Little Dorrit

Pancks becomes acquainted with the Chiverys and uses Young John and Mrs. Chivery to help with his secret missions. He invites John to his lodgings with his landlord, Mr. Rugg, an attorney. They discuss a conspiracy, which is later revealed to revolve around the Dorrits. Meanwhile, John Baptist Cavalletto becomes the newest resident of Bleeding Heart Yard. John Baptist initially faces prejudice for being from Italy, but Clennam and Pancks befriend him. He slowly begins to fit in with the people of Bleeding Heart Yard, who attempt to teach him English.

Clennam, who now lives with Doyce, feels upset when Doyce mentions Henry Gowan, and they discuss their fears for Pet’s future. Gowan, however, does not notice Clennam’s dislike of him and feels they are friends, even introducing Clennam to his mother. Clennam finds Mrs. Gowan’s house and company to be cold and fake, and the only topics of conversation there are the Circumlocution Office and the Barnacles. Mrs. Gowan asks Clennam about Gowan’s relationship with Pet, making him uncomfortable. He tells Mrs. Gowan about Mr. Meagles’s discomfort around Gowan, but the mother thinks that is part of the Meagles’ scheme to get Gowan to marry Pet.

Clennam is troubled that he has not heard anything from Pancks about the Dorrits, as he does not know why he wanted information about them in the first place. He is also worried by Amy’s continued absence. One night, when returning from the Marshalsea, he encounters Meagles who tells him that Tattycoram has left his house. Meagles explains that she had become upset as she was jealous of Pet and disliked the Meagles. He and Clennam both suspect that she has run away to Miss Wade.

The two go to the area where they have heard Miss Wade lives, and they find her residence after trial and error. Miss Wade guesses the cause of their visit as soon as they arrive and says that Tattycoram is there with her. Tattycoram appears and tells Mr. Meagles she will not return. Miss Wade says that she feels sympathy for Tattycoram and implies that they are both orphans. Before the men leave, Miss Wade refers to Pet as Mr. Gowan’s wife.

Tattycoram resolutely refuses to return to the Meagles’. One day, when Clennam walks to the Meagles’ house, Pet meets him and Clennam correctly assumes that Gowan has proposed. She entreats Clennam to visit Mr. Meagles once she moves out of her home and reconcile her father with her husband, an effort that Clennam knows will fail. All of the Meagles seem to understand that Clennam has feelings for Pet, and he reconciles himself to the fact that she will never be his wife.

Affery is still convinced that Mrs. Clennam’s house is haunted and is nervous around Flintwinch. Pancks comes to visit Mrs. Clennam when Amy is with her. Mrs. Clennam asks Amy what she knows about Pancks and she says she doesn’t know why he follows her. Mrs. Clennam is kind to Amy when she mentions some of her troubles, and Affery is again convinced she is dreaming when she sees Mrs. Clennam kiss Amy on the forehead. Affery is in a paranoid state when she goes outside to see Pancks speak to Amy, and a gust of wind blows the door shut behind her. While trying to open the door, she is startled by a man who is later revealed to be Rigaud, now going by the name Blandois. The man enters the house through a window and opens the door for Affery, and both of them hear the strange noise that comes from the kitchen. Affery goes to fetch Flintwinch, and Mrs. Clennam can hear that they have a visitor and wonders who it might be.

Affery goes upstairs to tend to Mrs. Clennam and Flintwinch lets the stranger—who is Rigaud—inside, introducing himself as Mrs. Clennam’s partner. Rigaud shows his introduction papers that claim he is Blandois, a Parisian gentleman who has arrived on business. Flintwinch takes his card to Mrs. Clennam after he takes him to a local inn where he can stay. Rigaud/ Blandois returns to their house after dinner and is brought in to see Mrs. Clennam. He is immediately interested in the watch Clennam had given to her. Taking a closer look at the watch, he sees the initials “D.N.F.” which Mrs. Clennam believes means “do not forget,” which she assures Rigaud/Blandois she never does.

Before he leaves, Rigaud/Blandois asks Flintwinch to give him a tour of the house, and Flintwinch notices Rigaud/Blandois looking more often at him than at the rooms of the house. Rigaud/Blandois invites Flintwinch back to drink at his lodgings, and Flintwinch is suspicious of him until he becomes drunk. Rigaud/Blandois promises to come back to the house the following day, but Flintwinch discovers that he has left his inn and returned to Europe.

The narrator describes a man called Old Nandy who is a musician and Mrs. Plornish’s father. Though his daughter adores him and wants him to move to Bleeding Heart Yard, Old Nandy stays at the workhouse. He visited his son-in-law when he was at Marshalsea, and there, he befriended his patron, William Dorrit. Amy visits the Plornishes when Old Nandy is over, and the two walk to the prison, where they meet Fanny in the street. Fanny is angry at Amy for keeping company with a pauper and berates her for it, saying that Amy only wants to remind her family of their reduced station. When they enter the prison and see William, he runs back to his room without greeting Old Nandy; he sides with Fanny and says he feels “humiliated” by Amy’s choice of company.

While Amy tries to console her father, Young John comes in with a letter from Clennam that includes some money. William tells Amy to get ready since Clennam is visiting soon, and he goes down to meet Nandy himself. He proudly introduces Old Nandy to others, including Clennam, but he separates the man from the group when they take tea and he repeatedly tells Clennam of his “deficiencies.” Clennam is convinced of William’s generosity but sees that Amy is quiet. When Tip enters, he ignores Clennam because Clennam hadn’t fulfilled his request for money—Tip doesn’t know Clennam was the one who paid his debts. William is offended by Tip’s behavior and Amy tries to calm the men, but the two elder Dorrit children are angry and leave.

Amy begins to cry when Clennam asks her why she is so changed. When she asks him if he has been well, he mentions that he recently had his heart broken by a woman who was too young for him. It never occurs to Clennam that Amy is in love with him, and everything he says to comfort her only hurts her more. Clennam mentions that she may want to leave her family one day and that he would be happy to help provide for her, but she is adamant that there is no one outside of that room whom she cares for. This is a significant moment that Clennam will think of later. Mr. Pancks arrives suddenly and appears excited; Clennam seems to know something Amy doesn’t. Pancks pulls Clennam out of the room, where his landlord Mr. Rugg is waiting. Pancks and Rugg produce some papers they have discovered, and they suggest that Clennam will have to break some big news to Amy.

Mrs. Gowan reconciles herself to the fact that her son will marry Pet. She goes to see her friend Mrs. Merdle and the women complain about the nature of marriage and their insipid sons. When Mr. Merdle returns home, he and Mrs. Merdle argue about their place in society, which is precarious despite their new wealth. Edmund Sparkler enters and confirms that people in society talk about how Mr. Merdle appears to be too concerned with his business. However, at a dinner party that night, the guests all flatter Mr. Merdle since he is wealthy.

Gowan and Pet look forward to their wedding, and the Gowans intend to invite many Barnacles and members of the Circumlocution Office. Since many of the Meagles’ friends dislike the Barnacles, the Meagles and Gowans have disputes about whom to invite and who wants to be invited. Clennam fears he will always hate Gowan, though he promises to be a friend to him, seeing that Gowan’s careless attitude to life will affect Pet. On the wedding day, all of the Meagles are aggravated by the Barnacles and the way they carry on the duty of the Circumlocution Office to not do anything. Both families feel the marriage is a step down for them.

Pancks reveals everything he knows of the Dorrits to Clennam. He has discovered that William is an heir to a growing estate in Cornwall and his debts could easily be paid. Pancks had known of this estate before meeting the Dorrits and had ingratiated himself with them to discover more about their family history, and this led him to the discovery. Clennam goes to see Amy at Casby’s house to tell her about this. Amy is overcome by emotion when she thinks of what this discovery means for her father.

Amy and Clennam rush to the prison to tell William the news. Amy is very excited that she will be able to see her father as a wealthy man, and she doesn’t really think about the fact that she, too, will now be rich. William immediately starts making plans to repay those who helped him and to get new clothes for his family. When Clennam tells him that he has to stay in prison for at least a few more hours, William is deeply distressed to have his freedom within reach but not yet attainable. Amy, too, is upset that all of her father’s debts will now be paid, as she finds it unreasonable that he will have paid his debts with his money and with over 20 years of his life.

William is severe toward all those who stand in the way of his freedom, including the marshal of the prison. Tip and Fanny buy new clothes and William gives out donations to other inmates. The Dorrits are treated like royalty in their final days at Marshalsea and all the prisoners and turnkeys are present for their departure, though the narrator comments on the mixed feelings they all have. As the family steps into the carriage, Fanny notices that Amy isn’t with them and is angry with her for being sentimental. They see her being carried out of the jail by Clennam, who tells the Dorrits that she had fainted in her room and had been forgotten there by her family. Clennam is upset with the Dorrits when he deposits Amy in the carriage. They urge the driver to leave as quickly as possible.