File:The Flight.jpg

The Flight by Marcus Stone. Wood engraving by W. T. Green. 9.6 cm high x 15.8 cm wide. First illustration for the thirteenth monthly number of Our Mutual Friend, Chapter Eight, "The End of a Long Journey" in the third book, "A Long Lane." The Authentic edition, facing p. 442. [This part of the novel originally appeared in periodical form in May 1865.] Nearing the end of her earthly pilgrimage at the upper reaches of the Thames, nearer its pure source and far removed from its polluted alterego in London, Betty is still terrified at the prospect of being ruled infirm and consigned by the parish authorities to the union workhouse. s Betty hastens away from the confrontation with the well-meaning crowd gathered in the village square before the Golden Lion Inn (identified by Stone as being behind the crowd), looking over her shoulder to assure herself that nobody is pursuing her. For an elderly woman who has just suffered a mild stroke, Betty moves with surprising speed despite her unsteady gait as she balances her large basket on her left arm and pushes her right arm determinedly forward. The perspective that Stone has chosen matches that of the text in that the viewer is situated in front of Betty, and therefore sees the townspeople somewhat indistinctly sketched in a hundred yards back, the illustration's focal character clearly being Betty, her expression denoting both apprehension and suspicion. Stone has framed the marketplace scene, placing the retreating Betty outside the societal frame, her gnarled, alienated state reiterated by the ancient, leafless tree on the other side of the stone fence (right). Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.

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