New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-16

d;et;nct. the incidents are exciting but natural.
In short "To Leeward has no trace OF the most
conspcuous faults Of Mr. Isaacs." In his quick
exner;enee Mr.. Crawford has already acquired that
smplicitv of design and eomposure of manner which
were so much missed in his earlier experiment
ITO Ieeward ia in one sepse anovel of character
because it is by the development and mutuai nn"-
ence of the moral natures of the three prnclpa per
sonages-the weak and emotional wife, the aui'
honorable afctonate husband, and the 1rresls''ole
seducer that the whole story proceeds. The charac
toro however although they are defined and
labelled for u.s. are not subjected to long analysis
bpt are left in the main to show themselves IN
action. The development of Leonora, young lazy
with undirected aspirations, who reads Hegel anu
Herbert Snencer marries an excellent Italian mar
quis whom she finds that she cannot love, ana u
finally DESTROYED by the mistakes-or perhaps We
sbould say by the fatal inepttude-Ot her husphnu'
cooperating with the insensible passion OF JULIUS
Botiseombe is especially well managed. Inc mar
ouis shows his shallow nature through
the disguise of Italian manners, IN
a natural way, and gradually, as people disclose
themselves in life Batiscombei Is handled apruP'is'
but the portrait is strong; and the one subordinate
actress in the drama, Diana de Charlerol' oecon'o
very real and sympathetic in the last chapters Vi
the book There are many pages when each hiei
nj d N
ia admirably done; the description of Leonoras last
EVENING With her husband the careful details OF her
ureparation after she has gone to her room, ana Tue
fight through the garden, are mastery; and there
ia touch of pathos in the idea of contrasting the
dialooue and actions of the guilty lovers with what
10 bappeninp at the same moment in the deserleu
home. The pursuit by Marcantonia ana MS Sls,er'
the terrible railway journey, the gradual preaAnhs
down of the husbands reason. display Mr.. CraW-
ford's narrative power at its best ana the caaS-
trophe follows as the climax of series OF stuatiohs
which have been growing steadily more interesting
II NAV be supposed. from the concluding para
graphs of the novel; that Mr.. Crawford feels either
that lac onght to have pointed moral and mas LOT
gotten it. or that he has pointed one ana is not
quite sure what it is. He bids it ask 1t OF ourselves
OF of the survivors of his tragedy. These latter
personaqes certainly do not answer; but we may
decide that fine had any higher purpose than to tell
dark story effectively, and to sketch typical char
aeters and attractive bits of Italian life and
scenery. his lesson is the danger of drifting
upon n lee shore unless one is protected
nv an anchor to windward LeOnOra has
been unfortunate in her education, as well
as in her mixed English and Russian parent
age; she has involved her mind IN hopeless tange
of philosophical specuations, borrowing from hegel
the conviction that "NOthlngis the same as Being"
and from Herbert Spencer the dogma that the
grand handspring Of life is the pursuit OF happi-
ness and that no other motive has any real lniiu-
ence in human affairs" There is not much moral
strength to be got ont of these ideas when she is at
last subjected to the temptation of great passion
when her character from being vague and lndls-
tinct reaching out after many things, and never
wholly eraspng any, suddenly becomes definite
and full Of a mature puTpose-the purpose to
love julius reclIlessly, without consideration or
passion The lesson then is q wholesome one
The greatest objection to the novel is that 1t is
supcriluOus exhibition Of morbid anatomy-super-
fuous because it goes into much unnecessary de-
tail and unpleasant because what it exposes Is so
ugly The love scenes between Leonora ana
Julius, especially the superabundant love dia-
logues, are carefully wrought but they are repul-
sive The amorous dalliance of adulterers is not a
fit subject for art treatment, even when there IS a
high moral lesson to be preached upon 1t in the last
chapter. But although Mr.. Crawford has made q
serious mistake in his choice Of material, we must
do him the Justice to say that he wastes no lnaudIn
sentiment upon his sinners; he leaves them eX-
tremelv odiOus, at the cost of making his
whole book dsagreeabe.