'Lamps burning low make little atmospheres / Of light amid the dimness.'

Grayscale illustration of a man sitting alone in a dimly lit study. On the desk sits an astrolabe and on the ground, a cat.

This is the setting of Abderahmen Tower where the Jewish astrologer and sage Sephardo lives. Sephardo wears a skull cap, black gown, and green amulet and is surrounded in the dimly-lit room by books and various instruments. Don Silva goes to him to ask if he will host an orphan boy, Pablo, and his monkey, Annibal. Silva later asks Sephardo for advice about Fedalma. (Book 2)

Unknown

Woodward, John Douglas (1846-1924), border designer

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

1888

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Unknown, 'Lamps burning low make little atmospheres / Of light amid the dimness.', 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/83481