New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-03
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TWO NOVELS.


"a, rvo pTsrINIEs. Novel. By wILKIE COLLINS
I'D iam l"V Pp. 81 Harper & Brothers
THE LAyREL Bu sIiior 6 a join HaaE i2mO pp
1877 Harper & Brothers
Mr.. Wilkie Collins is either losing his re-
markabe power of building up story Ike an elaborate
niece OF mechanism wherein every wheel OF sore" mas
its Office TO perform success in his own exclusive hed
nj fiction has made him careless This last WORK mas al
the characteristics OF his old manner all his minute s
t,ncness Of description and easy power Oi pieeeu.Hs
crises vet il Is prOvOkngly weak and contradictory J'
where the reader expects IL 20 be strongest IL Is ue
not because of the mysterious spiritual element miro
duced hut simply because that element Is not consistent
with itself Here are a man and woman, whose HNes Ie
hound together by spiritual tie 50 strong that II o'oS
elairvoyant knowledge Of each other When 'hey arc
separated ana yet not strong enough 10 give eiHo'
one the slightest hint OF the others loeuuy' "neI
they meet after many years. Win oH'"s"
namesi Mr. Collins takes especial pains TO explain
why the recognition does take place on this OF that
but the fact remains that the lovers are con
slant violation Of the mysterious law winch lie ~ouiu
have us believe is fulfilled in them. They are cohhunS
on all points except tie one which would nave brought
them together; they avoid for years all the easy chances
of COMPLETE mutual knowledge; even the snernal grow
of their spiritual communion throws no ray upon lhe
past in which il begau-and all for what! IN ordef t'
the recognition may be postponed for use a. Il sIrAi"s
closing scene! Then looking back the reauer peioe'
that the sole reason for introducing such an
character as Miss DuurOss was 10 account Ior WI.
manes possession of the little green hag when Mary
Derlpody-unrecognized as Mrs. Van Brandt-eaNe 10
him in childhood In short given the spiritual I'hh
there could have been such story George ana Mary
would have known each other by the first touch o. e
hands n their eyes had changed colcr III te lhe" '
But Mr. Collins wants 10 have the INK ana 'ne S'oi'
too; and 50 he has produced work which VIII he very
entertaining to all who read novels without questioning
the logic or consistency Of plot.
-Ev this We know exactly what 10 expect N-'"
Mrs MulOck Crank publishes a new novel; "eaIe P'lt'
sure that we snail make the Acquaintance OF mica
patient and understanding heroine whom the sHscs'
turn of chance might have united to the man Of her love
and MADE happy but she viii not speak the Wof OF 40
the thing make the explanation when Wouo accom-"
plish all this She remains rigid and stony IN the pres
ence Of the lover, and weops long ana silently III icr
chamber. Years pass away: the two remain unheces
sarlly estrangcd: the woman becomes paie an" lulh
and upatractivc the man sombcr and undemOnstatiye
Then the author allows them to find each otNeF al"
make what little they Of the rest OF He II Is true
that they 90 not moan loudly. experience more tE
brief paroxysms Of despair they relapse INTO ways 90
suppression ana endurance which become so chrome Una"
the final happiness must inevitably he ncured ny theh
What Mrs Craks characters ordinarily lack is te COM
mon-scnse Of emotion If they took onotenih as rucH
trouble to express as they do 10 conceal their affections
they ould stn keep far within the limits which WoPEl
ETY. allows 10 love "The Laurel Bush Is soFy OF inc
character we have indicated. Fortune Williams gov
erness aud Robert Roy, private tutor in the same IAN
iy aged respectively % and So love cayh O'AeI anu
Keep perfectly silent about IT, The gentleman has "
chance of going to China and determines to speak before
leaving But instead Of doing like man, he writes
letter after saying goodbye sticks it into hole II me
laurel BUSH which is used post-oiice-WAcre, oil
course it Is os-and goes away for fifteen years Even
when he comes back unmarried, and finds Fortune VIII
Hams in the same condition, tie SILENT formal inter-
course between them continues for many months Iheh
comes the one surprise OF tie book they have been ac
finally truly and passOuacly in love with each DINER a
the tine! The reader after expanding such an amount
Of sympathy on this incorr.Hbly dcmure couple fees
inclined 20 box their earat least the Ecniicmant- ne
could This Is all the story and IT might just as easily
have been told in six pages in 1917 Eat there be souls
which relish sad " bread.