"Everything had gone wrong," from Wayside Tales, 1906.

"Alone with despair," from Once a Week, 1874.

"The mistaken ghost."  From Once a Week, 1867.

From Die Muskete, 1916.

"[continues without heeding her.]"  From Drawing-Room Plays, selected and adapted from the French by Lady Adelaide Cadogan and illustrated by E. L. Shute, 1888.

From Out and About by J. Hain Friswell, 1860.

"Palace Depression, the strangest house in the world."

Though "A Can of Peaches" (Cassell's, 1896) is a tragedy, The Can of Yams (Jonathan Caws-Elwitt, 2006) is a farce.

"What's the use?"  From the North Carolina Christian Advocate, 1912.

A duck-headed butler opening the door for a Poe-esque gentleman?  Check.  (By the way, that's a precursor to David Lynch's commercial for the Sony Playstation, in which a duck says, "Welcome to the 'third place.'")  A faceless figure surrounded by disembodied cackling faces?  Check.  A crow in a jacket standing on a meditative sheep while an anthropomorphic dice cup spills and kills an innocent bystander?  Check.  A skeleton holding the Ace of Hearts?  Check.  Edward Gorey-esque despair on a settee?  Check.  Granted, the figure blowing his head off does seem rather too much.  From Judy, Or The London Serio-Comic Journal, 1884.

"This space represents tears of grief, remorse, anguish, contrition, sorrow, regret, despair, rage, disappointment, blighted hopes, withered joys, &c., &c., &c., &c., &c."  From Judy, Or The London Serio-Comic Journal, 1871.