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Sir Archy in a dilemma
Phiz (Hablot K. Browne)
steel engraving
13.2 cm by 9.7 cm (5 ¼ by 3 ¾ inches), vignetted
April 1845
Charles Lever's The O'Donoghue; A Tale of Ireland Fifty Years Ago, Chapter XII, "The Glen at Midnight," facing p. 98.
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Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
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“Where's the pony and the gig, then?” called out Roach, suddenly remembering the last sight he had of them.
“I heard the old beast clattering down the glen, as if he had fifty kettles at his tail. They'll stop him at last; and if they shouldn't, I don't suppose it matters much: the whole yoke wasn't worth a five pound note — no, even giving the owner into the bargain,” muttered he, as he turned away.
The indignity of this speech acted like a charm upon Roach; as if galvanised by the insult, he sat bolt upright on the sofa, and thrust his hands down to the deepest recesses of his breeches pockets, his invariable signal for close action. “What, sir, do you tell me that my conveniency, with the pony, harness and all —”
“Have patience, Roach,” interposed the old man; “Mark was but jesting. Come over and join us here.” At the same instant the door was flung suddenly wide, and Sir Archy rushed in, with a speed very unlike his ordinary gait. “There's a change for the better,” cried he, joyfully; “the boy has made a rally, and if we could overtake that d —— d auld beestie, Roach, and bring him back again, we might save the lad.”
“The d —— d auld beestie,” exclaimed Roach, as he sprung from the sofa and stood before him, “is very much honoured by your flattering mention of him.” Then turning towards the O'Donoghue, he added — “Take your turn out of me now, when you have me; for, by the Father of Physic, you'll never see Denis Roach under this roof again.”
The O'Donoghue laughed till his face streamed with the emotion, and he rocked in his chair like one in a convulsion. “Look, Archy,” cried he — “see now! — hear me, Roach,” were the only words he could utter between the paroxysms, while M'Nab, the very picture of shame and confusion, stood overwhelmed with his blunder, and unable to say a word. [Chapter XII, "The Glen at Midnight," pp. 97-98]
Since Charles Lever was himself a physician, his characterization of the local general practitioner, Dr. Roach of Killarney, seems a little surprising. Roach is thoroughly motivated by the thought of collecting exorbitant professional fees for the house-call such as the five hundred guineas that Sir Marmaduke Travers has intimated might be his for curing Herbert O'Donoghue. Sir Archy's only error is voicing his contempt for the physician without realising he is present. We have just seen the general practitioner making a second visit on the same day to the O'Donoghue Castle in Roach's Return to The O'Donoghue's Castle in the previous month's instalment (March, 1845). His clothing and most notably his high boots are the same in the parlour scene as in the previous illustration, when gatekeeper Kerry O'Leary had misidentified Dr. Denis Roach as the sheriff's bailiff. Further visual continuity is provided by the decorated screen in the background, for Phiz has already used it in the backdrop of A Fireside Group (January, 1845).
Here, however, the figures of the characters and on the decorated screen are larger because Phiz has moved in for a close-up. We see the dour Mark clearly behind his father's chair (right), and have much more detailed and animated portraits of both Sir Archy ("Sir Archibald M'Nab," left) and his brother-in-law, the O'Donoghue himself, now overcome by a fit of laughter at the confrontation between his kinsman and cupidinous physician. The same family pet, a spaniel, appears to much greater advantage here also.
Lester, Valerie Browne. Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens. London: Chatto and Windus, 2004.
Lever, Charles. The O'Donoghue; A Tale of Ireland Fifty Years Ago. With 26 engravings by Phiz [Hablột Knight Browne]. Dublin: William Curry, Jun., 1845.
Lever, Charles. The O'Donoghue; A Tale of Ireland Fifty Years Ago. Illustrated by Phiz [Hablột Knight Browne]. Novels and Romances of Charles Lever. In One Vol. Project Gutenberg. Last Updated: May 11, 2010.
Stevenson, Lionel. Chapter VIII, "Heretic Among Tories, 1844-1845." Dr. Quicksilver: The Life of Charles Lever. London: Chapman and Hall, 1939. Pp. 128-145.
Sutherland, John A. "Lever, Charles." The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction. Stanford, Cal.: Stanford U. P., 1989, rpt. 1990, 372-374.
Created 23 December 2023