National Republican., 1883-03-19
MARKED "lN HASTE" A story of to. day.
New York. G. T. Dillingham; & Co. For sale by
all booksellers

MARKED "IN HASTE" A story of TO. day.
New York @. T. Dillingham; & Co. For sale by
all booksellers.
The writer of this novel is content to do
well and stand back, looking on unknown
Whoever may be the writer-probably a
woman-all that is said or written about the
book will be satisfactory. There will be ac-
acknowledgement of strongly drawn characters,
and if blame it will be Of kind so much
superior to faint praise that it will commend
the book. There is but one apparent fact to
guide the spcculator who wants to indulge in
guessing who the author is, and this
is everywhere evident, that it was
an American woman in Paris. Who
she is or when she was there
must come out by more particular investiga-
tiops, as the names have in nearly every in
stance been withheld in the other books of
the No Name series. The scene is laid in
Paris the time is recent, and the characters
nearly all connected with tho Ameri-
can colony, and 1t is said that some
as them are readily recognizable by
Woplo who have been of the happy number.
The plot is dramatic though simple, and the
style neither sensational in the Objectionable
sense, nor, on the other hand of the philo-
sophie or interpretive sort, to which so many
Americans who get their inspiration abroad
are given. The first character introduced,
and this with some abruptness, is Lord Beau
fort, young English nobleman, witty and
handsome. He is one evening sauntering
down the Champs Elysees when he perceives
at his feet large envelope, evidently con-
tanning package of letters, bearing the seal
of the United States legation, and marked
In haste" This packet is addressed
to Mile. Ethel Leslie, Avenue Ma
| tignon, No. 406. Beaufort goes at
once to the house with the intention of leav-
ing the envelope to be delivered to its right
full owner; but, deaf to his attempted eX-
| PLANTATION, the concierge insists upon the
bearer of the envelope walking up stairs. In
spite of himself Beaufort is shown into u
boudoir, where in the dim light he sees seated
| at u writing table simply the most beautiful
woman he had ever met. She does not even
look at him as she holds out her hand for the
packet but shows him by her first words that
he is expected, and follows them up by an an
nOuncement which proves that not only does
she consider him trusty person (half way be-
| tween u servant and courier), but she de-
sires him to accompany her ut once upon u
secret visit, during which he is to have
neither ears nor eyes except as she directs.
/ The goal is an old house in the Quarter
Latin door opens, he sees the lady raptur-
Ously Srecteu ny " yOutu huhusoihe Us An
tinous; then my lord is left for long hour to
cool his heels in the corridor, while, to add to
his impatience, he hears at intervals murmurs
of voices from within the chamber. Thus
begins the acquaintance between this scion of
British aristocracy and the heroine, an Ameri-
can, so thoroughly charming that her country
men will gladly permit foreigners to accepther
as u typical representative Of the women of our
new world. Without interfering with the
| deyeloDmeut of the plot we NAV saw that thp
! acquaintance thus begun between the youth.
! full pair is carried through succession OF
brilliant chapters until the reader reaches 4
scene which, dramatically considered, is the
climax of the volume and u proof of rare
power in that line on the writer's part. The
description of Il supper at the Cafe Angars
is one of the bits in the book, and the charac.
| ter prominently brought out on page 144 is
probably but slightly idolized picture of the
|