051 - Enlightened

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1:05For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Bleak House by Charles Dickens, chapter 51, enlightened. When Mr. Wood Court arrived in London, he went that very same day to Mr. Vols in Simon's Inn. For he never once, from the moment when I entreated him to be a friend to Richard, neglected or forgot his promise. He had told me that he accepted the charge as a sacred trust. And he was ever true to it in that spirit. He found Mr. Vols in his office and informed Mr. Vols of his agreement with Richard that he should call there to learn his address. Just so sir said Mr. Vols. Mr. C's address is not a hundred miles from here sir. Mr. C's address is not a hundred miles from here. Would you take a seat sir? Mr. Wood Court thanked Mr. Vols but he had no business with him beyond what he had mentioned. Just so sir, I believe sir,

2:11said Mr. Vols, still quietly insisting on the seat by not giving the address, that you have influence with Mr. C. Indeed, I am aware that you have. I was not aware of it myself return Mr. Wood Court, but I suppose you know best. Sir rejoined Mr. Vols self-contained as usual, voice and all. It is part of my professional duty to know best. It is part of my professional duty to study and to understand a gentleman who confides his interests to me. In my professional duty, I shall not be wanting sir if I know it. I may with the best intentions be wanting in it without knowing it, but not if I know it sir. Mr. Wood Court again mentioned the address. Give me leave sir said Mr. Vols. Bear with me for a moment sir. Mr. C is playing for a considerable stake and cannot play without need I say what? Money I presume? Sir said Mr. Vols, to be honest with

3:22you, honesty being my golden rule, whether I gain by it or lose, and I find that I generally lose, money is the word. Now sir, upon the chances of Mr. C's game, I express to you no opinion. No opinion. It might be highly impolitic in Mr. C after playing so long and so high to leave off. It might be the reverse. I say nothing. No sir said Mr. Vols, bringing his hand flat down upon his desk in a positive manner. Nothing. You seem to forget, return Mr. Wood Court, that I ask you to say nothing and have no interest in anything you say. Pardon me sir, retorted Mr. Vols. You do yourself an injustice. No sir pardon me. You shall not. Shall not in my office if I know it. Do yourself an injustice. You are interested in anything and in everything that relates to your friend. I know human nature much better sir than to admit

4:28for an instant that a gentleman of your appearance is not interested in whatever concerns his friend. Well, replied Mr. Wood Court, that may be I am particularly interested in his address. The number sir said Mr. Vols parenthetically. I believe I have already mentioned. If Mr. C is to continue to play for this considerable stake, sir, he must have funds. Understand me. There are funds in hand at present. I ask for nothing. There are funds in hand. But for the onward play, more funds must be provided unless Mr. C is to throw away what he has already ventured, which is wholly and solely a point for his consideration. This, sir, I take the opportunity of stating openly to you as the friend of Mr. C. Without funds, I shall always be happy to appear and act for Mr. C.

5:33To the extent of all such costs as are safe to be allowed out of the estate, not beyond that. I could not go beyond that, sir, without wronging someone. I must either wrong my three-deer girls or my venerable father, who is entirely dependent on me in the veil of taunton or someone. Whereas, sir, my resolution is, call it weakness or folly if you please, to wrong no one. Mr. Wood Court rather sternly rejoined that he was glad to hear it. I wish, sir, said Mr. Voles, to leave a good name behind me. Therefore, I take every opportunity of openly stating to a friend of Mr. C, how Mr. C is situated. As to myself, sir, the laborer is worthy of his higher. If I undertake to put my shoulder to the wheel, I do it, and I earn what I get.

6:34I am here for that purpose. My name is painted on the door outside with that object. And Mr. Carson's address, Mr. Voles? Sir, return Mr. Voles. As I believe I have already mentioned, it is next door. On the second story, you will find Mr. C's apartments. Mr. C desires to be near his professional advisor, and I am far from objecting for I court inquiry. Upon this, Mr. Wood Court wished Mr. Voles good day and went in search of Richard, the change in whose appearance he began to understand now but too well. He found him in a dull room, fadedly furnished, much as I had found him in his barrack room but a little while before, except that he was not writing, but was sitting with a book before him from which his eyes and thoughts were far astray. As the door chanced to be standing

7:36open, Mr. Wood Court was in his presence for some moments without being perceived, and he told me that he could never forget the haggardness of his face and the dejection of his manner before he was aroused from his dream. Wood Court, my dear fellow, cried Richard, starting up with extended hands, you come upon my vision like a ghost, a friendly one he replied, and only waiting as they say ghosts do to be addressed. How does the mortal world go? They were seated now, near together. Badly enough and slowly enough said Richard, speaking at least for my part of it. What part is that? The chancery part. I never heard return, Mr. Wood Court, shaking his head of its going well yet. Nor I said Richard moodily, whoever did. He brightened again in a moment and

8:38said with his natural openness. Wood Court, I should be sorry to be misunderstood by you, even if I gain by it in your estimation. You must know that I have done no good this long time. I have not intended to do much harm, but I seem to have been capable of nothing else. It may be that I should have done better by keeping out of the net into which my destiny has worked me, but I think not, though I dare say you will soon hear if you have not already heard a very different opinion. To make short of a long story, I am afraid I have wanted an object, but I have an object now, or it has me, and it is too late to discuss it. Take me as I am and make the best of me. A bargain, said Mr. Wood Court, do as much by me in return. Oh, you returned Richard, you can pursue your art for its own sake and can put your hand upon the plow and never

9:42turn and can strike a purpose out of anything. You and I are very different creatures. He spoke regretfully and lapsed for a moment into his weary condition. Well, well, he cried shaking it off. Everything has an end. We shall see, so you will take me as I am and make the best of me. I indeed I will. They shook hands upon it laughingling, but in deep earnestness I can answer for one of them with my heart of hearts. You come as a god, sense had Richard, for I have seen nobody here yet but voles. Wood court, there is one subject I should like to mention for once and for all in the beginning of our treaty. You can hardly make the best of me if I don't. You know, I dare say, that I have an attachment to my cousin Ada. Mr. Wood Court replied that I had hinted as much to him. Now, pray, returned Richard,

10:44don't think me a heap of selfishness. Don't suppose that I am slitting my head and half breaking my heart over this miserable chancery suit for my own rights and interests alone. Edas are bound up with mine. They can't be separated. Voles works for both of us. Do think of that. He was so very solicitous on this head that Mr. Wood Court gave him the strongest assurances that he did him know injustice. You see, said Richard, with something pathetic in his manner of lingering on the point, though it was offhand and unstudied. To an upright fellow like you, bringing a friendly face like yours here, I cannot bear the thought of appearing selfish and mean. I want to see Ada write it, Wood Court, as well as myself. I want to do my utmost to write her, as well as myself. I venture what I can scrape together to extricate her, as well as myself. Do, I beseech you think of that. It is Ryan C. Crest here. There was a recent social media trend,

11:51which consisted of flying on a plane with no music, no movies, no entertainment. But a better trend would be going to chumbacacino.com. It's like having a mini social casino in your pocket. Chumbacacino has over a hundred online casino style games, all absolutely free. It's the most fun you can have online and on a plane. So grab your free welcome bonus now at chumbacacino.com. Sponsored by Chumbacacino. No purchase necessary VGW group void for prohibited by law, 21 plus terms and conditions apply. Afterwards, when Mr. Wood Court came to reflect on what had passed, he was so very much impressed by the strength of Richard's anxiety on this point, that in telling me generally of his first visit to Simon's Inn, he particularly dwelt upon it. It revived a fear I had had before that my dear girl's little property would be absorbed by Mr. Voles and that Richard's justification to himself would be sincerely this. It was just as I began to take care of Caddy that the interview took place and I now return to the time when Caddy had

12:56recovered and the shade was still between me and my darling. I proposed to Ada that morning that we should go and see Richard. It a little surprised me to find that she hesitated and was not so radiantly willing as I had expected. My dear said I. You have not had any difference with Richard since I have been so much away. No Esther. Not heard of him perhaps, said I? Yes, I have heard of him, said Ada. Such tears in her eyes and such love in her face. I could not make my darling out. Should I go to Richard's by myself? I said no. Ada thought I had better not go by myself. Would she go with me? Yes, Ada thought she had better go with me. Should we go now? Yes, let us go now. Well, I could not understand my darling with the tears in her eyes and the love in her face. We were soon equipped and went out. It was a somber day and drops of chill rain

14:02fell at intervals. It was one of those colorless days when everything looks heavy and harsh. The houses frowned at us. The dust rose at us. The smoke swooped at us. Nothing made any compromise about itself or wore a softened aspect. I fancied my beautiful girl quite out of place in the rugged streets and I thought there were more funerals passing along the dismal pavements than I had ever seen before. We had at first to find out Simon's in. We were going to inquire in a shop when Ada said she thought it was near Chancery Lane. We are not likely to be far out my love if we go in that direction, said I. So to Chancery Lane we went and there sure enough we saw it written up. Simon's in. We had next to find out the number. Or Mr. Vol's office will do, I recollected, for Mr. Vol's office's next door, upon which Ada said, perhaps that was Mr. Vol's

15:06office in the corner there. And it really was. Then came the question, which of the two next doors? I was going for the one and my darling was going for the other and my darling was right again. So up we went to the second story when we came to Richard's name in great white letters on a hers like panel. I should have knocked, but Ada said perhaps we had better turn the handle and go in. Thus we came to Richard, pouring over a table covered with dusty bundles of papers, which seemed to me like dusty mirrors reflecting his own mind. Wherever I looked, I saw the ominous words that ran in it, repeated, jaundice and jaundice. He received us very affectionately and we sat down. If you had come a little earlier, he said, you would have found woodcourt here. There never was such a good fellow as woodcourt is. He finds time to look in between wiles when anybody else with half his work to do would be

16:13thinking about not being able to come. And he is so cheery, so fresh, so sensible, so earnest, so everything that I am not, that the place brightens whenever he comes and darkens whenever he goes again. God bless him, I thought, for his truth to me. He is not so sanguine, Ada continued casting his dejected look over the bundles of papers, as voles and I are usually. But he is only an outsider and is not in the mysteries. We have gone into them and he has not. He can't be expected to know much of such a labyrinth. As his look wandered over the papers again and he passed his two hands over his head, I noticed how sunken and how large his eyes appeared, how dry his lips were and how his fingernails were all bitten away. Is this a healthy place to

17:14live in Richard, do you think, said I? Why my dear Minerva answered Richard with his old gay laugh. It is neither a rural nor a cheerful place and when the sun shines here, you may lay a pretty heavy wager that it is shining brightly in an open spot. But it's well enough for the time. It's near the offices and near voles. Perhaps I hinted a change from both. Mike do me good, said Richard forcing a laugh as he finished the sentence. I shouldn't wonder, but it can only come in one way now. In one of two ways, I should rather say, either the suit must be ended at Esther or the suitor, but it shall be the suit, my dear, the suit, my dear girl. These latter words were addressed to Ada, who was sitting nearest to him. Her face being turned away from me and toward him, I could not see it. We are doing very well, pursuit Richard. Voles will tell you so. We are really

18:17spinning along. Ask voles. We are giving them no rest. Voles knows all their windings and turnings, and we are upon them everywhere. We have astonished them already. We shall rouse up that nest of sleepers marked my words. His hopefulness had long been more painful to me than his despondency. It was so unlike hopefulness, had something so fierce in its determination to be it, was so hungry and eager and yet so conscious of being forced and unsustainable that it had long touched me to the heart. But the commentary upon it now, indelibly written in his handsome face, made it far more distressing than it used to be. I say indelibly, for I felt persuaded that if the fatal cause could have been forever terminated according to his brightest visions in that

19:17same hour, the traces of the premature anxiety, self-reproach and disappointment it had occasioned him would have remained upon his features to the hour of his death. The sight of our dear little woman said Richard. Ada still remaining silent and quiet is so natural to me and her compassionate face is so like the face of old days. Ah, no, no, I smiled and shook my head. So exactly like the face of old days said Richard in his cordial voice, taking my hand with a brotherly regard which nothing ever changed, that I can't make pretenses with her, I fluctuate a little. That's the truth. Sometimes I hope my dear and sometimes I don't quite despair, but nearly. I get said Richard relinquishing my hand gently and walking across the room. So tired. He took a few turns up and down

20:23and sunk upon the sofa. I get he repeated gloomily, so tired it is such such weary, weary work. He was leaning on his arm, saying these words in a meditative voice and looking at the ground, when my darling rose, put off her bonnet, kneel down beside him with her golden hair falling like sunlight on his head, clasped her two arms round his neck and turned her face to me. Oh, what a loving and devoted face I saw. Estardier, she said very quietly, I am not going home again. A light shone in upon me all at once. Never anymore. I am going to stay with my dear husband. We have been married above two months. Go home without me, my own Esther. I shall never go home anymore. With those words my darling drew his head down on her breast and held it there.

21:24And if ever in my life I saw a love that nothing but death could change, I saw it then before me. Speak to Esther, my dearest, said Richard, breaking the silence presently. Tell her how it was. I met her before she could come to me and folded her in my arms. We neither of us spoke, but with her cheek against my own I wanted to hear nothing. My pet I said, my love, my poor poor girl. I pitted her so much. I was very fond of Richard, but the impulse that I had upon me was to pity her so much. Esther, will you forgive me? Will my cousin John forgive me? My dearest said I. To doubt it for a moment is to do him a great wrong and as to me, why as to me, what had I to forgive? I dried my sobbing darling's eyes and sat beside her on the sofa and Richard sat on my other side.

22:31And while I was reminded of that so different night when they had first taken me into their confidence and had gone on in their own wild happy way, they told me between them how it was. Hello, it is Ryan and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on chamba casino.com. I looked over the person sitting next to me, and you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chamba Casino. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chamba Casino's home to hundreds of Casino style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere. So sign up now at chamba casino.com to claim your free welcome bonus. It's chamba casino.com and live the chamba life sponsored by Chamba Casino. No purchase necessary VGW group void for prohibited by law 21 plus terms and conditions apply. All I had was Richard's Aida said and Richard would not take it Esther. And what could I do but be his wife when I loved him dearly? And you were so fully and so kindly occupied. Excellent Dame Durden said Richard

23:33that how could we speak to you at such a time? And besides, it was not a long considered step. We went out one morning and were married. And when it was done, Esther said my darling. I was always thinking how to tell you and what to do for the best. And sometimes I thought you ought to know it directly. And sometimes I thought you ought not to know it and keep it from my cousin John. And I could not tell what to do and I fretted very much. How selfish I must have been, not to have thought of this before. I don't know what I said now. I was so sorry and yet I was so fond of them and so glad that they were fond of me. I pitted them so much and yet I felt a kind of pride in their loving one another. I had never experienced such painful and pleasurable emotion at one time. And in my own heart I did not know which predominated. But I was not there

24:35to darken their way. I did not do that. When I was less foolish and more composed, my darling took her wedding ring from her bosom and kissed it and put it on. Then I remembered last night and told Richard that ever since her marriage she had worn it at night when there was no one to see. Then Ada blushingly asked me, how did I know that my dear? Then I told Ada how I had seen her hand concealed under her pillow and had little thought, why my dear? Then they began telling me how it was all over again and I began to be sorry and glad again and foolish again and to hide my plain old face as much as I could, lest I should put them out of heart. Thus the time went on until it became necessary for me to think of returning. When that time arrived it was the worst of all for then my darling completely broke down. She clung round my neck, calling me by every

25:38dear name she could think of and saying, what should she do without me? Nor was Richard much better and as for me I should have been the worst of the three if I had not severely said to myself. Now Esther, if you do, I'll never speak to you again. Why, I declare said I. I never saw such a wife. I don't think she loves her husband at all. Here, Richard, take my child for goodness sake, but I held her tight all the while and could have wept over her. I don't know how long. I give this dear young couple notice, said I, that I am only going away to come back tomorrow and that I shall be always coming backwards and forwards until Simon's in is tired of the sight of me. So I shall not say goodbye, Richard, for what would be the use of that, you know, when I am coming back so soon? I had given my darling to him now and I meant to go, but I lingered for one more look of the precious face, which it seemed to rive my heart to turn from.

26:46So I said, in a merry bustling manner, that unless they gave me some encouragement to come back, I was not sure that I could take that liberty, upon which my dear girl looked up, faintly smiling through her tears, and I folded her lovely face between my hands and gave it one last kiss and laughed and ran away. And when I got downstairs, oh, how I cried, it almost seemed to me that I had lost my aid of forever. I was so lonely and so blank without her, and it was so desolate to be going home with no hope of seeing her there that I could get no comfort for a little while as I walked up and down in a dim corner, sobbing and crying. I came to myself by and by after a little scolding and took a coach home. The poor boy whom I had found at St. Albans had reappeared a short time before and was lying at the point of death, indeed, was then dead,

27:48though I did not know it. My guardian had gone out to inquire about him and did not return to dinner. Being quite alone, I cried a little again, though on the whole, I don't think I behaved so very, very ill. It was only natural that I should not be quite accustomed to the loss of my darling yet. Three or four hours were not a long time after years, but my mind dwelt so much upon the uncongenial scene in which I had left her, and I pictured it as such an overshadowed stony-hearted one, and I so long to be near her and taking some sort of care of her that I determined to go back in the evening only to look up at her windows. It was foolish, I dare say, but it did not then seem at all so to me, and it does not seem quite so even now. I took Charlie into my confidence and we went out at dusk. It was dark when we came to the new strange

28:54home of my dear girl, and there was a light behind the yellow blinds. We walked past cautiously, three or four times, looking up, and narrowly missed encountering Mr. Voles, who came out of his office while we were there, and turned his head to look up to before going home. The sight of his blank, black-black figure and the lonesome air of that nook in the dark were favorable to the state of my mind. I thought of the youth and love and beauty of my dear girl, shot up in such an ill-assorted refuge, almost as if it were a cruel place. It was very solitary and very dull, and I did not doubt that I might safely steal upstairs. I left Charlie below and went up with a light foot, not distressed by any glare from the feeble oil lanterns on the way. I listened for a few moments, and in the musty rotting silence of the house believed that I could hear the murmur of

29:59their young voices. I put my lips to the hersely panel of the door as a kiss from my dear and came quietly down again, thinking that one of these days I would confess to the visit, and it really did me good, for though nobody but Charlie and I knew anything about it, I somehow felt as if it had diminished the separation between Edda and me, and had brought us together again for those moments. I went back, not quite accustomed yet to the change, but all the better for that hovering about my darling. My guardian had come home, and was standing thoughtfully by the dark window. When I went in, his face cleared, and he came to his seat. But he caught the light upon my face, as I took mine. Little woman, he said, you have been crying. Why, yes, guardian, said I. I am afraid I have been a little. Edda has been in such distress,

31:03and is so very sorry, guardian. I put my arm on the back of his chair, and I saw in his glance that my words and my look at her empty place had prepared him. Is she married, my dear? I told him all about it, and how her first and treaties had referred to his forgiveness. She has no need of it, said he, heaven bless her and her husband, but just as my first impulse had been to pity her, so was his. Poor girl, poor girl, poor Rick, poor Edda, neither of us spoke after that until he said with a sigh. Well, well, my dear, bleak house is thinning fast. But its mistress remains, guardian, though I was timid about saying it. I ventured because of the sorrowful tone in which he had spoken. She will do all she can to make it happy, said I.

32:03She will succeed, my love. The letter had made no difference between us, except that the seat by his side had come to be mine. It made none now. He turned his old bright fatherly look upon me, laid his hand on my hand in his old way, and said again, she will succeed, my dear. Nevertheless, bleak house is thinning fast. Oh, little woman, I was sorry presently that this was all we said about that. I was rather disappointed. I feared I might not quite have been all I had meant to be since the letter and the answer. End of chapter 51.