New-York tribune., 1896-03-29

..s herse,f with suItors. Her love anars
o,oh a c,,,nax when quarrel springs UP betwee"
George Abney, the Methodist, and Lora naS" Hrr.
and his lordship challenges his rival 10 ouei "
Barrs analysis of Bernicia's emotions "nen ,n,o
covers Sths fact displays consiaerapie i's's". , M
mo working of feelings with which sne woou
scarcely be supposed to be familiar. Comhen'a.ao.
Is also due her for the skill with which sue
Rernicia's rejection Of both suitors' anu "e 80.
ouent return 20 Lord Rash'elgh, aitnoush ~ 20. o.,
be objected against this last step-wh'ch !oi, M
climax Of the story-that the device by wh'c' pe
80 avos arc onened TO the true bravery OF Lord
Rash!eighs character Is a little oVer-Se"'''
and forced.
Anropos Of the warning prehxed to In Sie,.
World" that II Is "a simple story or "o'"
love" which the reader in search OF '"e .,s.
uo,a, or nurelv amusing" would better lay aSiue
at once II may be observed that the au."o, 40 "
scarcely fair 10 herself. Her Idea Oh "
simple and unsensational Is not tHe o W ~
ally held by readers OF fiction They VIII ',''O -
circumstances OF Evelyn Sylvestres ue"., -
ce,ved In thoroughly sensational spirit n''e's"'
o,,,,. d,sonroIr,od IN love is walking on the sea-
sbora ,vben in q desperate effort to rescue the
child who Is with her. she is swept away Ds inc
ebh,np tide" A few hours later her pody coi''es
ashore IAN expression OF inenaDie sa'S'a
resting on her features. "as II her great act oi N
nunc!ation had purchased peace ana tne e"'' "
of the celestial city, and the lips. no longer "ue'
had found utterance In the deep songs o. Joy ~ -,
.,,rrornd .ha throne" Tte experienced reauei "'''
horo LITTLE difficulty In recognizing the famiiiar ne
OF sensationaism in this conventional ci'i"aN .
the rest It may be noted that Evelyn "SN
,oornu.e who falls desperately In love win inc
voung man who rescues her from an III '"'''
bull She was imprudent enough to wander tnIouo'
the fields carrying a bright scarlet parasoi. We"
s.e erst caugh. sight OF Thurston Rivers strid-
ing" toward her. almost at a rum she ia"oi'O'
for brief instant, that he was one oi '"o'e ''
fortunate lunatics escaped from the asylum near
the town" Her surmisc became certainty "nei
the man seized her hand and began TO dras he' uP
,,rough the steep copse." She was not. however
- rs,ah,ored N notice that the brambles tore
hor ..,-o,,v summer gown" or that my hairpns
flow about like hailstones, and one long praid
escaped from It's fastenings and bobDed up an"
down between my shoulders A moment "''e
ward uhen she discovered the real motive OF
Thurston's eccentric conduct. she was not on''
quite prepared to forget all ABOUT he' I'D" p''
and summer gown. bu; to give her heart 10 her
rescuer This occurs on page 81 and 1t IL not until
almost a hundred pages later that she discovers
that Thurson. having Unexpectedly come INTO d
title OF nobility. cannot be hers IL IS aiter 'h's us
tresslng discovery that she takes her faai walk oy
the shore OF the bay.
The problem 10 which attention is invited IN "A
Question OF Faith Is the degree OF liberty IN "h'ch
a young girl Is free Indulge. without the inter-
ference Of her friends and relatives Ahce i'oi'ho
is Il strong minded young English woman. the pos
s.ssor of n university degree and free thinker In
matters Of religion. She becomes Involved IN the
arrlrs OF some Anarchists. and engages III mahoeu-
vr,s which arouse the feelings OF him whom she IS
expected 10 marry. lie spies on her steps anu
finally takes he- to task for conduct unbecomihs
lady Harvey embodles conventional ideas. just as
Of ne
Alice insists that the man who loves her shall accept
her at her own valuation. Harvey contends 'ha' sue
ouyb, 70 realize the danger and suspicion to which
her unconventional conduct exposes her inc re-
sui, IS II rupture which does not heal Aiice ana
Harvey part no: as lovers invariably do. but IN
consequence OF n technical drererce, which Is
hrourh 70 llgh, IN the course OF long discussion
This however appropriate 1t might have been IN
purely d.lactic work. has nothing In common WIN
art The characters are wooden, mere puppets. set
in motion to expound n theory
In "a Colonial Woong" Mr.. Charles Conrad Alb
bott has told with considerable grace and poetry the
romantic courtshp Of Ruth Davenport and John
Rshop in the quaint surroundings OF Phiiadephla
more than two centuries al,o. The story Is SIM
ply constructed. and is written with sympathy Nr,
Abbott's fondness for nature is conspicuous anu
comes t. the surface with particular force III pas
saxes Ike the description OF John Bishop reso"e
Of Ruth from the vessel which lies on Bordeh'o"h'
prepared 10 take her back TO England
1, ,s much to be feared that the success OF "A
Social fighwayman" Is not destined TO oe repeated
in Miss Trains second story. "A Professional
Ueautv" The books are manifestly by the same
hand which is another way OF saying that the mar
rative is frequently enlivened by amusing 'eroa'
sall.es with here and there Il touch or cyhclsn'
which strikes at the root OF some social folpie bu.
DESPITE these superficial merits. "A frofessioha'
neauty" is dissatlsfying to plot. II not at times
Ji.tio
constantly asserted that Evelyn" was SURPRISING
fair and ruled like a sovereign by her beauty the
reader seldom Is made TO feel the spell OF Fer
charms--a ata artistic defect In story whose sue
cess must depend the keeping OF THIS idea 10 'he
fore The intrigue Is Loosely constructed anu
despte the sensational episode OF the supposed rob-
hcrv OF Miss d'Alemberts jewels fails to hold the
,a,oros, and no satisfactory motive Is offered for
tho beroine's change from the character OF des-
motto society queen to that OF the devoted wife OF
the constant American
..r. 1y,sh bv the German writer Hermann
cudornann ts n typical example OF that morbid class
of fiction whose present vogue lends color OF pau
slbllty to Herr Nordau's conclusions 1t Is path-
ological study OF womans nina diseased ny eN-
cess OF passion and introspection Osa bremer
loves Robert Hellinger to distraction. but he mar
ries her sister Martha Then. after period OF
questionable mnrried happiness. Martha falls sick
and dies Olga and Robert watch by her bedside
during her illness. and then II Is that Robert.
overcome by fatigue falls asleep In his chair. his
head falls upon Olgas shoulder. and then wild
iov seized me-" writes Olga in her diary. Secretly
| pressed him To me-and within me there arose the
,ub!lant thought: 'Ah. how would care for you
and watch over you: how would kiss those wicked
burrows away from your brow. and the troubles
from your soul. How l would fight for you with
my virgin strength and never rest Till your eyes
were once more glad and your heart full
OF sunshine But for that looked across at Mar
tha Yes she lived; she still lived. Her bosom
and fell In short rapid gasps. She seemed more
alive than ever And suddenly It famed up before
me- and the words seemed as II l saw them distinct
y written there the WALTON. that she
might dler" This Is the Wish" and It Is be-
cause Olga Is subsequently stricken with horror at