New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-08
FICTION.
A BRILLIANT HISTORICAL ROMANCE

THE DIRKET srERRET. by Sarah Rarnweh
Elliott. Duodecmo PIP ~ Henry Hon 4" w.
/ A FORGOTTEN SIN by Dcrothoa Gerard Duo
decline PIP 800 D. Appleton u CO.
LIKE 4 GALLANT LADY by Kate NJ Clearly.
Duolecirno. up. ZG Chicago: Way Williams.
AIRS EFT VITA AND OTHER sTCRiEs sr ny N
Sullivan. Duodecino' PIP w. 'h''''~ '7'''"
Sors.
Miss Colcrdge expresses in a i"oth"'e "'i III"
debtedncss to Mr.. Nsbet Bains Gustav Ill
and His Contemporaries, but she mas eNiuc"''
borrowed little beyond the barest historical truth
from the book. since THE King WIN l"o
Faces" reveals on every page the touch oil an
IMAGINATIVE artist To say that the mover IS III
excellent piece 81 portrditure. that IL p''sc"''
Gustav III with vividncss and gives us roallS''c
picture Of his time is 70 say the least OF M'sS
Colcridge's claims upon the admiration "i her
readers First and last she has kept roinah,'c
object IN view and although in the conclusion
both hero and heroine find sadness Tor thelI Por-
tjon tho STORY Of their adventures is one 81 gem
uin. ard lasting charm. Miss t"ieildE' mas '"o'
n fund of originality now rare in her ic.d. Inc
historical romance is become one of the easiest
as II * ,,r. of the mos; popular forms Of notion
f. cultivate We refer Of course, t. IN" KIND OK
book that is usually described 10y that phrase
the kind of book written well 10y Mr. N'yma" OF
Or Conan Doyle and written not :" wei ny d
horde of imitators. Miss ColeridSe equals her
most DISTINGUISHED pred ocrssors ard III some
WAYS she ,urpasscs them The som'r' concur
sion t. which have alludci l. one "i her III
nova,ious The atmosphere Of rciosc and seri-
ousncss which she prefers Is anothe' she dis-
dams to pat any confidence IN mere pageantry'
f. lodizcn her pages with descriptions of cos
TUNES long passages Of mawkish sentiment anu
f-c,u.nt opsodcs Of "A swashhuckiing character.
For a novel Of stirring times In the sweden OF
the eighteenth century The King with TWO
Faces" Is surprisingly lacking IN sounds oil DAY
, tie and in theatrical scenes. hut th''' II au
venture enough there is h'roisrn enough 'he
very first pages IN the book are intensely drh
- matte and best Of all. the romantic glamour IN
which ih. book IS cnwrappcd Is shown to be ac-
cordani with Il vein of maturity, OF h"uRh'ui-
ness. for which on. usually looks in solid MS
,ori,,i hooks alone Mss Coleridge has written.
IN far, for an audience Of thoughtful people,
: f,r readers who love romance best when II IS
mobiles, and stncst The King With TWO Faces
IS fas.lnating because il Is 80 Thoroughly He-
, AXE because It's most dramatic episodes are as
trti. 10 nature as any thing that might be found
IN tn, most realistic novel
In IN, English EDITION. We believe. The Lon
81 doncrs bears a subtitle describing the story as
. An Ahsurdity" The words should nave pee"
retained for the present edition, alth""Eh 4"
u would have perhaps been Just AS Wen II MI
% Kitchens had further characterized his book rs
! q rr.pnytcrnus farce inspired 10y an acquaint-
,rc, with m. lower forms Of the French drama
W. H. mot mean 10 assert that Mr. Hchons has
.c,u,ll, had stlch an acquaintance. Perhaps he
never saw a French extrayaganza IN his hie
I'm, NJ. certainly repr"duccs the salient effects OF
such = production. and were The L'ndoners
hricf,r book 1t would he "A very act'I'iae
equivalent for one Of those impossible tissues OF
surrris, and comicality over which one Is DIS
solved N laughter whether one likes II or not
That th, book j. damaged 10y its length can
hardly l., denied such an uproarlous series or
misadvcnlur.s as Mr.. Iiichons has SCI i"r'h
should NOV, with rafting rapidity to the Climax
and once there it should toe wound up with
SNAP or W viii even say. with an 'NIl"Sloh
..rh. Ion,ioncrs." as a matter of fact is over
crowded with conversations which. though
smar, arr. calculated to delay the action and the
final scenes let the characters down from the'r
heights Of atsurdity too awkward! and too
slowly Nevertheless. II Is with regret 'ha' we
roint ont these Deficiencies in a book when Is
otherwise, An cnthralling bit of nonsense. Inc
scvcr.sf critic - sure read tn" volume
through impcllcd 10y an eager curiosity t. learn
IN, urshot Of tn. most extraordinary cntangle-
n.nis ne has ever witnessed. To reveal inc
mature. Of those cntanglements would he 10 spoi'
the story We may say. instead. that MI fich-
ems atoncs with this droll and sparkling book TOR
the owlish cyncism which makes such mover
nc his PLANES" "A mere wetcr of crudity ana
boredom Il is to Ice hoped he Will STICK To TINS
lin. and turn ms back on the Psychology oi the
modern Young man with ms purple, crimson ana
,h.r bighIv decorative indscrctions To wear