Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-04-12
nay FRIEND ARCANIEVA.

,.sa sxcifed her. and description or MS
nerson ana his qualifications by no means
tended IA allay the excitement. We naa
both read, "wer and Peace ara. IN
spfte OF noble resolutions. had been I'M
able 10 conceal from ourselves tnat n
was colossally dull. Bridget oeing OF y
finer and more charitable nature. quail
flod the condemnation by calling 1t CYCLIC
mean: she said II reminded her OF the
vast steppes OF Russia, and Its wide'
half-peopled dominions 1t followed. she
thought, that a book treating or such
nation could not accurately be lively or
sparkling. In the interest Of local color
she was willing to sacrifice her tndividuai
taste. and to describe II. with @. solemn
shake Of her pretty brown head, as a
great work, a profound, a cyclopean view
OF life l swallowed the cyclopean, az /
would have swallowed an elephant. II
physically able to do So upon her per-
suasion. and. with much misgiving, APP
piled myself TO "Anna Karenina." We
made better way with this, though
neither OF US would have thought the
book less powerful or less entertaining
II that heavy agricultural philosopher
Levine, had been left out OF II. On the
whole. we enjoyed "Anna Karenina," and
were determined. TO speak of II with un-
qualified admiration, saying nothing
whatever about Levine. when Arcsnieva
came.
He came to tea one Sunday afternoon.
When he stepped into the soft lamp
light, smiling upon us BOTH / thought I
had never seen anything more strangely
handsome than his head. with Its shin
ing, dusky hair brushed roundly off II.
and touching the broad, velvet collar
that had an appearance really Byronic.
His cleaning eyes, after slight smile
OF greeting directed towards me. rested
intensely upon Bridget's face-rested
thereon deliberately, complacently, but
not In the least impert.nently. What
they saw must have pleased them, how
ever beautiful the Russian ladies' may
be. Bridget looked Ike little Dresden
statue thrilled Into life. In state of
fluttering pink and white excitement,
her soft, blue eyes burning lustrously as
with an inward flame. She held out her
hand. and IL was very pretty hand
slim and white, and deliciously dimpled
Arcanieva smiled as he took II. as II
he wished us to understand that he
thought the habit OF shaking hands
upon introduction sIngularly agreeable
practice when the proffered hand was
that Of a pretty woman.
He drank several cups Of tea and ate
several thin slices of bread and butter.
and some plum-cake with an evident
relish. talking the while In a persistent
murmuring stream. He spoke well; his
voice was musical and slow, with a
slight lisp that was an added attraction;
and his language was rather more cor
rect than that of the average young Eng
lishman who frequents drawing-rooms
and drinks tea of an afternoon. His
culture considering his youth. was
amazing, and more amazing still Were
his theories. He was n theosophist. and
discoursed In an odd. vague way about
the Elemental. had tremendous re-
spect for his intellect but for the life
OF me I could never get at his meaning
when he mounted this particular hobby.
I used TO dream afterwards that I was
wandering through space greeted con-
tInuously with the word elemental In
letters OF fire. As we'll as could make
out from his soft. vague monologue. Ler-
montoff and Byron were the only men
OF genius who have this quality of ele-
mental English literature was q con-
ventional imposition: the French was also
n sham; An unconventional sham, blighted
by the so-called esprit gaulois-which he
translated, "the spirit OF the SEX" and
I thought the definition good; Germany
nourishsd herself upon thin sentiment
talities; and the South had long since
DNtbIA itSCh OuI III bllt llit anu Dilill-
stone of its own gross passions. In the
puff of a cigarette he obliterated all their
claims, and Russia stood out sharply
defined, as he seemed TO think, by that
inexpiicable word, elemental. rising from
an ocean OF potentialities to build itself
an impregnable and permanent dominion
upon the ruins OF decayed literatures
by force OF its own young blood and
unemssculated senses. OF the originate
~ - "A. - zut,
literature he had not doubt. and ex-
pressed himself, when on this theme
with an eloquence and fiuency that
charmed us and carried us away.
"And Jreland?" Bridget asked him
breathlessly, with a glance Of enchanted
surprise
ireland, my dear young lady. has its
future. II is, perhaps, farther away than
ours, which nearly touches the present.
But you will need to throw of the chains
Of imitation. You are at present neither
Irish nor English. simply provincial You
copy the English-may L say 1t and not
offend? --badly. weakly. You have less
OF the elemental In you than the savage
races who breathe at least by them
selves. until they. too. are spoiled by
| imitation. You are an interesting race,
! a delightful race; but you are an en-
| Sryonic race, and the potential is not as
yet discovered IN you"
We felt unreasonably abashed: our
| Judge was 80 amiable. so suave, so mex
pressibly superior. Yet Bridget found
voice to make spirited protest for the
| honor OF her beloved land.
| I next met Arcanieva at college break.
|, fast party in Lumley's rooms. He was
still holding forth softly upon the eie.
| mental and decayed literatures. and
smiled as charmingly as ever when con-
| graduated upon a really pretty poem that
| had recently appeared in our review
under his name. / mentioned my off.
| cial address, and said l should take II
as a favor to be occasionally disturbed
| In my easy labors by his engaging pres
ence. and also pressed him to drink tea
| with my sister on the following Sunday
He was delighted with both proposals
and came next day 10 my office in Dame
street carrying with him his poetic head
and the elemental, and his notions upor
| European uteratures, as fresh and gay
and pleased with himself as though wa'
10 be introduced to IL all for the frs
time.
The other fellows were beginning e
weary Of him, and ask under their breath
| what the deuce kept him in such an out
land.sh place as Dublin; but i stiil re
manned faithful to the old strange int
rest his first appearance had awakened
IN MS all. They called him bore, bu
he was so handsome and foreign an6
courteous; he smiled so delightfully."-, an(
rolled his cigarettes with such deftness
that 1t was real pleasure for me t'
observe him; and. whether l undersfoo'
him or not, or was YEARLY conscious o
having heard over and over all he hat
IN say about the elemental, and the po
tential. and the esprit gaulois. the rusi
cal fiuency OF his speech fell upon m,
ear with the soothing charm OF a brool
- 49, - - ......,.r MADAM vi