“Deputy Locked in the Crypt” — second illustration for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (completed by W. E. C.) by Zoffany Oldfield (1914)

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Deputy Locked in the Crypt

1914

Wood-engraving

13.3 cm high by 10.2 cm wide, or 5 ¼ by 4 inches, framed, p. 327

Zoffany Oldfield

Charles Dickens's The Mystery of Edwin Drood (completed by W. E. C.)

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.

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Passage Illustrated: A Surprise in the Cathedral Crypt

Reaching the door leading to the Cathedral Crypt, Jasper proceeded to admit himself before lighting the dim horn-sided lantern which he had protected as well as he could from the rain by hiding it beneath his coat. Having entered, he took off his coat and pressed as much water as he could from the streaming cloth, fondly imagining — nay, feeling certain — that no living soul had seen any of his actions. Why, indeed, should he have suspected the presence of that small enemy whom he named the “baby-devil,” but who answered more often to the name of “Deputy”?

The boy had hidden himself in the shadows of a dark and spacious doorway belonging to one of the half-ruined houses close to Travellers' Lodgings, and this he had done that he might comfortably enjoy the spectacle of the unhappy wayfarer hurrying half-drenched in search of shelter or wildly plunging towards his own home. [Chapter XXIX, “Deputy Discovers a Hidden Treasure,” pp. 326-327]

Bibliography

Dickens, Charles. The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Illustrated by Sir Luke Fildes, R. A. London: Chapman and Hall Limited, 193, Piccadilly. 1870.

_______. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Reprinted Pieces. Charles Dickens. With Illustrations by S. Luke Fildes, R. A., E. G. Dalziel, and F. Barnard. The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1879, Vol. XX.

Dickens, Charles, and W. E. C[risp]. The Mystery of Edwin Drood, ed. Mary L. C. Grant. New text drawings by Zoffany Oldfield. London: J. M. Ouseley, 9 John Street, Adelphi, 1914.

Forster, John. The Life of Charles Dickens. Illustrated by Fred Barnard. 22 vols. London: Chapman & Hall, 1879. Vol. XXII.

Walters, J. Cuming. The Complete Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens: The History, Continuations, and Solutions (1870-1912). Illustrated by Luke Fildes and Frederic G. Kitton. London: Chapman and Hall, 1912.

Created 20 August 2025