"Ye-es,"said the other, turning full upon him. "If you had told him who you were; if you had given him your card, and found out, afterwards, that his station or character prevented your fighting him, it would have been enough then." — Chapter XXXVIII, Fred Barnard's thirty-fifth illustration for "Nicholas Nickleby" (1875)

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"Ye-es,"said the other, turning full upon him. "If you had told him who you were; if you had given him your card, and found out, afterwards, that his station or character prevented your fighting him, it would have been enough then.", for Chap. XXXVIII; thirty-fifth illustration for the British Household Edition, illustrated by Fred Barnard with fifty-nine composite woodblock engravings (1875). The framed illustration is 10.7 cm high by 13.8 cm wide (4 ¼ by 5 ⅜ inches), p. 249. Running head: "Lord Frederick Revolts" (249). [Click on the images to enlarge them.]

Passage Illustrated: Ralph Nickleby commiserates with the wounded Sir Mulberry Hawk

Ralph, who was no common observer, was surprised to see that as this tirade proceeded, the manner of Lord Frederick Verisopht, who at the commencement had been twirling his whiskers with a most dandified and listless air, underwent a complete alteration. He was still more surprised when, Sir Mulberry ceasing to speak, the young lord angrily, and almost unaffectedly, requested never to have the subject renewed in his presence.

"Mind that, Hawk!" he added, with unusual energy. "I never will be a party to, or permit, if I can help it, a cowardly attack upon this young fellow."

"Cowardly!" interrupted his friend.

"Ye-es," said the other, turning full upon him. "If you had told him who you were; if you had given him your card, and found out, afterwards, that his station or character prevented your fighting him, it would have been bad enough then; upon my soul it would have been bad enough then. As it is, you did wrong. I did wrong too, not to interfere, and I am sorry for it. What happened to you afterwards, was as much the consequence of accident as design, and more your fault than his; and it shall not, with my knowledge, be cruelly visited upon him, it shall not indeed."

With this emphatic repetition of his concluding words, the young lord turned upon his heel; but before he had reached the adjoining room he turned back again, and said, with even greater vehemence than he had displayed before,

"I do believe, now; upon my honour I do believe, that the sister is as virtuous and modest a young lady as she is a handsome one; and of the brother, I say this, that he acted as her brother should, and in a manly and spirited manner. And I only wish, with all my heart and soul, that any one of us came out of this matter half as well as he does."

So saying, Lord Frederick Verisopht walked out of the room, leaving Ralph Nickleby and Sir Mulberry in most unpleasant astonishment. [Chapter XXXVIII, "Comprises certain Particulars arising out of a Visit of Condolence, which may prove important hereafter. Smike unexpectedly encounters a very old Friend, who invites him to his House, and will take no Denial," 249-250]

Commentary

Sol Eytinge, Jr.'s Diamond Edition study of the dissolute aristocrats: Hawk, Verisopht, Pyke, and Pluck (Chapter 19) (1867).

Despite his assertion that he has met with an "accident," the notorious gambler Sir Mulberry Hawk has clearly sustained a beating in the Barnard illustration. Ralph, looking thoughtful, is actually baiting Hawk by describing his condition as the result of a "punishment" which Nicholas has administered in the street. Although Hawk's face, hidden partially by bandages, is expressionless as Verisopht (right) defends both Kate Nickleby's reputation and Nicholas's conduct, in the text Hawk darts "wrathful" (248) looks, suggesting that, once he has recovered his mobility, he intends to be avenged upon his assailant. On the small, well-lit side-table is a deck of cards, for the invalid has been playing a furious game of piquet with Pyke and Pluck, who have just stepped out after losing several rounds. To mollify the aggrieved aristocrat, Ralph insists that he has disowned his nephew, who nevertheless is strutting about the streets, awaiting Hawk's challenge.

Related material, including front matter and sketches, by other illustrators

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Bibliography

Barnard, J. "Fred" (il.). Charles Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby, with fifty-nine illustrations. The Works of Charles Dickens: The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1875. XV. Rpt. 1890.

Bentley, Nicolas, Michael Slater, and Nina Burgis. The Dickens Index. Oxford and New York: Oxford U. P., 1988.

Davis, Paul. Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts On File, 1998.

Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. With fifty-two illustrations by C. S. Reinhart. The Household Edition. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1872. I.

__________. Nicholas Nickleby. With 39 illustrations by Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz"). London: Chapman & Hall, 1839.

__________. Nicholas Nickleby. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. Vol. 4.

__________. "Nicholas Nickleby." Scenes and Characters from the Works of Charles Dickens, being eight hundred and sixty-six drawings by Fred Barnard et al.. Household Edition. London: Chapman and Hall, 1908.

Nicholas
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Created 26 August 20211