Tom distinguishes himself (facing p. 154 in the 1844 edition, p. 157 in the 1865 edition) horizontally-mounted, 10 cm high by 14.3 cm wide, (3 ¾ by 4 inches), vignetted steel illustration for Charles Lever's Tom Burke of "Ours," Chapter XXI, "The 'École Militaire'" (June 1843). [Click on the image to enlarge it; mouse over links.]
Passage Illustrated: The Cadets' Military Exercises for le Premier Consul
Scarcely had they entered the gates when a loud cry rent the air, and every voice shouted, “C'est lui! c'est lui!” and the next moment, “Vive Bonaparte, vive le Premier Consul!” All that I ever heard from poor De Meudon came rushing on my mind, and my heart swelled out till it seemed bursting my very bosom. The next instant my eye turned to the little fort; the moment was propitious, for there every cap was waving, every look bent towards him. I seized the opportunity, and pointing silently to the breach, stole forward. In a second I was beneath the grassy rampart; in another, I reached the breach; the next brought me to the top, where, with a shout of victory, I called on my men to follow me. On they came rushing — but too late; already the garrison were upon me, and overcome by numbers, I fought alone and unsupported. Step by step they drove me to the edge of the rampart; already my foot was on the breach, when with a spring I dashed at the flagstaff, and carried it with me as I fell headlong into the ditch. In a moment I was on my legs, but so stunned and crushed that I fell almost immediately again; cold perspiration broke over my face and forehead, and I should have fainted but that they dashed some water over me. As I lay sick and faint I lifted my eyes, and what was my amazement to see, not the little companions of the school about me, but the gorgeous uniform of staff officers, and two elegantly-dressed ladies, one of whom held a cup of water in her hand and sprinkled it over my brow. I looked down upon my torn dress, and the sleeve of my coat, where the marks of my rank were already half effaced, and I felt the tears start into my eyes as the remembrance of my late failure crossed my mind; at the instant the crowd opened, and a pale but handsome face, where command was tempered by a look of almost womanly softness, smiled upon me.
“C'était bien fait, mon enfant,” said he, “trés bien fait; and if you have lost a coat by the struggle, why I must even see if I can't give you another to replace it. Monsieur Legrange, what is the character of this boy in the school? Is he diligent, zealous, and well-conducted!” [Chapter XXI, "The 'École Militaire'," pp. 153-154 in the 1844 edition; 157 in the 1865 edition]
Commentary: After a Lapse of a Year, "C'était bien fait, mon enfant."
A year after Darby helped to smuggle Tom out of Ireland on a fishing-boat bound for France after escaping from the regimental barracks in Dublin, the adolescent is a student at the École Militaire (otherwise, the Polytechnique), thanks to De Meudon's letters of recommendation. All the elements in the picture have their exact counterpart in the letterpress, including the Principal of the school (the chef d'école, centre), the Lanciers rouges and a wing of the school in the rear, the two "elegantly dressed" ladies who have accompanied the First Consul and are concerned about Tom after his leading the mock-storming of the student fortress, and, of course, the thoughtful General Bonaparte himself. He and Tom effectively occupy the centre of the composition, and are the focal characters. Underneath the recumbent Tom is the flagstaff that he has just snatched from the top of the mock-fortress (not depicted), signifying his having led his party to victory. Noticing that Tom has torn his corporal's uniform in the fray, General Bonaparte questions the headmaster, Monsieur Legrange, about the student's character and performance. Receiving a highly positive review, Bonaparte orders that Tom be given his brevet, including his officer's epaulettes and the rank of officer Cadet: "I was no longer a mere schoolboy" (159). Thus, the alternate title of this steel-engraving is C'était bien fait, mon enfant.
Lever's references early in the chapter to various Napoleonic victories, particularly "the Pyramids — Mount Tabor" (152), suggest that the action occurs in the year 1801, the third year in which Napoleon was First Consul: the battle at the Bridge of Lodi occurred on 10 May 1796 in Italy, and that of Mount Tabor was fought on 16 April 1799 in Syria.
Further Information
- Charles Lever's Fourth Novel, Tom Burke of "Ours" (February 1843 — September 1844)
- Instalment-by-instalment Synopsis of the Novel's Plot and Characters: Lever's Tom Burke of "Ours" (February 1843)
- Instalment-by-instalment Synopsis of the Novel's Plot and Characters: Lever's Tom Burke of "Ours" (March 1843)
- Synopsis of the Novel's Plot and Characters for Tom Burke's Adventures in France in Lever's Tom Burke of "Ours" (April 1843 through June 1844)
Scanned image 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.]
Bibliography
Buchanan-Brown, John. Phiz! Illustrator of Dickens' World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978.
Lever, Charles. Tom Burke of "Ours." Dublin: William Curry, Jun., 1844. Illustrated by H. K. Browne. London: Chapman and Hall, 1865. Serialised February 1843 through September 1844. 2 vols.
Lever, Charles. Tom Burke of "Ours." Illustrated by Phiz [Hablột Knight Browne]. Vol. I and II. In two volumes. Project Gutenberg. Last Updated: 24 February 2021.
Created 2 November 2023