Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-18

Griseii was wrong when she stated nat this
Ioem OF NJ: Arthur James was not q novel. IL
h . novel, fall Of al the incident, romance,
and pass1on, that would delight any lover Of
mere fiction; but In S1dition, there is glorious
lyric melody bursting biosse mwise out OF rich,
reetic handling Of situations an intellectual
fearlessness in general treatment, and pro-
noanesd orig nality OF style. that explain to
Griseii the book's recent success before Mr..
Gorne had read three pages OF It.
And he reads il finely. She cannot but mark
this, satisfied as he has lately become regarding
his excellent elocution. Browning's rhymed
subtleties were not given with this same ring
ing abanoonment, mellow tenderness, musical
force. Almost she grows convinced that the
false tucco, 50 like marble, Is falling away from
Mr.. Gorme again, and that the real feeh- and
blood man is beginning TO reveal himself. She
has struck cord be yond his reticent tranquility
Brow ming; the second is his love for his friend
Arthur James.
He Ieadson. The interest and power Of the
poem both deepen. Grisell sits spell bound,
beautiful picture of intense attention. The
work and its reader have become one somehow.
The marvellous music Of the verse appears in
serarable from the voice that utters it. When
Mr. GOrme finishes, there Is q dead pause Of
perhaps three minutes. He keeps his eyes fixed
on the last page Of the book for nearly this space
or time; then he lifts them to GrselPs face. The
beauty of its sweet, silent enthusiasm almost
makes him dizzy.
How exquisitel" she murmurs, very softly.
There are parts that almost seem to me like
gods writing"
MI Gorme drops his eyes bookward, not an
More silence, which she suddenly breaks.
"What q glorious man he must be! should 50
love to meet himl OF course he is married.
No"
"Then some woman is yet to be made happy.
All, how he VIII dwarf all other men to her!
How she viii learn to worship himl / think she
would be some-sOme-" Her voice lessons
hesitantly; her eyes have a glowing, straight
ahead look, as though a thought Of keenest in
terest absorbed her.
eyes, and speaking with tones that startle her
for their sharpness--so intensely different from
his usual soft speech.
al think she should be some woman who, like
ing money and talents for wearing fine clothes;
who never dreamed, until she knew him, that
the world held anybody much wiser or better
prises would be 50 delicious to her! She would
Here Grisel stops. He is staring very hard at
her face. Something about the look first pug
zles, then initiates her. q You don't believe
metz she exclaims offendedly.
He answers with much sl0wness:
"Arthur James would not. He Is deep dis
believer in all women such as yourself. Women
who have led your life, had your sort of friends
been brought up amid pretensions, vanity and
She Pushes little.
al should not think that he disbelieved in any
kind of women, tojudge from his book"
"He did not, when the book was written.
But something has happened since then."
"Ah! some chilling experience?"
"Rather chilling"
Mr.. Gorme drops his eyes backward again.
| Quite little time eapses before he begins to
| speek. Grisell is intently watching him.
| "My friend, like myself, secured, after leav-
ing college, a position as tutor in private
family. The success of his poem might have
| filed some men with desire to throw them
| daily-bread- getting. But his whole nature
| turned from such course as this. He believed,
| with Matthew Arnold, in art answered from
tranquility, and in the sort Of poetic labor that
is 'too great for haste too high for rivalry" Ac
| cOrdingly, he conquered longing desire for
worldly enjOyments, follies and frivOlities, con-
of life he had devised, and presently found him
| self through the influence of some friends, not
very hard at work i'm tutelar sense, divesting
for certain young student, the fortunes Of the
piOus Aeneas from their grammatic mysteries "
Mr.. Gorme pauses and steals feet look at his
listener. Never was listener more attentive
head is thrown slightly forward; a delicate
wind, blowing from blue reaches Of water that
are Just glimpsed between distant tree-tops
makes tremble the small, warm-cOlOred rings OF
hair about her clear brow and vague-vefned
temples. A thrush that Is warblng deliciOusly
from a near bOsk Of shrubbery seems to his ears
question, 90 IL it not beautiful?'
He does not pause for a very long time, but
presently goes on, while lingering the leaves OF
"Allan Erroll, where it lies on bis knee:
"My friend naturally found much leisure fol-
the reading and the close thought which he de-
s, , Nearly TWO months passed IN the bea9fi
to the end of that time the family with whom
he dwelt had consisted of only two persons, q
sister Of his pupil who had Sesm sppeeSSdns S,
time among friends since early May. Hel
coming brought no little discomfort to her bro
int Ia falft hat Of
| freedom almost to wonder where and TO do wha,
he might please would now suffer serious draw
back. The young lady's father presented him
to her with a great deal of ill hammered majesty
The young lady herself appeared first to regard
him with q sort ofindolent unconeern, and after
ward with rude curiosity. 1 should here mem
time before: the name Of Arthur James was
one which my friend had assumed, though only
for literary PURPOSES non de plane.
while he was taken solitary walk among some
huge evergreens, rather near the house, he be-
came aware that, in parallel path which the
pie were also walking. One was his employer.
"Stop, MIR. Gorme, please" Grisell had
xhe vTS Of eaon
either check. 81 don't care to hear any more
of your friends history. L begin to think have
how, 1 know what happened. He heard his
pupils sister say something sadly silly, and, be-
cause she had the bad taste to say it, he at once
| drew the conclusion that she was an insuffera-
BILE, hollow minded coquette, without a grain Of
true womanly good in her composition"
| He rises also.
"You asked for certain explanation. l
1 have given it to you"
l She goes on IN hot haste
with all his genius, this-this friend of yours
cannot be said to read women with anything
| but q feeble eye."
He draws a step nearer to where she is stand
| ing. His look holds a deep, meaning sOlemnity.
1 I" Are you sure that he has read her wrongly
| al am certain of it."
/ He smiles grave, slow smile.
| August is nearly over. She has kept her
| word. She has had her respectable pastime.
| He has read her, and explained to her a book
| that is worth hearing, worth having explained ~
She losses her head with most naughty pc
tulenee; she can not help it; it is result Of her
| old "spoiled" days.
"If your friend told me that he had not en-
icyed those readings simply shouldn't believe
He has drawn very near to her very suddenly.
"He could not utter such q falsehOOd as that
His enjoyment has been great-too great-too
| great-tOo dangerously great"
How 'dangerously?'n these two words be-
| ing low and slow.