"Lillian was wrapped with unnecessary care."
John McLenan
1861
11.4 cm. by 11.4 cm. (4 ½ inches square)
Bulwer-Lytton's A Strange Story
Harper's Weekly 5 (7 Sept. 1861): 574.
Image scan and text by Philip V. Allingham.
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Passage Illustrated: Lilian against prepares to walk in the garden to the Monk's Well
“Will you take my arm, Miss Ashleigh, for a few turns up and down the room?” said I. “We will then see how far we may rebel against Dr. Jones.”
She rose with some little effort, but there was no cough. At first her step was languid; it became lighter and more elastic after a few moments.
“Let her come out,” said I to Mrs. Ashleigh. “The wind is not in the east, and, while we are out, pray bid your servant lower to the last bar in the grate that fire, — only fit for Christmas.”
“But —”
“Ah, no buts! He is a poor doctor who is not a stern despot.”
So the straw hat and mantle were sent for. Lilian was wrapped with unnecessary care, and we all went forth into the garden. Involuntarily we took the way to the Monk’s Well, and at every step Lilian seemed to revive under the bracing air and temperate sun. We paused by the well.
“You do not feel fatigued, Miss Ashleigh?” (Chapter XIV, p. 574.)
Commentary
Assisted by her mother, Anne Ashleigh, Lilian has put on a broad-brimmed hat and a heavy shawl, although it is apparently quite warm in the garden near the Abbots' well. Dr. Fenwick's gesture suggests that he feels the shawl will be totally unnecessary because Dr. Jones's diagnosis of consumption is unwarranted.
Bibliography
Bulwer-Lytton, Edward G. D. A Strange Story. Illustrated by John McLenan. Harper's Weekly V, 10 August — 8 March 1862.
Bulwer Lytton, Edward (Lord Lytton). A Strange Story. The Works of Edward Bulwer Lytton, Vol. VII. New York: P. F. Collier, n. d. Pp. 7-242.
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Created 21 November 2007 Last modified 24 June 2026