Our Mutual Friend

When Riah visits Fledgeby, he brings the accounts of the moneylending business. Lammle unexpectedly visits at the same time, compelling Fledgeby to hide that he is the real owner of the business. Fledgeby and Lammle mock Riah and send him away so that they can talk in private. Lammle then says that Podsnap has communicated that his daughter will no longer associate with the Lammles. Someone, Lammle suspects, told him about the plan to marry her to Fledgeby. Lammle criticizes Fledgeby for moving so slowly, though Fledgeby is reluctant to give up their plan altogether. They part as friends, though Fledgeby resents the Lammles’ attempts to blame him for this setback. Fledgeby then questions Riah about where Lizzie has gone. Given her desperate situation, Riah explains, he helped her to get out of London to a secret destination. During the course of the conversation, Riah tacitly admits that Lizzie was attracted to Eugene but that he could not marry her because of her class.

Later, Riah visits Jenny Wren. She tells Riah about her father’s recent drinking and says that she feels “solitary and helpless” without Lizzie (435). They visit Abbey together and show her the letter that exculpates Gaffer Hexam, as Lizzie asked them to do.