Chapter 4
The narrator tells us that Sir Leicester has the gout in his legs, a malady all the men in his family have suffered from. The narrator ponders what connection there could be between Lady Dedlock and Sir Leicester, their homes, the young Jo, and many other people.
Jo lives in a place called Tom-all-Alone’s, where houses collapse. Tom Jarndyce may have once lived here, but Jo doesn’t know for sure.
The narrator tries to imagine what it’s like to be Jo, not really belonging anywhere and not knowing anything. Jo moves through the town, observing people and animals trying to get enough money to go back to Tom-all-Alone’s.
Mr. Tulkinghorn sits in his office doing work. On the street below, a woman walks by. The narrator implies she is on some secret errand. Determinedly, she seeks out Jo, who asks her for money. She ignores him and crosses the street, then beckons him over. She asks if she has read about the dead lodger in the newspaper because of the court case regarding him. She tries to get Jo to acknowledge that the dead man looks like him. Jo asks if she knew the dead man, and she grows defensive. The woman asks Jo to show her all the places he knows of relating to the death, including where the man was buried. He is to walk far ahead of her and not speak to her.
Jo leads the woman to Cook’s Court, Krook’s shop, and the burial ground. She gives him some a gold coin and hurries away.
The narrator tells us that Lady Dedlock goes to a dinner and several parties, while Sir Leicester stays home. Mrs. Rouncewell, the housekeeper, observes that the footsteps on the Ghost’s Walk are louder than they have ever been.
Esther says that Richard visits London frequently. Esther loves Richard but regrets that he seems unable to concentrate and lacks ambition. Mr. and Mrs. Badger arrive one day and tell Esther that Richard is a fine young man, but Mrs. Badger confesses that she thinks he has chosen his profession badly. He is not passionate enough about it. Mr. Badger agrees.
When Richard arrives the next day, he confirms that he isn’t that interested in medicine, but that it’s good enough. He says each day is too much like the one before, which Esther points out is how life generally is. She and Ada encourage him to change direction. Richard says he might like to work with Mr. Kenge and study law. Mr. Jarndyce supports the decision, although he seems troubled when he looks at Ada.
Esther says she has trouble sleeping, but she is evasive about why. She tries to talk herself out of her low spirits and go to sleep, but she can’t. She begins doing some embroidery and goes downstairs to find some silk. She comes across Mr. Jarndyce, who is still awake and looks troubled. He tells her she should know more about her history. He tells her that he got a letter describing a young orphan whom the writer had been raising. The writer feared that if she died, the child would be alone, and so she wrote to ask Mr. Jarndyce if he would serve as guardian if that should happen. He wrote back saying yes. He had to agree never to see the writer but to send a confidential agent, so Mr. Jarndyce appointed Mr. Kenge. The writer said she was the child’s aunt. Mr. Jarndyce says he is so happy to have taken on this child—Esther. Esther replies gratefully that he is like a father to her, a comment that seems to bother him. Esther doesn’t understand his reaction.
The next day, Mr. Woodcourt arrives for a brief visit before going away on a long trip to China and India. Esther tells us that he isn’t rich and is seven years older than she is, although she says these details are irrelevant. She says everyone is sorry that he’s leaving.
He brings his mother to dinner. Mrs. Woodcourt is confident that he will meet some English ladies in India and that birth and lineage are of utmost importance. Esther wonders idly what Mrs. Woodcourt would think of her own birth.
After they leave, Caddy (Miss Jellyby) arrives with a small bouquet of flowers. Esther assumes they are from Prince Turveydrop because they look like flowers from a lover. Caddy reveals that they were actually left behind at Miss Flite’s by someone for Esther. She hints that this person was very good to Miss Flite and was going away on a trip. Later, Ada laughs and teases Esther about the flowers being from a lover. Esther doesn’t reveal who they are all referring to.
Esther, Ada, and Mr. Jarndyce are back at Bleak House, and Richard goes to work for Mr. Kenge. Mr. Jarndyce finds lodging for Richard in London, and Richard spends money wildly.
Esther, Ada, Mr. Jarndyce, and Mr. Skimpole go to visit Mr. Boythorn, who lives in Lincolnshire. Mr. Boythorn leads them to his house but must take an inconvenient route because he has sworn not to set foot on Sir Leicester’s property, Chesney Wold, which is right next to his own. However, he tells the guests that they may explore Sir Leicester’s park. Esther says that Chesney Wold appears beautiful and peaceful.
In the village, Mr. Boythorn greets a young man who he explains is Mrs. Rouncewell’s grandson, and who is in love with a young girl staying with Lady Dedlock.
Mr. Boythorn’s house is pretty and comfortable, although Mr. Boythorn has put up several signs threatening trespassers, namely Sir Leicester. The day after they arrive, the group explores the park. In a church, they see several pretty young women, including the woman Mr. Boythorn had commented on. She is standing with the housekeeper. Near her is a Frenchwoman, who is glaring at her.
Esther glances around the church, and a woman catches Esther’s eye. Esther has a violent reaction. She has a feeling that is similar to the feelings she had at her godmother’s house, when she would play with her doll and look at herself in the mirror. In fact, the woman’s face is like a mirror in which Esther sees old memories. But Esther knows she has never seen this woman before. She figures out that this woman is Lady Dedlock. Esther is incredibly agitated.
A week later, Mr. Jarndyce, Ada, and Esther are walking in the park when it begins raining. They take shelter in a groundskeeper’s lodge. Someone asks if it is dangerous. Ada thinks Esther has spoken, but it is Lady Dedlock, who is also in the lodge. Esther has another violent reaction to the voice because it makes her think of herself.
Lady Dedlock introduces herself to Mr. Jarndyce and Ada. Mr. Jarndyce introduces Esther as his ward, and Lady Dedlock hastily turns away. Lady Dedlock asks Mr. Jarndyce if he knew her sister when they were abroad, and he says that he did. Lady Dedlock says she and her sister have gone their separate ways.
A carriage arrives for Lady Dedlock, carrying the pretty young girl and the Frenchwoman. Lady Dedlock had requested only the young girl, but the Frenchwoman had come as well. There is no room in the carriage for the Frenchwoman after Lady Dedlock gets in, so she walks after it in the rain, barefoot.
The narrator describes a long vacation in Chancery Lane. It is summertime, and many courts are out of session. Everyone goes on vacation. Mr. Snagsby, the law-stationer, relaxes, and he and Mrs. Snagsby invite Mr. and Mrs. Chadband over. Mr. Chadband has the habit of making grand lectures instead of speaking normally. He lectures everyone tirelessly.
Guster tells Mr. Snagsby there is someone in the shop to see him. It is a police constable holding a young boy by the arm. The constable tells Mr. Snagsby that the boy won’t leave the area as he had been asked to. The boy, Jo, says he has nowhere to go. The constable says Jo claims to know Mr. Snagsby, which Mr. Snagsby says he does, from the inquest regarding the dead man. He doesn’t reveal that he gave Jo a half-crown to keep quiet. At that moment, Mr. Guppy enters the room, and the constable says that Mr. Guppy said that Mr. Snagsby is respectable. Mr. Guppy had seen the confusion outside and was looking into it.
Jo tells everyone about a lady who gave him money to show her where the dead man was buried. Mr. Guppy is interested in Jo’s story about the lady and starts asking him questions. Mrs. Snagsby invites him upstairs, and Jo follows. Mr. Guppy continues to ask him questions. Mrs. Chadband reveals that she has known Kenge and Carboy’s office for years, because of a situation concerning a child. She explains that she was left in charge of a child named Esther Summerson. Mr. Guppy tells her that he met Esther in London.
Mr. Chadband compliments Jo and talks on and on about his lot in life. Jo finally escapes.
The narrator says that the long summer vacation continues. Mr. Guppy is restless. He and Richard work together in Kenge and Carboy’s office, although Mr. Guppy is jealous that Richard is staying in Kenge’s room. Mr. Guppy suspects everyone of being out to get him. He is glad that Richard spends so much time reading papers about Jarndyce and Jarndyce, since he knows only failure can come from it. Another young man is in the office as well, Young Smallweed (also called Chick), who works as a clerk. Although he is only fifteen he seems unusually wise.
One day a man named Jobling arrives and goes to dinner with Mr. Guppy and Smallweed. Everyone at the restaurant respects Smallweed. Mr. Jobling eats copiously. They talk about Jobling’s professional problems. Jobling considers enlisting, but Mr. Guppy suggests he try to get work from Mr. Snagsby. Mr. Guppy hints around at his connection to the Snagsbys—namely, what happened when he was last at their home—but he refuses to clarify. Mr. Guppy also says that he has been giving money to Miss Flite, and that he knows about Mr. Krook’s lodging house. He says Mr. Krook could rent Mr. Jobling a room. Mr. Guppy reveals that he thinks Mr. Krook is very wealthy. Mr. Guppy tells Jobling that Krook’s last lodger died, but Jobling doesn’t mind.
Mr. Guppy and Mr. Jobling visit Krook, who is asleep. Startled, Krook tries to hit Mr. Guppy, and then he wakes up fully. Krook shows Jobling the room. Later, Mr. Guppy introduces Jobling to the Snagsbys, who agree to give him work.
Jobling moves into his new room. In town, women gossip about him and speculate that he has come for Krook’s money.
