In the matter of gravy he is adamant

Another Tuesday which means MORE BLEAK HOUSE! Thank you, Alice, for hosting this readalong. Good times, good times.

This post, like all my readalong posts, is going to be a mess. I took some notes while reading, so this is going to be all over the place. Apologies.

I am still having a hard time getting into the third person narration bits. I can't focus. I'm pretty sure in the middle of these the narrator could go "And this is the answer to every mystery in the rest of the super long book. I can say that here because you're not even paying attention. And I know you're not. Because I'm going to write several more chapters about fog, and probably one about a puddle near the court house." Actually, that would be hilarious. I did notice they tried to sneak some Dr. Seuss-ness in these chapters. So maybe Dickens figured he couldn't get away with the "mystery solved" thing, but weird rhyming was fine.

Mr. Tulkinghorn continues to not do anything directly bad, but still makes me suspicious with his whole showing up at Chesney Wold unannounced and just wandering up to his room in a tower, and him and Lady Dedlock making "I have secrets and you know them" eyes at each other.

Richard can't decide what he wants to be when he grows up and part of me wants to yell at him to make a decision and then I remember how young he is and I want to yell at everyone to CALM DOWN. He'll be fine. Except for the whole "spending lots of money" thing. Maybe he will get to be a pirate.

Sherlock would approve

Mr. Guppy continues to be super creepy. And Esther feeling like she can't do anything about her stalker makes me very sad.

You know what else makes me sad? Ada telling Esther about how in love she is with Richard and Esther all tries to be strong about it but instead watches her while she sleeps and gives her kisses and it's creepy but also sweet and sad. At least they're planning on having the three of them live together after Ada and Richard are married. So that's sweet.

Mr. Guppy has been giving Miss Flite money and paying for her rent. What is your end game, Guppy??

Hey, remember when we all decided we didn't like Skimpole cos he sucks and is a mooch, but we weren't sure if Dickens wants us to like him or not? Then do you remember the part where he talks about how he's a fan of the slaves in America because they add decoration to the landscape, even if they "don't like it that much". Yeaaaaahh...

Jo, the guy that was sad about Nemo's death and lives in a super depressing neighborhood, takes some lady (Lady Dedlock YES PROBABLY) around to see areas connected to Nemo's death.

Mr. Boythorn put up adorably threatening signs for Sir Leicester to look at over their disputed piece of property. I'm liking Boythorn more and more. Please don't turn out to be Fosco.

Esther thinks looking at Lady Dedlock is like looking in a mirror and WHHHAAAAA? And then she has the same voice. But she won't look at her. Hmmmm. So, they're related? Sekritly?

Mr. Jobling takes over Nemo's old room at Krook's and is very upset that Nemo had the audacity to die in Jobling's (soon to hopefully be) room. THE NERVE of some people.

And that's roughly where we're at. Richard is being indecisive about jobs but not about how he loves Ada. Esther still loves Ada but also keeps cutting off on telling us things and WHAT ARE YOU HIDING, LADY? She also sees herself in Lady Dedlock and Hmmm?? Then we need to know what's going on with the Guppy Gang and why are they renting that room from Krook and working for Snagsby and what's going on there? Will Boythorn and Leicester ever make up? (That would be sweet, but I sort of hope not.) What's up with Hortense? Think she's going to murder Rosa in her sleep? Who was Nemo?

New Characters. Because of course there are a million of them and Alice was right about that whole "you need a character list" thing.
Hortense - Lady Dedlock's...some lady who is French and has a tight face and is jealous of Rosa. Also has pretty good reason to be pissed at Lady Dedlock after she makes her walk home in the rain.

Mr. & Mrs. Badger - take Richard in to apprentice surgery? I think I understood that correctly. Be an apprentice surgeon on a boat. The most important thing about them is both Mr. & Mrs. (but mostly Mr) Badger are super into Mrs. Badger's previous husbands. So they're fun.

Mr. Turveydrop, the junior - Miss Jellyby's secret fiance, LOVES TO DANCE.

Also his first name is Prince.

Mr. Turveydrop, the senior - Real fancy guy. Spends all his money on fancy clothes and being seen in fancy places. So, he's pretty much the Victorian equivalent of a Real Housewife. I'm sure there are wine fueled drunken rages and old timey plastic surgery as well.

Mr. Woodcourt - "Dark surgeon" who was hanging out at dinner with the Bleak House Crew (BHC) and the Badgers, but we didn't pay attention to him cos everyone is too busy focused on how awesome Mrs. Badger's previous husbands were.

Mr. Quale - Someone I should probably know more about. I don't, though. Follows around Pardiggle talking about how great charities are. Friends with Guppy. Don't trust.

Mr. Gusher - See Quale. Not as in they are the same person but more as in that's all I know about the guy.

Neckette family - SUPER SAD STORY about the debt collector that kept visiting Skimpole. He died and left behind 3 small children. The oldest, 13, has to go to work while the 5 year old watches the baby and they live in a tiny cold room and dammit Dickens, must you keep it up with the orphans?

Jo - Another orphan kid. He showed up in the last section but I didn't know he'd come up again. He knew Nemo and was super sad when he died. He lives in a place called Toms-all-alone and it's depressing.

Mr. Smallwood - See Quale and Gusher. *Update* via Megs. Looks like a depressed monkey

Mr. Jobling - See Quale, Gusher, and Smallwood. I should know more about these guys probably. I know they eat a lot of food and are UNTRUSTWORTHY.

Title quote location 4755

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. Amazon Digital Services. Originally published 1853. Kindle edition.