Summary

Mr. Jarndyce has gone to Yorkshire to see Allan Woodcourt. Soon he invites Esther to join them. He has settled Allan in a “new Bleak House” and releases Esther from her promise, having seen for some time that she will be far happier with Allan. Esther is astonished. She will still become “the mistress of Bleak House,” but with Allan as her husband.

During their absence from St. Albans, Mr. Guppy has called three times. When they return, he calls again, accompanied by his mother and Jobling. Finding that the image of Esther still haunts him, he renews his proposal of marriage. Mr. Jarndyce, speaking for Esther, rejects the proposal. Guppy behaves well enough, but his mother is outraged, becomes insulting, and has to be forcibly removed by her son and Jobling.

Analysis

Here begins the happy ending for Esther and Allan — and even for Mr. Jarndyce, who becomes a Prospero figure (see Shakespeare’s The Tempest), secretly pulling many strings to create a surprising and joyous culmination of events.

The visit by Guppy and his mother may be a superfluous addition to the story, though it does lend credibility to the fact that Esther’s good looks are returning.