New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-03
MR.. HOWELLSS NEW NOVEL.
TIE STORY OF A DEFAULTER.

|
thinking. lie has written a story OF defalcatloh' tc
foo familiar story Of the of rich corporation
who. himself rch Is greedy for more money "'o S'
uses the funds ut his disposal for personal ehuS' pays
them back Uses them again and cannot pay them pack
alslfcs the books and so gains time to stei noio
at last found out. and being given three days 10 make
restitution finds himself called upon to choose between
suicdc surrender or fiaht TO Canada IL cannot be
said that there IS anything IN the facts OK the ne
! alcation: but these dcalCati0ns are mohotohousiy
alike. The man who becomes thief In tis way sci
dom begins with deliberate purpose 10 steal AS
such criminal must. by the hypothesis he weak
man, his first effort is to gloss the character OF his
| actIons IN himself lie IS only borrowing rather IT.
! regularly he tries 10 think: and he holds to an Ill
! tcntlon To restore the embczzled funds whlch by
hocus. pocus method Of word Juggling common to snch
characters. assumes in his mind the aspect OF redeem
Ing honesty When the dream Of restoration mas been
disspacd rs II always Is the thief docs not any the
more face the truth admit that he Is what tic Is
In falsying the books he persuadcs himself that he Is
only giving himself further chance OF rctrieval ana
| so he goes on Till the catastrophe occurs
Now II Is evident that study OF snch crimlnnis
mind must be full Of interest, and Mr. liowels ms
made n mastery analysis Northwlck has pasSed
through all the usual phases. summoned before tho
Board Of Director, Of the Ponkwassct Mills, he has
| been confronted with overwhelming evidence OF his
| guilt: and he has been called thief In plain terms
| by the president Ebcn Hilary who. however, Is the
| man 20 whom be his three days OF grace AS
he SITS In his room in his costly villa at IIatboro that
night we are privileged TO look into his mind. TO fol
low hi, train Of thought and 10 understand the motives
which determine his decision Sclf-respect, grOtesquc
as the term in such connection has always
been a dominant note in his character lie has held
his head high throughout his thcvng career lie ms
two daughters whom he loves IN his way and he must
think OF them. lie cannot therefore abide the ven
| rcance Of the law neither can he make restitution
ut he happens have in the house large sum OF the
| stolen mOney-somc s49.0OO-and he can fly. Natu-
rally he yin take the wisest course For in Canada,
| with this money, he can enter upon new buness on
ierrisc-. and make other and more money, where
with e. satisfy his creditors. he goes and railway
accident In connection with which his Is
oncd leads 10 general lclicf that he suffered orcDl-
ton In a wrecked Pullman car lie hurics forward
and hurie-' himself IN Canadian wIlds, and the report
doe, ot roach him for many months.
There remains the fate II his deserted daughters 10
be dealt WITH and this constitutes distinct part Of the
toy and l. told win III the author, accustomed skill
oud Guc.,o. Tie opinion ~ Ilatboro. whose great
man The de'nultcr bad been. Is neatly sounded TO
furnish an Illustration ~ popular tendency In such
which may ug.r,t the progress Of dcinorll'lns
influence. Twenty four hours absence Is enough,
without pariicc Of evidence. TO set aioot the rumor
thai Sor,hwck II dcfIultcr and fugitive. Tie
ualOlty - the people moreover. are In no way sur
pri.,d and not much shocked by tie report. They
seem 10 regard dcfalction and flight the natural
almost as tie i-ovitahlocnd Of such career: and this
notwithstanding thl' no breath Of suspicion had been
whispered concerning Northwick before. When the
cxfo,urc cone, there e II great fcueaion a'd tbs
continue, for a short time Then the whole affair Us
u,kly forgotten. and It look, n though. offer the
lap, ~ g year or Two. nobody would object to the
d.i,ul'.'. return and the resumption ~ hi NE undes
the Old .dton- As for tie daughter o. Northwlck
ties escape the worst u Their position by resout'y
refusing io believe the charges against their father
and hi, attitude they r'a.n untl the fugitive writes
rom Canada 10 4 Boston p'pcr. ~ once announcing
d.. survival and admitting his de'alcatons.
VI Howell. la, oti-Gcd MS fondrcSs 'or sketches
q ,orian Kind, ~ uow.pipsr men los giving here two
portraits Of reporters one " them smart unscrp'
ulous. wholly without dcucacy ruthl's interviewer
and worker up Of s'rsnion a'd scandals ia" other
uln ~ higher qualities, forced by poverty To become
reporter but fitted for the calling by any II his
friend, bass oud cal1a,nos-. I1nucy. The fist Of
tho.c two &. amusing but not attractive. Mr. iowells
treat, HIN endcrly enough AID cAtcuuatcs his pTofcs
sional qnalIuc, by charging upon hi love for his
yoing wife II cunno, 10 said that hi, /. novel
without plot. There l. plcgty 81 plot IN It. but Mr.
Howell, has apparently undertaken 10 emphasize sort
81 fata.tlc doctrine by cansng the intentions OF all
nj, character 10 lc bancd by external circumstances
II. goes ON the principle thai 1t IS always the mex
peccd that happens. Til, Is strongly brought out In
The closing convcr-ation between Dr. More and Law
yer Putnam:
"Wcll@ 10 Il Putnam who spcals). he went on.
bfcnklg from thu, grievance there, ih, .ntl,fac-
Tory thing about II: somebody has done OmcthIng at
la, that be intended 10 d., and Of cour'e the he in
question is n She. .>he that WIS Miss Suzctte Is
the only person connected with the whole affair that's
hnd her way. Everybody elsc's way has come TO
nothing. hcgiuuiug with my own
lie goe, on to show how everybody has been
thwaf,d. but this exhibit will rot cite lest the
interest Of the reader in the story should be prema
turcly grarncd lie conclude thus: q But what do
You say. Doc. % world where We fellows Keep
fuming ard hzzing nwly, with our little aims und
purpose and the great hall Of life seems to roll calmly
along and got where us going without the slightest
r,fcrencc 10 what do don't do! | suppose
g., wicSed TO be ntast. but III 20 few aco@s
Of eternal pun ,lmeni more. and keep my private
opinion that u.s. all Fate WHY not call It Law
the Doctor suggested Well, don't like to he 100
Tod. But taking 1t by nnd barge. aud seeing that
most things seem 10 turn out pretty well In the end,
I'll split the difference with you and call II Mercy"
These are the last word. In the book. Whether
Mr. IIowcls, readers will agree with Mr..
Putnam and "Gll 1t Mercy Is question
only TO he answered by actual experiment
The diff Of circumstance, In the story
however. hardly suggests THE Quality Of Mercy"
al Ahc most Mercy belncd; Mercy employed
in mitigation Of suffering, which. had II been applied
earlier, need not have been borne Ut all. North
wick's end. too, seems distinctly better than he de
served: and that Of his daughter Adellnc quite the
reverse 1t H. the guilty who escapes; 1t is the
innocent who is crushed. That may be true to liie,
but II does not shine illustration Of the quality
Of Mercy But these remarks are IA criticism Of the
title rather than the book. Tho story Is written with
admirable skill and no less admirable force. There
is nothing vaguc aud undetermined about IT, The
situations are strong. the dialogue keen and natural
In all respects the novel Is entitled to be considered
one OF It's authors best and most finished works.
RELICS OF WASHINGTON.