George---Chapter 63

[Dort]

Bleak House is a favorite of mine ; in book, TV movie, and audiobook. I've recently finished listening to an unabridged version that really has me thinking. Towards the end of the story, George goes to the north to seek his brother & family. He finds them and is well received. He asks his brother to listen to a letter he has written to Esther. I have read it twice over since hearing it and it doesn't quite come clear to me. I think he's referencing Nemo, but I'm just not sure. The most odd part of all of this is that the book copy I have DOES NOT have this chapter ! My book has 66 chapters; not 67 as the online version on this site! Guess which one is missing...the chapter about George's visit! How frustrating! If anyone can explain the purpose and meaning of said letter, I would be glad indeed!

[kev67]

Yes, it was about Nemo, the lodger of Mr Krook who died early in the story. He was Lady Dedlock's first lover and the father of Esther Summerson. Mr George had been forced to hand over a sample of Nemo's hand-writing from when he was known as Captain Hawdon, serving with the British army. Mr George presumably served under him. He thought Captain Hawdon had died after falling off the side of a ship at an Irish port, but this was not the case. George had been forced to hand over this sample of handwriting because his friends, the Bagnets, had promised to act as guarantors for George's shooting gallery business. If he had not handed it over, his business would have been closed down and the Bagnets would have been forced to pay back much of the business loan. George says in the letter that he handed over the least personal sample of Captain Hawdon's writing that he had, and that he had no idea that Captain Hawdon had been living in poverty until recently, or he would have gone to help him.