New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-30
NOTES ON BOOKS.
MR. WEYMAN's "UNDER THE RED ROBE
MISS PRODUCTIONS "BEG1NNER"-
MR.. BoLDREwOODs MODERN
p1-cc,NrER" THE YELLOW
BOOK BIBLIOGRAPH-
ICAI, NOTE.
ICAL NOTE.

London. May II.
Mr. Stanley Weyman's Under the Red Robe
which has been running in serial forS throusn
one Of the illustrated weekes has now appea'eu
IN its right shape as book Short as the Story
IS il is issued in two volumes by MeSsrs' wv
thuen. II 1t had come before "A Gen'ieih"i -
France" It might very well have won LOT MI
Wevman the reputation, or some colsiuei"o'0
mart Of the reputation. as q romance-wrlter WHICH
Is now his 1t may be unfair to contrast the TWO
hooks. but 1t is inevitable a man VINO mas
given 10 the world a romance of the quality OF
Mfr Stanley Weyman's chief work has set the
standard. or one standard, by which he is mere
after TO be judged Yet judging In that way
we shall certainly do less than justice to THIS
rtory Under the Red Robe" is a slighter per-
Torrance than "A Gentleman of France less
full less vivid, perhaps. though Mr. Weymah Is
always vivid, less convincing. 1t is also 100
closely modelled on the lines OF It's predecessor,
both in character and in plot. and in the move
,nent of the love story Are we to suspect that
Mr. Weyman with all his merits lacks variety
and lacks invention? imagine not. 1t may,
however be permissible TO doubt whether he has
not been induced by his sudden and extraordinary
popularity to give his public a new romance be-
fore he was quite ready. Or 1t may be that the
ism have something to do with the matter He
went, think t. the boundaries Of the probable
when he made Mademoiselle de la Wire in love
with Monsieur de Marsac. so much her senior
so much her social inferior. grave, SO many
other things not likely to make him acceptable TO
a girl about the court. His loyalty his gallantry
his workmanship. perhaps. above all, carry him
through But NJ de Beraut Is far lower type
and perhaps Mile de Cocheforat is higher type
The contrast becomes sharper still. NJ de Be
rault has the workmanship. the GOODNESS. the
wary courage the force of character. Of NJ. de
Marsac, but Is that enough? He is spy,
bravo a ruined gamester, professional duellist
Is it conceivable that pure. high-sprited woman
should be fascinated by him? But she is, and
the confession Of her love comes out in almost
the same way before In the former book and
the union Of the lovers is brought about by means
almost identical Nevertheless. there IS In these
pages an atmosphere Of adventure and that
large spirit Of romance. believed TO be long
since.dead. which you breathe with delight Let
us not be too exacting about probability in chiv-
alrous days. Events may take their course. az
they certainly would no: now, and yet be cOnceiv-
able. There is love there is peril. there is plenty
OF fighting. there are ambuscades and hidngs.
and fight and pursuit. and much else which is
.
and therefore welcome and joyous. Who else
but Mr. Weyman now gives us all this? Whether
ne be indebted to Dumas or indebted to Walter
Scott is trivial inquiry. He knows his period.
knows his Cardinal Richelieu, though it Is but in
outline he now presents him to us and has far
more Of the feeling for what is French than most
Englishmen have. If character be not his strong
point, he has at least character enough to in
terest Us. The reader follows the fortunes Of
Mile. de Cocheforet and ot NJ. de Berault with
an interest which absorbs and thrills. The pace
Is never slow, the page never dull; the end comes
only too soon. Is there higher praise for a ro-
nance than that?
Miss Rhoda Broughton is a novelist for whom
at one time considerable future was predicted
do not mean TO say that the prediction has not
come true, but only that the future, though con-
siderable. has proved less considerable than
expected. The element Of seriousness seems
wanting. She hardly gives you the impress
sion OF having done as well as she could. The
public resent this. thinking themselves entitled
TO writer's best; they Miss Broughton's
latest book "A Beginner'-Bentley & Son, pub
lishers,-is illustration of the carelessness Of
method and OF tone which has become charac-
teristic of her. 1t is very slight very nimsily
put together, yet with cleverness enough to sup
ply material for half dozen of the ordinary cir
culating library. three-volume rubbish which is
poured out upon the public with profusion. At
least she is not commonplace nor colorless. In
her least happy moments she is readable and
though you may not read "A Beginner for its
story or plot, since II has none you read II
cheerfully for its liveliness and for the impress
sion of vitality the book makes upon you 1t Is
even pleasure to come in contact with living
and not dead thing. Miss Broughton has a
vivacty which is inexhaustbe, and an attrac-
ton for multitude of readers who show no
signs Of being exhausted either
One or two of the novels which Mr.. Rolf
Boldrewood published after Robbery Under
Arms seemed to indicate that. in that first book
he had delivered his message once for all. That
notion, whether ii had any foundation not
will be dispelled by "a Modern Buccaneer''-
Macmillan & Co. 1t may be his first success
since his first experiment, but it is a success
II 1t have not in full degree the note Of reality
which was stamped on almost every page 0,
Robbery Under Arms" It has gained In lit.
erary effectiveness. Mr.. Rolf Boldrewood has
mastered some of the secrets Of storytelling
and also of style which were before unknown to
him. He has learnt how to produce general
effect by the judicious accumulation OF details
He still abounds in adventure. which he makes
conceivable and plausible even when 1t lacks that
basis of fact and Of experience which supplied
him at first With so firm a footing An IN
judicious critic has lkened him to De Foe. The
injudicious critic will say and do anything re-
gsrdess Of the reaction and even revolt which
his foolish analogies must provoke. 1t is not fail
to a writer who began work late In life and In
singular circumstances TO mention his name In
the same sentence with one Of the greatest
craftsmen in literature who ever lived. But Mr.
Rolf Boldrewoods Modern Buccaneer' may bf
read and enjoyed without regard to critical ex
travagances.
1.-THE yellow Book" published-and edted?-
nv Messrs Elkn Mathews and John Lane, has