'He was looking up at her quite calmly'

Grayscale illustration of a woman sitting on a log in the woods while a man leans on the log next to her and looks at her with his cheek on his palm.

Esther and Felix go for a walk in the countryside and sit by a river. Felix looks up at Esther with admiration and Esther looks into the distance, as she begins to fall in love with Felix and his ethical outlook on life. Felix's calm, almost reverential gaze signifies his deep, un-romanticized appreciation for her, while Esther's discomfort reveals her struggle to reconcile his unconventional admiration with her own vanity (Chapter 27).

Unknown

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

1911

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Unknown, 'He was looking up at her quite calmly', 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/83450