Uncaptioned: "Gilmore encounters Hartright in Holborn at Euston" — Ninth headnote vignette by John McLenan for Wilkie Collins's "The Woman in White" in <span class="book">Harper's Weekly</span> (21 January 1860)

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Gilmore encounters Hartright in Holborn at Euston

John McLenan

21 January 1859

9.8 cm high by 5.5 cm wide 3 ¾ by 2 ¼ inches), framed, p. 37.

Ninth headnote vignette for Collins's The Woman in White: A Novel (1860).

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.

You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.

Gilmore encounters Hartright in Holborn at Euston — staff artist John McLenan's ninth uncaptioned headnote vignette for Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White: A Novel, Instalment 9, published on 21 January 1860 in Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization, Vol. IV, close of Part Three: "The Story continued by Vincent Gilmore, of Chancery Lane, Solicitor," p. 37; Chapter III, p. 65 in the 1861 volume. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Passage: A Chance Encounter on a London Street with a much-changed Walter Hartright

The weather on Saturday was beautiful, a west wind and a bright sun. Having felt latterly a return of that fulness and oppression of the head, against which my doctor warned me so seriously more than two years since, I resolved to take the opportunity of getting a little extra exercise by sending my bag on before me and walking to the terminus in Euston Square. As I came out into Holborn a gentleman walking by rapidly stopped and spoke to me. It was Mr. Walter Hartright.

If he had not been the first to greet me I should certainly have passed him. He was so changed that I hardly knew him again. His face looked pale and haggard — his manner was hurried and uncertain — and his dress, which I remembered as neat and gentlemanlike when I saw him at Limmeridge, was so slovenly now that I should really have been ashamed of the appearance of it on one of my own clerks.

“Have you been long back from Cumberland?” he asked. “I heard from Miss Halcombe lately. I am aware that Sir Percival Glyde’s explanation has been considered satisfactory. Will the marriage take place soon? Do you happen to know, Mr. Gilmore?” ["The Story continued by Vincent Gilmore, of Chancery Lane, Solicitor," Chapter III, p. 37; p. 65 in the 1861 volume edition]

Commentary: Hartright solicits a position outside England

Gilmore has the intention of discussing the issue of the inheritance directly with his nominal client, Frederick Fairlie, at Limmeridge House in Cumberland. Although he is not especially forthcoming, Gilmore admits that the marriage is going ahead; in fact, it will occur in December, three months before Laura reaches her twenty-first birthday, the age of majority. Hartright looks rather run down, and clearly wants employment. Gilmore, does, however, mention that he is on the way to Limmeridge, and that Miss Halcombe and Miss Fairlie are presently away visiting friends in Yorkshire. There is no mention of her forthcoming marriage to Sir Percival Glyde in late December.

Although the small-scale uncaptioned vignette occurs at the head of the Harper's ninth weekly instalment, it anticipates a later incident near the terminus at Euston Square. This chance meeting occurs after attorney Gilmore's consultation with Glyde's representative, Mr. Merriman. As opposed to the legal manoeuvering of the lawyers on behalf of their respective clients, Hartright's enquiry about Laura Fairlie's impending marriage is emotionally fraught. McLenan depicts the drawing-master as a head shorter than Gilmore (identified readily by his spectacles, as in the main illustration) to suggest his reduced social circumstances and relative powerlessness to be of assistance to Laura.

Related Material

McLenan's regular, full-scale illustration for the ninth weekly number in serial: "He walked to the fire-place and warmed himself," etc. for 21 January 1860.
Fred Walker's poster: The Woman in White for the Olympic's October 1871 adaptation

Bibliography

Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White: A Novel. New York: Harper & Bros., 1861 (first printing, 15 August 1860; reissued in single-column format in 1902, 548 pages).

Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White: A Novel. Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization. Illustrated by John McLenan. Vols. III-IV (16 November 1859 through 8 September 1860).

Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White. Ed. Maria K. Bachman and Don Richard Cox. Illustrated by Sir John Gilbert. London: Minerva, 2006.

Peters, Catherine. "Chapter Twelve: The Woman in White (1859-1860)." The King of the Inventors: A Life of Wilkie Collins. London: Minerva Press, 1992. Pp. 205-225.

Vann, J. Don. "The Woman in White in All the Year Round, 26 November — 25 August 1860." Victorian Novels in Serial. New York: MLA, 1985. Pp. 44-46.

Created 7 July 2024