Author Description

The tale opens abruptly with an opium-bred vision of the tower of Cloisterham Cathedral, beheld by Jasper as he awakens in the den of the Princess Puffer, between a Chinaman, aLascar, and the hag herself. This Cathedral tower, thus early and emphatically introduced, is to play a great but more or less mysterious part in the romance: that is certain. Jasper, waking, makes experiments on the talk of the old woman, the Lascar and Chinaman in theirsleep. He pronounces it "unintelligible," which satisfies him that his own babble, whenunder opium, must be unintelligible also. He is, presumably, acquainted with the languagesof the eastern coast of India, and with Chinese, otherwise, how could he hope to understandthe sleepers? He is being watched by the hag, who hates him.Jasper returns to Cloisterham, where we are introduced to the Dean, a nonentity, and toMinor Canon Crisparkle, a muscular Christian in the pink of training, a classical scholar, anda good honest fellow. Jasper gives Edwin a dinner, and gushes over "his bright boy," a livelylad, full of chaff, but also full of confiding affection and tenderness of heart. Edwin admitsthat his betrothal is a bore: Jasper admits that he loathes his life; and that the churchsinging "often sounds to me quite devilish,"-and no wonder. After this dinner, Jasper hasa "weird seizure;" "a strange film comes over Jasper's eyes," he "looks frightfully ill,"becomes rigid, and admits that he "has been taking opium for a pain, an agony thatsometimes overcomes me." This "agony," we learn, is the pain of hearing Edwin speaklightly of his love, whom Jasper so furiously desires. "Take it as a warning," Jasper says, butEdwin, puzzled, and full of confiding tenderness, does not understand.In the next scene we meet the school-girl, Rosa, who takes a walk and has a tiff withEdwin. Sir Luke Fildes's illustration shows Edwin as "a lad with the bloom of a lass," with aclassic profile; and a gracious head of long, thick, fair hair, long, though we l