Bleak House: Chapter 49 Summary & Analysis

It is Mrs. Bagnet’s birthday and Mr. Bagnet and the children go through their yearly ritual of doing all the chores for the day and preparing dinner, while their mother sits with her feet up. This process makes Mrs. Bagnet rather anxious, however, and she winces slightly—while pretending to enjoy herself—as she watches every domestic task done wrong and the dinner almost ruined. They sit down to eat, and Mr. Bagnet says that George will no doubt call in. The Bagnets have been worried about the trooper recently as he has seemed out of sorts.

After dinner, the children wash the dishes and George arrives. He is very pale and tells them that Jo has died. George gives Mrs. Bagnet her present and he and Mr. Bagnet light their pipes and drink a toast to her. A man peers across the threshold and George is surprised when he recognizes Mr. Bucket.

Mr. Bucket is invited in and explains that he is looking for a musical instrument for a friend and happened to see one in the Bagnets’ shop. Mr. Bucket sits down to join the party and plays happily with Malta and Quebec. He compliments Mrs. Bagnet on her house and garden and asks her if the garden has another gate onto the street. Mrs. Bagnet says no, and Mr. Bucket says it is the best garden he has ever seen.

Mrs. Bagnet says that George has been feeling low, and Mr. Bucket commiserates with him. Mrs. Bagnet introduces Woolwich, and the boy plays a ballad for Mr. Bucket on his pipe. They spend a pleasant evening together and, when George makes to leave, Mr. Bucket gets up too. Mr. Bucket tells Mr. Bagnet that he will return tomorrow for the instrument, which the men have discussed.

Mr. Bucket follows George into the street and, as soon as they are some distance from the house, tells George that he is under arrest. There has been a murder, Mr. Bucket says, and he thinks George knows something about it. Mr. Bucket tells George that it is Mr. Tulkinghorn who has been killed and George cannot believe that he is a suspect. Mr. Bucket asks George where he was at 10 p.m. the night before, and George is horrified to realize that he was at Mr. Tulkinghorn’s and that he did, indeed, have a dispute with the man.

Mr. Bucket explains that Sir Leicester Dedlock has put up a large reward for the imprisonment of Mr. Tulkinghorn’s murderer. Realizing that he is officially accused, George draws himself up with dignity and allows Mr. Bucket to handcuff him. He asks Mr. Bucket to pull his hat down over his face so that he will not be seen in the street in handcuffs and Mr. Bucket obliges.