The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-22

now, they say, he is ms good as plaster saint
though literal. might need explanation In Eng
lish. while something seems TO be wrong in
scntences like Not inrrequently X. pulling.
but kindly OF manner, climbed my six flights
OF stairs" or Main jaime at two sous time.
Mt family tables. 1t would give anybody the
hump" We cannot tell whether 1t Ia to NJ.
Rod or to his translator that we owe two ac-
uusitions to the English language. G0othen-
ian history land " Goethroatriates," whatever
that may be. NJ Rods book, perhaps uncon-
scously. Is an amusing study OF the professional
PSYCHOLOGICAL sleuth at work A commonplace
after dinner conversation turns upon marriage
and the possibilities Of Illicit relations between
man and woman. In the course OF which the
original opinion is expressed that man may
love In silence without letting it be known.
and that it may cost him much suffering to
live UP to his concealment This leads the
narrator-M. Rod uses the first person-to tell
the longer story Of the two contained In tho
book When first introduced into society he
meets man and q woman who become asso-
ciated in his mind by some slight occurrence
Tho man. probably not entirely by accident,
resembles Pierre Lott. partly disguised as hav-
INK brought out n successful play at the Com
tdic FRANCHISE. 1t ID Il mere coincidence. how
ever. that he resigns his commission in the
navy. as NJ Rods book was written long he
fore Pierre Lofts troubles with the Navy De-
rartment occurred. The woman is married
unhappily. but is an irrepronchable wife and
n devoted mother. She has two twin girls. six
years Of age. One of them was afflicted with
spinal malady which had checked her do
velopment" II is an odd and bewder-
ing fact that though maternal affection is
a vital element in NJ. Rods plot the other twin
girl vanishes completely either In the original
or the translation. There is no hint that she
died young. and as much stress Is nut on the
illness OF her sister, she was presumably
child OF ordinary health. yet no one ever sees
her or speaks OF her. though she must have
existed. for her sister Is persistently called
twin. This makes the state OF things unintel-
ligble when the sick child dies. and the mother
pines away. catches cold and dies. too. The
man joins dangerous expedition into Africa
and is killed. So far as any one ever knew
they merely met in society and had a calling
acquaintance on each other. The young
psychologist. however. on the scent for a story
Of some kind. suspected that there was some
thing between them. Wherever he met them
he watched them as a cat watches for a mouse.
He noticed every change OF expression In their
faces every tone In their voices He tried to
make friends with them. and. although held
on forced himself into some sort OF intimacy
with each. He ENORMOUSLY confesses that.
in spite of his professions OF friendship. his
interest in both fell or when they were
not under his observation. He managed
to be present at critical moments. yet the ut
most he could detect in the woman was con-
corn for a dcar friend. while he found out.
by following him about. that the man was
extraordinarily agitated on the night Of the
woman's funeral. The process OF investigating
psychological phenomena as described by NJ.
Rod is strangely like those employed to crafty
the impertinent inquisitiveness OF country Cos
sips. The differences drawn from what data
the young philosopher gathered seem quite as
fanciful as tho speculations OF sewing circle
The woman may have cared for the man. or
may have known that he cared for her: but
she never betrayed her knowledge to the in
Quisitor. The man possibly loved the woman.
Their hypothetical attachment may have ex-
listed only in their youthful Watchers magma
ton. Each certainly preserved silence toward
him. which the reader will probably not regret.
On the other hand. 1t Ia perfectly conceivable
that they had plenty OF opportunities for talk
ing to each other. when the young man was not
around, about love- or literature or politics. or
anything they chose. and that the silence on
which he builds his theory and his story
may never have existed between them.
The other tale Is much shorter. is told
much moro directly and is therefore much
moro OF a btOIy. N man anu Wblldu hdNb
given up everything in the world for the great
love that possesses them. They are reduced
to each others society. when. through an
accident their love dies out and they live on
side by side, refusing TO admit to each other
that it is dead. till the woman dies. Then the
man tells the story. 1t Is their silence to each
other that impresses II. Rod. The story is an
old one and Is going on all the time. NJ. Rod will
find various solutions given to 1t in French lit
erature and in others as well. Save for his
revelations OF tho mental attitude OF the inves-
tigator into life his book is not particularly in
teresting: It shows q certain power OF observa-
ton. a rather amusing righteousness. and de-
cidedly more honesty OF purpose than NJ. Paul
Bourget. for instance. But his philosophy is
pretty thin and nowhere original. while his
ideas OF love are youthiully Gallo.
Even the skcptic who wonders. on opening
Mr.. Henry Seton Merrman's The Slave OF the
Lamp" tG. W Dillingham; Company. whether
the author really knows anything about
France. when he finds whole scheme OF local
color circlng about the commonplace point
that postage stamps are sold at tobacco shops
and that French tobacco Is not good. will feel
assured that tho author knows what he Is
talking about on reading tn. epigram: There
are some people like oysters. inasmuch as
they leave an after taste behind them" 1t
Is the uniorgettable. green. coppery oyster
OF France that leaves its after taste In Mr..
Merrman's mouth. He has a story OF ad-
venture and mystery to tell. OF course. aud
this time 1t is about royalst plots and
communists and Jesuits. but mainly about
Jesuits. who. it seems. can do very strange
things at the end OF the nineteenth century.
Nevertheless. however improbable or even i'm
possible. astounding things are essential to ro-
mances OF adventures. and when Mr. Merrman
gets to them he tells them well and In
a manner to excite his readers. There is q
good deal OF sparring for time. to use pugi-
lstic metaphor that he suggests in ono pas
sage. which he emf oys in descriptions in Fran
CO. English and limitations OF heavy British
humor that are hardly germane TO tho story
he has to toll Moreover. he takes serious lib
critics with his readers They expect. Of course.
TO be surprised. but in some natural way. and
not to be Jerked up short. as when tho brakes
on q cable car are applied unsEiliuly or ma
lIcously. His hero is a young newspaper man
Of unusual intuition and physical ability. quail
nj H.. I