Is the mystery solved?
No. Dickens died after completing Chapter 23, so the surviving novel confirms neither Edwin's death nor a murderer in a finished solution.
What does the text establish about Jasper?
He is obsessed with Rosa, threatens Neville, manipulates public suspicion, drugs Durdles during a crypt visit, and is known to Princess Puffer. Those facts make him the dominant suspect, but the fragment never reaches proof or judgment.
Who is Datchery?
The book never says. The disguise is intentional, but identifying Datchery as Helena, Bazzard, Tartar, or another figure remains interpretation rather than canonical fact.
Where does the fragment stop?
Princess Puffer follows Jasper into the cathedral and covertly confronts him. Datchery observes her and adds a large chalk mark to his private tally, signaling progress just before the narrative breaks off.
Themes and What the Ending Means
Double lives: Jasper's public musical authority and private addiction make respectability a mask rather than proof of virtue.
Obsession and control: Affection becomes dangerous when Jasper treats Rosa and Edwin as possessions.
Suspicion and prejudice: Neville's temper and outsider status allow Jasper to turn circumstantial evidence into social conviction.
Unfinished evidence: The fragment forces readers to distinguish strong implication from a solution the novel never actually supplies.