The Idler, Volume III., Issue XIII., February 1893: An Illustrated Monthly. Edited By Jerome K. Jerome & Robert Barr

In Short

This volume of the monthly magazine gathers short fiction, personal essays, satirical commentary, and light verse into a single miscellany. A bank manager vanished in a dense fog hides a darker scheme, a famous novelist recalls her chaotic beginnings with ink and foolscap, and a war correspondent recounts narrow escapes alongside his unruly servant. Through theatrical anecdotes, domestic humor, and debates on the true nature of love, the issue captures the leisure reading of 1890s London. It endures as a vivid snapshot of Victorian popular journalism, blending craft, quick wit, and literary charm.

The Story

The issue opens with Israel Zangwill’s tale of Tom Peters and Everard Roxdal, two mismatched room-mates living in modest lodgings. Roxdal, a tidy bank manager engaged to the respectable Clara Newell, contrasts sharply with Peters, a shabby, pipe-smoking journalist. Their shared household is upended when Roxdal disappears into a heavy river fog. In truth, Roxdal has plotted an escape to South America, attempting to persuade the landlady's maid, Polly, to flee with him. A sudden financial disaster and the vanished manager leave behind a puzzle of broken promises, missing funds, and hidden motives.

Shifted from criminal intrigue to literary reflection, novelist M. E. Braddon recalls her entry into print. Armed with a childhood mahogany writing desk, she produced youthful tales of fairies, sieges, and German folklore before dashing off her first sensation novel under tight deadlines. Writing under the original title of three-part thriller serials, she embraced melodrama, spectral horrors, and triumphant villains, finding early delight in the raw energy of unrestricted storytelling.

The collection then moves into the observations of Jerome K. Jerome, who details the comic perils of military fascination among household staff. When a domestic servant named Amenda loses her head whenever a marching band passes by, her employers struggle to keep her from chasing after soldiers down public streets. A brief poetic interlude paints a quiet winter scene of a skater gliding across frozen ice, leading directly into Archibald Forbes's recollections as a war correspondent. Forbes recalls his adventures during the Servian conflicts, where his servant, Andreas, repeatedly disobeys orders to stay clear of combat, ultimately saving Forbes from Turkish captors by posing as an official dragoman while brandishing an obsolete parchment.

W. L. Alden presents a framed humorous tale delivered by an old Colonel regarding the absurdities of American marriage laws. The narrative describes a couple attempting a balloon wedding, where the groom ends up dangling upside down from a guy-rope while the ceremony proceeds regardless, leading to fifteen years of legal confusion over state boundaries. Raymond Blathwayt offers a profile of actor and entertainer George Grossmith, detailing touring mishaps, amateur performers, and Grossmith's initial invitation to join the Savoy theatrical company.

The volume turns to Irish rural life with a tale of Bridget McCaura, a headstrong woman who defies local gossip by marrying Dark Andy, a blind beggar, taking him off his roadside post to the bewilderment of her neighbors. A critical appreciation of Henry Irving’s stage performances highlights his delicate characterization in Shakespearean roles, particularly Lear's gradual recognition of Cordelia. A comical narrative follows a unfortunate nephew tasked with transporting his aunt's prize cat to a national show, only to lose the wild feline in a dark train tunnel. Finally, the "Idlers Club" column brings together different writers debating whether romantic love is a practical reality or a pleasing fiction.

How It Unfolds

A strange pair Tom Peters and bank manager Everard Roxdal share quiet London lodgings despite their vastly different habits. Roxdal woos a respectable lady while secretly pursuing the housemaid, setting the stage for his sudden disappearance into a thick fog.

Memoirs of a novelist M. E. Braddon looks back at her early childhood desk, her teenage manuscripts, and the rapid creation of her first melodramatic novel. She recalls the thrill of seeing her puppets come to life on the page despite editorial rejections.

Marches and martial charms Jerome K. Jerome observes the overwhelming impact of military bands on young women in town. The domestic servant Amenda loses all self-control at the sound of brass instruments, forcing her employers to monitor her every move.

Bravado on the battlefield Journalist Archibald Forbes describes the chaotic duties of reporting from war zones. His servant Andreas proves both an unmanageable companion and a life-saver when he tricks a party of enemy soldiers into releasing his master.

Matrimonial mishaps The Colonel shares a story of a wedding performed in a rising balloon, leaving a groom hanging upside down. Years of legal tangles follow as boundary surveys alter the validity of the marriage across state lines.

Behind the stage lights George Grossmith shares lighthearted stories of his country tours, dealing with overconfident local amateurs and his early days entering the world of comic opera under famous producers.

A blind beggar's wedding Bridget McCaura scandalizes her Irish village by marrying Dark Andy, the local blind beggar. Despite superstitious rumors and community disapproval, she brings him home to shelter him from the elements.

Feline disasters and romantic debates A nephew loses his aunt’s prize cat in a railway tunnel on the way to a competition. The issue closes with a lively roundtable discussion analyzing the delusions, heartbreaks, and grammatical ironies of romantic love.

The People

• Everard G. Roxdal wants a respectable suburban marriage while secretly seeking an escape to foreign lands with stolen gains. He appears refined and orderly to his neighbors, yet his hidden maneuvers end in sudden flight and betrayal.
• Tom Peters wants a quiet life in his lodgings, content with his clay pipe, obscure writing, and political debates. He lives alongside Roxdal without prying into his companion's private affairs.
• Polly wants simple affection and safety from her jealous boyfriend. She finds herself courted by both lodgers in turn and is terrified by Roxdal's sudden offer to spirit her away across the sea.
• M. E. Braddon wants to tell grand, dramatic stories, moving from childish fairy tales to published serials. She embraces violent melodrama and live plotting, establishing herself as a prolific popular writer.
• Amenda wants to follow every passing military parade she hears. Her inability to resist the sound of marching bands causes constant anxiety for her employers, who try to keep her indoors.
• Archibald Forbes wants to report military news accurately while surviving dangerous battlefields. He finds himself protected by a servant whose reckless bravery saves him from execution.
• Andreas wants to be in the middle of battle despite his declared desire for peace. He uses quick thinking and a fake fez to rescue his employer from enemy captors.
• Josiah Wilson wants to settle his complicated marital status after a chaotic balloon wedding. He spends fifteen years single in practice while bound by legal technicalities.
• Bridget McCaura wants to offer shelter to a helpless man regardless of local gossip. She marries the village blind beggar, remaining indifferent to the superstitious fears of her neighbors.

In Its Own Voice

"They say that a union of opposites makes the happiest marriage, and perhaps it is on the same principle that men who chum are always so oddly assorted."

This opening reflection sets up the dynamic between the polished bank manager Roxdal and his shabby lodgings companion Peters before their household collapses.

"Armed with that desk and its supply of stationery, Mary Elizabeth Braddon--very fond of writing her name at full-length, and her address also at full-length... began that pilgrimage on the broad high road of fiction."

The author recalls her childhood self eagerly sitting down to write her very first stories with a newly acquired mahogany desk.

"There was a bouncing volcanic eruption, a blood-curdling howl, a mixed-up whirling round the carriage, and then--smash!--bang through the window went Beauty!"

The stressed narrator describes the exact moment his aunt's prize cat escapes from its hamper and leaps straight out of a moving train.

What It's Really About

Beneath its entertaining surface, the issue explores the contrasts between public appearances and private realities. The fictional opening exposes how a respectable civic standing can mask deceit, while the non-fiction entries show public figures navigating the awkward realities of fame and professional life. Throughout the magazine, romantic ideals are systematically dismantled. Writers and characters alike contrast the lofty notions of fiction with the mundane, often absurd realities of human domesticity. Whether through legal absurdities, theatrical tours, or military obsessions, the issue repeatedly questions how ordinary people construct their illusions of romance, duty, and status in late-Victorian society.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers an authentic look at Victorian popular entertainment outside the canon of heavy classics. It moves rapidly between suspenseful narrative, warm authorial recollection, and genuine observational comedy, showing how 1890s writers kept their readers turning pages. The prose across all contributions remains clear and lighthearted, filled with lively dialogue and distinct period voice. Readers interested in print history, theatrical life, or period satire will enjoy the quick pace and varied structure.

The main challenge for a modern reader lies in its fragmented, periodical nature; the issue jumps rapidly from crime fiction to theatrical anecdotes and regional sketches without a single unifying plot line. Some short segments end abruptly or refer to ongoing series, and the humor relies occasionally on Victorian social tropes or dialect spellings. Yet the issue succeeds through its warm personality and sharp observations, making it a pleasant read for anyone curious about the casual literature that entertained late-nineteenth-century Londoners.