New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-23

PLOT OF A FRENCH NOVEL.

CHERBTLILZ ROMANCE OF An HONEST WOMhN'
lrRou A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUNE
DosroN, March 20.-VictOr Chcr1uliez
Knows low TO wii,o good novel h's
Romance II an = nest woman which WIN. T.
Gil :. CO. are about 70 publish. 10 less ihenS tina"
"Joscrb Eorc R,voDcc," but 1t IA aSliklng ana In
toresns tale admirable for liz deyoopmsnt q 'narac-
ter. Il s., an unusually pure hooE for Fench novel
.ho honest woman loved beg husband On hist 10 iAi,
with the one. sole love Of her me- Though once wnrn
she wac desperately miserable she tfi 90 fancy herself
in love with some Gle This heroine. Label, the
5,cu" Ter Oh father cOncssor calls her. 10 D. au'i-
| iul conception.
65e tells tic tale herself communication to th'
| sauo eon.cssor far away IN Canada. sac was To"
6eurltr Of an nnC0garag whose p.rsnit bis pas-
s!on and who Kept h-r vita HIN ia sJhioIv chateau
wlroh he had bought because lie Thought he had DIS
covered f. tie groun The slte OF an old Roman VIII
He excavstel and exoGyated rntl he found lh5 VIA
aud % l4st, discovery which 1ied han with rar,'i
As Intoxicating sbtronomois over the Gic,very OF
new r4ueta statue OF Nemesis, Get In length, and
in fac STATE Of rroserva On IL nevc, occurred - MIN
| shat bis daughter not ~ cortSitGd VITA this IKE
| among relies he was himself Sue mad grown I" he
q years ola and her beauty stately % that OF some
IF tho oil marble wOmoa whom Acr father loved VINO
knows but that she too vou uo have uraed INTO stone
had t not been for the opporuuo arrival OF nelshhor
a thorough FreucawonsD, the Baroness de Ftfienx'
or courso 10 French baroness could tis girl-as
beautiful Galatea, and - IuS-wthouI the
der. 20 make a match for hor Accord My her nepnew
arrived upou The sceuohe MITq1N de L"t'nG VERT
able pr,ncc CHARMING, hands tnc Apollo. t.gvc as
Arabian. The baroness t"GnJs his praises before lie
comes Ho is 81 years oil she and his past has
boon fan OF unulcd eXct-meuts, OF which he has now
rrel Fred with enthusiasm, she cries YOu VIII doe
Oh tits monsec. ny ciarDcr: ~ has been put INTO inc
world expressly for yopr happiness. Hl4 psi answers
Tor him Is we'll before marrying man, to lave bi"
exhaust Tie !st Of his e1roslii,s l. IS those "h" are
curious on tine who make b I'd h1snanls" Th-,
by tho way Is truo French view OF u mans qIal flea
mons FOR natrmO1y. W-u. II. &c Ls>tau: come.-he
oorGueIs first the father ana then Inc dau-her Thc
old antiq harlan gives MIN Isabel she SClion-Aih her
youth her 5u0ccIce, her beauty her nobility 81 hatnre
wfu indeed, or lis loss Of her, bat without
ono question TO her tuiio's wOrthnc-s To possess
her and h, gives bm.also and scarcely less reur ull
the beautiful statue OF &omeSs which Is 10 br labels
patron deity In jao ancestral home o. her husband.
with this marriage tho true Int rest of tbs story b.?
Gins instead II endoP. ls the fashion IN most e.
gsh and American novels. FJr while Max &c Lcstan-
was his wife's lover. AMI sne was ufiItey happy.
Every tlo was 1u!l OF interest Tor her, lor as sne
wrote:
lively Imagination Gn's resources 10 tje most ord
nrry cirsuD-tancrs o. dpHcs lc lie FREQ r IN al re-
era nj u L. Rcs them ~ Way T. vary lnluIic
and rivts l.,c, IN 10 tle huiness Of making s,mc-
tAlng out OF uotLi9g | Wa years old VIII n was
oven a handsome aoll IS .argc mys If, whioh repre-
soht,d Chiurss princess. Bin< erp.riJ arr.yei, II
dehenind me for some days; bu' my zal grew cold Io
the Chinrse snie the sam aud hcstu we'd
ali NY tenderness upon n'eI4Je Sex tht !,' d
up 81 an ola shawl, aud rock 81 as zmg-ah "Olrls
och OF which WIS never tired, RI 'Gud give Il at
any minute the AMI tAc face thai want i. Inc
princess oBly knew Canra: the hroon-aahale spoGe
society male ,5e tour 81 Inc ord and Of lie. Wat
We love Ia things, father. is what We pat III Them
One night. in Paris she heard a wonaD's voice say
at q receptions" the handsome MIrqIis il in meIn-
choly mooi-ho 10 busy baking compIrisDn'" VITA
in hi
hitherto uaoubled heart, aud she persuaded her bus
band to take her thcn-in the midst OF tine Piris
seasOu-to Chateau L,staug, LIS county place
on the shore Of the Mediterranean There the
marble Nemesis awaited them, standing on o
pedestal OF alabascr, in the center OF stately
ROOM and there, too. another Nemesis waited for them
the Nemesis Of MAX de L;saugs past fo An old love
of his was near at hand and ready enough 10 eat him
into temptation. But 1t not so much the pretty
widow who was foe TO lsabes peace a. that safety
which follows tickle heart and sets scornful foot upon
its joys One day Isabel found in her husbands room
to the widow. showing how careless and half
temptuous had been his Idle passion for her; but she
found, also, which he bad begun to hersef,
confessing his dis ncDantment with marimouy and his
longing for freedom. Then came explanation be-
tween them, in which her than matched his
Indifference; and then a mutual agreement that they
should live dccorousy before the world. but utterly
apart IN reality and that each should be absolutely free
TO seek whatever consultations offered.
curious compact this, which resulted curously. For
n time Isabel believed that sho hated Max. All her
nature was in revolt against him. II during these
months that the lover, who Is as inevitable In French
novel as the husband. made his appearance lie was
religious devotee, determined TO embrace % m0nksh
life but he Isabel. in her melancholy beauty, and
turned from the divine to the buman-uOrsbiped o
earth Instead OF the saints in heaven. But he
lover scarcely of the earth. atr ALL The dearest
token he from the mistress OF his affections
bit OF dead-eaf colored ribbon, watch she had
day united from her wrist. So that Max had not
much to be jealous of when he returned his allegiance
said What reality is husband! There is mono so
which meets the eye constantly" In the
end the lover who had loved Isabel almost we'll enough
60 lose bis soal for her sake sent the bit Of
ribbon back from the convent where he had at last
vito as TO prove. perhaps. the French womans theory
that tho who has already thoroughly satisfied his
curiosity makes the best husband.
This novel has the advantage Of being admirably trans
lated. The transatOrs is upon the titlepa
but will whisper you secret. She Is Miss Mary Caro-
line Pike. daughter OF 81. s. r." of TIE TRIBUNE A
residence OF several years In Paris made French as
| familiar TO Miss Pike her native tongue. She has
written very clever articles for the magazines as
"sidney Hyde :" and just now she is In
Rome, studying art and gathering material. no
doubt for future sketches She has done good work
giving " the public this pleasant translation wish
she had not used two such objectionable Yankee colo
Qualisas wrihy and dressed to Kill :" but. what
woulI y0li rot even Of bright woman can expect