New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-08

ham 40 blind and 80 much influenced by her want
OF conventional graces.
Az was never an habtuee OF John Chapman's
famous evenings. and knew hin and his wife hes.
when they lived out OF London and before thty
took their Strand house saw but little OF Marian
Evans Ill. after her flight with George Lewss.
When they returned home called on them by thee
Joint request. They were in lodgings In 81. Johns
Wood and the sureole OF their new love was around
them There was OF the pretence Of a sanc-
toned union which came afterward-none OF the
somewhat pretcntious assumption Of superior mo-
rallty which was born OF her success. She was
frank. genial, natural and brimful Of happiness
The consciousness that she had finally made her
choice and cast the die which determined her fate
gave her a nobility Of expression and grandeur Of
bearing which she had not had when first knew
her. Then my heart warmed 70 her With mingled
love and admiration and paid her the homage she
deserved. felt her superiority, and acknowledge
Had she Always remained that level she would
But success and adulatlon spoiled her and destroyed
all simplicity. all sincerity Of character She grew
to be artificial pOsee, pretentious unreal She lived
an unreal life all through. both mentally ard So
cIa.ly and in her endeayor to harmonic two n.
gent"the uphoder OF the sanctlty Of marriage While
living a. the wife Of married mantle p" sersaat
n nynpy trace OF that finer freedom and whoehesr
edness which had been so remarkable In the begin
ming OF her connection with I.ewes. she was
made woman-not in the French sense-bu made
BY self-manipulatlon az one makes a statue or
vase I have never known any who seemed 70
me so purely artificial as George Eliot. She took a
a@s and 100 woman Sot line Of spontansiy
was left In her. not an Impulse beyond the reach
OF se:f-consclous philosophy not unguarded :rict
OF mental moral territory where little unframed
She vas always the goddess on her pedc.tal-gra.
cious IN her condeseension-w; sweet strains o.
ever ready listen to her worshippers-eyery ready
to reply to encourage to Gear from conSuson
erous in imparting her own But never for one IN
slant did she forget he seifcreated Self-never DID
benign slbyi Her soft, low voice was pitched in
one level and monotonous key. and her elaboration
fint was already fred Her gestures we're as meas.
tones. She was 20 consciously George Elot'-so
interpenetrated. head and heel. inside and out. with
the Of sT kaI of h en a SFa to make
her society litt.e Overwhelming, leaving on baser
Gat indeed she was the antithess Of George SAND
whose impulsive, large and loving nature never be-
sef-conscons BY excess Of intellect. as was the
case with George Eliot 1t was nature and art ono.
ter the verdict OF which was best Will be deter
With all her studied restraint, Of manner Geors.
Eliot had large amount OF what the French call
temperament; As over she was both jealous aad
had captured was brought pretty faulty to his
bearings II even he went so far as Birmingham
III should not think Of allowing George to stay
The story so was put 1S% a b her rsSss
sref she had discovered proofs Of Iewes'. ndiel.y
do not for one instant believe George Lewes was
FAR too astute to imper his whole fortune and 20
stlon by a passing intrigue that almost %
be discovered by jealousy "a vigiant as George
E,iots and even II he had been unwise he would
have destroyed all proofs long before he died
Again. years had tanned his wilder blood and the
RESPONSIVENESS Of his youth had not It's former
charm. II IL easy 10 understand why this myth
was circuated iust az II IL easy 10 understand why
n constantly reported that the union between
the lovers had been reRularlze1 and that-ths
wife being still alive and rrdivorced-they had been
married according 10 the law OF the land.
Another curious little trait IN character which
looked strong and was 50 weak was George
EOrs shrinking from unoeasantness IN every form,
Mr. T,ewes read all her letters before he handed
them TO her. keeping from her everything that nigh.
pain annoy her. Indeed, HIS devotion 10 her
as complete as J. for one. believe 4 90 have BEEN
sincere. and have always regarded her second
marriage as the browning act OF weakness in her
llfe. n stultlnod and degraded her past and took
from II that softening veil ~ poetry and quasi.
rsnctity which intense passion and answering con.
stancy would have given Il 10 the end.