"Mr. Dempsey in My Lady's Boudoir" — Phiz's thirty-seventh engraving for Charles Lever's "The Knight of Gwynne" (June 1847)

Mr. Dempsey in My Lady's Boudoir

Phiz

June 1847 (eighteenth) instalment: initial illustration

Steel-engraving

12.4 cm by 9.8 cm (4 ⅞ by 4 inches), vignetted.

Charles Lever's The Knight of Gwynne; A Tale of the Time of the Union (June 1847), originally for Part 18, facing p. 557.

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Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.

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Passage Illustrated: Paul solicits funds from the Netherbys for the Darcys' case

Sitting with his back towards the door of the boudoir, Forester accidentally had placed himself in such a position, that a large mirror between the windows reflected to him a considerable portion of the scene within. It was then with an amount of astonishment far above ordinary that he beheld the strange-looking figure who followed Lord Netherby into the apartment of his mother. He was a short, dumpy man, with a bald head, over which the long hairs of either side were studiously combed into an ingenious kind of net-work, and meeting at an angle above the cranium, looked like the uncovered rafters of a new house. Two fierce-looking gray eyes that seemed ready for fun or malice, rolled and revolved unceasingly over the various decorations of the chamber, while a large thick-lipped mouth, slightly opened at either end, vouched for one who neglected no palpable occasion for self-indulgence or enjoyment. There was, indeed, throughout his appearance, a look of racy satisfaction and contentment, that consorted but ill with his costume, which was a suit of deep mourning; his clothes having all the gloss and shine of a recent domestic loss, and made, as seems something to be expected on these occasions, considerably too large for him, as though to imply that the defunct should not be defrauded in the full measure of sorrow. Deep crape weepers encircled his arms to the elbows, and a very banner of black hung mournfully from his hat.

“Mr.———” Here Lord Netherby hesitated, forgetful of his name.

“Dempsey, Paul Dempsey, your Grace,” said the little man, as, stepping forward, he performed the salutation before Lady Netherby, by which he was accustomed to precede an invitation to dance.

“Pray be seated, Mr. Dempsey. I have just briefly mentioned to her Ladyship the circumstances of our interesting conversation, and with your permission will proceed with my recital, begging that if I fall into any error you will kindly set me right. This will enable Lady Netherby, who is still an invalid, to support the fatigue of an interview wherein her advice and counsel will be of great benefit to us both.”

Mr. Dempsey bowed several times, not sorry, perhaps, that in such an awful presence he was spared the office of chief orator. [Chapter LXVII, "A Boudoir," pp. 556-557]

Commentary: Richard Forrester now the Earl of Wallincort overhears the conversation

The accompanying text makes clear the identities of the three principals: Lady Netherby (Forester's mother) seated, Lord Netherby (cousin to Lady Eleanor Darcy) standing by her chair, and the ebullient Paul Dempsey, come over to London from Ulster. But the significant figure, barely glimpsed to the left, in the drawing-room of Lady Netherby's boudoir, is her surviving son, the recuperating Forster himself, but shortly returned from the Egyptian campaign. The Netherbys hope to convince Wallicourt (as he now is as the result of his older brother's untimely death) to remain in London in order to attend both the levee of the Prince Regent and to make his maiden speech in the House of Lords. Having learned that the Knight of Gwynne has just been released by the French after capitulation to British forces in Egypt, Forester naturally wishes to deliver the good news to the Darcys, for Maurice Darcy is expected in London within weeks.

But what turn of circumstance has brought the little Irishman, wearing mourning, to the inner sanctum of this aristocratic English couple? What is his business here? As in the text, Dempsey's clothing proclaims "a recent domestic loss" (557), with crepe on his arms and hat. Apparently Paul has now come into his fortune as the result of his wealthy uncle, Bob Dempsey, of Dempsey's Grove. He has apparently communicated his romantic interest in Helen to Lord Netherby, but his intention is to raise a loan from the couple on the strength of his property in order to fund the Darcys' prosecuting their case through the courts with their attorney, Bicknell: "this deed to be executed on his marriage with Miss Darcy" (559). Thus, his initiative presents a complication for Forester, who himself hopes to marry Helen Darcy. Phiz depicts the husband and wife in their opulent London suite as interested in furthering Dempsey's cause, although Lady Eleanor knows nothing of Dempsey's visiting her cousin since se has started in his presence that she would never accept a favour from Lord Netherby. When they decline to provide financial assistance, Paul announces his determination to return to Coleraine at once. When the Netherbys turn their attention to Forester, they discover that he has gone.

Bibliography

Buchanan-Brown, John. Phiz! Illustrator of Dickens' World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978.

Lester, Valerie Browne Lester. Chapter 11: "'Give Me Back the Freshness of the Morning!'" Phiz! The Man Who Drew Dickens. London: Chatto and Windus, 2004. Pp. 108-127.

Lever, Charles. The Knight of Gwynne; A Tale of the Time of the Union. London: Chapman and Hall, serialised January 1846 through July 1847.

Lever, Charles. The Knight of Gwynne. Illustrated by Phiz [Hablột Knight Browne]. Novels and Romances of Charles Lever. Vol. I and II. In two volumes. Project Gutenberg. Last Updated: 28 February 2018.

Steig, Michael. Chapter Four: "Dombey and Son: Iconography of Social and Sexual Satire." Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 1978. Pp. 86-112.

Stevenson, Lionel. Chapter IX, "Nomadic Patriarch, 1845-1847." Dr. Quicksilver: The Life of Charles Lever. London: Chapman and Hall, 1939. Pp. 146-164.

_______. "The Domestic Scene." The English Novel: A Panorama. Cambridge, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin and Riverside, 1960.

Created 17 August 2023