'Father, I have not been good to you; But I will be, I will be,' said Esther, laying her head on his knee.

Grayscale illustration of a young woman kneeling on the ground and laying her head on the lap of a man sitting on a chair by a table.

Esther kneels on the ground, resting her head in her father Mr. Lyon’s knee. This emotional moment captures Esther’s newfound devotion to her father and acceptance of her genuine familial bonds over social status (Chapter 13).

Jellicoe, John(1842-1914)

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

1880

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Jellicoe, John(1842-1914), 'Father, I have not been good to you; But I will be, I will be,' said Esther, laying her head on his knee, 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/83469