What a cool comparison. I've gone on some backpacking trips and know just what Dickens is referring to. A few hours in, your muscles are aching but you can keep shifting the weight around throughout the day to give yourself some relief at the expense of another spot of your back or your legs. Headstone being unable to find any relief in this way with the weight of his actions really shows how much he is suffering for his actions.

This line points out to the reader that Mortimer is perceptive enough to realize that he has not seen Rokesmith before. It also may foreshadow a future encounter wherein John's true identity is revealed.

Dickens uses this paragraph to remind us that Headstone is there, watching Eugene. It is likely that there is a Bargeman hiding there and the noise Eugene heard was no bird at all.

From the beginning of the book, I actually feel like Wegg has changed the least. At the start, Silas was presented as more likeable and clever. His wits as a street peddler landed him well into Mr. Boffin's graces but now as this situation has developed, we see Wegg outwardly present himself to Boffin as the man he truly is. I think from the start, Silas has resented being the 'literary man with a wooden leg' and we are seeing that feeling out in the open as he exerts his influence over Boffin's fate.

This is one of the stronger opening sentences to a chapter in this book. The metaphor of Mr. Boffin passing through the 'furnace of proof' is great imagery for this section of the book. 'Dross' refers to scum and grime that forms on metal during the process of oxidation, it also implies a sense of waste and impurity. This comparison pairs well with the furnace

Look at this paragraph. Boffin is showing how he has grown content, or even comfortable with his new wealth. Where we saw him struggle with the idea of what to do with the money at the start of the book in his contemplations with Mrs. Boffin, we now see him clinging ever more tightly to his right to keep it's a cool measure of character development.

Jenny 's unique memory displays her imagination and dreams of a time apart from her own life.

I thought this whole growing argument with Rokesmith was very interesting. Bella starts out by speaking like she is offering an apology for her perceived rude behavior but it promptly changes meaning and focus within a few simple words. 'You have no right to think ill of me' stood out as a sharp twist away from an admission of guilt and sets up this part of the conversation very well.

I found this segment interesting. Lizzie is derivative of Elizabeth as Mary Anne goes on to say but this commentary in just a few words tells us more about Miss Peecher and her character/mindset. I find it humorous and expect it's not unintentional that her name is 'Peecher' as drawn from 'Preacher' with her focus on what she feels to be the proper way of things and the certainty of her own right-ness.

This whole line of conversation stood out to me. I wonder what inspired it? A Concertina is an instrument so the play on words is here with the word 'play'. The Scarlatina refers to the Scarlet Fever that one can 'catch'. But I cannot find any definition for 'parach' in English. Does anyone know what a balloon in a parach is?

I find that this section of the story and many of the scenes in previous chapters with the Inspector really do a great job of conveying the time period. Without much of the technology today, it simply would be incredibly difficult to find information on a lone figure who we have seen use false names in the middle of a city. Note how Dickens repeats himself, saying 'every day for six weeks' twice to emphasize the dubious chances of finding Julius Handford at this stage of the story.

This paragraph and the next two do a great job of further developing the characters of Mortimer and Eugene. Earlier in the book (I believe chapter 3), both of these characters expressed deep discontent with their work and Dickens used this to remark that many other young men of the city likely felt the same way. Here, we see Eugene and Mortimer discussing the change to a simpler life. This simple life is more welcome not because of the work itself, but of the freedom from precedents found in the workplace and in the upper social circles. I think we might see this theme also in Mr. Boffin and his interactions with Wegg as he seems enamored with the poorer man's way of life, and that such a poor man would be able to read.

I found that the Pantechnicon is a term used for a furniture moving van pulled by horses, originally. 'Matting' is a form of rough fabric used for clothing, floorwork, but also associated with furniture. French Polishing is a technique that results in a very glossed surface. I think these are interesting and intentional images. Dickens further emphasizes the family wealth by describing this pampering of a theoretical great-grandfather, but it also hints at the Veneering's sensibility. As they are new to wealth, they take a lot of pride in presenting it.

In some ways, even reducing theoretical family members to pieces of furniture and decoration. This is seen as a recurring theme as Tremlow, one of their first and recurring guests as a new family 'friend' is treated as another furniture decoration.

This sentence links back to the imagery of polish and novelty from before. A 'little sticky' may additionally imply early on that not only do they cling to wealth, they cling to the people that observe it. In a way, Tremblay and the many future guests, are living proof of their rise to wealth.