New-York tribune., 1899-11-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE NOVEL OF THE MOMENT IN ENG
LAND.

RED POTTAGE BY Mary Cholmondeley' lzrno'
pp. 56. Harper Bros
In the issue OF The Saturday Review just
received we find the observation that In spite OF
some inequalities and many strained incidents
RED Pottage" is nevertheless worth more
,han p wilderness OF ordinary novels This Is
only one note in a chorus OF praise with wh'ch
in England this new book by the author Oh ne
Danvers Jewels has been greeted. The suoueh
burst Of enthusiasm naturally sends US WI"
keen curiosity 20 its pages. In the secohu '"ap-
ter-and the first one is brief-there Is d s''u"
tion which helps 10 explain the interest ol 'ie
critics and slightly dashes our commence III
their judgment Lord Newhaven the "ro"se"
husband in the case. objects TO the usuai eA-
Incident of "ps,ols and Coffee and offers hush
Scarlet his choice OF two lighters lie VIM
draws the shorter one, or keeps II, is 10 'aNe h'
own life within five months, ana the sCdhu"'
nongers will he none the wiser Scarlet' ul""'
the fatal lighter. Here is direct plunge i"''
drama OF the most exciting sort But as 0cai
lett has lust met the woman whom NJ Ies'''.'
10 marry Cafter throwing over Lady Ne"ha'e"''
and as this woman. Rachel West lmineuld'e''
,nsnires the sympathy of the reader. II is impos
sible to avoid an uneasy feeling 'ha' '"e 80,
~ the lighters will miscarry. that the god from
brought in to make everything straight. Arrived
=. g. o,d ., the hook one admits that this
,ooiino has been somewhat diminished, out II
bo. no, oui.e 6isappeared. RED Pottage' III
sbort ,s not half so admirable for It's plot as iol
o~,stn other oualities which are well illustrated
in the following passages
1r,h,. doee so deem a gulf separate those who
have a sense of humor and those wno haILhs
none are compensated by the conrLc',Un sse
they possess it more abundantiyI @ Ihe no;oSts
seems to extend far inland TO the yer! e..
and watersheds Of character. Ihose Nho UNIV
on humor will differ on principles. - ,r,os.
Hester was gifted with imagination. anu ini'aS as
ination does not frd II difficult 10 Ieau -! IN, tn'
hrr.hard NJ the EXPRESSIONS and habltual opll-
IONS and reoressions Of others What they .bo,,
sionallv say Al full length ana TO WIion NJ ~
60 ,i,no For unima gnatiVe persons
believe themselves TO be sealed ooChs az "er oro
meticalv sealed as the characters oi o'"0'' ~
TO themselves
This is not extraordinarily profound heu
PottaCe" is not a work Of genius bu' ''e
,oorl[s we have lust cited so we'll beneath the
surface. and they are typical OF all 'h"' ~
o,,,hor of this hook has to say. Therein resides
its merit and its power TO Keep the a'tei''o" -
tho reader from beginning to end. The three
women who occupy the centre OF the stage aie
nortraved with a frmness of analysis that leaves
,haro eayvlesslv true to NATURE For moment
H. haionca ,rembles When we learn that scar
lott is liar and a coward 1t seems increulpie
,he+ Rachel West-who has been so deceived py
q preceding suitor that her sufferings have oeeh
nearly tragc-should not perceive the esseh'lai
weakness Of the new lovers character. Scariet'
drew the short lighter, but he falls to XIII MINI
Golf 81 he Is in honor bound TO do. and even
goes further. lying to Rachel when Newhaven
6aath leaves him. as he thinks, the sole possessor
oY the secret as to who drew the warrant Oh
death. But the author deals skilfully with th's
dtA7cultv She shows, by an analysis that Is as
inst as II is subtle, that the posture or a1aHs
between Rachel and Scarlet was after ALL IN
6 asreenent with the characters Of both. In the
,opg run our dubiety is extinguished, and we
regret only the little bitches In the plot AS
study Of human nature RED Pottage Is 'us'i-
fed OF itself There is no misreadng OF char-
acter Each one Of the figures In the story Is
drawn with knowledge and is accepted as ahVe'
The vitality In the book is a quiet virtue. Ohe
cannot refuse TO be interested. Every chapter
excites an eager desire for the next one Ano
,nere is humor everywhere, humor and SYM
nathy. which make even the least lovable char-
acters somehow appealing and forgiVaoie' 10
comprehend all g to pardon, runs the axiom
and the value Of Red Pottage" is TO be ascrioeo
10 the really illuminating manner In which II
sets forth the experiences Of typical members OF
our modern society. The last elements of power
and NJ charm are beyond the author. She has
added nothing permanent to literature But
she has made a dignifed fresh and interesting
addition TO contemporary fiction.