Page 502 - bleak-house

CHAPTER XXIV

An Appeal Case

As soon as Richard and I had held the conversation of
which I have given an account, Richard communicated
the state of his mind to Mr. Jarndyce. I doubt if my guard-
ian were altogether taken by surprise when he received the
representation, though it caused him much uneasiness and
disappointment. He and Richard were often closeted togeth-
er, late at night and early in the morning, and passed whole
days in London, and had innumerable appointments with
Mr. Kenge, and laboured through a quantity of disagreeable
business. While they were thus employed, my guardian,
though he underwent considerable inconvenience from the
state of the wind and rubbed his head so constantly that
not a single hair upon it ever rested in its right place, was
as genial with Ada and me as at any other time, but main-
tained a steady reserve on these matters. And as our utmost
endeavours could only elicit from Richard himself sweep-
ing assurances that everything was going on capitally and
that it really was all right at last, our anxiety was not much
relieved by him.
We learnt, however, as the time went on, that a new ap-

502 Bleak House