The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-16
ga Double Thread"

ga Double Thread" by Ellen Thorney-
croft Fowler. D. Appleton Co. For
- sale by the st. Paul Book and Sta
tiOnery company.
This book sparkles with wit, and is
sweet with tenderness for the true and
high things of life, without mawkishness.
The double thread, constituting the ro-
nance, is cleverly woven. A most inter-
esting character is the witty, but some
what fippant Lady Silverhampton, whom
we find early in the story, advising the
beautiful and wealthy Elfrida Harland
to fall in love. All the while there Is a
touch of ironical truth in her semi-hu-
morOus speech, Failing in love is easy,
really" she says, II fell in love with Sill
northampton twenty years ago, and If a.
woman fall in love with Silverhamp
ton she. can fall in love with anybody.
1t was perfectly simple I created a man
in my own imagination, and dressed him
up in all the qualities that I most adj
mired, and called him Silverhampton.
He wasn't the least like(the real Silver
hampton, but l adored him. 1t was femi-
nine instinct; the same instinct which
makes a little girl nurse sofa cushion
and rock it to sleep. But then, 1 really
was frightfully in love with man be-
fore met Silverhampton. 1t used to give
me a regular thrill when L heard him
blow his nose in church"
Elfrida is a young woman, cynical as
she is beautiful, giving the world none
of her true self, weary of the adulation
which her money calls forth. She is
bright, and bears q reputation for hav-
ing sharp tongue, given to saying sar-
castle things. She is the daughter of a
poor actress, but her grandfather. a lord,
adopted her when she was a baby, upon
the requirement that she have no inter
course with her twin sister, Ethel.
Capt. Jack LIE Mesurier returns from
India, and is thrown much in the society
of Elfrida. He thought her the hand
soonest woman he had ever met, but her
cynicism cancelled the effect of her beau
ty Going down into the country to visit
some relatives of his he meets EIfrida's
twin sister Ethel, who works IN Lon
don, and IS at her foster home during:
the holidays. Ethel resembles her sis
ter, but is not so fashionable nor clever,
nor cold, and before the vacation has
come to al. end Jack is In love with the
pennileSS Ethel-and Elfrida loves Jack.
There is a rich old uncle who endeavors
to stop the smooth course of love by
promising Jack his entire estate provided
he marries Elfrida. but Jack refuses
Ethel. is supposed by the folk about her
home to be a governess in London, but
she makes her employment a secret
which she guards even from Jack. Given
this intimation of a hidden skeleton the
good women, in an afternoons gossip,
after much cogitation, reach the startling
conclusion that Ethel is a professional
thief
jack tells Elfrida of his meeting with
her sister, and beseeches her to show
Ethel some kindness, which Elfrida OBJ
stnately refuses. He cannot but admit
that Etrel's secret in regard to her Lon
don life is somewhat mysterious and he
is allowed to see her only at such times
as her vacations occur. STILL he does
not lose faith, despite Elfrida's assur-
ance that he will never marry her when
he knows all. At length, during one Of
her brief visits in the country, Ethel mys-
teriously disappears, and no one has q
clue as to her whereabouts
After three weeks of weary desmond
ency Jack receives a note from EIfrida
asking him to call He responds to her
invitation, and upon entering the draw
ing room is met by Ethel After his sur
prise and delight will allow of a some
what calm conversation she tells him her
whole story. She says that, having been
left alone in the world with a large for
tune she determined that she would never
marry until she found g. man who loved
her for herself alone. But she could not
do this so long as she was known to be
an heiress, so she pretended to be a Door
little governeSS, and then she met the
incest and handsomest man in the whole
world, who fell in love with her lust as
she was-and gradually Jack grasps the
fact that Ethel and Elfrida are the same
person.
With what he terms her deception he
becomes fearfully angry, and for O long
time the lovers see nothing Of each other
AT last the rector, a good friend of both