'He cried again - and I held my hand, and my heart said, "Die!" - and he sank.'

Grayscale illustration of a woman on a small sailboat looking down at a man who has fallen into the waves.

A distressed Gwendolen in a sailboat looks down at her husband Grandcourt who has fallen into the waves. Grandcourt reaches his hand out to be saved, but the waves overcome him. This image captures Gwendolen’s moment of paralysis as she fails to rescue her husband. She did not attempt to save him from drowning, and subsequently struggles with the guilt of her role in his death (Book 7, Chapter 56).

Unknown

George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

1910

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Unknown, 'He cried again - and I held my hand, and my heart said, "Die!" - and he sank.', George Eliot Illustrations Gallery, George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/83431