The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-15

Bedcn came out, and met with most cordial reception
She had numerous bids for IL from rival publishers,
and finally accepted e. 900 (sloo oo down, with
tain percentage after tho sale OF given number Of
copies
Then "Romola" Qs6s), 'Felix Holt" 1885,
"The Spanish Gypsy us6s, ''Midiemarch" us73),
and, few months after, 'sThc Legend OF Jubal and
other Poems"
was new departure. being Italian tale, tho scene
laid in Florence during tho fifteenth century 1t Is one
OF her most artistic novels, II not her most artistic
Its atmosphere is completely Italian tho illusion is
perfect II reads like translation from the literature
Of the time. A finer and truer representation and
analysis OF Girolamo savonarola have never bcen
given "Romolan Is a beautiful creation, and Tito
Melema one of the most original, highly finished,
wholly rounded characters that the fiction Of the Gen.
fury has furnished
One would think tho author must have spent years
In Florence and its libraries to saturate herself with
the MEDIEVAL spirit and with the quality Of the people.
used to believe her studies had been made on the
banks OF the Arno until recently, when spending
in tho Tuscan capital. learned from those who
knew that she had done her readings here and gone
there, to speak, merely to catch the air and to
verify her learning. She In Florence, was iold,
but two mouths though she was extremely busy
during the time, making the best OF every leisure
quarter OF an hour
Felix Holt" was a return TO hor accustomed chan
mel and is remarkable for containing more light or
less darkness, than It's predecessors
A PROFESSIONAL WEAKNESS.
"Thc Spanish Gypsy her first acknowledged
essay in verse, and It not very successful.
Like so many artists, and mcaner mortals likewise
she is most ambitious shine in what sho Is least
fitted
Prose writer's believe they should be poets; poets
that they should DO painters painters that they should
be poets; orators that they should be nnancers; mer
that they should be authors and so cndlessly
We caro- less for what know can do well than
for what think or try to think we can do WELL
George Eiios having demonstrated her eminent ca
pacity novelist, is anxious to prove herself poet
and she has not been abo She ia poet In spirit,
thought and sympathy though not, in any high sense
In the form commonly accepted. Tho limitations OF
rhyme and rhythm fcttcr her expression, cramp hor
Imagination, hamperhcr genius. She would rather DO
poet than anything else and her failure to be rccog
nlzcd such troubles her sorely.
Oddly, yet naturally enough, she Is persuaded that
sTbc Spanish Gypsy is her greatest performance
greater than s'Romola " greater than "Middemarch,"
greater than "Daniel Dcronda"
She received, am informed, ga, 900 ($20, 00O) for
the "Gypsy" and the firm which paid 1t has never got
its money back The public that enjoys her stories
cares comparatively little for her poetry, and for
the public is right
s'Middlemarch," is generally considered up to tho
present, her best work. 1t has been predicted that
sDeronda' will excel it; but it is yet too early to
hazard an opinion. For .Middemarch' its writer OBJ
tanned $4,000 $4,000 on the delivery OF the
script and hear its publishers have already cleared
f2 900 H. whc the sale continues to be large and
steady.
George Eliots market goes regularly upward. ! am
told by ono who claims be correctly informed that
she received for Deronda" EI2 900 1880, OO0, with
arrangement as to future percentage that will be
likely the end to yield her at least e. 900 moro.
Who shall say that literature is unrenumcrat!ve when
a single work is capable OF bringing $4,000, the in
tercst OF which would be independence in tho
United States, and something positively handsome
here? Such instances, however, are purely
ccptlonal genius for many years has been
vertibc into gold both sides OF the Atlantic Even
talent is often fairly paid, though it may starve
unless it have tho popular element, and is, on the
whole, likely to grow lean than fat In any aud
every quarter of the globe.
AN ACTUAL ROMANCE.
George Eliot has had quito romance In hor life. and
stl has It in full force. When she published "Adam
Bcde,"f remember rightly, It attracted tho attcn-
tion OF George Henry Lcwes, among other critics. Hc
pronounced a work Of consummate genius, and was
surprised, inquiry, to learn that its author
poor and very shy, retiring person. who was avcrsc
to Receiving any of her many literary admirers The
intelligence pqucd his curiosity. lie more desir-
GUS than ever know her, and he sought an intro
duction but in vain. lie wrote her and proncred
her any practical assistance that lay in hts powerin
flucnce with reviews, publishers and the like She
thanked him kindly and this led to a pondcnce
in which no displayed such dclicacy and chivary that
she consented at last TO meet him.
COMMUNAL DILEMMA
Al this time Lewes was legally husband and acu-
ally widowcr Then nearly forty-two no had mar
ricd, number OF years before handsome but eccen-
trio woman, who wcarcd OF the coniugal yoke
and copci with lover Becoming contritc, shc
begged to be restored to marital favor and Lewes with
great generosity. forgavc her usually objectionable
offence Their second matrimonial experience was not
unpleasant UNTIL with ickessness she could not
control she away with another man. Her hus-
band then wanted divorce; but, having condone6 her
disoyaty and descrtion once, he was by the English
law ut Is the in the States, think) dcbarrcd
from anything more than separation. In other
words, he could not marry again while his WHO lived.
Mrs Lcwcs alive and in robust health when her
legal husband became interested George Eliot ho
did, and very deeply as soon as he had been intro
duccd to her The two seemed to be mutually at
tractcd chiefly through the mind however, for neither
OF them young, handsome or particularly graceful
The they OF another the better they liked
another. Their affection was founded ntcllcc
tual sympathy and mutual esteem. They wanted to
marry; but how could the except in violation of the
law There Connecticut nor Indiana courts in
England, where divorce be and is made easy; and
f there IL is doubtful whether the pair
would have had recourse TO them They believed they
could be OF great mutual help spiritually and mentally
by living together and they contemplated it In face of
legal tcchnicalities.
LAW Unto rHEnsELvgs
They consulted their friends, among them OF
the best known men and women Great Britain, and
il decided, atcr careful consideration that they
should dispense with the usual formaliiies until they
could be legally united They were fully aware Of tho
gravity OF tho step they about to take But they
took ncxcr.hcicss Mhilc iheir med ain friends