The times., 1897-10-31
Henry James.

''AEhat Maisie Knew, = the latest book of
Mr. Henry James, is conceived on Il some
what original basis, and when one has
SAID that, one has said it al, So far as the
average reader can see. II is more than
anything else, Ike one OF those continuous
performance vaudeville shows, in which an
lrishulan. a policeman, a servant girl and
u blaCE-facc comedian come out with
ulonotOnoas repetition, one after the other,
and Sa something at which the audience Is
expected To be amused, and then auible
back again. like one of those shows in
which tho situations are supposed 10 be
IL spefaUe and the characters SuppOs ID to be
thrilled with various enlotions, but which
completely FAN 10 make the audience tear
its hair ano faint. 1t is dreariiy pathetic
and babbliRely degenerate, and has nDt
even the quality possessed by some of
Air. James earlier works, OF describing
10 us the udnntest actions OF people wh0
are decent, IL duh 1t viii be mystery 20
Iuast readers how in the world Mr.. James
managed 10 get 50 much inpFopriety into a
book without making il sensational. There
f. pr8nablv Mt aD0ther man in al Anglo
mania who could have done il
Maisie is a lean little scrap of a girl whose
father anG mother have be "a divorced. witii
the result that the child divides her time
between them. These interesting people
de,Ute THEFT leisure 20 telling the hapless
infant, in turn, an the bad things they can
think %? ahout each other, and usually sid
farewell 10 heI IN these terms, '.fioodly,
you precious pet, or you little nuisance .
THE moad happens To prompt them -.and
tell your mother that she's nasty old pig"
The father, in one Of the luminous flashes
of description which relieve the dreary
waste OF the book atinteryals offirty pages,
took NaiSie on ms knee, showed his shining
Iangs aadlHt her. with vaEue,a frectionate,
helpless, painileSs dear old girl, dear little
daughter. inhals the fragrance of his
cherished beard. She must have been sorry
Tor him. Shr afterwards knew; SO well could
she prIs afely follow his difficulty ih being
specific TO her about anything Perhaps
If one We're sorry for Mr. J ameS one could
privately follow his difficulty in being
specific about anything; asitis, oneiS simply
cross az him, and thatis differ ent.
After the father with the shining fangs
and the mother with the big eyes and the
almost imperceptible mouth give up living
with each other they live with various other
people. not, apparently, because there IS
any love In the case, hut from sheer, un-
adulterated viciOusness as the Rocky Noun
tain mule occupies himself Ia kicking
They are, however, not so lCyable and not
by any means so exciting as the Rocky
Mountain mule. and the poor little waif
OF q Maisie is tossed about like sick, home
less kitten IN an alley, among the lot OF
them. She very soon discovers that il IS
best for her 10 hold her tongue about one
honse w.nle staying in the other, and the
result q this is tfat, although an parties
discuss their affairs with a most astonisti-
ing fankness. IL her presence, II is 10 the
end deep lark secret, not only from al
the characters, but from the reader, what
Maisie knew
As b cryp'ogram the book is fine; as a
novel IL Is original; as four hundred ana
seventy page volume of Mr.. James it is
characteristic, and al a sororific potion .t
cannot possibly he surpassed.
Herbert 5. Stone & Co. Chicago and
New York. 81 .5O.)