Whatever responsibility rests with me, I am content to bear...

Background.

‘Whatever responsibility rests with me, I am content to bear, and ready to answer‘ is a quotation from Sketches by Boz, Tales, Chapter 6 (The Black Veil).

Sketches by Boz is a collection of short pieces written by Charles Dickens and published as a two-volume collected work in 1836.

Context.

Quotation said by a woman dressed in black, the central character in the tale The Black Veil. The woman has asked for help for her son from a doctor but tells him not to come immediately. The doctor questions this, warning her that potentially a fearful responsibility rests with you. The woman replies with this quote, telling the concerned doctor that she is prepared to accept this.

The Charles Dickens sketch, The Black Veil, was specially written for Volume 2 of Sketches by Boz, published in February 1836. A macabre tale set at the turn of the nineteenth century, The Black Veil tells the story of a young doctor who is visited by a strange woman dressed in black mourning clothes seeking help for what appears at first glance to be her gravely ill son. However the doctor is told not to visit until the following day for a reason that will become apparent when he arrives.

Source.

Taken from the following passage in the sketch The Black Veil:

‘God help me!’ exclaimed the woman, weeping bitterly, ‘how can I hope strangers will believe what appears incredible, even to myself? You will not see him then, sir?’ she added, rising suddenly.
‘I did not say that I declined to see him,’ replied the surgeon; ‘but I warn you, that if you persist in this extraordinary procrastination, and the individual dies, a fearful responsibility rests with you.’
‘The responsibility will rest heavily somewhere,’ replied the stranger bitterly. ‘Whatever responsibility rests with me, I am content to bear, and ready to answer.’
‘As I incur none,’ continued the surgeon, ‘by acceding to your request, I will see him in the morning, if you leave me the address. At what hour can he be seen?’
‘Nine,’ replied the stranger.

Have Your Say.

Give your view on ‘Whatever responsibility rests with me, I am content to bear, and ready to answer‘ with a rating and help us compile the very best Charles Dickens quotations.

(No Ratings Yet)