The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-01-01

gathered elsewhere? And now was she
writing French, this mistress of so pure
English?
The book went home with me, and the
immediate reading | gave 1T both aston
ished and delighted me. The Mar
Short stories drawn from Middle Age
sources-French, Italian and German
Court and convent, hamlet and chateau
furnished their setting. Their style was
novel and charming. 1t was french,
fine, hight, attaching, as French always
must be, but it had an English accent,
certain freshness and youthfulnesS
which at once strengthened and tenn
pered the Vividness and the warmth Of
the romance tongue.
A new name went into my list of
French literary women. | think 1T Will
stay, for the owner is certainly far ad-
vanced in the interesting process OF liter
ary rebirth of intellectual renationaliza-
ton.
Everything seems to favor the change.
Notice that she no longer bears an Eng
lish name, but is Nine. James Darmeste-
ter and the wife of the eminent Persian
scholar, a member of the faculty of the
College of France. Her home is no longer
| in London, but Paris. Her friends are
French people. Her studies are in
French history. Even French publishers
have come to claim her.
| During the six or seven months OF the
wear that Nine. Darmesteter remains in
| Paris she lives in the airy quarter be-
tween the Champ de Mars and the Es-
planade des Invalides. You find her
every Wednesday afternoon at home in
her apartment in the Boulevard LatOur-
Maubourg, her salon light and bright
| from many south windows, a wood fire
| on the hearth, soft chairs and divans,
Injurious with cushions, all about; tables
and desks near, a shelf of books running
riotously all around the room, above
them pictures-all Of them worth looking
at-fne pottery, Rouen Urbino, delicate
| worries and carvings and exquisite chr
tains, of which more later.
Nine. Darmesteter is a slender, grace
ful woman. with a girls face, in spite of
its pallor and thoughtfulness great, dark
ewes and q mass of black hair, which she
arranges in some simple, but mysterious
Way. of which one can only say that it is
wholly becoming and indescribable-
Her set in Paris is what is known as the
Academic To it belongs the Taine5, the
Remains, the Vogues. It is circle famous
for its simplicity and informally, as well
as it's delicacy of thought, simplicity of
speech and profound learning.
Nine. Darmesteter' S entire life has fit
ted her for sympathy with such a COM
pany Born in London, she was in child
hood turned loose in a library. At 10
years OF age she was reading Froissart and
Boccaccio in the originals and writing
verses in old French From such para
disc she went with her sister for two years
to a school in Brussels But she was I'M
happy in that atmosphere and came
gladly back to London when her mother
secured permission for her to enter the
London university, in spite of the fact
that she had less than the II years re-
CURED by the authorities. Greek was her
delight at this period. She was writing
verses, too, and had joined the pre-Raph-
aelites and wore clinging gown, carried
lilies, and talked idealism, an amusement
which. if it has its funny side, is quite
forgivable when we remember that it was
SO honest in this sincere, imaginative
young dreamer.
At twenty -one, Miss Robertson's father
told her that for a birthday celebration
she might have her choice between a ball
and the publication of her poems. And
which did she choose? Let any young
scribbler reply. The poems, of course
and they were success.
Her literary career had begun, and it
has steadily gone on. In London she met
Everybody as we say; all the literary
men and women who gather periodically
in the capital. She is well acquainted
with all our best known American literary
workers, down to w. Balestier of whose
energy and ability she speaks most SYM
pathetically. Such connections, of
course, stimulate constantly her ambi-
ton and she made friends who have been
of valuable aid in her late literary work,
like James Bryce and Nh. Symonds.