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“Certainly, Sir," replied Sam, who had answered Wardle's violent ringing of the bell . . . .”
Thomas Onwhyn ["Sam Weller del" for delineavit, Latin]
steel engraving
13.3 cm high by 10.8 cm wide (5 by 4 inches), vignetted
May 31, 1837 (second instalment)
Charles Dickens's The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, Chapter X (June 1836), facing page 97.
[Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
Old Wardle opened the door; and the whole three walked into the room just as Mr. Jingle, who had that moment returned, had produced the licence to the spinster aunt.
The spinster uttered a loud shriek, and throwing herself into a chair, covered her face with her hands. Mr. Jingle crumpled up the licence, and thrust it into his coat pocket. The unwelcome visitors advanced into the middle of the room.
‘You — you are a nice rascal, arn’t you?’ exclaimed Wardle, breathless with passion.
‘My dear Sir, my dear sir,’ said the little man, laying his hat on the table, ‘pray, consider — pray. Defamation of character: action for damages. Calm yourself, my dear sir, pray —’
‘How dare you drag my sister from my house?’ said the old man.
Ay — ay — very good,’ said the little gentleman, ‘you may ask that. How dare you, sir? — eh, sir?’
‘Who the devil are you?’ inquired Mr. Jingle, in so fierce a tone, that the little gentleman involuntarily fell back a step or two.
‘Who is he, you scoundrel,’ interposed Wardle. ‘He’s my lawyer, Mr. Perker, of Gray’s Inn. Perker, I’ll have this fellow prosecuted — indicted — I’ll — I’ll — I’ll ruin him. And you,’ continued Mr. Wardle, turning abruptly round to his sister —‘you, Rachael, at a time of life when you ought to know better, what do you mean by running away with a vagabond, disgracing your family, and making yourself miserable? Get on your bonnet and come back. Call a hackney-coach there, directly, and bring this lady’s bill, d’ye hear — d’ye hear?’
Cert’nly, Sir,’ replied Sam, who had answered Wardle’s violent ringing of the bell with a degree of celerity which must have appeared marvellous to anybody who didn’t know that his eye had been applied to the outside of the keyhole during the whole interview.
‘Get on your bonnet,’ repeated Wardle. [Chapter X, "Clearing up all doubts (if any existed) of the disinterestedness of Mr. Jingle's character," 97]
“Certainly, Sir," replied Sam, who had answered Wardle's violent ringing of the bell with a degree of celerity, which must have appeared marvellous to any body who didn't know that his eye had been applied to the outside of the key-hole during the whole interview.” Page 97.
Instead of elaborating on the initial Phiz illustration for this instalment, The Break-down, Onwhyn shows how Sam Wheller, the 'Boots" at the Southwark inn, supports the Pickwickians' pursuit of Jingle and his bride. However, he has altered Sam's facial features from First appearance of Mr. Samuel Weller (Chapter X, July 1836) and made the figures involved in the breaching of the room both more dynamic and better modelled than in the Phiz plate. After the manner of Phiz, however, he has embedded a pair of romantic prints on the wall behind the actors. Capturing Jingle's supercilious attitude effectively, Onwhyn depicts him (centre) as the only one smiling as Wardle reaches for the bell-pull, presumably to order a bucket of water to pour over Rachel's head. Meanwhile, Pickwick attempts to console Rachel, who will not become Mrs. Alfred Jingle after all. Behind Sam, looking a bit distressed, is the kind-hearted landlady.
Above, left: Thomas Nast's American Household Edition illustration of the group gathering at the door: "Is this the room?" murmured the little gentleman. Sam nodded assent" (1873). Above, right: Harry Furniss's re-working Phiz's treatment of the momentous meeting at the White Hart Inn: Mr. Pickwick meets Sam Weller in the Charles Dickens Library Edition (1910). [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Dickens, Charles. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Robert Seymour, Robert Buss, and Phiz. London: Chapman and Hall, November 1837. With 32 additional illustrations by Thomas Onwhyn (London: E. Grattan, April-November 1837).
Titley, Graham D. C. "Thomas Onwhyn: a Life in Illustration (1811-1886)." Pearl. University of Plymouth (2018-07-12).
Created 7 February 2024