Penny Dreadfuls, 1866 · page 357 of 400
Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 357: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This is an **illustrated story page** from a Victorian penny dreadful. The image shows a man in military dress confronting figures outside an inn, captioned "[TOM KING ENTERS THE JOLLY TAR INN.]" The prose depicts a heated dialogue where a doctor examines a man's pulse and declares him dangerously ill, while the man protests his sanity and mentions his wife at home in a shop. The man grows agitated as the doctor dismisses his claims with a "sympathetic but incredulous smile," suggesting a plot involving confinement or deception. The text indicates conflict between the protagonist and figures attempting to restrain him.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE ENIGHY OF THE ROAD, —— eS —. = AA Vy tri rh ete yieyertaeh ines wields POLI eae EARLS tric ia hag ee CT hye yy tFa tty eg ; ot pr oat ——— eee a ee — y/ "y) My y) Mayet] WM! fh 4 Y) f] } ~ [TOM KING ENTERS THE JOLLY TAR INN. } My dear—dear sir, h) said, most beseechingly, ‘do pray be calm! You cannot imagine what injury you are oing your case by being thus violent. You will much retard your recovery if you persevere in such be- haviour.’ “ ‘Recovery!’ I cried, my voice rising in spite of all my efforts to restrain it. ‘Let me assure you there is no- thing the matter with me. Feel my pulse—feel my pulse, I say, and you will find me as hale and as sane as any man in the kingdom.’ “ The doctor carricd the soothing system out perfectly. “‘ He did not for amoment refuse my request, but, with an appearance of interest and earnestness that raised fa/lacious hopes in my brain, pressed his Angers over my ulse. .; 3 Be waited a moment, then very gravely shook his b “i! am very surry—very sorry to fird your pulse so Bo. 217.—Brack aaa 0 ; : No. 217. exalted. ho danger is imminent. I would aos bave answered for the consequences if he had been allowed te remain one day more at large—I would not indeed.’ “ These last words were spoken in a lower key, and not addressed to me, but to the vile wretch who had so spe- ciously decoyed me to this place, but they reached my ears as well. ‘©¢ T suppose I can do nothing for him ?* “'Nothing whatever—leave all to me.’ ‘<7 will. Iam most anxious to depart, for the scene is more than I can bear.’ “ ‘Stop her!’ I yelled again. ‘ Listen to me, all of you— listen, I say. My wife, I tell you, is at homs, sitting is the parlour behind the shop. If you don’t like to believe me, keep us both here while you send some ope to see Can I say fairer than this ?’ “The sympathetic but incredulous smile upon the doctor’s countenance aggravated me to sax a dogres Eomicbooks:eom Prick ONE HALFPENNY: