedlocks. This peace, however, is soon unsettled by the intrusion of the ("good lady" though Jarndyce calls her) misguided Mrs. Pardiggle. Her introduction serves the novel's themes and plot both, as Esther sees the sadness of poverty and of infant death while, unbeknownst to her, her handkerchief plays a future plot role. Esther even foreshadows a bit when she says that the handkerchief was going to end up in someone else's bosom, rather than over the dead baby. This leads the reader to wondering who that would be.

The discussion of the Chancery suit in juxtaposition with the talk of Richard's future foreshadows Richard's ultimate doom. It is clear that he is has undirected motivations other than his love for Ada.

Mrs. Pardiggle parallels Mrs. Jellyby almost exactly, just in a different setting. Her miserable children are not as attractive, however, as Peepy and Caddy Jellyby. Mr Boythorn is a welcome change from Mrs. Pardiggle, and, in addition to providing diversion, he is yet another coincidental connection to the Dedlock household.

Tulkinghorn and Snagsby's obsession with documents contrasts strongly with the concerns of Esther and Jarndyce, who try remove themselves from the legal world of "signs and tokens" and concentrate on physical, daily, homey realities. This sets up a sort of dualism: "documents" and "signs" on the one hand; domesticity and empathy on the other. The most extreme representative of the first category is probably Nemo, whose very name ("no one") alludes to a total break with reality and a total absorption into the labyrinth of legalese and documents. The aimless stupor of his life, copying and re-copying meaningless and useless legal reports, becomes concrete in his use of opium, which he purchases with the money he earns through copying. This London world of documents, drugs, and poverty (with its apex in the cold splendor of Tulkinghorn's lodging and offices) is the opposite of the country world that Esther and Jarndyce inhabit. No points for guessing which world Dickens prefers.

Summary

Tulkinghorn and Krook find Nemo dead, apparently from an overdose of opium. Krook claims no knowledge of Mr. Nemo's identity or habits, and is chagrined because Nemo owes him six weeks' rent. Dr. Woodcourt (though he is not named immediately) arrives on the scene and reveals that Nemo has bought opium from him for a year and a half. Tulkinghorn learns from the ragamuffin Jo, a crossing-sweeper, that Nemo was a kind man, and gave Jo money when he had it. "He wos wery good to me, he wos!"

An inquest is held regarding Nemo's death, a silly proceeding in a tavern complete with a comic vocalist, and he is officially found dead by accident. Since Nemo had no money or family, he is buried in a pauper's grave.

In Chapter 12, the scene returns to Chesney Wold. The Dedlocks have returned, and have guests. Meanwhile Lady Dedlock continues to suffer ennui. Lady Dedlock meets the young maid Rosa for the first time, and takes a liking to her. This causes jealousy to arise in Lady Dedlock's personal lady's maid, Mademoiselle Hortense.

Tulkinghorn comes to Chesney Wold to inform Sir Leicester of the lawsuit brought upon him by his neighbor Boythorn. Tulkinghorn also has a message for Lady Dedlock concerning Nemo, whose handwriting was on the paper she had such interest in the last time he was at Chesney Wold, and tells of the law writer's death. She pretends that the death doesn't especially concern her; Tulkinghorn, unfooled, sees otherwise. The rest of the visit Lady Dedlock and Tulkinghorn watch each other carefully and surreptitiously.

In Chapter 13 Richard's future is under futher discussion. His education has been soley the Classics (meaning, in those days, ancient Latin and Greek literature). Richard knows nothing about what he would like to do, except that he doesn't want to become a minister in the Church of England. Mr. Jarndyce suggest the medical profession, and Richard quickly (too quickly) seizes upon the idea.

Mr. Boythorn -- along with Mr. Kenge, who is also present -- is enthusiastic about Richard's proposed medical career and propounds the maltreatment of doctors aboard Navy ships. The men discuss how Richard is to be gotten into the profession, and Mr. Kenge plans for his cousin, Dr. Bayham Badger, to take Richard as an apprentice.

As Mr. Badger lives in London, the party goes to London a few weeks later to get Richard settled. In London, Esther attends the theatre and is followed and stared at by the lovestruck Mr. Guppy. Ada and Richard's romance continues to blossom.

At Mr. Badger's house the party meets Dr. Allan Woodcourt, and Esther finds him attractive. The talk at the Badgers' is of an unconventional kind -- namely the wealth and prestige of Mrs. Badgers two deceased husbands. Esther tells Mr. Jarndyce that Ada and Richard are in love, but he advises the lovers that because they are too young, and because Richard is not yet established, they should wait to be married.

Analysis

Nemo's death, so eerie and sordid, leaves the reader thinking he can only be an ancillary and not central character in regards to Esther. But Allan Woodcourt's assertion that "he must have been something better once" leaves the door open for interpretation as to who this mysterious No-One could have been.

Lady Dedlock conceals her interest in Nemo's handwriting with consummate skill. In her we see a brittle, hardened society creature, who is unwilling to show her weakness, especially in a matter so scandalous as a penniless law writer's death. That Tulkinghorn could ever ferret out who Nemo might have been seems like a remote possibility to the reader, but Lady Dedlock has known Tulkinghorn for years, and she seems to fear that, even with only the barest hints of a mystery, the canny lawyer could find out the truth. It is evident that her fashionable boredness is covering great emotions, but the nature of those emotions is not yet revealed.

The Badgers, whose name implies a rooting, grumbling type of animal, are presented as interesting specimens of middle-class snobbery. The bizarre nature of both of the Badgers' fascination with Mrs. Badger's former husbands mars the scene of Richard's new venture with a taint of indecency. Dickens is fond of portraying fantastically illogical and objectionable wives (Mrs. Snagsby, Mrs. Pardiggle, Mrs. Jellyby, and now Mrs. Badger) and, to a lesser extent husbands (the brickmaker, Mr. Skimpole).

Mr. Guppy's attentions, never welcome, have become abhorrent to Esther, and the only thing that keeps her from informing her guardian is the fear that Guppy will lose his job on account of her. In this action, or lack of action, Esther shows another of her virtues -- her unwillingness to cause another person harm, even in though their actions may be injurious to herself.

Ada and Richard are painted rather romantically, and no real shadow of their future has fallen across them yet. They are not told that they may not marry, simply that they must wait. Both Ada and Esther wish fervently for Richard to prosper in his new position.

Summary

Richard leaves to start his studies. He is hopeful about a career as a surgeon, but continues to hope to inherit a fortune through the Jarndyce suit. Esther and Jarndyce find this troubling.

Esther and the others go to visit the Jellyby household, and see Caddy and Peepy. Peepy is in a disheveled state, as usual, but Caddy has endeavored to make her appearance somewhat better, and looks very pretty. She tells them good and bad news.

She is engaged to young Mr. Prince Turveydrop, the son of the dancing master Mr. Turveydrop. The old man is a "model of deportment" but makes his son do all the work in the dancing school. Also, Mr. Jellyby is on the brink of bankruptcy.

The party continues to Miss Flite, who is being attended professionally by Dr. Woodcourt. She has quite recovered, and talks merrily about her good fortune in being forwarded seven shillings a week from some mysterious source through Kenge and Carboy's. The source is not revealed, but Mr. Jarndyce, Esther notes, is staring intently at Miss Flite's birds (named allegorically: Hope, Faith, Jargon, Documents, Sheepskin, etc.) during this interlude, and Esther draws her own conclusions. Caddy Jellyby and Miss Flite have become friends, and Caddy helps Miss Flite to use her newfound money to best advantage.

Mr. Krook intrudes, and shares that he has been attempting to learn to read. Allan Woodcourt, who is also Mr. Krook's doctor, converses with the company, is invited to dinner, and becomes friends with Esther, Ada, and Richard.

In Chapter 15, Mr. Skimpole reveals that Mr. Neckett of Coavinses has died, leaving three destitute children. The party goes to visit them, and meets Charley (about 13), Tom (5 or 6) and Emma (18 months). The two younger children are locked in while Charley, whoses real name is Charlotte, goes out to work each day for some money. Charley is hardworking and tries hard to be a good mother to her younger siblings. The lodgers in the house (Mrs. Blinder, Mr. Gridley) help out with the children also, but their situation is desperate.

Mr. Gridley (the Man from Shropshire from Chapter 1) reveals that he is also embroiled in a Chancery suit which has ruined his life. He should have inherited money but the Chancery delay has consumed it. He and Jarndyce agree on the evils of Chancery.

In Chapter 16, Sir Leicester is afflicted with gout, and laying in sickbed at Chesney Wold. He considers it a privilege to have such an aristocratic disease, which all of his lineage have also had. He waits in the country looking at a picture of his lady.

Lady Dedlock, meanwhile, goes to their house in London and secretly leaves it dressed in servant's dress, veiled. Mr. Tulkinghorn sees her in passing, but does not recognize her. He finds, however, the ladylike bearing to be incongrous with the plain clothing.

Jo leaves Tom-all-Alone's, a street of vacant squatter's houses in a dingy street in London. He walks to his usual haunts near the court of Chancery.

Lady Dedlock seeks out and finds Jo the crossing-sweeper. Though he is abhorrent to her, she has him guide her to Krook's house where Nemo lodged. She is shown the tavern where the inquest took place, and then the charnel-house of bones behind an iron grate where Nemo's body was lain. She is horrified, gives Jo a gold coin, and disappears.

Analysis

Again, Dickens treats the dissarray of badly parented households. The Jellybys house is in an even more chaotic state than it was previously, and Caddy has taken a route out, by spending time with Miss Flite and becoming engaged to Prince Turveydrop. Another variation on the bad parent is presented in old Mr. Turveydrop, who is a vapid and pretentious man who cares only for appearances. His dead wife, and now his only overworked son, taken in by his accomplishments in "deportment," support him entirely; and now Prince spends all his time running the dancing school so his father can be seen around town in the fashionable places. No doubt Prince and Caddy bond over their difficult situations and unkind parents.

Miss Flite is yet another recipient of Mr. Jarndyce's quiet charity, though she fully believes it to come from the Lord Chancellor. Her strangely named birds are a direct jab at the legal system (Jargon, Sheepskin, Document, etc) and she remains a symbol, if a pleasant one, of the wastes and foolishness of Chancery. Mr. Gridley is introduced, as the aging but angry male counterpart of Miss Flite. His kindness to the Neckett children instantly makes him a sympathetic figure.

The seemingly unimportant detail of Mr. Krook learning how to read will be important to the story later. The scene at Miss Flite's creates another, separate meeting for Esther and Woodcourt, and brings Woodcourt closer into Esther and Jarndyce's circle.

Lady Dedlock's fantastic incognito trip to the scenes of Nemo's life and death give us some more insight into her character. She is repulsed by Jo, rather than feeling kindness and charity to him (though she does give him money), but continues on to see the place of Nemo's demise. We wonder what motivates her so strongly.

The Neckett children and Gridley are further examples of victims of the current system of society. Charley Neckett has had to become a woman much before her time, and even young Tom has had to learn to care for his baby sister. We are told by Mrs. Blinder than sometimes Charley can't find work, because her father was a "follerer" (a repossession man), and so the three children struggle to survive as orphans on their own. Mrs. Blinder and Mr. Gridley are kind to them (Mrs. Blinder forgives the rent, Mr. Gridley plays with them and gives them food), but they are not substitutes for good parents.

At the close of this section there is an eerie foreshadowing back at Chesney Wold -- Mrs. Rouncewell hears the step on the Ghost's Walk very loudly, implying that the fall of the pride of the house of Dedlock could be near.

Summary

Richard decides against the medical profession, and proposes to go into the law. He is would like to go into apprenticeship at Kenge and Carboy's, but his motivation is to keep an eye on "the forbidden ground" of his Chancery suit, rather than any deep desire for a career as a solicitor. He is also profligate with his money.

Mr. Jarndyce and Esther discuss her past, namely her godmother. Jarndyce doesn't claim to know her godmother, simply stating that he responded to her letter requesting that he become her guardian after her death. Esther is so overcome with gratitude, that she calls Jarndyce "Father", which troubles him.

In Chapter 18, Richard begins at Kenge and Carboy's. The rest of the party leave him in London, and go to visit Mr. Boythorn at his place down in Lincolnshire, which neighbors the Dedlocks' estate.

When the party goes to church, Esther sees not only Rosa, Mrs. Rouncewell, and Mademoiselle Hortense, but also Sir Leicester and Lady Dedlock. Esther seems to recognize Lady Dedlock's face, and wonders at the resemblance to her godmother's face. She also vaguely realizes that Lady Dedlock's face resembles her own when seen in the mirror.

Later, Esther, Ada, and John Jarndyce then go for a walk and take refuge in a gamekeeper's lodge when it rains. Lady Dedlock is already there, and Esther experiences another weird feeling upon meeting Lady Dedlock. Lady Dedlock and John Jarndyce are old acquaintances, but it appears Mr. Jarndyce was actually closer to Lady Dedlock's sister. They discuss Lady Dedlock's sister's death, as she "died in retirement." Esther admires Lady Dedlock's beauty and imperious manner. Lady Dedlock is kind and graceful to Ada, but gives not very much attention to Esther.

When the rain stops, both Rosa and Mademoiselle Hortense arrive to attend their mistress. Lady Dedlock slights Hortense by preferring Rosa over her, and Hortense takes her revenge by walking shoeless back to the house over the wet grass. Ada, Esther, and Jarndyce find this very curious, but the gamekeeper and his wife assure them that Hortense is not mad, only "passionate".

Chapter 19 takes place in the summertime in London, during the "long vacation" of the court. Mr. and Mrs. Snagsby have the minister Mr. Chadband and his wife to their house. Outside, an altercation takes place between Jo and a policeman, who is trying to make Jo "move on".

Mr. Guppy, at a loose end during the heat and long vacation, arrives and takes an interest in the proceedings. Money is found on Jo, and he explains that it the change left over from the sovereign given to him by the veiled lady. He explains that she said she was a servant, but acted like a lady, and she inquired into the places put in the newspaper about Nemo's lodging, work, and where he was buried. Once Jo had been employed to show her these things, she gave him the coin and disappeared. Guppy is most interested in this story.

Mr. and Mrs. Chadband meet Guppy, and learn he is in Kenge and Carboy's employ. Mrs. Chadband, who used to be Mrs. Rachael, tells Guppy that she used to be housekeeper for the godmother of Esther Summerson, whose wardship was handled by Kenge and Carboy's. Guppy is intrigued, for it is this same Miss Summerson that he now loves.

Jo is given a little food and a penny, and told to move on. He leaves and goes to sit on the pavement to eat it, and is told to "move on" again.

Analysis

Richard's decline is becoming more and more obvious. The fact that Ada does not have the either the intelligence or the necessary boldness to counsel Richard against pursuing the matter of Jarndyce and Jarndyce leads us to believe that either Ada is not a very strong character, or has a slight inner inclination toward greed (in that his solving the Jarndyce suit in his favor would benefit her, too). His tenure in Kenge and Carboy's can only bring sorrow, we are lead to believe.

The mystery of Esther's parentage deepens as we learn that Jarndyce, though he claims no knowledge of it, dislikes being called "Father" by Esther. Is this because he is actually her father, or because he knows who her father is? The fact that it is because he loves her in a romantic way is not yet revealed.

The two meetings with Lady Dedlock produce such strange feelings in Esther that there can now be no doubt that the two are closely linked in some way. The cryptic discussion of Lady Dedlock's sister opens the door to speculation if that woman could be Esther's godmother/aunt, and, possibly Esther's mother.

The strange reaction of Hortense to Lady Dedlock's slight is a direct foreshadowing of the revenge she will take later on in the story. Hortense is portrayed as almost maniacally jealous, and with reactions to negative emotions that are separate and different than what most people would expect. By this means, with the added fact of ther foreign birth, Dickens separates her from the rest of humankind. Later, this will give the reader the feeling of a comfortable "Other," when it is revealed that she is Tulkinghorn's murderer.

At the Snagsby's, the black comedy of Guster and the Chadbands shows the artifice and hypocrisy of so much of middle class life. Mrs. Snagsby tries hard to impress the minister and his wife, and is interrupted by her poor maid Guster's "fits." The lack of real concern that the people (other than Mr. Snagsby) have for Jo renders ironic the florid sermonizing done by Mr. Chadband. Mr. Chadband, though seemingly only a plot device to bring Mrs. Chadband, the former Mrs. Rachael, into the picture, is another example of the bad father (like the brickmaker, Mr. Skimpole, and Mr. Turveydrop), though he is a father of the spiritual kind.

Summary

Continuing in London during the long vacation, Mr. Guppy and Richard Carstone work alone in the offies at Kenge and Carboy's. As Guppy is very suspicious of anyone who enters into the employ of his firm, he instantly dislikes and surveils Richard. But Richard only spends his time on Jarndyce & Jarndyce, and since Guppy knows that is a fruitless pursuit, he is somewhat comforted.

Bart Smallweed is introduced, a 15 year old boy about the law offices, who very much wishes to be a clerk like Mr. Guppy. Guppy is somewhat indulgent of his small, strange admirer. Mr. Jobling, an unemployed law writer, is entertained by Guppy, with Bart, at a restaurant, where they discuss Jobling's lodging prospects, and Bart shows stupendous alacrity at adding up sums of money.

The party goes to Krook's where the old man is placated with liquor, and the room that Nemo formerly occupied is examined and found acceptable. Krook has cleaned it and put some furniture in it. The fact that Jobling (also called Tony, and Mr. Weevle for some reason by Guppy to Krook) is connected with Kenge and Carboy's through Guppy and the Jarndyce case is enough to recommend him as a lodger.

Chapter 21 takes place in the Smallweed household in an "ill-favoured" part of London. The family consists of Grandfather Smallweed, a paralytic usurer, Grandmother Smallweed, somewhat of an imbecile, and the twins Bart and Judy, their grandchildren. The entire famiy is grasping, greedy, untutored in any of the finer arts, violent and vulgar.

Into this house the young girl Charley Neckett has been brought to be a maid, and she is sorely overworked and maltreated. She is given the leftover slops for her tea, and generally considered to be a slave to be squeezed for every bit of work possible.

A visitor arrives, Mr. George Rouncewell, who is making a payment on a debt he owes to Grandfather Smallweed. Mr. Smallweed is a usurer, and the interest on the debt is very high. Mr. George, a bluff, hearty ex-soldier, is polite enough but his disdain for the grasping and sordid family is obvious. With him is Phil Squod, his very loyal servant in the shooting gallery that he runs. Phil is odd and disfigured, but we are to understand that he is a good man, like his master.

Mr. George, after attending a play, returns to his place of business, George's Shooting Gallery. We learn that Phil Squod was a foundling, left in gutter as a baby.

In Chapter 22, Mr Tulkinhorn dines in his rooms with Mr. Snagsby, who is concious of the honor. Mr. Bucket, a police Inspector, is lurking in the shadows of the room

(at Tulkinhorn's request), and comes forward to hear the story that Jo related to Mr. Snagsby about the veiled lady.

Mr. Bucket erroneously believes that some money was due to Mr. Nemo, and the "female," as he calls her, was up to some kind of fraud or larceny to get that money.

Mr. Bucket takes Mr. Snagsby down to Tom-all-Alone's to find Jo. There they meet the two brickmakers' wives from St Alban's, Jenny and Liz, and Jenny holds Liz's new baby in her arms. Mr. Bucket admires the young child, and they discuss how Jenny's baby had died. Liz despairs, however, of any chance for her own child, since he will be beaten by his father, and see his mother beaten, and become hard. There is a pathetic scene where Snagsby fancies that the brickmaker's baby is very like the Christ child with the halo around his head. The world has gotten no better for these two battered women.

Jo arrives, standing in a similar halo of light in the doorway. He fears he will be taken in for some crime, but Mr. Snagsby assures him that it is only a "job that he will be paid for." Snagsby gives him a half a crown, and they take him to Tulkinghorn's office.

Immediately upon entering the office Jo believes the he sees the veiled lady. He knows the veil and the dress she is wearing. But when the lady speaks and Jo sees her hands he changes his mind, and says she is not the lady. The disguised Lady is Mademoiselle Hortense, who has been dismissed by Lady Dedlock in favor of Rosa. Mademoiselle Hortense reminds Tulkinghorn that she no longer has a position, and extracts his recommendation for her, and then leaves. Snagsby goes home confused, and Jo is paid 5 shillings by Bucket and goes home.

Analysis

The ominious obsession of Richard and the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case increases, with the dusty silence and heat of the long vacation intensifying the feeling of impending doom. Guppy consorts with other young men of the law, and through him we learn of the Smallweed family.

The Smallweeds are another completely dysfunctional family, but rather than being spoiled by philanthropy they are spoiled by greed. Grandfather Smallweed is a vicious man who rules his family and household hard. Mr. George is, while a strong and healthy man, still a victim of not only the society which causes him to have to borrow money, but also the ruinous interest of Smallweed. Phil Squod is an adult parallel of Jo -- a foundling who, while disfigured, has found a kind of family with Mr. George, and a place to live and work.

The strange episode of Tulkinghorn with the lady's maid is still cryptic to the reader, but when Jo recognizes the dress the reader is lead to believe that, when dismissed by Lady Dedlock, out of revenge Mademoiselle Hortense goes to Tulkinghorn to tell him of the disguise that Lady Dedlock wore to do her errand with Jo. Jo's recognition of the clothing confirms it.

The pathetic scene in Tom-all-Alone's is a continuation of the one begun in St Alban's. Liz has a baby now, to which Jenny transfers her affections because her own baby died. The hopelessness of their lives, the brutishness of their husbands, and the utter lack of prospects for their children is fully illustrated in a few words of conversation with the not-unsympathetic Bucket.

Dickens is slowly springing the trap that Tulkinghorn has lain for Lady Dedlock. He has had two wisps of suspicion now -- the interest in the handwriting, and the faint possibility of a recognition when she passed him in the street, veiled, but up until now Tulkinghorn has had no proof. It is clear that Tulkinghorn doesn't yet know what Lady Dedlock's secret is, but he is definitely aware that she has a secret. Since he is so contemplative and tenacious, there is no doubt in the reader that he will discover it.

Summary

Mr. Jarndyce, Ada, and Esther return to Bleak House, leaving Lincolnshire and Mr. Boythorn's house. Esther didn't have any more meetings with Lady Dedlock, except to see her in church.

Back at Bleak House, Esther is visited by the strange and intense Mademoiselle Hortense. She calls Esther "amiable" and asks to be employed by her as a maid. Esther declines, and Hortense leaves in a black mood.

Caddy Jellyby asks Esther to come to London and help her talk to old Mr. Turveydrop and her own mother abut her and Prince's engagement. Esther does so, and the discussions with both parents are successful. Old Mr. Turveydrop is assured that he will be the young people's first consideration, and Mrs. Jellyby is resigned to the fact that Caddy has no sympathy for Africa. Esther renews her friendship with Peepy and the other neglected Jellyby children. Mr. Jellyby is suicidal, and attempts to throw himself ineffectually from the window, because of the horrible state of his finances.

Mr. Jarndyce, unbeknownst to Esther, has made arrangements for the Neckett family. Little Tom is in school, the baby Emma is being cared for by Mrs. Blinder, and Charley has been rescued from the Smallweeds and brought "as a present" to Bleak House. Esther is much worried at first that Charley is to be separated from her siblings, and she is a bit perturbed at Jarndyce's presumption, but when she is assured that Charley will see little Tom and Emma monthly she is placated.

Richard is unsatisfied with the law, and, maddeningly, turns to the idea of entering the army as an officer. He confides to Esther that he is in debt, and the further dissolution of this promising young man seems certain.

In Chapter 24, Richard does obtain a commision in the Army through the offices of the Lord High Chancellor. Mr. Jarndyce, as well as Esther and even the Court of Chancery, consider Richard to be capricious and unstable, and Mr. Jarndyce asks Richard and Ada to break their engagement. Ada does not want to break her engagement with Richard, for she loves him, but she does so out of deference for her cousin John's wishes.

A serious rift is caused between Jarndyce and Richard for the first time. Richard cannot forgive Jarndyce for making him break his engagement to Ada, and also for their disagreement over the Jarndyce case.

Richard practices swordsmanship with Mr. George. During a discussion with Mr. Jarndyce, Mr. George lets slip that he has all kinds coming to his shooting gallery: "even French women...show themselves dabs at pistol shooting."

Esther briefly meets Mrs. Chadband, the former Mrs. Rachael, at Kenge and Carboy's. The young people go to George's shooting gallery, and there they learn that poor Mr. Gridley is dying, and is hiding out in the shooting gallery, sheltered by Mr. George and Phil. His dying wish is to see Miss Flite.

Miss Flite is brought, and tries to give Mr. Gridley her blessing. Mr. Bucket, who has pursued Gridley for contempt of Court, has been looking for him for weeks arrives disguised as a doctor, but talks kindly to Gridley as he sees he is dying. While they are talking, Mr. Gridley dies, causing Miss Flight great grief.

In Chapter 25, the action moves back to the Snagsbys. For some time Mrs. Snagsby has suspected her husband of keeping a secret. She leaps to the conclusion that, because of his many kindnesses to Jo, he must be Jo's father.

Since Mrs. Snagsby has been "in a pious mood of late," she asks Mr. Chadband to interview Jo at the Snagsby's house, which he does with much bluster and florid language. He scolds Jo for he is not a beleiver, never having had anyone to teach him religion. From this interview Mrs. Snagsby thinks she is confirmed in her suspicions.

Guster takes a liking to the boy, and gives him a good supper, and pats him gently. The boy has never known any such kind personal attentions. Guster, who is also an orphan, feels so bad for the boy that she has to withdraw, for she feels a fit coming on.

Snagsby sees Jo before he goes, and gives him some more money. Jo flies off into the night, and Mrs. Snagsby sees this transaction and is further confirmed in her suspicions.

Analysis

Esther, with her calm femininity and adherance to duty, is contrasted sharply with the vengeful, angry Hortense. Dickens has built up quite an aura of ideal femininty around Esther, and to a lesser extent Ada, and most of the other female characters in the novel, including Lady Dedlock, do not compare favorably to their near-perfection of virtue.

Richard is changing status from a merely confused and directionless boy to a dangerously unsettled youth. He is the example of the young man of potential who cannot keep to any one employment. However, it is not for want of initiative, for he has no end of energy when it comes to the Jarndyce suit. This is another illustration of how the ills of Chancery can suck all the life out of people, as has fatally occurred with Gridley. Miss Flite and Gridley are the older examples of what Richard may become.

Jarndyce's presumption in plucking Charley from the Smallweeds and giving her "as a present" to Esther starts to arouse suspicion that Mr. Jarndyce may be emotionally attached to Esther in a way other than a guardian to a ward. The reader is pleasantly rewarded, however, with the complete salvation of Charley and her little siblings, who are now well cared for in this world, with some hope for the future. Charley is one orphan, at least, who will not be ground to death in the streets -- but again it is significant that she was not rescued by any institution such as government, philanthropy, or the Church, but rather by Jarndyce's personal charity and decency.

Ada and Richard having to break their engagement is a red herring to the reader, evoking the possibility that the two young lovers will not be together. In fact, the reader is led to hope that Richard will apply himself to his military commision. The disagreement between Jarndyce and Richard is another ominous cloud, and the first real instance of gloom in the little domestic world of Bleak House.

The ridiculous scene at Snagsbys is another example of the unhealthy mania of unhappy people like Mrs. Snagsby. Mr. Chadband is a singularly bad example of the ineffectuality of the church of England. Jo, however, gets a little relief after being subjected to the sermon.

The possibility of Frenchwomen being able to shot a pistol well is transparently planted by Mr. George's comment about his sometime customers. Dickens is very obviously setting up Mr. Tulkinghorn's murder. But it is an early clue, and can be soon forgotten in the midst of red herrings thrown around during the time of the murder.

Summary

At the shooting gallery, Phil Squod explains to his master, Mr. George, his sad childhood, and then his apprenticeship to a tinker. He was in an accident in a gasworks, and blown out of a window, and this is how he came to be so disfigured and ugly. He treats it as a trifle however, and is very cheerful, saying his age is something with an eight in it -- somewhere between 18 and 80. He's a likable chap.

Grandfather Smallweed arrives, along with his pinched and stingy granddaughter Judy. Smallweed talks of Richard Carstone, noting that he has a commision in the army. It is revealed that Richard has borrowed from Smallweed, but that his friends have paid it off.

Mr. George, though respectful, is skeptical of Richard's chances in the service. He becomes less respectful, however, when Mr. Smallweed asks for a sample of Mr. George's old army friend Captain Hawdon's handwriting. George informs him that even if he had it he would not share it with Mr. Smallweed. It is evident that Hawdon owes Smallweed money, and Mr. Smallweed thinks that Hawdon is still alive. Mr. Smallweed alludes to Mr. Tulkinghorn, who would like to examine a specimen of Hawdon's handwriting. Mr. George agrees to see Mr. Tulkinghorn, but to nothing more.

Chapter 27 starts in Tulkinghorn's office. He produces some papers, and asks Mr. George to compare the handwriting with that of Captain Hawdon's. George refuses to cooperate, denying he even has a sample of the handwriting. Tulkinghorn refuses to tell George why he wants the sample, and that cements in George his determination to refuse to cooperate. He wishes to get advice from a friend before going any further. Mr. George also tells Smallweed and Tulkinghorn that Captain Hawdon is dead. After George leaves, Mr. Smallweed vows to squeeze Mr. George of his debt, for refusing to cooperate.

Mr. George goes to his friends the Bagnets, who keep a music shop. Mrs. Bagnet counsels George to not get involved with the deep and canny lawyer and the slippery Smallweed, or with other things out of his depth. Having digested this advice, Mr. George, returns to Mr. Tulkinghorn and refuses to help.

In Chapter 28, the action switches to Chesney Wold. Sir Leicester is entertaining many of his relations, all of whom are poorer than he is. His poor elderly spinster cousin Volumnia is there, along with the Honorable Bob Stables.

One of Mrs. Rouncewell's sons, Mr. Rouncewell, has made money as an ironmaster (which is a manufacturer of iron) and educated himself enough to get into Parliament. Mr. Rouncewell arrives to ask for the hand of Rosa for his young son Watt. The interview between Sir Leicester and Mr. Rouncewell is frosty, for Mr. Rouncewell would like to educate Rosa better than she has been at the village school, which is supported by the Dedlocks. This ruffles the feathers of the Dedlocks, thinking that this ironmaster has become uppity.

Rosa and Lady Dedlock talk, and Lady Dedlock implores Rosa to stay with her a little while longer. Rosa tearfully agrees.

Chapter 29 has the Dedlocks closing up Chesney Wold against the cold, and moving up to London. Tulkinghorn visits and causes internal distress in Lady Dedlock, but nothing passes between them about Tulkinghorn's hunt after Lady Dedlock's secret.

Lady Dedlock has received many letters from Mr. Guppy of Kenge and Carboy's, and finally decides to receive him. There he tells her a few significant points. He wants to know if she knows Miss Esther Summerson. She admits she has met her. He asks her if she thinks that Esther resembles anyone in her family -- she says that she doesn't believe that she does. He explains that, from Mrs. Chadband, he has learned that Esther Summerson was really Esther Hawdon. This is an obviously shocking revelation to Lady Dedlock, but she hides her face behind a fan and does not show her emotion.

Then Guppy tells her that there were some old letters found in a secret place (by Jobling) in Nemo/Hawdon's old lodging, and he plans to get hold of them tonight. He asks if this is agreeable to her ladyship, and she says it is. Guppy goes off on his errand, and Lady Dedlock experiences intense grief. Her sister (Miss Barbary) had lied to her -- she said her child died soon after birth. Obviously Miss Barbary had taken the child, Esther, away, and raised her herself, never letting Lady Dedlock know of her existence or whereabouts. In addition, now Lady Dedlock is sure that Nemo was Hawdon, and died in those horrible circumstances.

Analysis

The intrusion of Grandfather Smallweed into the relatively happy masculine world of the shooting gallery upsets what little peace of mind Sgt. George has. The evil usurer is always looking for an angle, and he attempts to get the piece of writing of Mr. Hawdon from George himself, and take whatever reward Tulkinhorn would have offered. George, the faithful soldier, goes and investigates, and is disconcerted by the slippery lawyer and his schemes.

He retreats to the first truly happy nuclear family presented in Bleak House. The Bagnets are a model lower-middle-class family; happily married, with enough money to get by, no pretensions, social airs, philanthropic manias, or religious extremism to spoil their happy home. Most importantly, the parents are civil and kind to each other, and the mother, especially, is attentive and loving toward the children. This is almost uncharted territory for this novel, since the only truly happy home we have seen before this is the artificially assembled non-nuclear family of the people of Bleak House.

Within the womb of this happy family, Mr. George is well-counselled by Mr. and Mrs. Bagnet to have nothing to do with Tulkinhorn and his kind. This advice, and Mr. George's subsequent decision, follows the Dickensian theme of rejecting the unreal, document-driven world of the law and business (as represented by Tulkinghorn and Smallweed) for the "real" world of home, family, honor, and duty (as represented by the Bagnets). George is still in peril, however, from the ruthless financial squeezing of Smallweed.

The class consiousness is less based on documents than it is on snobbery in the clash between Rouncewell and Dedlock over Rosa. This element of romantic intrigue for Rosa adds interest, but is not a central element of the story.

Tulkinghorn stalks Lady Dedlock's secret, and it appears, back in London, that she knows of his hunt. She is still the image of propriety, but after Guppy's stunning revelations one wonders how long she can keep up the facade. The melodrama of her finding out that Esther is her child, which she had thought dead, does indeed soften the reader's opinion of Lady Dedlock.

The parallel with Jenny's dead infant, which died in actuality, and Lady Dedlock's supposedly dead infant show up the stark differences between the women, and the similarities. Jenny is limited by class and status from altering her life after the loss of her child; unable to leave her husband, she latches on to her friend's baby as an object of affection. Lady Dedlock, in contrast, retreats to the world of high society, becomming brittle and bored, but places some affection in the girl Rosa, who she seems to adopt as a surrogate daughter (she calls her "pet"). Superficially, Jenny takes the winner's share of virtue in this contrast, as her miserable circumstances insist upon the reader's sympathy; however, the possibility that Lady Dedlock's cold, brittle, bored persona could have been formed out of grief rather than pure priviledge makes for a much more complicated and sympathetic figure. Lady Dedlock has lost both of the beings she most loved in the world -- her lover and her daughter. The idea that she could yet encounter one of these two beings drives the chapters to come.

Summary

Mrs. Woodcourt comes to stay at Bleak House for three weeks. Esther has a troubling encounter with her: she is rather insulted, though she pretends not to be, by the old lady's insinuation that Mr. Woodcourt pays attention to girls that he's not really interested in for marriage (i.e. Esther). This is insulting to both Woodcourt and to Esther, and Esther hopes that it isn't true.

Esther helps Caddy with her trouseau, and helps dress her mother appropriately for Caddy's wedding to Prince. Mr. Jellyby has made it through his bankruptcy as well as could be done, and is back at the office to "begin the world anew." The Jellyby family has survived.

The happy day arrives for the young Caddy and Prince. They marry in church, and Ada and Esther attend as bridesmaids. The two are off to the seaside for a short week-long honeymoon, which must seem to the overworked pair like an enternity of happiness. There is general rejoicing at their union. The parents of the pair are not changed, but all seem at least accepting of the marriage. Esther and Jarndyce hope and expect that the two will find happiness in marriage.

Chapter 31 opens back at Bleak House. Esther has been teaching Charley reading and writing, and, though she tries gamely, Charley is not particularly good with the pen.

Charley tells Esther that the brickmaker's wife, Jenny, is back in St Alban's, and that she has a sick orphan boy with her. The city officials will not help him. Esther and Charley go immediately to help, and see Jo in a state of delirium. He seems to recognize Esther, and think that she is the veiled lady. Charley carefully tends him, and Esther and Charley manage to get Jo to come with him. He tries to leave them and to go lie down by the warm bricks by the kiln, but they persuade him to come with them to a loft on the Jarndyce property.

Mr. Skimpole, who once was a trained doctor, tells Jarndyce that Jo has a terribly contagious disease, probably smallpox. Charley nurses the boy, but he soon runs away, though not before spreading the disease to Charley. She is nursed faithfully back to health by Esther, and Ada and the rest of the household are kept strictly away to avoid contagion. Just when Charley is getting better, Esther falls seriously ill with the same disease, and goes temporarily blind.

Back in London, in Chapter 32, Mr. Snagsby is still hounded by the suspicions of his wife. Mr. Weevle (Jobling) and he meet, and they enter Krook's shop together, which has more than the usual fetid odor about it -- in fact this time it is so offensive that Mr. Snagsby leaves.

Weevle and Guppy meet later, and go up to his room. At the appointed hour of midnight they are to meet Krook, who would bring the letters written by Captain Hawdon. After admiring some of the engravings of British Beauties, including a likeness of Lady Dedlock, that Weevle has, they go down to meet Krook. They find a singularly offensive odor an a strange black soot. They eventually discover the remains of Krook, who has apparently died of spontaneous combustion.

Analysis

The old and strange Mrs. Woodcourt, with her long tales in Welsh, give us a look at some of the prejudices of the English toward the Welsh in Victorian times. Mr. Woodcourt, though of this line, does not seem to be very Welsh other than his dark complexion, but his mother is immersed in the history and her imagined royal lineage. This contrast between the Welshness of the mother and the Engishness of the son makes the son attractive to Esther, though she may worry that she would have an enemy of a mother-in-law if she married Woodcourt. But that possibility seems remote, since not only does Mrs. Woodcourt imply that Woodcourt has trifled with Esther, but also she predicts that Esther will marry someone rich, respectable and older (Jarndyce, though he is not named). This troubles Esther.

Some of the disarray of the Jellyby and Turveydrop households has been assuaged by the marriage of young Caddy and Prince. The older characters haven't changed, but they've accepted that their children will be married and they endeavor, as best they can, to make them happy. The pathetic and comic are juxtaposed here, with the wild untended Jellyby children wreaking havoc and the old Mr. Turveydrop being so insufferably dignified. The wedding is a foreshadowing of the happy end for Woodcourt and Esther.

Another episode of melodrama is the illnesses of Jo, Esther, and Charley. The mission of mercy which brings the contagion to Bleak House is only visited on Esther and Charley, so the reader is saved from reproaching Esther for her kindness to Jo. Jo inexplicably runs away, making it impossible for Esther to understand his role in the secret of her parentage being slowly found out. The appearance of the two brickmakers' abused wives in this episode only adds to the tragedy.

The disease itself is one of the most obvious metaphors in the book for the illness of poverty that afflicts the English "body." Jo, the lowest of the low, contracts the disease and, untrained to trust anyone, fails to receive proper treatment. He spreads the illness up the social ladder, from the low-class but well-intentioned Charley and then on to Esther. In like way, Dickens suggests, the economic and social problems rife in England affect all of society, not only those who "have" the disease -- that is, not only the very poor. The whole body politic is infected in attempting, ineffectually, to treat the disease of poverty.

The completely fantastic and unbelievable ending of Krook was probably accepted by many of the readers of the time -- although Dickens was plagued by skeptics enough that he provided Bleak House with a "scientific" preface defending the existence of spontaneous combustion for the three-volume edition of the work. The social criticism implied by Krook's combustion is sharp and apt -- the (nicknamed) "Lord Chancellor" is consumed in his own internal fire, and dies in a way unlike the rest of humanity, for the legal system is such a far remove from real human life that it renders its adherents into something less than human.

Summary

The story of Krook's death and the aftermath continues. Weevle (Jobling) and Guppy go to the Sol's Arms tavern. Miss Flite is rescued from her room, and brought to the Sol's Arms and given a bed for the night.

The neighborhood is much disturbed by the fantastic end of Mr. Krook, and the crowd pushes into the tavern. All of the Smallweeds arrive, and it is revealed that Grandmother Smallweed was originally a Miss Krook, the sister of Mr. Krook. Grandfather Smallweed thus comes to own Krook's shop. There is general confusion in the tavern, with Mrs. Snagsby reproaching Mr. Snagsby for coming in to hear the news, and Mr. Smallweed knocking Mrs. Smallweed about, because she starts to babble.

The Coroner finally arrives, and Mr. Krook's shop is shut up. Guppy goes to Dedlock's the next day, and tells Lady Dedlock that he can't get the letters, though he thinks that the letters were destroyed with Mr. Krook. Lady Dedlock seems relieved. Mr. Tulkinghorn arrives on business at this time, and sees Guppy. He is instantly suspicious.

Chapter 34 shows us Mr. George, having had Mr. Bagnet as a co-signer, in dire straights about a hundred-pound debt that is now overdue to Mr. Smallweed. George and Bagnet cannot get the money in time, and Smallweed, unsurprisingly, refuses another renewal. He refers them to his lawyer, Tulkinghorn.

Tulkinghorn, already resentful toward Mr. George, reiterates Smallweed's demands, and George is put in an impossible position. Either he gives into Tulkinghorn's request for Captain Hawdon's handwriting, or he and (and this is no small matter to him) Phil Squod will be out on the street. Also, George's dear friend Bagnet is involved in this, and he is loathe to put the Bagnets in jeopardy. The struggle is difficult for George, and if it had only been his affairs in jeopardy he wouldn't have relented, but he cannot drag his friends down.

George gives Tulkinhorn the paper, which releases Bagnet from the contract, and renews the note. He goes to the Bagnets for dinner, and the family, especially Mrs. Bagnet, cheer him.

Chapter 35 finds us back at Bleak House, and after the most serious kind of illness Esther is nursed very slowly back to health. Charley is her faithful nurse all the time, and Esther's sight is restored. However, she fears for the scars to her complexion, and when Charley grudgingly gives her the mirror, Esther realizes that any beauty that she had is now gone.

Esther asks Mr. Jarndyce to let her and Charley leave for a while to get used to her new appearance before seeing Ada. It is decided that Esther will go to Boythorn's, for he, in his friendly and chivalric fervor, has sworn that unless she comes and uses his house that he will tear it down, brick by brick. Esther and Jarndyce have a happy reunion, and Esther is charmed and warmed by Mr. Jarndyce's obvious deep affection for her. Jarndyce tells Esther how Richard and he are almost completely estranged because of Richard's foolish jealousies over the Chancery suit.

Miss Flite comes to visit, and explains how her entire family was ruined by their Chancery suit. She prophesies ominously about Richard and his obsession with Chancery. Miss Flite also tells a curious story about a veiled lady who enquired at Jenny's cottage about Esther's condition. While there, she took Esther's handkerchief, which had been saved with Jenny's dead baby's things, without Jenny's knowledge, and left some money behind. Miss Flite thinks that the veiled lady was probaby the Lord Chancellor's wife, but Esther thinks it was probably Caddy Jellyby. Miss Flite also regales Esther with a story of Dr. Woodcourts heroism in a shipwreck.

Analysis

The fantastic and gruesome end of Krook casts its ugly shadow over the proceedings at the Sol's Arms, and the equally sordid jealousy of Mrs. Snagsby and the cruelty of the Smallweed family is highlighted. All is in disarray and ugliness, and Guppy has been a witness to it.

He hurries the next day to Lady Dedlock, who says she will receive him at any time, and is sad to bring bad news to her. She affects not to care, but the affair is obviously coming to a head. The plot device of Krook's demise is Dickens way of heralding that now the entire world that these characters have built up in the first half of the novel is about to come crashing down. The signs of demise are everywhere -- George's debt, Tulkinghorn's sucessess in his ruthless quest, Krook's death, the revelation of Lady Dedlock's daughter, and even Esther's illness and recovery show that nothing is going to ever be the same again.

Esther and Charley's heroism in the face of their own and each other's illnesses is a parallel to the story of Woodcourt's heroism. In typical Dickensian (and Victorian) fashion, the heroism of the man is a public dramatic one; the heroism of the woman is a private, domestic one.

The veiled lady coming to Jenny's cottage is no doubt Lady Dedlock, and the reader is left to wonder at that Lady's boldness. It becomes apparent that Lady Dedlock is getting to the point where she can't, or doesn't want, to keep up the pretense any longer. She knows Hawdon is dead, and her child is alive. She cannot have as much motivation as she previously has had to keep her awful secret, and she is in constant fear that Tulkinghorn may know her secret and expose her.

Esther is shy about allowing Ada to see her scarred face, much moreso than she is about allowing Mr. Jarndyce to see it. This is a strange way of revealing the childishness of Ada. She is to be shielded from, rather than allowed to share, Esther's suffering and grief. Ada seems incapable of handling adult matters, or even of seeing the suffering and injustice so common in the world. This is clear in her interaction with Richard as well, whom she does not contradict or redirect even though his life's trajectory is so obviously heading for disaster. Ada, though only slightly younger than Esther, is comparatively a child.

Summary

Esther and Charley visit Boythorn's house while he is London. Mr. Jarndyce accompanies them to make sure they arrive safely, then he goes back to Bleak House to be with Ada until they are both to go back to Boythorn. Esther is made most comfortable there, and is waited on carefully by the housekeeper. Boythorn has left a cheerful note, and charged Esther with the care of his bird, which is a great compliment.

Esther and Charley go about on long daily walks in the fine weather. One day Esther is sitting contemplating the Ghost's Walk, and sees a lady coming near her. She doesn't realize who she is until Lady Dedlock is within speaking distance. Lady Dedlock comes to Esther, and tells Esther to send Charley back home.

Lady Dedlock pours out her heart, and tells Esther that she is her daughter. There is a touching scene where the two women embrace and weep. Esther is told about how Lady Dedlock was nearly frantic during her illness, and how she was not abandoned as a child. Lady Dedlock didn't abandon her -- she was told by her elder sister that the child was still born, or died soon after birth. Esther cannot believe that she is being held, finally, by her mother, but her happiness soon turns to sorrow. Lady Dedlock, not for herself but for the honor of her husband, will try to keep the secret. If she cannot she will try to minimize the damage. She asks Esther to not tell anyone, but allows her to tell Mr. Jarndyce.

Lady Dedlock says this can be their only meeting, and Esther strangely agrees. She seems to think only of duty and avoiding scandal for the Dedlocks, not for her own needs. Her mother leaves her, and she goes back to Boythorn's and tries to avoid revealing her secret to Charley. She reads and burns the note her mother sends her detailing the circumstances of her birth, and her feelings for Esther. Esther is tormented by desires that she were never born, but the next day she receives letters from Jarndyce and Ada that renew her hope and happiness. Ada arrives, and is unchanged in her love of Esther even with her scarred face, and the girls are joyfully reunited.

In Chapter 37, while the party is still at Mr. Boythorn's, Charley tells Esther that she's wanted at the Dedlock Arms. Mr. Skimpole and Richard (who has become estranged from Mr. Jarndyce) are staying there, and have become fast friends. Esther is upset and worried that Skimpole will be a bad influence on Richard.

Richard is on leave from the army, and is working on the Jarndyce suit. He walks back to the house with Esther, and meets Ada, and there is no diminishing of the love between them. Richard's interest in Chancery verges on obsession, and Esther is critical of Richard, particularly of his hostility to Mr. Jarndyce, who has only been generous and kind, to a fault, to Richard.

Mr. Skimpole, in his sponging way, has his expenses paid by Richard, and has introduced him to the highly unscrupulous lawyer Mr. Vholes. We later learn that Vholes paid Skimpole to introduce him, as Richard is ripe pickings for a lawyer who is willing to pursue a fruitless suit in Chancery and deceive his client.

Esther goes to London, on the pretext of seeing Caddy and Prince Turveydrop. She visits with them, and sees their happy, if laborious life under the oppression of Mr. Turveydrop. Caddy's father, Mr. Jellyby, has taken to coming to their house every evening, and Caddy and her husband and father seem quite happy.

Esther has a specific mission -- to warn Guppy off the trail of her parentage, in an attempt to save the her mother's reputation. The interview with Guppy is made humorous by his surprise at her changed appearance, but she assures him that she has no desire to marry him, and agrees that there was never any agreement between them. For his part, Guppy agrees to drop his investigations into her past. Guppy's mother, a vulgar person, sniggers at Esther's face. Guppy, however, endeavors to be as polite as possible, and seems truly to struggle with the fact that he no longer can love her because of her scarred face.

Analysis

The highly melodramatic Chapter 36 marks the mid-point, plotwise, of the novel. All the events afterward turn on this revelation, and Esther's reaction to it has struck many readers as strange and unreal. It does seem a little bit overwrought from our perspective, to have Esther thinking more of the reputation of the Dedlocks than her own need for her mother, but England of the 1850s was a very different world, and illegitimate children and their parents were not accepted into any kind of good society. There was no choice, essentially, for Lady Dedlock after she married Sir Leicester -- keeping his reputation intact depended, and continues to depend completely, on her keeping her secret.

Lady Dedlock's softening and her tenderness to her daughter are a welcome contrast to Esther's cold and unloved childhood. We learn that the villain -- though she thought she was doing good -- of the story is Esther's aunt, Lady Dedlock's sister, who essentially stole the child (who was not expected to live) and raised her in secrecy, for some reason concealing the life even from the child's own mother. This kind of puritanical mania and martyr-like selfishness is abhorrent to Dickens, and Lady Dedlock, so long criticized, shows up favorably against the conduct of her sister.

The reunion of Esther and Ada is touching, also, and surprisingly brief. That Ada would love her all the same even with her scarred face no one doubts but Esther, who, while having a strangely large amount of self-confidence, is almost unfailingly self-abnegating.

Richard's self-destructive tendencies have reached a very low point, in linking himself with Skimpole and Vholes. He grows further separated from the sane world of Jarndyce, Esther, and Ada, though he claims he still loves Ada, and Ada obviously still loves him.

The domestic interlude at the Turveydrops shows that, while the Jellyby and Turveydrop households are still under the evil influence of old Mr. Turveydrop and Mrs. Jellyby, some alleviation of sorrow of Caddy, Prince, and Mr. Jellyby has been the consequence of the marriage.

The episode of Esther facing down Guppy and his mother shows her own very highly developed sense of personal courage, and also, perhaps, her gentle disdain of Guppy. She is not shy to be seen as ugly in his eyes, perhaps because she never desired his regard in anyway. She makes it clear to him that he is not to continue in the search for her parentage. Esther is doing everything that she can to shield her mother.

Summary

Mr. Vholes, the unscrupulous lawyer, has got his hooks into Richard. Richard chafes with impatience at the dragging on of the Jarndyce case, and Vholes tells him to be patient. He demands twenty pounds, which Richard does not have. Weevle has occasion to observe Richard, and remarks to Guppy that Richard's case is a case of "smouldering" combustion -- making a grisly joke about the spontaneous combustion of Krook. It seems certain now that Richard is on a descent that cannot be reversed.

Guppy, though he has been charged by Esther not to pursue the matter, thinks that possibly Captain Hawdon's papers might have survived the fire. Smallweed has kept Krook's shop shut up, and is searching for things of value through the mounds of Krook's collected papers of a lifetime.

Tulkinghorn snidley questions Guppy about his association with Lady Dedlock, and Guppy, loyally, gives nothing away.

Chapter 40 concerns itself with the Parliamentary elections, which appear to be going more towards Mr. Rouncewell the ironmaster's way rather than Sir Leicester Dedlock's way. Cousin Volumnia, clumsily, tries to provide encouragement.

Tulkinghorn is present, and with an sadistic turn of mind decides to tell a story, without names, exactly paralleling the sad story of Esther, Lady Dedlock, and Captain Hawdon. As an added twist of the knife, Tulkinhorn adds, obliquely, the element that Lady Dedlock's pretty maid, Rosa, is being morally corrupted by being near her. Volumnnia is certain such a lady doesn't exist, and Sir Leicester seems uninterested. Lady Dedlock knows that she is completely in Tulkinghorn's power now.

It is later in the day when, in Chapter 41, Lady Dedlock confronts Tulkinghorn in his own room. She wants to know why Tulkinghorn would choose to tell the story publicly, and with her husband in the room. This was just Tulkinghorn's way of letting her know that he knew all. What transpires next is an intense scene between the two, where Lady Dedlock threatens to leave Chesney Wold immediately with only the clothes on her back and a little money.

Tulkinghorn, surprisingly, now shows that he does have some human feeling, if only for Sir Leicester's reputation rather than for Lady Dedlock's feelings. He does not wish to have Sir Leicester exposed -- at least not at this time. He will hold the secret over his lady's head, but he promises that he will tell her beforehand should he decide to reveal it.

Chapter 42 brings Tulkinghorn back to London, where he converses with Snagsby. Mr. Snagsby has been harassed by the discarded maid, Mademoiselle Hortense, who tries desperately to contact Tulkinghorn.

Hortense is resentful of Tulkinghorn, because he used her to gain information through Jo by the ruse of dressing in Hortense's clothing. She has not been given any consideration of a new position, though he had told her he would do so. He goes back on his promise (though, in a lawyerly fashion, he denies the letter of a promise, though he obviously intended Hortense to think that he was promising at the time) and threatens Hortense with jail. The woman leaves, vowing to hound Tulkinghorn forever.

Analysis

The incredibly taut scene of Tulkinghorn telling Lady Dedlock's story to a room of her family and guests shows the nearly superhuman amount of self-control that Lady Dedlock has, and the nearly subhuman amount of humanity that Tulkinghorn has. He verbally tortures her, in front of the most sensitive of witnesses, apparently out of the joy of hurting her. He delights in secrets, and the power they give him over others. He has proved to be a misogynist, being unmarried himself: we recall his thoughts earlier in the novel that women cause most of the trouble in the world, but also make a lot of business for lawyers.

It really seems as if this might be the end for Lady Dedlock -- she is so determined to leave on the night of Tulkinghorn's revelation, and only the thought of hurting Sir Leicester so dreadfully keeps her back. She is getting to the point where she has less and less to lose, which makes her dangerous.

The equally sub-human Hortense arrives and demands retribution from Tulkinghorn, only to be rebuffed. She is seen as most tenacious and single-minded woman, who hates her former mistress and can only obtain employment for herself by squeezing others. Snagsby seems to be quite victimized by her.

Dickens stars throwing clues around willy-nilly at this point. Both Lady Dedlock and Hortense have reason to want Tulkinghorn dead, but does Sir Leicester actually know the secret, too? Tulkinghorn's death is foreshadowed, but it is still done skillfully enough to be unexpected.

There is a sharp satire of British political parties at the beginning of Chapter 42, which doesn't really add anything to the story. Like the call for legal reform that echoes throughout Bleak House, the sense in this political debate that the old, corrupted system might be giving way to a more enlightened and effective reform system resonates with the social, political, economic critique at the heart of the novel.

Summary

Though Esther desperately wants to speak to or to write to her mother, she doesn't dare, for fear of ruining her. There is a very real fear for her mother, but Esther admits that she thinks of her constantly and very much desires to be with her.

Ada finally wakes up to the fact that Richard may be destroying himself with the pursuit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, and tries, with Esther, to get to some kind of resolution with Mr. Jarndyce. Mr. Jarndyce proposes that they go to Mr. Skimpole's home. Skimpole lives in dingy but artistic poverty with his sickly wife and three daughters. Mr. Skimpole's sons have run away. His children are like him in their complete lack of interest in time or money.

Jarndyce now enjoins Skimpole to not let Richard give anymore money either to himself or to Mr. Vholes. Skimpole as always claims no knowledge of such matters, but Jarndyce extracts a promise.

Back at Bleak House, Sir Leicester Dedlock, on his way back home to Lincolnshire, calls unexpectedly at Bleak House. He wants to make sure that Jarndyce, his wards, and Mr. Skimpole know that they are all welcome in his house, despite the dispute with Mr. Boythorn. Skimpole had apparently been slighted when he went to view the portraits at Chesney Wold, and Sir Leicester wants to assure him that he toom is welcome. Esther dislikes all the talk of family portraits, for obvious reasons.

Later, Esther confides what she knows to Jarndyce -- namely that she is the daughter of Lady Dedlock. Jarndyce, his his turn, tells Esther that Lady Dedlock's sister, Miss Barbary, who raised her, for her own prideful and inscrutable reasons was the same woman that had "died" to Mr. Boythorn. Miss Barbary gave up Mr. Boythorn to live in seclusion and raise Esther. Esther is amazed.

In Chapter 44, Jarndyce, in his usual generous manner, is prepared to assist Esther and her mother in every possible way. He, too, sees the danger of Tulkinghorn. Esther tells him of her visit to Guppy, warning him off. Esther is also suspicious of Hortense, but doesn't know that she knows anything.

The letter turns out to be a forthright marriage proposal. Esther is shocked and touched, and also conscious of the great love Jarndyce must hold for her to think nothing of her scarred face or the illegitimacy of her birth. When they are alone, a week later, she answers him with a kiss, and says she will be "mistress of Bleak House".

At the end of this conversation, in a strange manner, he asks Esther to send Charley to his room to retrieve a letter, that he will have written to Esther.

In Chapter 45, Mr. Vholes arrives at Bleak House. He brings the terrible news that Richard is completely destitute, and in fact is in debt, and very well may lose his Army commision.

Esther goes to visit Richard in Deal, in the county of Kent (southeast England). She takes Charley along, and a letter from Ada that generously offers Richard her small inheritance. He is in a terrible state (and, Esther notes, not in uniform) and wants to go to London to pursue Jarndyce and Jarndyce once more.

Luckily, Allan Woodcourt is in Deal, freshly returned from the East. Esther is much relieved to have a steady male friend for Richard back in the country, and Woodcourt promises to try to help Richard back onto the straight and narrow. Esther sees that Woodcourt's concern for her scar-ravaged face is not just a doctor's lack of repulsion. She is attracted to him once again, but will not let herself be for many reasons (her engagement to Jarndyce, her scars, her scandalous birth, etc.)

Chapter 46 finds Woodcourt again in London, walking in Tom-all-Alone's where he sees Jenny, the brickmaker's wife badly bruised from yet another beating from her drunken husband. Jenny is back in London with her husband, looking for work. She is sitting on the step waiting for the lodgings to open. Dr. Woodcourt treats her forehead, and turning away he sees Jo and vaguely remembers him.

Jenny runs after him, wanting to stop him. Allan thinks Jo might have robbed her, but Jenny only wanted to talk to Jo. She had taken care of him in St Alban's, and nursed him with the smallpox he eventually gave to Esther. Jo and Woodcourt leave Tom-all-Alone's.

Analysis

Esther and Ada continue in their pattern of trying ineffectually to help Richard out of his difficulties. The distressing nature of Esther's inability to communicate with the mother, and her mother's iminent peril definitely weighs on her.

The visit to the Skimpoles is in some ways meant to be comedic, but the irresponsibility of their household is such that the lightness of the tone rings false. Esther, especially, is concerned for the "Beauty" daughter, who is married with two children, and looks too young for either state. Skimpole's family is much like him -- infantile and constantly protesting their unworldliness.

The very surprising visit of Sir Leicester softens the reader's opinion of him, a bit. The further revelations between Esther and Jarndyce serve to bring them closer into a kind of intimacy they hadn't had before.

Jarndyce takes this opportunity for his passionless letter-borne marriage proposal, by which Esther feels very flattered and honored, despite the fact that she is not romantically in love with her guardian. This was well-disguised enough by Dickens to be a bit of a shock to the reader who hadn't quite predicted it. Jarndyce had only ever been fatherly, and until recently there was the possibility that Esther had been his own daughter. It is a happy, fortunate development for Esther, but the reader feels that she still must love Mr. Woodcourt.

And just to make the contrast all the clearer, Mr. Woodcourt magically appears at Deal, and is ready to help Esther with the wayward Richard. She is now unable to allow herself to love Woodcourt, because she is engaged to Jarndyce. But no one else yet knows of their engagement. The romantic suspense builds.

Woodcourt, in yet another example of his continually rescuing persona, rescues Jo just in time to give him a death surrounded by friendly faces, with a little comfort. It is a melodramatic scene, but the death of an innocent child can never be unaffecting. It was very well received by its Victorian readers.

Summary

It is clear that Jo is once again very ill, and starving. He tells Woodcourt that he ran away from Esther, but he was "took away, by someone he dursn't name." He cannot keep straight the identities of Lady Dedlock, Hortense, and Esther Summerson.

At some point, we learn, Mr. Bucket put Jo in hospital, and when he was well he was discharged and told to "move on." Allan gives him wine and food, and takes him to Mr. George's shooting gallery. There he is received and aided, with the attendance of Dr. Woodcourt, but the child dies piteously, with the first prayer of his life, dictated by Dr. Woodcourt, on his lips.

Turning to Chapter 48, Lady Dedlock has resolved to remove Rosa from her employ, and place her with Mr. Rouncewell to be educated for his son, so as to save the girl from any taint when the scandal of their marriage comes out.

This development is a deal-breaker to Tulkinghorn, who sais that he will "undeceive" Sir Leicester in his own time. It will not be tonight, but it could be tomorrow, or soon thereafter, at a time of Tulkinghorn's own choosing. Mr. Rouncewell comes and collects Rosa, who does not want to leave, and the requisite political wrangling between Sir Leicester and he ensues.

Then the moment arrives: Tulkinghorn is found in his office, shot dead through the heart, just before ten o'clock.

In Chapter 49, we find the Bagnet household preparing for the birthday dinner of Mrs. Bagnet. George Rouncewell arrives for the happy occasion, but he is a little depressed by his debts and very saddened by the death, in his establishment, of little Jo. The Bagnets, especially Mrs. Bagnet, are sympathetic.

The slightly comedic and happy birthday dinner commences, and Bucket, claiming he saw Sgt George through the window, arrives unexpectedly. He spends a nice time with the family. After he leaves with George, he arrests him for Tulkinghorn's murder. He claims that Tulkinghorn had called him a murderous fellow, but Bucket is mistaken. When Tulkinghorn said that he was referring to the now-dead Gridley. Bucket receives the large reward given by Sir Leicester Dedlock.

Analysis

The pathetic death of Jo is contrasted by the relief of the removal of the evil character of Tulkinghorn. There is no doubt that the world is a better place without him. However, no one believes that George killled Mr. Tulkinghorn, and the fact that the miscarriage of justice is carried out so quickly and incorrectlly by the likable Mr. Bucket makes the scene more dramatic.

Lady Dedlock's removal of the maid causing Tulkinghorn to break their agreement seems a bit arbitrary, but it is just like him to have such inscrutable standards. Lady Dedlock has shown herself to have an iron character, and she has become more admirable throughout the book. She is nicely contrasted with the lower class iron character of the ironmaster, Mr. Rouncewell.

The happy interlude at the Bagnets, again, is a kind of gentle relief to the difficult and heavy proceedings of the rest of the chapters. There is no doubt that they are a happy family, and it is a relief for George to have some respite with them, even if it's only short-lived.

The death of Tulkinghorn is beautifully described, the eerie and familiar stage of him alone, drinking his wine in his chambers: a perfect setting for a cold-blooded murder. He is seen to be eminently deserving of murder, and the readers are rewarded with his meaningful death after the meaningless death of Jo.

Summary

Caddy and Prince Turveydrop are have a baby girl, but Caddy is not feeling well after the birth. As usual, in any distress Caddy turns to Esther, who is only too happy to help. Esther makes three visits, and then Mr. Jarndyce, again with his usual generous nature, proposes that he, Ada, and Esther go to London and stay for some time. He contacts Allan Woodcourt, and sends him to Caddy to be her doctor.

In these circumstances, so blameless and in fact arranged by her fiance, Esther and Allan meet often. After a time, Esther tells Ada and Caddy about Jarndyce's proposal. Esther seems to notice a strange, subtle change in Ada's behavior toward her.

Cryptically, Jarndyce asks Esther if she would like Allan to be magically made rich. Esther returns that he would be less likely to be as useful to as many poor people if he were rich. Jarndyce continues, asking if he would be rich enough to live comfortably and continue in his good works, would that be agreeable to Esther? She says that would be quite a different thing, and good for the doctor and others.

In Chapter 51, Allan Woodcourt, as good as his word to Ada, obtains Richard's address from Mr. Vholes. The greedy lawyer never ceases in his assertions that Richard needs money to resolve his suit -- money that would go directly into Vholes's pocket.

Woodcourt finds Richard in a worn and haggard state, though not yet actually ill. He puts all his energy into the suit, and has given up the army. Richard says that he will be guided by Allan.

Esther wants Ada to go with her to visit Richard, and Ada reacts strangely. She ends up going, but once they are there she reveals to the shocked Esther that she has been secretly married to Richard for two months. She is not going home to Bleak House.

In Chapter 52, Woodcourt is convinced of George Rouncewell's innocence, but he is also aware of the large amount of circumstantial evidence which looks bad for Rouncewell. Esther, Allan, Mr. Jarndyce, and, of course, the Bagnets visit George in prison.

In a characteristic twist, George refuses to have a lawyer. He is a simple, straightforward man, and he wants his own innocence, not legal wrangling, to acquit him of any crime.

He looks at Esther, and says aside to Mr. Jarndyce that a figure like hers passed him on Tulkinhorn's staircase on the night of the murder. He doesn't think that it was Esther, but it was so very like her he has to say it.

Mrs. Bagnet, on an errand of mercy, visits George's mother and asks her to help convince him to get legal counsel.

In Chapter 53, we see the machinations and investigations of Inspector Bucket. He is not completely convinced of Sgt. George's guilt.

He spies on the guests at the funeral of Mr. Tulkinghorn. He visits the Dedlocks, and is extremely subtle in his talk with Volumnia, Sir Leicester, and Mercury the footman. From Mercury, by a circuitous means, he manages to extract that Lady Dedlock took a walk, by herself, on the night of the murder.

Analysis

Caddy and Prince provide the most realistic picture of domestic life -- sometimes happy, sometimes sad. Caddy has ever been a device for getting Esther to London, and she performs this service again. In addition, she has need of Woodcourt, which puts the two young people together.

The strange suggestion from Jarndyce about making Woodcourt rich leads the reader to believe that he knows that Esther and Woodcourt love each other. Esther, of course, does not understand this.

The revelation of Ada and Richard's secret marriage is a deep disappointment to Esther and to Jarndyce. Ada and Richard seem to be married under an unlucky star, and, for a long time now, the reader has had no cause to hope for Richard.

George Rouncewell, who serves as a refreshingly simple character in a tangle of difficult and complicated characters, must be persuaded to defend himself. It now becomes clear his connection with the Dedlocks, and his past is about to come full circle back to him in the person of his mother.

Bucket has many suspects now -- Lady Dedlock and even Esther, in addition to George. The "detective story" part of the novel is at full steam now, and it is interesting to note the means that the Victorian detective, who must be so careful of social boundaries, and to work without any forensic support, must use to pursue criminals. Incidentally, Mr. Bucket is considered to be the first fictional "detective": the precursor to Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, and one hundred and fifty years of other figures. The restrictions of Victorian society require him to use quiet methods -- observation and logic, mostly -- to "crack" the case, and this pattern of deductive detection has proved extremely popular beyond Victorian society.

Summary

In a long passage, Inspector Bucket informs Sir Leicester Dedlock that his wife is suspected of the murder of Tulkinghorn. He also tells him the sordid story of her lover, Captain Hawdon. Sir Leicester is visibly shaken, and appears to have all the blood drained out of him. He learns that his wife had visited the grave of "him who as should have been her husband," and also that Tulkinghorn knew the secret. Thus the emnity between his wife and his lawyer is revealed -- and the possibility of her having murdered him is given motivation.

The Smallweeds, the Snagsbys, and the Chadbands arrive and tell Bucket that they know of love letters to Captain Hawdon from Honoria. They hope to profit from this somehow, but Bucket dismisses everyone.

Bucket also arrests Mademoiselle Hortense, and we learn of her duplicity in writing letters accusing Dedlock of the crime. Bucket has employed his wife to spy on her, and he has all the evidence, including the murder weapon, to convict Hortense.

Chapter 55 has Mrs. Rouncewell visiting her son in prison. They have not seen each other for many years, and Mrs. Rouncewell and George are very happily reunited. He agrees to defend himself legally.

Mrs. Rouncewell then goes to the Dedlock London house, and tells Lady Dedlock that George is being held for Tulkinghorn's murder. She also shows Lady Dedlock a newspaper account of the murder of Tulkinghorn, with Lady Dedlock's name and "murderess" underneath it. This was the false incriminating letter composed by Hortense.

Mr. Guppy visits and sees Lady Dedlock, telling her that Captain Hawdon's letters were discovered and may soon come out. Lady Dedlock sees no other way out, and writes a letter to Sir Leicester, explaining she went to Tulkinghorn on the night of his murder, but didn't kill him. She admits to her scandalous past, and then she veils herself, leaving her jewels, and flees.

In Chapter 56, after Lady Dedlock's abrupt leaving, Sir Leicester's cousin, Volumnia, discovers Sir Leicester unconscious on the floor of the library. He has had a stroke - he recovers enough to signal for his Lady but he is told she has gone. In an extraordinary example of the power of love, Sir Leicester reads Lady Dedlock's letter and instantly forgives her. He wants Dedlock to find her immediately, and sends the message, "Full forgiveness," to Lady Dedlock. He has not any intention of reproaching her for her past sins, and only desires to have his love and his wife back in his house.

Bucket tells Mrs. Rouncewell that Hortense is the murderer, and that George will go free fully exonerated. Sir Leicester finds Esther's monogrammed handkerchief that Lady Dedlock had kept. He maintains to everyone in the house that he forgives his lady.

Bucket goes to the shooting gallery, and gets Esther's address from the now-freed George. Bucket asks permission of Mr. Jarndyce to bring Esther with him to search for her mother.

Lady Dedlock, inscrutably, is wandering, buffetted by weather, around the brick kilns where Jo had almost lain down to die before Esther took him away.

Analysis

The resolution of so many loose ends takes place in these three chapters. The Rouncewells are restored to each other, and George to liberty. Sir Leicester learns of his lady's deception, and promptly forgives her. Lady Dedlock flees from the house, and the principle characters are dispatched to rescue her

The reformation of Sir Leicester is rather marked. He has gone from being an object of Boythorn's scorn and hate, to a loving, affectionate, and very forgiving husband.

The coincidence of all three suspects visiting Mr. Tulkinghorn's staircase on the night of his murder would probably not have aroused much suspicion in his reading public. The murder mystery or detective story was not yet common, and such dramatic license was easily accepted in Victoian novels.

Despite Hortense's guilt in the murder, the mystery continues with the pursuit of Lady Dedlock. The clue to her whereabouts is the significant white handkerchief, which foreshadows Lady Dedlock's death in it's previous use as a shroud for a dead infant.

Mr. Guppy is used yet again as a plot device, and he, like Mrs. Rouncewell, gives Lady Dedlock wrong or useless information. She doesn't yet know of Hortense's arrest, nor does she know of her husband's forgiveness. If she had known these things, her death might have been prevented; as is, her ignorance wrenches still more drama out of a dramatic situation, driving her toward death.

Summary

Bucket and Esther search in vain for Lady Dedlock. They stop at the police station and go through the docks, looking for her. At St Alban's they learn, in a tea shop, that a woman like Lady Dedlock has passed on ahead.

As they search for Lady Dedlock, Esther and Bucket discuss the plot. A further mystery is cleared up when Bucket admits that he removed Jo from Bleak House stables to keep Lady Dedlock's secret quiet. Also, Esther learns that Skimpole accepted a bribe to help Bucket.

They look for Jenny, who they think might have seen Lady Dedlock. Jenny redirects them back into the city of London.

Meanwhile, Sir Leicester waits, ill in bed, for the return of Lady Dedlock. He repeatedly says that they are on "unaltered terms," and that he wants her back no matter what. The fashionable gossip is in a flurry about the Dedlocks.

George Rouncewell comes back to the Dedlock house to see his mother, and helps greatly with Sir Leicester. They remember being much younger men at Chesney Wold together, and there is a kind of friendship between them. George is employed in helping Sir Leicester move, get up, and generally "patrol" the house, waiting for Lady Dedlock's return. Mrs. Rouncewell fortells that Lady Dedlock will never return.

In Chapter 59, Esther and Bucket rush back to London in the middle of the night They search the poorer streets of London, but they pass into Chancery lane and meet, serendipidously, Allan Woodcourt, who has been tending to Richard (Richard is not considered ill, simply tired and drawn). Bucket takes them to Snagsby's, to get a letter from Guster.

Allan fetches the letter from Guster, who, predictaby, is having a fit. The detective, who has become the voice of reason for all people, now lectures Mrs. Snagsby on the futility of being jealous of Mr. Snagsby. The letter obtained, Esther reads that her mother has chosen the place she wants to die. Guster says she had met a very ill-dressed woman (Lady Dedlock in Jenny's clothes) who asked to find the pauper's burying ground where Nemo was laid to rest.

Bucket and Esther rush to the gate of the burying ground, and find a body that looks like Jenny's. However, is is Lady Dedlock, already dead. Esther is unbelieving at first, but she must believe when she turns the face to her and sees it is her mother's.

Analysis

This is a typical ride-to-the-rescue Victorian plot device, but the rescuers arrive too late. Esther is dragged about by the kindly Bucket, giving Dickens the opportunity both to sustain suspense over three chapters and to reveal many mysteries through their conversation: how Bucket solved the murder, how he has been quietly influencing events for a long time (like the removal of Jo), etc. Through these revelations, Skimpole is exposed again as a heartless sponger, and Bucket is set up as a fount of wisdom about humankind.

Sir Leicester has a touching, but restrained, reunion with George, and the remembrance of them both as younger men comforts him. Sir Leicester has made the biggest transformation of any character in the novel, from bigoted and hidebound aristocrat to loving, infirm, forgiving husband. George finally seems to feel at home, and has hope for his own life for the first time in ages. He has never been a man of the city, truly, as he told Phil Squod back in the shooting gallery, and would like very much to go back to the country.

Yet another Dickensian coincidence occurs as Allan shows up at just the right moment moves the plot along. Guster, however, as a main character in an important plot point is a surprise. It is to be hoped that Bucket's advice to Mrs. Snagsby will be heeded.

The finding of Lady Dedlock already dead is a forgone conclusion. She had essentially committed suicide by exposure, out of shame and despair. Esther is at once moved and saddened, but one cannot help thinking that perhaps she saw her mother as selfish. She could have lived and been some kind of mother to Esther, if she had chosen.

Indeed, her death is to a great degree unnecessary, as she is wholly exonorated of murder and wholly forgiven by Sir Leicester at the time. We wonder whether Lady Dedlock is driven as much by an unrelenting draw toward tragedy -- a personal need to suffer, die, and escape the burdens of her stoic front -- as by actual pressures of shame and disgrace. Her death, ironically, seems somewhat selfish in this light: a final melodramatic escape to cap a life of steely, staged, miserable restraint. It thus mirrors to some degree Krook's spontaneous combustion.

Dickens wraps up this part of the story, with its confusing story threads, admirably. We are left with Esther's loss of her mother, and the only suspense left (except he romantic suspense concerning Jarndyce and Woodcourt) is in how Esther will bear it.

Summary

After the death of her mother, Esther falls ill. Allan ministers to her medically, and is very concerned for her. To maintain contact with Ada and Richard, Jarndyce decides to stay in London for an extended period of time. In a strange quirk, Mr. Jarndyce invites Mrs. Woodcourt to stay with them as a guest.

Allan, to Esther's secret relief, has decided to not go on another long voyage to the East. Esther recovers, and Mr. Jarndyce helps Woodcourt get an appointment to provide medical care to the poor in Yorkshire.

Esther and Ada see each other often. Ada is loyal to Richard, even though there seems no hope of them ever having any money, or ever resolving the Jarndyce suit. Richard is declining alarmingly, and Ada fears that he won't live to see the baby she is carrying. Esther worries and frets for her.

In Chapter 61, Esther is visting Ada daily, and is hugely concerned about the young couple. Skimpole is in evidence around the Carstone household, and Esther thinks he is again having a bad influence on Richard. The silly attitude of Skimpole also grates on Esther, considering Ada's poor situation and spirits.

Esther confronts Skimpole and says that she knows he accepted a bribe for betraying Jo to Inspector Bucket. Skimpole tries to wiggle out of it, but finally decides, under Esther's influence, that Skimpole does more harm than good. Skimpole is renounced.

Richard continues to pursue his Chancery suit, and sinks into an even deeper physical decline. One night, Allan walks with Esther and confesses his love. Esther is still engaged to Jarndyce, so she reproaches herself for any delight or desire in Woodcourt. She tells Allan that she is not free to think of his love. Allan accepts this, and pledges to still attend to Richard.

Chapter 62: The next morning, prompted by Allan's confession and her own fear of her feelings, Esther tells Jarndyce that she will be the mistress of Bleak House "when he pleases." The date is set for the next month.

Bucket and Grandfather Smallweed arrive, and Smallweed has made a shocking discovery. He has a signed will date later than the wills alrady examined in the Jarndyce and Jarndyce suit. The new will reduces Mr. Jarndyce's interests considerably (about which he has not a care) but advances the interests of the young Mr. and Mrs. Carstone. Mr. Kenge is brought in for his opinion, and he thinks that it will do much to end the suit, but we have to wait until next month when court is again in session.

In Chapter 63, George has given up his business in London and gone to be the companion of Sir Leicester. He has brought Phil Squod with him to live down at Chesney Wold. He has a reunion with his brother, and meets his nephew Watt and young Rosa. He refuses a job up in "iron country" but he agrees to give Rosa away at the wedding. He writes to Esther to put her mind at ease on a small point, saying that the letter he gave to Bucket was a trifle.

Analysis

The mystery plot having been resolved, a new plot -- Esther's love -- reaches a boiling point. The date is set for Esther and Jarndyce's wedding, but the love of Allan Woodcourt for Esther, which he has exposed, complicates her happiness terrifically. Meanwhile, the situation for Ada is becoming not unlike the brickmaker's wife, Jenny, though her husband is addicted to Chancery rather than alcohol. Woodcourt remains a good helper, but he is not able to save Richard. No one is.

Skimpole's exposure is particulary satisfying, especially now that he has given over to psychically torturing Ada with his "lightness."

Allan's confession of love is no big surprise, but Esther's reaction, even for a Victorian novel, is perhaps a touch too restrained. She makes her struggle quite clear for the reader, though, recalling her status as an orphan who lacked a family's care until that was given her by the generosity of Jarndyce. She feels that, in this light, she is not free to love Woodcourt, but we feel that she must do so. Her reaction -- hurrying her own wedding to one man because she loves another -- is indicative of her feelings.

The stunning discovery of the will in Jarndyce in the confusion of Krook's shop brings the Jarndyce suit finally near to its end. It underscores the irony of Chancery justice that buried among the worthless piles of documents in Krook's abode there was the key to the case all along. There is a glimmer of hope for Richard, but all the signs have pointed through the entire novel of the hopelessness of this cause.

The episode of Rouncewell going to see his brother ties up the loose ends of this functional, happy family. They are rewarded with happy endings because of their virtue and loyalty.

Summary

Mr. Jarndyce goes