Summary: Chapter 46, “Stop him!”
The narrator says that Tom-all-Alone’s is dark and menacing.
In a sort of surreal meditation, he says that Tom is asleep, but
that a lot of fuss has been made about him in Parliament, where
people discuss how to get him off the street or what else to do
with him. The narrator says that Tom gets revenge by contaminating
everything around him.
Morning arrives. Mr. Woodcourt walks around Tom-all-Alone’s and
sees a woman sitting on a stoop. He sees a bruise on her forehead
and bandages it, then asks if her husband is a brickmaker because
he believes brickmakers are violent. She says her husband will be
looking for her. He asks if she has a baby, and she says no, although
her friend Liz has one that she thinks of as her own.
Woodcourt moves on and soon sees a wretched young boy
running toward him, whom he thinks he recognizes. A woman is running
after the boy, yelling for someone to stop him. Woodcourt grabs
him, thinking he has stolen the woman’s money. When the woman rushes
up, she exclaims excitedly that she has finally found Jo. Jo admits
that he once saw Woodcourt when he spoke about the dead lodger in
front of the coroner. Woodcourt asks the woman if Jo robbed her,
and she says no; rather, he has been very kind to her. She says
that a woman took Jo home with her to care of him when he was sick,
but that Jo ran away. She says that the woman then became sick herself
and lost her beauty. Woodcourt is speechless.
When he recovers, he asks Jo why he left the house. Jo
says he never knew a woman had been caring for him and that he would never
have done anything to hurt her. He says someone took him away, but
he won’t name the man, fearful that he’ll find out since he seems
to be everywhere. Jo says this man gave him money and told him to
“move on.” Woodcourt tells Jo he’ll find him a place to hide. Woodcourt
and Jo set off.
Summary: Chapter 47, “Jo’s Will”
Woodcourt and Jo stop for breakfast, and Woodcourt puts
his hand on Jo’s chest, telling him to breathe. He can’t breathe
easily. Jo then tells Woodcourt about his recent adventures, including
the story about the woman in the veil whom he led to the graveyard.
They approach Krook’s old shop. Miss Flite isn’t there anymore;
Judy Smallweed tells him she now lives with a Mrs. Blinder in Bell
Yard. Woodcourt and Jo find her, and she greets Woodcourt happily.
She tells Woodcourt that Jo can hide with “General George,” and
she leads them to George’s Shooting Gallery. Woodcourt tells George that
Jo needs a place to hide, since he fears a man who seems to be everywhere.
Woodcourt tells George that the man hunting for Jo is Inspector
Bucket. George responds that Jo is welcome to stay with him and
Phil. Woodcourt warns George that Jo is ill and may not get better.
George introduces Jo to Phil, saying that Phil once lived on the
street too. George tells Woodcourt that he is certain that Bucket took
Jo to Tulkinghorn when he scuttled him away from Bleak House. George
asserts that Tulkinghorn is a bad person.
Woodcourt visits Mr. Snagsby. Snagsby, uneasy, tells Woodcourt to
speak quietly so that Mrs. Snagsby doesn’t hear them. Snagsby says
that although he’s never had a secret, he’s always getting involved
in other people’s secrets. He says that someone has instructed him
not to talk about Jo. But he agrees to visit Jo.
