The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-01-09

portauce in the lie Of their tlme. Their
accidental connection with Carlist intri-
CUES, leads up 10 exciting. al
most sensational, incident which IN
different book. say one OF Mr.
Merriman's rOm1nces OF Spain. for In
stance. would seem merit. Here. oddly
enough. 10 strikes the reader as an in-
trusiOn. The psychological aud the his
torical elements Of tie book fan 90 fuse
into one convincing picture OF human
life. as The same elements do fuse IN
fomOlI.' for example. and ones SYM
pathy and Interest are so overwhelming
ly with the analytical parts OF the mar
rative that one resents any trespIssing
OF striking incident upon them. or. per-
haps. it would bee truer 10 say that the
inner life of the CHIEF personages IS so in
tense and absorbing that 10 practically
eclipses for the reader the circumstances
OF their outward existence because the
latter do not grow out OF character so
much as they result from chance TO read
the book entirely as a study OF the in
ner life is 10 get from n the finest salts
faction which IL is capable OF yielding.
even n "a is also TO ignore the authors
obvious effort to recognize the importance
OF the outer world. We use the word
advisedly, for Mrs. Craigie's carefully
drawn political background is done with
conscience rather than with affection.
The delightful sketch of Disraeu. which
the book contains. is, however. evidently
a work OF love II this is not the cele-
hrated Premier I'm his habit as he lived
ID ought 20 be. In any event, the recon
siructiOn lives and charms
n will be seen from all this that The
School for Saints rs laid down upon the
a n
critics. judgment u misses being one only
by what NAV almost be called a chemical
accident. The elements arc all here but
there IS a failure IN the conditions neccs-
sary 10 make them unite. In the mean
time tho book must stand as n more in
teresting thing than great novel, for II
is a keenly Intellectual an intensely spir-
itual a passiOnately religious one. Such
a combination in literature OF this kind
is as rare and as grateful as tho union
of Intellectual acuteness, emotional in
tensity and religious eNalta1i0n which
make Robert Orange what he is. Such
men exist, ana are profoundly interesting,
but they are too rare and too little under
stood 10 have been often the objects OF
the novelist's art.
Here and there throughout the book
are suggestions OF the authors earlier
manner toward the world: When we
ask for our daily bread. we mean our
daily deceptions. The terrible irony OF
life is the incontestable fact that We can
not exist without a hummer OF lutoNl-
eating illusions. They are the wine by
which we defy tho horrors OF the slaugh-
ter house" says Lord Recka2e, but one
knows in some subtle fashion that ms
Creator 10 longer approves such senti-
ments as these. Cynicism has given
place 10 insight IN her work. which now
is quite as clever. and much more true
than formerly. At best she was but a
heart-sicl< and reluctant cynic, and the
task OF seer becomes her better.
The book ends with catastrophe az vel
UNDISCOVERED by the two who are some
day to be overwhelmed by =. An au.
The story OF their lives In a subsequent
volume. which tire reader dolefuliy Tore
.ees is bound 20 be a sad one. But ever
vol,tme. IL will be sane and brilliant. a.
well as sorrowful
To every word Of that estimate We su0