"She turned away her face, and resigned her hand to me in silence," by John McLenan for Bulwer-Lytton "A Strange Story" in "Harper's Weekly" (7 December 1861)

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"She turned away her face, and resigned her hand to me in silence."

John McLenan

1861

Wood engraving

11.5 cm. by 11.5 cm. (4 ½ inches)

Bulwer-Lytton's A Strange Story

Harper's Weekly 5 (7 December 1861): 782.

Image scan and text by Philip V. Allingham.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Passage Anticipated: Lilian seems unreceptive to Allen's attentions

She turned away her face, and resigned her hand to me in silence. Silently I held it in mine, and my emotions nearly stifled me. One symptom of regret, of reluctance, on her part, and I should have fallen at her feet, and cried, “Do not let us break a tie which our vows should have made indisoluble; heed not my offers, wrung from a tortured heart! You cannot have ceased to love me!” But no such symptom of relenting showed itself in her, and with a groan I left the room. [Chapter XLII, page 782]

Commentary: The Baleful Effects of Margrave's Visits Confuse even Lilian Herself

Lilian is fascinated and even mesmerized by the handsome, vivacious Margrave, but she is also repulsed by him. The illustration, therefore, only partially describes how she now feels about her fiancé Allen Fenwick, as we learn from Allen's subsequent interview in the Ashleighs' garden at the Abbots' House with the girl's mother near the Monks' Well. Having assessed what Mrs. Ashleigh has told him about Lilian's conflicting feelings for Allen and about the peculiar relationship with Margrave, Allen is determined to persevere in his relationship with Lilian, even though Margrave continues to exercise some sort of "animal magnetism" mind control over the girl, whom Margrave is convinced possesses the second sight enjoyed by the priestesses of the ancient oracles. She remains vey much under Margrave's influence, even though he has temporarily left town to peruse the books in the library at Sir Philip's estate.

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.

Created 21 November 2007

Last modified 6 July 2026