'Why, my lads, how's this?'

Grayscale illustration of a gentleman talking to a group of laborers in a field. Some of the laborers carry pitchforks.

This illustration depicts Caleb Garth intervening to stop a conflict between protesting laborers and railway surveyors. This illustrates his grounded wisdom and mediation abilities while highlighting mid-19th-century industrial tensions. "'Why, my lads, how's this?' he began, taking as usual to brief phases, which seemed pregnant to himself, like the abundant roots of a plant that just manages to peep above the water" (Book 6, Chapter 56).

Brock, Charles E. (1870-1938)

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

1908

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Brock, Charles E. (1870-1938), 'Why, my lads, how's this?', 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/83515