"I felt as if I knew it would have been better and happier for many people, if indeed I had never breathed."

I feel like we didn't get masses of action in this part of Bleak House, but we got some extra connectiony stuff that was worth knowing- Mrs Smallweed was Krook's sister! Esther knows who her mum is now! Spontaneous combustion is apparently real!

Because it's Monday evening (Monday evening! I'm writing this on Monday evening!!) thought isn't really a thing that's happening, so YOU'RE GETTING THE BULLET POINTS. You're totally welcome.

• The Smallweeds annoy me by their general presence, but it did make me laugh when Mr Smallweed couldn't find anything to throw at the Mrs, so he threw Judy. I mean, poor Judy and all, but still. LOL AMIRIGHT?
• I think I kind of skimmed over the Bagnets last week when I was reading, but you all seemed to love them, so when they came back I was like 'ok, pay attention, me' and then I found them totally charming. I love how Mr Bagnet lets Mrs Bagnet do his scolding, and also this, which is weirdly romantic: "I'll tell you what. The old girl's weight- is twelve stone six. Would I take that weight-in any metal- for the old girl? No. Why not? Because the old girl's metal is far more precious- than the preciousest metal. And she's all metal!"

• Dickens does an amazing job of describing what it's like being ill. I mean, thankfully I've never been as ill, or for as long as Esther (touch wood) but even if you're ill for, say, a week, it's perfect and accurate and just yes: "the usual tenor of my life became like an old remembrance."
• "I could read the letters that my dear wrote to me every morning and evening, and could put them to my lips and lay my cheek upon them with no fear of hurting her." HOW INCREDIBLY STRAIGHT OF YOU, ESTHER. Can Esther and Ada just get it together, please?
• It makes me so sad when Esther's like 'its a good job Woodcourt and I never got it together, cause I'd have to break up with him because of my gross face now." I just... You are more than your fucking face, Esther! Have some self-esteem, fucks sake.

• "O how happy I was, down upon the floor, with my sweet beautiful girl down upon the floor too, holding my scarred face to her lovely cheek, bathing it with tears and kisses, rocking me to and fro like a child, calling me by every tender name that she could think of and pressing me to her faithful heart."

• Fucking Richard needs to sort himself out. Now. I have accidentally discovered what happens to Richard when I was trying to find something else out (I may or may not have googled "Are Esther and Ada in Bleak House totally gay?") and I can't say it surprises me, BUT it makes every time he's around SO FRUSTRATING. Just ARGH, focus on something else!
• I honestly didn't understand a word of Esther and Guppy's conversation... Something something she has to forget he proposed or something? Yeah, that sort of went over my head, which I think was the point?

To summarise: More lesbian shenanigans, women aren't any more progressive about body image now than they were in the Victorian times, and I am heartbroken that Lady Dedlock doesn't want to see Esther anymore. I hope this will be remedied by the end of the book, for I want Esther to have her mummy. Which is totally reasonable.