77
a moment later he adds that he wishes to leave the poor girls some
independence as well as a good name' and in the end the children
appear to be only an excuse to keep on spongeing on his clients;
'as though', Dickens bitingly adds, 'Mr Vholes and his relations
being minor cannibal chiefs, and it being proposed to abolish canni
balism, indignant champions were put the case thus Make man-eating
unlawful, and you starve the VholesesI'
Mrs Guppy is 'ever mindful of a son's appiness' and 'actuated by
maternal dictates' but yet 'highly exasperating to the feelings'
(Ch 39, 598) as she abundantly shows upon the renewal of Guppy's
proposal (Ch 64, 920).
For a few others the balance weighs down to the other side.
Mrs Rouncewell is remembered by her son George as a very good woman
and her reaction to finding him back confirms this. The good relations
within the family become quite clear when we see the total lack of
jealousy in George's brother, who knows that his mother has always
preferred George to himself. Mrs Woodcourt in the end accepts Esther
as a daughter-in-law on her own merrits, her heart beating no less
warmly towards Esther than Jarndyce's (Ch 64, 914).
There are only a few flawless families, or at least flawless parents
in the book. The Bagnets are perfect it seems. Their function may be
one of relief among the distorsions in the characters of so many other
members of the BLEAK HOUSE world1^ but they surely are the embodiment
of Dickens' belief in the possibility of individual charity, not only
outside of estal ~shed institutions (this will be dealt with below)
but also in normal daily life, by using the structures that society
provides to advantage.
This also seems to hold for Caddy Jellyby's family, Caddy being devoted
to this 'pride of her life', little Esther (Ch 50, 736); for the
Neckett family, Coavinses being very 'industrious' to provide for his
family (Ch 15, 260); and for the family of the Ironmaster, for whom
'it has been one of our great cares and pleasures to make them wc iy
of any station' (Ch 28, 452), and whose home life is described to us
in quite pleasant terms (Ch 63, 904). Jenny the brickmaster1s wife and
her friend are two more examples of maternal affection, rendered even
