The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-12

'He looked into my face and said: You
are a ratonalistY
Il am
You do not believe in a supernatural
word?'
My disbelief of it,, l said, is something
more than an exercise of reason. 1t is
passion-an angry passion. But what
should you do with the cross If you were
in my placer
Put it back in the tomb. Promises TO
the dead must be kept to the letter, or no
peace can come to the bereaved heart. You
are talking TO a man who KNOWS.
Aylwin fought bravely for the supremacy
of his reason, but, after much sorrow and
agony of mind and heart, he returns to the
tomb, and to quote his own words: d" 1
hung the hair chain round his neck L laid
upon his breast the long-loved memento of
his love and the parchment scroll. Then /
sank down by the coffin and prayed. Then
I arose, and, laying my hand upon my IA
theirs cold brow, 1 said: You have for
given me for all the wild words I uttered
in my long agony-you who knew the
meaning of the wild word, Love; you have
forgiven me, father, and forgiven him, the
despoiler of your tomb. You have removed
the curse and his child-his innocent child
lis Free"
1t is difficult to detach any brief portion
of work and give entirely correct i'm
preston of the thought we would convey.
So it must not be inferred that the book
contains one of those struggles concerning
doctrinal doubts, which makes of some re-
cent works of fiction such gloomy, depress-
ing and Improbable reading-not at all.
Mr.. Watts-Dunton's treatment of mysti-
cism or spiritualism, it is exemplified in
the beliefs of his characters, Is fascinating
in the extreme, and sets the reader to won
dering and dreaming of the possibilities of
the future. Aylwins father is a most in
teresting creation, and the merest sugges-
ton that he is the shadow of some great
reality in recent actual life lends an added
mental enjoyment to the work Wilder
spin, too, with his perfectly sane theories
to him-of the spirituality of his beautiful
model is a painter whom the reader yearns
to rightfully name.
Another element in the book which makes
constant demands upon the ready sympa-
thy of the reader is the gypsies. The au-
thor early in the book introduces us to
that wandering people, whose very exist
ence in England Is an anachronism. In Ills
looming of Love- Mr.. Watts-Dunton met
with unstinted praise and success In the
treatment of Romany a poetic medium.
In "Aylwin" he gives us this interesting
class of people more in detail, and makes
his noble young hero descendant of the
noted RomanyFenessa Stanley.
He describes and portrays with incompar-
of nature could do, the wild, picturesque
and fascinating life of the people. The au-
thor's impressive even lurid, use of the gyp-
sizes strangely superstitous belief In the
''Dukkeripen," or omen, Is skilfu1. and
lends a wondrous effectiveness to the story.
His conception of Sinfi Lowell is mastery,
and 1t Is safe to say that few women char
acters in recent fiction can compare with
her. Her nature, her nobleness, her pure
deep love for the "Gorgio'' that was to
break her heart and her brave self-sacriHce
are as finely conceived as the skill and ge-
MUS of man can portray.
There Is much In the book that constantly
makes deep demands upon the mind, the
heart and the spiritual thought of the read
er. "Aylwin" is not a book that can be
hirriedly or carelessly read. 1t lie book
that not only allows a second reading, but
really demands 1t. One cannot extract all
the beauties of thought and sentiment or
fully appreciate the true nobleness and
worth of the characters until the final
pages are read. Then each former word
appeals with added interest as deeper mean