The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-08
VIEW hooks.
Brtef Reviews or Important aud Intsrestiua
View Publication.

IN hlb tEhVC OI oslnOnuC, Dy FRANCES HOdRs
son Burnett Charles Scribners sons, Mrs. Bur.
nett favors us with n removal and an elaboration
Of tho remarkable facts presented in "a Lady
OF Quality" In tho earlier novel, IL will be re.
mcmboreh. tho lady in question dressed and rode
like n man, swore like n trooper, beat her hard.
drinking father about his fat logs with a horse.
whip. slew and buried secretly the fairhaircd
gentleman who flirted with hcr, and happily
married at the end OF the book tho ~virtuous and
dazzling lord who furnishes tho title to tho
present story. One Of the most extraordinary
revelations OF human character as II is repre-
sented in fiction and as it DOUBTLESS really exists
is that afforded In the person OF Clorinda Wild.
airs, who Is really n lady Of qualities rather
than quality. and who harbors in the same heart
n variety and contrnricty OF instincts which
make of her a moral curiosity. There is here set
forth again with tho woil-known dramatic art
which Mrs. Burnett commands all that Devil.
dorinE range OF motive and OF action which 10
necessary to the transformation Of n shrew clad
in brooches, q profano roysterer, and n passion.
ate manslayer into an adorable wife. n tender
and devoted mother, and u four.timcs sublimat.
ed sister Of mercy.
The facts Of life astonish us perpctually, and
we need not doubt the rcasonnblenes of what
Mrs. Burnett says, or at least her warrant for
saying IL, when she tells us that tho hero OF this
tale at tho age of 2 sin some way knew that
King Louis was q finer gentleman than King
Charles. that his court was more elegant, and
that the beauties who rulei it wero not merry
orange wenches. or romping, card.house.build.
ing maids of honor, or splendid viragoes
who raved and stamped and poured forth
oaths as ashwives do" Tho whole idea in
making the character of Osmonde is to present
to us an unusual and imposing parsonage. 1t
was In the intention that he should not be like
the run of mon. any more than that Clio Wildairs
should be like the run of women. Accordingly,
he is of great height and strength. unmatched
In his athletic prowess, n figure Of surpass.
ing beauty, and n scholar in tlmos when II was
not common to be at the pains to be scholarly.
We must remark yet another thing which Nrs.
Burnett relates Of him to indicate his character
at tho nge Of :. Ho has heard that Sir Jeoffrey
Wildairs, furious that his gentle wife should
bear him only girl children. i'll treats her so that
she loses the blue of her eyes and fades away
in her wing of the house, scarce ever seem" The
little lord opens his heart upon this matter one
evening to his mother:
He had kept very close to her, and had held her
hand. and kissed Il more than once since he had been
in the room. He lifted It to his lips again now. and
pressed an impassioned kiss upon its fairness.
"You were never treated cruelty" he sa,d. mo
one would ever dare to speak 80 to you that you
would sob and swoon. II any dared ~ and his littIS
hand Involuntary went to his side with q fierce,
childish gesture which made my lord duke laugh
heartily.
"'Tis in his blood to draw. !" he said. "Bravo. Ro1.
holm; bravo!'
His mother looked at his beautiful little face. and,
seeing q thing In his eyes which women who ere
motherless detect in the eyes of their offspring when
Others observe little. put q hand on each OF his shout.
ders and went upon one knee SO that she could be On
q level with his face and see deeper.
"what!' she said. with n tender. comprehendiny
warmth. "you have been hearing OF some poor lady
who is badly treated, ana you cannot endure 10
think Of It because you are n man, even though you
are only z years old;" and she ben: forward and
kissed him with n lovely passion, and her violet eyes
believed. "Yes, love-" she said. "you are n Man.
All osmondes IRE when they are born. / think. In.
deed, john with the sweetest laughing look at her
lord, who stood worshippir her from his place at tho
opposite side Of the hearth. II am sure tina, when you
were Z years old. IL you had had a little sword. you
would have drawn 1t to defend q woman against o
giant. though he had been big enough to have eaten
you at one mouthful-and Gerald is like you"
proudly. "Geraid Is a Man, too"
"'Tis not fair" cried little Roxholm. "'tis not fall
that a big gentleman should be SO harsh to a poor
lady who loves him. that he should make her cry till
the blue goes from her eyes and she is beautiful no
longer. and that be should hate her infants because
they are not boys. And when she tried to please him
he made her sob and swoon away. He should DO
killed for 1.-The should be killed."
If an incident needs to be related Mrs. Burnett
does not hesitate to relate it, no matter what
the nature of it may be. To show that Osmonde
is beautiful, is an essential part of the purpose OF
the story. 1t is his habit at Oxford to go swim
ming daily in the river. Once, while he is thus
engaged. a boat containing a wedding party 10
upset by the antics of some of those ON board.
Osmondc goes to the rescue of the unfortunates.
Hc dives for some. and carries them all ashore
laundering. On shore he directs the work
necRsSary fOr their reconciliation and prOnpr
care. In this emergency he bestows never a
thought upon his own condition-Lhe condition
Of a swimmer who supposes that he is swim
ming in assured privacy. Mrs. Burnett causes
a distinguished gossip of fashion to pass by
in her coach and behold him at this
peculiar moment. The lady Is a trained narra-
tor. with definite gifts in the way Of what Is now
called realistic narrative, and her description of
the oblivious Lord Osmonde is spread over all
England and France, arousing great interest
and creating for him, in the words of Mrs. Bur-
nett. "a reputation in the world of fashion boz
fore he had entered 1t or even left his books"
That Osmonde should have fascinated Clio
Wildairs. or she him. is not at all surprising. Her
eyes were so wonderful, her mouth so red, her
habit of speech and her general behavior SO
thoroughly extraordinary that 1t would have
takon more than q Bishop not to be interested
in her; and as for Osmonde, he was declared
Dy Iuc Dukc ol hdrDoTouSn, VINO nhu nlmbclt
enjoyed remarkable successes in his youth, to DO
tho greatest OF the f~avorites Of fortune. He
and Marlborough used to talk of Clio Wildairs
at frequent intervals in the course of the cam
paigns conducted by the great Duke on the con.
tinent, and the Duke, with q prescience which
never failed him, knew. long before Osmondo
came to possess the eccentric beauty. that tho
two were destined for each other. and that
they were bound 10 marry some time. During
a number of years the ordinary observer would
have h~esitatod to agree with the Duke. and o.
monde was 81 and Clio WAS a widow and had
slain the pestiferous coxcomb. Sir John Oxon,
before they really did marry. One of the mosp
dramatic and absorbing incidents OF tho
story is the duel between osmonde and
Sir John. Osmonde was more merciful. or
at least more thoughtful. than Clio Will
dairs was when she came to her encoun-
ter with the profligate knight. He merely tired
his opponent out, wishing to humiiiate him only