Our Mutual Friend, Chapter 4 summary
Chapter 4 of 68 · Book 1: The Cup and the Lip · 19 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 4, Reginald Wilfer brings home his modest hopes while Bella complains that the Harmon marriage arrangement leaves her poor and wearing mourning for a stranger. John Rokesmith rents the family’s rooms without a reference, provoking Bella’s distrust, and the narrator reveals his striking resemblance to Mr. Julius Handford.
What happens
- Reginald Wilfer returns from his clerk’s work to find that an unpaid tradesman removes the family’s doorplate.
- Bella complains about poverty, mourning, and the lost wealth attached to an arranged marriage with a man she never meets.
- John Rokesmith secures the upstairs rooms without a reference, signs an agreement, and pays eight sovereigns.
- Bella and Lavinia suspect the lodger, but their father uses the payment to provide an unusually generous supper.
- Wilfer recalls that old Mr. Harmon first notices Bella during a childhood tantrum and asks their names.
- As the sisters prepare for bed, the narrator identifies Rokesmith’s extraordinary resemblance to Mr. Julius Handford.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Bella states directly why the proposed marriage appeals to her despite its humiliating conditions. Her desire for money shapes her response to both mourning and family life.
Quick check
Why does Rokesmith say a reference should be unnecessary?
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