It won't do to have truth and justice on his side; he must have law and lawyers

We're almost to the end of Bleak House. Mysteries will be solved, jackasses better be punished (Skimpole...). Thank you Alice, for hosting this readalong and keeping us all motivated (and spreading the chapters out).

Bleak House chapters XLIX - LV (which I hope means 49-55).

We ended the last section with Tulkinghorn getting shot. That was fun. So now we have to figure out who shot him.

First suspect, apparently is George. George goes to a lovely birthday dinner at the Bagnets and then Bucket joins and is all nice and gets everyone to like him and then BAM, as soon as they leave the Bagnets' Buckets slaps the cuffs on George. At least he was nice enough to not ruin their lovely chicken dinner, which is apparently saved for very special occasions.
It is well for the old girl that she has but one birthday in a year, for two such indulgences in poultry might be injurious.
I'm trying to think nice things about Bucket cos I know everyone liked him when he showed up before, but it's NOT WORKING when he pretends to be George's BFF just to arrest him.

Bucket, probably

It's cool though because Mrs. Bagnet is going to save George and I wish the story had focused more on them being adorable and kick ass.

There is a rift between Ada and Esther and DO NOT LIKE. Esther thinks it's because she told Ada about her engagement to Mr. Jarndyce but it turns out it's because Ada and Richard got secretly married and she doesn't want to get secrets from Esther. All I hear is "We both are going to/have married people that aren't each other and thus the universe is sad."

Bucket goes to Sir Leicester's and lets himself in with his own key. They seem to give a lot of keys out to the house. We know Bucket is married, but given his conversation with the man-servant Mercury, we can guess that marriage is a sham right?

Mr. Bucket is presently standing before the hall-fire - bright and warm on the early winter night - admiring Mercury.
"Why, you're six foot two, I suppose?" says Mr. Bucket.
"Three," says Mercury.
"Are you so much? But then, you see, you're broad in proportion and don't look it. You're not one of the weak-legged ones, you ain't. Was you ever modelled now?" Mr. Bucket asks, conveying the expression of an artist into the turn of his eye and head.
Mercury never was modelled.
"Then you out to be, you know," says Mr. Bucket

Sure, Bucket. Whatever you say.

Bucket is that creepy guy trolling malls telling girls he totally has an in with a modeling company.

Bucket tells Sir Leicester that he arrested George even though he knows it wasn't actually George that committed the crime (still not winning me over) and that it was actually a woman and then lots of people come in and they fill Leicester in that Lady Dedlock used to be Nemo/Captain Hawdon's lover and that Mrs. Chadband raised Lady D's daughter and Mrs. Snagsby complains that everyone is against her.

Then we get another instance when Bucket pretends to be a super nice guy, this time to Hortense who he and his wife have taken in as a lodger, only to jump out and arrest HER. Of course Hortense was trying to frame Lady D so at least this time he got it right. Still though, you need to pretend to be friends with everyone before arresting them?

Also is anyone surprised Hortense was arrested? Or just surprised she didn't kill via stabbing?

Lady D finds out from Guppy that her secret is out so she decides to run away.

Will Esther end up with Woodcourt? Is Jarndyce going to be heartbroken? Will Esther and Ada end up together, as they're clearly supposed to? Will Esther and Lady D reunite but for real this time? ONE MORE WEEK.

Title quote from location 12794

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