Seems to me I am remembering that Elizabeth Bennet and her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner visit Pemberley, Darcy's estate, in Jane Austin's
Pride and Prejudice believing Darcy will be absent. Their visit was a tour of the house. Remembering that in a story written about 30 years earlier it appears to be a practice that was not unusual.
All sounds rather ominous with Richard having a casual relationship with money and yet, this is Esther thinking and we know she has a spine of steal. She does grant him characteristics of being ardent, gentle, brave, lighthearted, frank and generous. We also learn that Richard is related to Lady Dedlock
my Lady sent her compliments to the young gentleman (to whom she perfectly remembered that she was allied by remote consanguinity)
Much quiet-as-mice going on - no word about Skimpole. Since his debt is paid I assume he is still in the house and it is difficult to imagine him being as quiet as a mouse. No word either that Skimpole sits by the fire that evening.
Interesting the opposites created with the first bit describing the house and everyone in it as quiet, whispery, waiting and then all we needed was trumpets roar announcing, he does blow in, late and comer-fuddled over how he became late, the bombastic Mr. Lawrence Boythorn, who we learn is a neighbor to Sir Leicester Dedlock. This story is like weaving a basket with each reed a character that is related to the whole and to each other.
I was struck how Boythorn was not minding his own business any more than Mrs. Pardiggle minded her own business. Both expressed how another should act and feel but because he had a wee canary feeding in his hand and what Boythorn says is with a laugh it all seems acceptable. Wonder if Dickens is suggesting a helpless trained bird is less threatening than children either needy or angry.
My take on the final paragraph...
But, when I went upstairs to my own room, I surprised myself by beginning to laugh about it and then surprised myself still more by beginning to cry about it. In short, I was in a flutter for a little while and felt as if an old chord had been more coarsely touched than it ever had been since the days of the dear old doll, long buried in the garden.
is indeed related to the first bit when Esther says,
I am really vexed and say, "Dear, dear, you tiresome little creature, I wish you wouldn't!" but it is all of no use.
she is talking about her feelings not her physical self but her inner self which sounds like the burying of the doll had more implications - she not only buried childhood things as if burying her childhood reactions and memories but, was burying her freedom to feel. It helps to connect the dots showing how she is organized, doing the proper thing following all courtesies. There is no kicking up her heals or engaging in any intimacies although, she observes them with Richard and Ada. She has become like a peeping Tom to her own life. Fluttered, flustered or flattered Guppy's awkward proposal touched a chord of feeling humor and tears of what, loneliness, abandonment, gratefulness that she was noticed for more than her efficiency? Her tears are left for us to decipher. Maybe just tears of being close to her feelings again that she thought she had buried.
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