The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-13
SOME NEW BOOKS.


|
Paris since the appearance Of NJ. de- Camcrs"
We refer To- ALrHoNsE DAvpET's story H. NobdJ
| paris. Charunnticrl. With commondable
| promptitude an English version has been made
| 10y Lucy II. Hooper. and published 10y Estes a
| Lauriat. We may say briefly Of the translation
| that whilc often unsatisfactory and sometimes
III we shall SOC. misleading. yet it has plainly
cost much pains. and il ec rtainly not infcriorto
other recent performances in this kind 1t will
! NJ all events be read with avidity by those who
I do not SEQ the original book. for these rcveln-
tons Of the Second Empire from the pen Of a
man who was the private secretary Of the Due
de- Morny must whet the most Iadcd curiosity.
The school Of realism opened by Gustavo
| Faubcrt in Madame Bovary. and pushed 10y
| Emile lola to the verge Of brutal and nau-
| scous cynicism finds its most effective and crcd-
| liable exponent in this latest work Of Alphonsc
| Daudct. The scenes depicted in The Nabob"
are a literal transcript Of Partisan life under
| the Second Empire. The incidents are facts 4.
| the personal details are authentic biography:
| even the names which the characters bore on
the stage Of the actual world are but thinly dis
| gnscd. Here we meet. for instance. VI. de
| Moruy. under the name Of the Due de Mora
| Dr. OFF in the person Of Dr. jenkins NJ Dau-
| Diet himself ~ DE- Cory. the young secretary 81
the millionaire. In the Marquis de Monpavon
il is casy to recognize the Due de Grammont-
| Caderousse. The role signed in these pages
| To the Deputy Bravay will Of course br readily
| identified, and SO W. might run through list
| OF bankers. spectators. sharpcrs. journalists
| and theatrical managers whose names. now
| forgotten. were familiar to those who knew
Paris in the years 1s6i 90. With that mos,
| brilliant epoch of the Second Empire which
conceded with the establishment o: Macmillan
| in Mexico. in the last year OF Morny' lfc the
| author Of this novel was intimately acquainted
and hc has not SCRUBBED to retail "reminiscences
which attest his friendship for Bravay and his
confidential relations with the Empcrors half
| brother whose secretary. ass we have said he
was
Had the rccolc,tions Of one who enjoyed
such unusual opportunities been thrown To-
gcther in the most desultory and clumsy fashion.
| they would still have been Of absorbing interest
| But Aphonso Daudct is something more than
n collector Of anecdotes H. is not unwilling ~
| give Us page hot from contemporary life. bu,
he will choose such page as admits Of intro
ducing some sympathetic characters His per
| sons are real men and women but he has So
| grouped them rs TO cmphas2e their individual
ty. and with atouch of Baizac's faculty has gone
far in some instances to transform them into
types. Such Tor instance is the portrait 81 De
Morny. that consummatc embodiment OF what
-
| the arcompices of the crime of Doccmh r.: the
arrid sketch OF Or or who kept his fashion,
| ALL" clientele alive with arsenic pills and arhru-
| disiacS the grot.s'lue hut mass ive outlines of
the gooi-uaturod. allu'nt adyeuturrr who
! knows that Paris il for sale. hut who commits
the terrible hlundcr ~ paying the pric. do.
/ mauded in advan"" Th"-.. 90 moreover ~,
! artistic completeness in this story. We cannot
road it hy drihlcts. ~ we might IL the anccdou-
cal material hal not been thoroughly fused and
wrought into an organic whole From the first
page We follow with growing sympathy the
groupings and the stumblng- Il naive child
OF the people amid the most trca .herou- and
art 'ial 81 societies. until he succumhs in
| shipwrecA and hearthreas 10 the contempt II n
| world IN which he was perhaps the one man
not eontcmptible.
We had occasion to say Of Alphonsc Daudot
apropos To- Sidonie' and jack" that these
creations We're distinguished from the works 81
Dro2 and Thcurict by a capacity of growth .
that this nuihor had not given the final measure
Of his capacity. In the two books above named
the ierl Of study was atrow. hu, ia The M
| bob" we have a broad canvas comprehendins
all the pathological phases Of tho Partisan
world at IL corrupt aud feyerish epoch. Hero Is
SGT forth with tho knowledge OF an adept and
the skill Of an artist all the elegance and base
ness the splcndor and the rottrunoSs IT the SOC
cial life engendered and dominated by "a gang
II con-pirat0rs, who spent the gains II sur-
/ cossiul treason rs lo-' woman lavi~hc- tho
earnings Of shame. Regarded SOLELY with ref
erenro a. it, disclosures " The Nalob" cousti-
tutrs tho most srathing Of indictments. and +
well fitted To supplement Nitor Huso's His
| tory OF "a Crime.
Let u glance at one or two Of tho portraits i'm
this curious gallery. and ilr-t at the glimpsos II
A.
the volume, Here is the Duke Us h. appeared
in society:
NJ one know better than Mora how to pre-.
| sent himself in society how o. cross a drawing
| room graYely. and. ON the other hand. how 10
mount smilingly into the tribune. to give Il -
rious ASPECT to frivolous things. and treat light
! ly things reputcd grave This WAS. indeed the
SYNOPSIS Of lis attitude in life. This Constituted
! ms puraduNlcil dlsiln tons still handsome. in
Z spiir Of his illty-slN years. with n beauty made
~ dnntln"-s and proportion. Where tine grace
ol ~" eNqusli" was strengthened 10y something
/ eoldirrN IN lh" bearing and by pride i'm 'hr
cuunienancr. hr looked extremely elegant In his
! dress cont on which. To- do honor To- Jenkins
'f plil' II" w"r" some OF tue large and snowy
! DECORATIONS that i, never dis played except ON
official owa-ion- The reflection from his shirt
'front.' AMI white cravm. th" dead silver oil tho
decorations, the llncnosS of the Thin. grizzled
hnir added 10 the pallor Of that head, more
hIupdl.s than all that was bloodlcss that night
~ The Irish Doctors. lie Leaf such terrible ne
Politics gambling IN every form, turns AZ the
tion Of lady killer, that he must keep VI at any
| price
This jenkins r. tho fashionable doctor II tho
epoch. and We are told that tho Due de- Mora
,Mornyl was ono OF his patients. who owed this
visit To- the inventor of certain mysterious gob-
ulos that gave fire to the eyes and To the whole
being an impetus vibrating and extraordinary.
II appears that Morny was dying ofanWmia and
wills kept alive hy stimulanis Of more or loss
allowable kinds and the English translator has
ar'lul!y disguised the circumstances under
which Tie last and fatal dose was given. as welt
a. The purp ST. for which il was administered.
We do not say that the facts could have been
presented To English readers, but the cfcrt Of
suppression here. and in Il critical interview be-
tween the Doctor, jenkins. and Felicia Ruys. is
"a render some OF the most striking scenes and
cardinal motives Of the story uunteligiblp.
In the account here set down. let us not for
got by an eye witness We are admitted To the
dcathhcd OF the man who exhibited in his own
person the most brilliant in 'arnation of the en-
plrc. That portion ~ an ediN"e which is seem
iromafnr is not its solid. or shnky. foundation.
It's architectural mass. 1t is rather the slender.
guided spro, wrought in open work and added
for the sat slArtion of the eye. That which was
I visible of tine rmlire tO Franco and thrtnplou