New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-27

his subtle imagination. The time AT Wnlcn the
tale opens, namely 1903, was one of Transition
and general unsettlement. The Revolution was
already suppanted in effect, but the new condi-
lions were still unfamiliar, and the influences Of
the preceding Terror were not dead. Society was
chaotic, If no longer anarchic Law and order
had been established, but the hatreds and en-
mites engendered by revolutionary violence and
outrage ranked. The owners of the coniscated
property neither forgot nor forgave. The men
of the Revolution who had obtained the stolen
estates of the emigres" could not but feel them
selves the marks for private vengeance. Nor was
there any certainty that the heirs of Jacobn
plumber would be much longer protected and Sus-
tanned. The star of Bonaparte had risen high and
was still rising; but the most astute politicians
Of the time were unable to determine whether
his purposes involved a complete breach with the
Revolution, or whether it his intention TO
maintain his utilization with it until he could dis
pense with il altogether. 1t was evident that he
desired to bring back and give employment TO TIE
emigrant mobiles. II by no means clear
That he did not contemplate further meas
ures looking TO reconciliation with them. Amid
such uncertainties mems natures displayed them
selves Enthusiastically. The merely cunning
became nervous and uneasy The bold conspred
Bazac has placed his story at the iuncture when
Bonaparte was threatened both by the Royasts
his success The second doubted his good faith
Selfish motives were in each case the dominant
ones To regain what had been lost to hold on
TO what had been acquired; were the several
aims Bonaparte proved far more than match
for all his enemies but Balzac in this deeply
interesting story has given substance to one Of
the Napoleonic legends Of the early part of the
century; that legend which held Talleyrand and
Fouche responsible for the death of the Duo
d'Enghien, which crime these men were supposed
TO have led their master into for the purpose
Of binding him TO the Revolution beyond the pos
sibility of retreat. The recent publication OF
Talleyrand's Memoirs, with the special chapter
devoted 10 the case Of the Duo d'Enghen, lends
additional interest TO this historical episode IT
will probably be concluded that the Prince OF
Benevento has indicated himself from the charge
of completely in the murder Of the DUO
Napoleon was certainly quite capable of planning
the deed without suggestion from his ministers
But Balzac works with admirable skill IN the
plastic ethical material of the period He realizes
that all moral standards had been practically
destroyed by the Revolution: that the men who
nourished ambitions were no longer restrained ny
any of the old considerations and of such ruthless
men he gives us impressive examples in Malin and
Carentin.
AS regards the latter, striking type of the
revolutionary police agent. the reader can hardy
fail TO notice the curious points OF resemblance
TO one of Victor Hugos characters in Ninety
three; and it may be safely inferred that the
author of that book had studied " Une Tenebrcme
Affare" 10 some purpose. Caentin and Malin are
of course scoundrels but strong and clever scoun-
drels. The grim evolutionary processes OF the
Reign of Terror resulted in survival of the httest
after standard which, however natural 1t may
of..fl; Thp
men who survived those sitting and winnowing
processes were inevitably the worst of their kind.
from moral point of view. They were the men
who. like Man in this story. had the address to
serve dozen different governments, to betray
them all In turn, and TO make profit out Of every
act of perfdy. They were the men who could
amass wealth by the most fagitious means; who
could send their nearest friends TO the guillOtnc
without compunction; who had no longer any
feeling of honor or shame or pity or remOrse
For such men the conditions were favorable. and
they fourished, and the great author has eX-
hibited their species with all the interest and all
the detail of an enthusiastic student of reptiles. 1t
il hard TO say whether Malin or Carentin is the
more repulsive, but such they Balzac rep
resents them. and he never falls into the error
Of giving them melodramatic traits. To themselves
txke and such men never appear monstrous, or
without good excuses. They realize their superior
strength moreover. and this realization gives them
Fictitious dignity. Their emancipation from
moral restraints and conventions is so complete
that they move with kind of satanic freedom
and eXpansiveness; while their material success
nssures them the servile submission of all weak
natures, that is to say, of the majority.
Balzac is not less true in his delineation OF all
the emigrant mobiles The most useless and
faithless of all aristocraces known to
oo1o
ing and attitudnizing. They retained the
mental vices of Feudalism long after the system
was extinct They chung to their senseess pride
of birth long after they had ceased to have any
claim upon human respect. In the c-devants'
introduced in these pages, doubt see pc
culiary favorable examples. Laurence is the
heroine of the tale. and intended TO be charm
Ing young woman. But despite the authors loyal
endeavor to make it appear that the sacrifice Of
poor Michu was compensated by the escape of the
four cousins. it is difficult not TO feel that the
gamekeeper was really the one eminenty deserv-
ing person in the group, and that the young
mobiles were of those who had neither learned nor
forgotten The abduction of Malin is managed
with great ceverness and it is not until the last
pages Of the last chapter that the reader is admitted
10 the well-guarded secret which proves a genuine
surprise The author concludes with his Taley-
randi ouche scene which is cast in the orthodox
mould of historical "reminiscences. and which would
perhaps have been less interesting had the esti-
mate of the Police Minister given been somewhat
less enthusiastic. Fouche was undoubtedly a
strong man, but not Of the first order in intellect
and for corruptness he perhaps without peer.
His own connection with the death of the Due d.
Enghien was not denied by him, a fact which
speaks at least for his courage. He. one may be-
lieve, would have been capable of the attempt
70 upset Napoleon but it is not so easy to credit
the connection of Talleyrand with perilous and
reckless plot
IL makes very interesting reading at this dis
lance Of time however, and Bazac has given to
the legendary account much Of the soidty of
history by his adroit manipulation For the
main story il must be said that the action is swfter