AP Success - AP English Literature: Bleak House

When we went down-stairs, we were presented

to Mr. Skimpole, who was standing before the

fire, telling Richard how fond he used to be, in his

school-time, of football. He was a little bright creature,

5

with a rather large head; but a delicate face,

and a sweet voice, and there was a perfect charm

in him. All he said was so free from effort and

spontaneous, and was said with such a captivating

gaiety, that it was fascinating to hear him talk.

10

Being of a more slender figure than Mr. Jarndyce,

and having a richer complexion, with browner

hair, he looked younger. Indeed, he had more the

appearance, in all respects, of a damaged young

man, than a well-preserved elderly one. There was

15

an easy negligence in his manner, and even in his

dress (his hair carelessly disposed, and his neckerchief

loose and flowing, as I have seen artists

paint their own portraits), which I could not separate

from the idea of a romantic youth who had

20

undergone some unique process of depreciation.

It struck me as being not at all like the manner or

appearance of a man who had advanced in life, by

the usual road of years, cares, and experiences.

I gathered from the conversation, that Mr.

25

Skimpole had been educated for the medical profession,

and had once lived in his professional

capacity, in the household of a German prince.

He told us, however, that as he had always been a

mere child in points of weights and measures, and

30

had never known anything about them (except

that they disgusted him), he had never been

able to prescribe with the requisite accuracy of

detail. In fact, he said, he had no head for detail.

And he told us, with great humour, that when he

35

was wanted to bleed the prince, or physic any of

his people, he was generally found lying on his

back, in bed, reading the newspapers, or making

fancy sketches in pencil, and couldn't come. The

prince, at last objecting to this, 'in which,' said

40

Mr. Skimpole, in the frankest manner, 'he was

perfectly right,' the engagement terminated, and

Mr. Skimpole having (as he added with delightful

gaiety) 'nothing to live upon but love, fell in love,

and married, and surrounded himself with rosy

45

cheeks.' His good friend Jarndyce and some other

of his good friends then helped him, in quicker

or slower succession, to several openings in life;

but to no purpose, for he must confess to two of

the oldest infirmities in the world: one was, that

50

he had no idea of time; the other, that he had no

idea of money. In consequence of which he never

kept an appointment, never could transact any

business, and never knew the value of anything!

Well! So he had got on in life, and here he was! He

55

was very fond of reading the papers, very fond of

making fancy sketches with a pencil, very fond

of nature, very fond of art. All he asked of society

was, to let him live. That wasn't much. His

wants were few. Give him the papers, conversation,

60

music, mutton, coffee, landscape, fruit in the

season, a few sheets of Bristol-board, and a little

claret, and he asked no more. He was a mere child

in the world, but he didn't cry for the moon. He

said to the world, 'Go your several ways in peace!

65

Wear red coats, blue coats, lawn sleeves, put pens

behind your ears, wear aprons; go after glory,

holiness, commerce, trade, any object you prefer;

only—let Harold Skimpole live!'

All this, and a great deal more, he told us,

70

not only with the utmost brilliancy and enjoyment,

but with a certain vivacious candour—

speaking of himself as if he were not at all his

own affair, as if Skimpole were a third person,

as if he knew that Skimpole had his singularities,

75

but still had his claims too, which were

the general business of the community and

must not be slighted. He was quite enchanting.

If I felt at all confused at that early time, in

endeavoring to reconcile anything he said with

80

anything I had thought about the duties and

accountabilities of life (which I am far from

sure of), I was confused by not exactly understanding

why he was free of them. That he was

free of them, I scarcely doubted; he was so very

85

clear about it himself.