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Novellas and Collaborative Works
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The Wreck of the Golden Mary (hosted by Petra) - 2nd Summer Read 2021
The illustrations are wonderful, Jean! Thank you for your effort in obtaining them.
Mod
They are quite marvelous, Jean. Especially love "John Steadiman's Story" with the women ministering to the Captain. The young sailor in the background at the tiller just captivated me.
I loved "The Wreck" chapter 3 with the huge waves of the open sea looking like they would swamp the lifeboats. The illustrator is quite talented in showing the ferocity of the waves.
Mod
Apologies for going back a bit, but I've just been reading the full article Petra linked to and summarised in comment 20, and this bit stood out:
"The Rev. R. H. Davies had written to Dickens asking about the poem which concludes 'Poor Dick's Story,' and Dickens had replied (24 December 1856) that 'I am myself the writer you refer to.' The poem (given the title 'A Child's Hymn') has been included in editions of the Collected Works, but the passage in which Dickens embedded it, and the introduction in which he anticipated it, have not."
We talked about the "Child's Hymn", but I had thought I'd seen this poem attributed to the author of "Poor Dick's Story" Harriet Parr. Clearly not! I wonder who it was attributed to when it was republished in the Congregationalist hymn book. Maybe "Holme Lee"?
Jean, I love those pictures. The Golden Mary looks so sturdy and reliable, as a ship. It makes it even a bigger shame that she went down.
The waves in Chapter 3's picture bring the danger and horror of the situation to mind. It's a very well done drawing. It might be my favourite, except...
Chapter 4's story shows such concern for the Captain and for everyone on board. The loving care being given to the Captain is touching.
I wonder if the boy beside John is the subject of tomorrow's story? He is very captivating, as Sara mentioned.
I love the elaborate arches of The Forge. That's terrific artwork.
I had to chuckle at Poor Dick. He looks so modern and "cool" with his dark eyes (they look like he's wearing sunglasses).
One can see the poor wife sitting in the boat, being rowed to Jan Fagel's ship.
Then there's the Old Sailor's ship, the boat that caused so much heartache. The tree laying on the ground shows the devastation caused by the storm.
John Duggan gets to the core of each story. He's very good.
Thank you, Jean, for posting these pictures. They are wonderful.
Bionic Jean wrote: "We talked about the "Child's Hymn", but I had thought I'd seen this poem attributed to the author of "Poor Dick's Story" Harriet Parr. Clearly not! I wonder who it was attributed to when it was republished in the Congregationalist hymn book. Maybe "Holme Lee"?..."Jean, I read elsewhere (or later in that article?) that Dickens later retracted that comment and gave credit to Harriet Parr. He (apparently) didn't divulge his authors to anyone asking about the stories (or something like that).
I'll try to find that statement again. Fingers crossed that I can.
Found it!Thank you, Connie, for the link!
The article is in Post 210:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
In the final paragraph, it states that when the Reverend asked Dickens whether the poem could be published in a book of hymns, Dickens told him that Harriet Parr had written it.
Seems that Dickens was protecting the privacy of his authors.
House rented from Reverend White by Charles Dickens in 1849. The family stayed there from July to October.
Dickens wrote part of David Copperfield here, during this stay.
He wrote Kate informing her, part of which states:
"Shanklin, Isle of Wight, Monday Night, June 16th, 1849.
My dear Kate,
I have but a moment. Just got back and post going out. I have taken a most delightful and beautiful house, belonging to White, at Bonchurch; cool, airy, private bathing, everything delicious. I think it is the prettiest place I ever saw in my life, at home or abroad. Anne may begin to dismantle Devonshire Terrace. I have arranged for carriages, luggage, and everything.
The man with the post-bag is swearing in the passage.
Ever affectionately.
P.S.—A waterfall on the grounds, which I have arranged with a carpenter to convert into a perpetual shower-bath."
Reverend James White (?? - 1862)
James White studied at the University of Glasgow, then at Oxford. He was the Curate in Suffolk, then Vicar of Loxley, Warwickshire.
On succeeding to a considerable patrimony on the death of his wife's father, he resigned his living and retired to Bonchurch in the Isle of Wight, where he devoted himself to writing.
Note:
(from: https://www.thecircumlocutionoffice.c... )
"In the late 1830s and onward, the hitherto rural Bonchurch was extensively developed for exclusive private villas, following land acquisition and sale by Reverend James White. White had married Rosa Hill, heiress to the manor of Bonchurch, and subsequently obtained a private local Act of Parliament to overturn parts of his father-in-law’s will forbidding development and breakup of the estate."
From 1828 to within a year of his death, White contributed to Blackwood Edinburgh Magazine more than a hundred essays, reviews, tales, poems.
Note: (from https://dvpp.uvic.ca/search.html?q=ja... ; under "Trips of the Lily of Bonchurch" section)
"…“Hannibal Smith” is the pseudonym of James White. "
Rev. James White was a close friend of Charles Dickens. Their families often vacationed together. Charles Dickens brought his family and spent the Summer of 1849 at Bonchurch, staying at Winterbourne House, the home of Rev. White.
Dickens invited White to contribute to Household Words before the first issue and continued to invite him to contribute throughout the run of its publication. The continuation of their professional relationship speaks to both their friendship and Dickens's respect for the quality of White's work.
John Forster wrote:
“With Dickens, White was popular supremely for his eager good fellowship; and few men brought him more of what he always like to receive. But he brought nothing so good as his wife." He is excellent, but she is better" is the pithy remark of his first Bonchurch letter.”
Dickens also wrote: " White is very jovial and emulous of the inimitable in respect of "gin -punch"
Dickens’ two eldest daughters, Mary and Catherine (Kate), returned to Bonchurch in January 1862 as bridesmaids in the wedding of Rev. White’s only surviving daughter, Clara.
Rev. White died less than three months after the occasion.
Bruce and Wallace – Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. Bruce rebelled against Edward I and Edward II and joined forces with William Wallace to unite Upper and Lower Scotland“Turned real and span” – I could not find an explation of this term. It is not a dance ‘cause she was sitting.
The Scotch Boy's Story by the Rev. James White
(linking paragraph attributed to Wilkie Collins)
While the foregoing story was being told, I had kept my eye fixed upon little Willy Lindsey, a young Scotch boy (one of the two apprentices), who had been recommended to Captain Ravender’s care by a friend in Glasgow; and very sad it was to see the expression of his face. All the early part of the voyage he had been a favourite in the ship. The ballads he sang, and the curious old stories he told, made him a popular visitor in the cabin, no less than among the people. Though only entered as apprentice seaman, Captain Ravender had kept him a much about him as he could; and I am bold to say, the lad’s affection for Captain Ravender was as sincere as if he had been on of his own blood. Even before the wreck, a change had taken place in his manner. He grew silent and thoughtful. Mrs. Atherfield and Miss Coleshaw, who had been very kind to him observed the alteration, and bantered him on the melancholy nature of the songs he sang to them, and the sad air with which he went about the duties of the vessel. I asked him if anything had occurred to make him dull; but he put me off with a laugh, and at last told me that he was thinking about his home, for, said he, a certain anniversary was coming soon; “and maybe I’ll tell you”, he added, “why the expectation of it makes me so sorrowful.”
He was a nice, delicate, almost feminine-looking boy, of sixteen or seventeen; the son of a small farmer in Ayrshire, as Captain Ravender’s Glascow friend had told him, and, as usual with his countrymen, a capital hand at letters and accounts. He had brought with him a few books, chiefly of the wild and supernatural kind; and it seemed as if he had given way to his imagination more than was quite healthy, perhaps, for the other faculties of his mind. But we all set down his delight and belief in ghost stories and such like, to the superstition of his country, where the folks seem to make up for being the most matter-of-fact people in Europe in the affairs of this world, by being the wildest and most visionary inquirers into the affairs of the next. Willy had been useful to all departments on board. The steward had employed him at his ledger, Captain Ravender at his reckonings, and as to the passengers, they had made quiet a friend and companion of the youth.
So I watched his looks, as I’ve said before, and I now beckoned Willy to come to myside, that I might keep him as warm as I could. At first he either did not perceive my signal, or was too apathetic or too deep sunk in his own thoughts to act upon it. But the carpenter, who sat next him, seeing my motion, helped him across the boat, and I put my arm round his shoulders.
“Bear up, Willy”, I said, “you’re young and strong, and, with the help of Heaven, we shall all live to see our friends again.”
The boy’s eye brightened with hope for a moment; then he shook his head and said:
“You’re very kind to say so, sir; but it canna be – at least for me.”
The night was now closing fast in, but there was still light enough to see his face. It was quite calm, and wore a sort of smile. Everybody listened to hear what the poor laddie said; and I whispered to him:
“You promised to tell me why you were depressed by the coming of an anniversary, Willy. When is it?
“It’s tonight” Willy says solemnly. Tonight is his sister Jean’s birthday.
Two years ago, on his father’s farm, the family was having a merry evening. His father is one of the richer men in the area and the farm had good land. There were 2 children, himself (Willy) and his sister, Jean. His mother saw that he wanted for nothing in his youth and held hm on her knee, telling him tales of Bruce & Wallace, warlocks, read him stories from the Bible.
Jean also mothered him, being 5 years older. She was a bonny lass. She helped in the dairy and in winter sat by the fire and “turned the reel and span”, keeping time with the ballads and their stories.
The schoolmaster would come to give him lessons. It was a long road to travel, so he came Friday and remained on the farm until Monday morning. He had wanted to be a minister but couldn’t afford the schooling, so settled into being a teacher. He was called Dominie Blair. On Friday’s he and Jean would meet Dominie on the hill. Dominie began Botany lessons as soon as they turned back to the farm, by sending Willy to gather specimens far afield.
Soon it was known in the County that Dominie was going to marry Jean. It was a wonderful match. Jean was a beauty; Dominie was a clever man and had the promise of a mastership of a school, at 90 pounds a year.
At Jean’s birthday, people came from far and wide to honor her. There was a supper, afterwards a fiddle was played with dancing and swirling. Jean’s health was toasted, her happiness wished by all. She was overcome with joy, saying she would never be as happy anywhere else and, in sickness, life or death, she would always come back home for her birthday.
Willy describes the Loch Luart, where they live. The shadows and light that play on the hills, how dark it is at night and bright when the sun shines; a kind of glow that one can hardly look at, its that bright. A small skiff is kept at the shore of the Loch for all to use. This is especially good for the shepherds as it saves them a lot of walking miles by sailing across the water, rather than walking around the Loch, when the go to the sheep.
One Friday, soon after her birthday party, she went to meet Dominie on the road. How or where they met was never known for the two were never seen again. The skiff was found keel up, with their footprints on the bank.
Mother was grief stricken and ran to the door at every footfall, disappointed when a stranger appeared. Father sometimes seemed to forget the Jean was gone and would cheerfully call for her, then remember and quietly walk off, heart broken.
Other hardships occurred. Stocks in railways and banks that had been bought crashed and Father was called to pay up the losses. The horses & carriages were taken for debt, all the cows were also taken, except two. The farm began to look derelict.
A year passes and Jean’s birthday came round again. No one spoke of it aloud, although all three thought of nothing else. Father spent the day in the fields, Mother spun her yarn, Willy spent the day wandering the hills and didn’t return until dark. That evening they all sat by the fire, not speaking.
Suddenly Mother calls out, “do you no hear somebody outside?” They listened and heard a light footstep, like a tip toe, then a low wail, as if in great sorrow. Then the footstep came towards the house. Mother looks out the window. In the rosebush that grows at the side of the house is heard a rustling as if the branches were being pushed aside. Then they saw a pale image of a pretty face, very sad looking, with long, wet, dripping hair and heard long, sad sobs. Mother runs forward to embrace Jean but the image disappears and is seen no more. All knew that Jean had drowned in the Loch and was honoring her promise to come home on her birthday.
Willy pauses his story, then continues. Although Jean could not enter the house and could only look in, this was a comfort to his mother, knowing that she wasn’t forgotten, that Willy made her the same promise Jean had made. He would always come home and give Mother some a sign that he loved her.
He’s thinking that tonight, Jean’s birthday, he can see Mother and Father sitting at the fire, sad and lonely and alone.
Willy then says how he feels suddenly cold and that he had just felt a cold hand on his shoulder and when he looked up he saw the sad, pale face again. He still feels the clammy, cold fingers on him.
He starts to rise from his seat and seemed to be trying to move something with his hand. “Oh for another look into the warm room where his parents wait, but the rosebush has grown thicker and I cannot see clearly”. But he moves and seems to then see what he is looking for.
He calls to his mother to look out the window. He’s there with Jean, waiting for her to look, as neither of them, Willy or Jean, can come in. Then with joy he says, “she sees me! Oh mother, take me in your arms. I’m cold and nothing will warm me again.”
Willy starts to fall and John tightens his hold on him and eases him down. Willy loses consciousness and lays quiet, his head on John’s shoulder. John conceals the sad fact from the others, keeping the body hidden & wrapped in his cloak until the darkest hour of night.
I'm a bit unsure exactly where the linking paragraph at the beginning of this story ends. I chose the section above where Willy starts to tell his tale. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know and I'll change it. Thank you.
There is very little information on the Reverend. I'm sorry that the bio is a bit choppy. I tried to keep things in some sort of chronological order.I did find it odd that one site stated that, after he & his wife inherited a lot of money from his father-in-law, that the Reverend devoted his life to writing, but didn't mention what another site said that stated that he subdivided this inheritance (against the father-in-law's final wishes) to build villas and become a landlord.
He probably wrote for pleasure and rented villas for income.
Seems that the Reverend had his fingers in at least 2 pies. He seems a bit of an opportunist about the real estate. I wonder if his wife agreed with this decision.
From the short, limited Bio above, I get the impression of a man who loves his pleasures, which didn't include a regular job, and who used all the tools at his disposal to live as he wished.
I'm not sure I would have liked the Reverend, had I known this during his life. I wonder if Charles Dickens knew how the Reverend got his money.
The Scotch Boy's Story was another of my favourite stories of these 5. It's tied with The Old Sailor's Story. I liked that the dead could return to give the parents a moment of pleasure, once a year. It's a bit spooky in many ways, but also exceedingly touching.
What a tragic story! The reader grows fond of this sweet boy, and sympathizes with his poor family. Then we get hit with the ending. While I felt terrible for his parents having to deal with another tragedy, it was a good death for Willy. He felt reunited with his sister, and loved by his mother. The first mate was very sensitive to the feelings of the other passengers, some of whom were also close to death, and silently wrapped Willy in his cloak. I found Rev James White to be a sensitive writer who pulls at the heart.
I agree, Connie.The Reverend's writing is touching and the story is lovingly told.
Excellent information about Rev White, Petra. From what I read about the Rev White, his father-in-law owned a huge piece of property (a small village) on the Isle of Wight which his wife inherited. White subdivided the land to create a center for writers and artists, and rented the villas as you said. Sometimes you need income coming in to maintain the large family mansion and all the property.He was interested in writing, and resigned from the ministry. He seems to have been a very prolific writer, writing long histories as well as dramas and fiction. Wikisource has a list of his major works in their Dictionary of National Biography:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictio...
Connie, what I didn't like (and I don't know how realistic this is) is that the father in law apparently stated that the didn't want the estate split up.....then Reverend White split up the estate. Somehow, that seems wrong......yet once one relinquishes a Thing, one no longer controls the Thing....so it's not that the Reverend did wrong, per se, more he didn't take another's wishes into account and he benefitted from it, by renting out the villas. He certainly did write a lot and seemed fond of fun times and gin-punch. :D
Petra, you have the story about the inheritance correct. White was working as a vicar in the church before his wife inherited the property, so he only had a modest salary. I just remember all those Downton Abbey shows where the family was low on cash, but had to maintain the mansion and the enormous estate! White sounds like he would be fun at a party, Petra!
Mod
I had quoted part of the letter he initially wrote to Harriet Parr, saying that all his authors remained anonymous so that they could use the work again, but that is different from not replying honestly to the vicar. I'm extremely glad he retracted it.
When this collection was first published in book form, I read that it was attributed to "Charles Dickens and Others". I'm assuming that none of the other authors at all were credited by name in the original Christmas edition of "Household Words", as that was Charles Dickens's normal way. (Even Wilkie Collins's phenomenal serial, The Woman in White, was not attributed to him!) It caused a lot of trouble when authors who were becoming famous, such as Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell, objected.
Sorry to go back - different world times!
Mod
The Scotch Boy's Story
Bionic Jean wrote: "When this collection was first published in book form, I read that it was attributed to "Charles Dickens and Others". I'm assuming that none of the other authors at all were credited by name in the original Christmas edition of "Household Words", as that was Charles Dickens's normal way. (Even Wilkie Collins's phenomenal serial, The Woman in White, was not attributed to him!) It caused a lot of trouble when authors who were becoming famous, such as Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell, objected...."Perhaps it was a common practice for magazine publication, at that time? It seems a bit confining for the contributors. If a reader liked a particular author's works, they wouldn't even know who it was or that it was one author that wrote a number of the stories the reader enjoyed.
As you say, Jean, if an author did start to make a name for themselves, their earlier work could be lost or disputed and not associated with them.
It's much more straight forward to publish a story with the author's name (or pseudonym) and let the Fates take care of the rest.
In a system where the authors are kept anonymous, I can see that Dickens would say the poem was written by him for a routine inquiry. If he said it was another author, it would lead to more questions and perhaps that anonymity would be lost.
But, when it came to publishing a work elsewhere, the real author had to be disclosed, as that would be out of Dickens' hands to decide or negotiate.
Dickens was an honest man.
Connie wrote: "White sounds like he would be fun at a party, Petra!..."LOL! I think he would have been. A bit of a Social Butterfly.
Jean, that's another nice illustration. John Duggan has done a fantastic job illustrating these stories. Thank you for posting these pictures, Jean.
John Dugan's illustration of Willy's sister for "The Scotch Boy's Story" reminds me of the illustrations of Christ or saints that are on the holy cards for funerals. There are always certain characteristics that let you know which saint is being pictured--blue robes/veil for Mary, animals and a brown robe for St Francis, etc. The sister is pictured with a plaid shawl over her head indicating her heritage in Scotland. It made me feel like she is now a saint in heaven.
Mod
Dickens was an honest man..."
This is true, and I have often wondered how Charles Dickens squared his wish to keep authors in-house, with his tireless campaigning for copyright on the behalf of all authors. He was, as you say, a man of high principles in this regard.
But "Household Words" and the next one "All the Year Round" were conceived by Charles Dickens as vehicles to express his voice in all things, and any stories, poems and articles by contributors were expected to reflect his own views. He needed to keep close tabs on them.
"Perhaps it was a common practice for magazine publication, at that time?" I don't think so, but can't be certain about them all. There were other popular Victorian periodicals such as "Chambers Journal", "The Saturday Review", "Morning Post" and so on, but with "The Strand" magazine, all the readers knew exactly who Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was, for the Sherlock Holmes stories, so I think it was a whim of Charles Dickens, in order that, fair though he was, he could keep overall editorial control. And he did exercise this quite a bit, especially guiding the younger writers.
I only wish I had been able to post the pics alongside our read, Petra but am pleased you're enjoying them now. (The library book is virtually falling apart and has "SOS" handwritten on it! I hope it won't be withdrawn :( ) Yes, I like those you pick out too :) I'll read the most recent story (and summary etc.) tomorrow. Then if the discussion moves to considering "Deliverance" in its new context, I have 3 more to post :)
Connie wrote: "The sister is pictured with a plaid shawl over her head indicating her heritage in Scotland. It made me feel like she is now a saint in heaven. ..."I like this idea. Willy's story is one of love for his sister (and family). She would be seen as saint-like after her demise. The memories are all good ones.
Jean, that's interesting information on the way that magazines were set up according to their publisher. Dickens did like to have control over things. He's an incredibly interesting man. Very unique.
Yes! I am hoping that we'll talk about the entire story, as a whole and whether these stories have changed our outlook on the main story.
I'm just getting back to our other Summer read, The Life of Charles Dickens : Volume II and am keeping an open eye out for the mention of any of these 4 authors, especially Reverend White. I don't recall whether they were mentioned in Vol. 1 and don't think they were mentioned in the few chapters I read previous to this read, so I'm hopeful that they will pop up at some time.
I liked these passenger and crew stories, but felt they detracted from the main story of the shipwreck and salvation. Theyvwould have been much more effective coming after the main narrative, rather than mid-point, in my opinion. But overall a very exciting and moving tale.
I felt so sad for Willy. He'd come so far in this journey and was so, so close to being saved. Do you think that if he hadn't promised the same promise as his sister, that he may have survived?
Is keeping a promise worth more than Life itself? Would his parents not have better loved to see him at home again and alive?
This story stays in my mind because of the sadness of the timing of Willy's demise.
Diane wrote: "I liked these passenger and crew stories, but felt they detracted from the main story of the shipwreck and salvation. Theyvwould have been much more effective coming after the main narrative, rathe..."Diane, I enjoyed these stories, too. I read them after Deliverance, as my original copy of this story did not include the 5 stories.
I thought they brought the passengers and crew to life. In the version without the stories, the passengers and crew are nameless, except for our 3 main passengers, and remain in the background of the story.
But these 5 stories make the passengers and crew as real and alive as the Captain, John and the 3 main passengers. They have stories to tell and have left lives behind. I like how these stories reminded me of that.
As to placement, I cannot say, having read them out of order. I liked how I read them: after Deliverance; but cannot make the comparison.
Petra wrote: "I'm just getting back to our other Summer read, The Life of Charles Dickens : Volume II and am keeping an open eye out for the mention of any of these 4 authors, especially Reverend..."That was a good thought to look in Vol II, Petra. Dickens spent the summer of 1849 in a villa at Bonchurch. Forster has a couple of entertaining pages about Dickens' holiday and about Rev White. It's in Chapter XVIII (Seaside Holidays) if you want to add anything to his biography.
Mod
Thank you so much for the excellent summary again, and all the information on Rev. White (thanks to Connie too!) I expect as he was a reverend, he couldn't really go down the route of marrying a rich American heiress. I am perfectly serious, by the way! A lot of cash-strapped aristocracy did exactly that. Wealthy American young women from good families were attracted to an English title, and ducal estate, and the arrangement suited both sides very well.
Mod
I think you may be thinking of a scotch reel - a dance? I reckon you're half way there :) If it is a play on words, then what is indicated is a spinning wheel which she turns so quickly that it is like a dance! So it's really turned the wheel and span. Scottish crofters spend a lot of time spinning yarn for clothes, and the author is using "span" as the past tense, where we would probably usually say "spun".
Here is a photograph of a Victorian Scottish Crofters Beech and Ash Spinning Wheel (circa 1850)
And one in use:
Irish and a little later, but you get the idea. The smaller ones were used inside. There's even a photo of Queen Victoria using one! (Not posed - she really did :) )
Thanks for the interesting explanation of the Scottish phrase, Jean. When you think of all the work it took to make clothing, it makes sense that many people only had a couple sets of clothes.
Mod
Bionic Jean wrote: "“Turned real and span” – I could not find an explation of this term. It is not a dance ‘cause she was sitting.I think you may be thinking of a scotch reel - a dance? I reckon you're half way ther..."
Jean, thank you! This clears up the mystery. It makes sense that she would be spinning wool in the evenings.
Yes, I was thinking about a Scotch reel, the dance.
Thank you for clearing this up for me.
Mod
Petra, I really enjoyed seeing how Dickens organized his Christmas editions of Household Words with multiple authors. It let us see another side of Dickens as an editor. Thank you for being so gracious in leading us in seven stories, instead of just one, so we got the total Christmas edition experience. I also enjoyed the introduction to some other Victorian authors I had not read previously.
And thank you Petra for your reconstructions of the secondary stories. Very much appreciated. Along with the results of all your research around the stories.
Mod
I'm not sure if you want to sum up or reflect on the final part, but I'll put here the three illustrations by John Dugan for "The Deliverance".
Mod
The Deliverance
Mod
The Deliverance
Mod
The Deliverance
Thank you, All! I enjoyed organizing this read for us all. I highly recommend volunteering to lead a short read over the summer. It's a blast.That said, I did not expect this story to contain 7 stories. It was a fun ride, to be sure. A little bit like this story, too.......being caught unexpectedly in a situation that seemed (at first) daunting. LOL!
Jean, the pictures are wonderful.The first one shows the dismal and dangerous conditions. How hopeless it must have all felt!!
Look at those poor, weak people along the side of the boat as Mr. Rarx is tossed overboard. They look so spent. One's heart goes out to them.
The last picture brings a smile, doesn't it? Safety! Refuge! Help!
It also shows how the brigade will be overburdened by the newcomers. The ship is small, probably crewed to it's capacity, with limited food. Yet, no matter the consequences, they take on 2 lifeboats of people who need food, medicine, a place to rest. These people are saviours in every aspect.
The illustrations are marvelous, Jean.Petra - I am awed by how much depth and detail you gave us in this read. I enjoyed it immensely. You certainly turned a short story into an adventure. You probably need a rest!
Thank you, Sara and Katy! I'm glad we had so many active participants. Thank you for all your comments and insights.
Dickensians!
Books mentioned in this topic
The Life of Charles Dickens : Volume II (other topics)The Life of Charles Dickens : Volume II (other topics)
The Woman in White (other topics)
David Copperfield (other topics)
Dombey and Son (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles Dickens (other topics)Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)
Elizabeth Gaskell (other topics)
Charles Dickens (other topics)
Wilkie Collins (other topics)
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The Beguilement of the Boats - The Old Seaman's Story