"I must write to Mr. Roscorla. Give me the pen." by George du Maurier. 1874. 10.3 cm high by 15.5 cm wide (4 ⅛ by 5 ¼ inches), framed. First regular illustration for William Black's's Three Feathers, Chapter I, facing page 69. The serial's initial illustration of a passage towards the close of the August 1874 number of The Cornhill Magazine, Vol. XXX. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Passage Illustrated: Mabyn Tries to Intervene When Wenna Responds to Roscorla's Proposal
"Mabyn," said her sister Wenna, quietly, "don't be foolish. I must write to Mr. Roscorla — but only to tell him that I have received his letter. Give me the pen. And will you go and ask Mrs. Borlase if she can spare me Jennifer for a quarter of an hour, to go up to Basset Cottage?"
Mabyn rose, silent, disappointed, and obedient, but not subdued. [Chapter III, "Res Augusta Domi," p. 29 in the 1892 edition]
Commentary: Morwenna Receives an Awkward Marriage Proposal
The author, William Black, quickly establishes the domestic circumstances of his novel's heroine, Wenna Rosewarne, when she receives an offer of marriage by mail from the middle-aged Richard Roscorla. His address, Bassset Cottage, Eglosilyan, reinforces the notion that, in the society of coastal Cornwall, he is a gentleman. The mother (eager to marry off a daughter) thus responds positively, but the younger sister, Mabyn, is aghast at that gentleman's temerity, given the differences between himself and her sister in terms of age. Even Roscorla concedes that he is "a good deal older" (24) than Mabyn's bookish sister.
Images, caption, and commentary by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use the images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose, as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned them, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Allingham, Philip V. "The Illustrations for William Black's Three Feathers." (2001).
Black, William. Three Feathers. Illustrated by George du Maurier. The Cornhill Magazine, Vols. XXX & XXXI (August 1874 through June 1875).
Black, William. Three Feathers: A Novel. Illustrated by George du Maurier. London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1875. 3 vols. Rpt., 1892 in a single volume.
Created 18 December 2001
Last updated 10 December 2024