The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-20

Italy
The Beloved and Beautiful,
InstructTess OF our Pat,
Delight OF our Present,
Colnrade Of our Future
The Heart Of an Euglishwoman
Offers This Book.
or Eleanor one critic truly says; III
bears the impress Of an artists hand, q
scholars thought, a poet.s SOUL The
atmosphere is purely thai OF Italy; the
Italy of by gone days, with its beauty
and romance, its dangerous and soul
absorbing charm; and the Italy OF today
dominated by the past. and not quite
spoiled by the modern ioonoclast.
Not one Of the trifiing faults found In
Mrs. Wards earlier novels appears In
Eleanor. Its proportions are exquisite.
A delicate touch here, lovely bit OF local
color there, the glow and CLEAN and
beauty OF the Italian landscape delineated
with consummate skill, and aifording an
enchanting background for story OF
power and pathos rarely equalled. The
chief characters are drawn with bold,
graphic and comprehensive stroke, while
even tho minor persons OF the story have
distinct charm, and reveal the hand OF
great artist quite as perfectly as Eleanor
L ICY and Edward Manisty, who form an
impressive trio.
The charm of Eleanor BurgoyDe is in
describable, and yet we are made to feel
the deep and subtle fascination of race
ana personality that even lovelier women
had often envied.
| Edward Manisty, with his Olympian
head and stunted figure is described by o
young French painter as having been
begun by David and finished by Rem
brandt the discord Of personality pro-
d lcing an eff, OF OF power. His character
is as interesting as it is complex, being
f1n OF strange contradictions, and domi-
L atsd by an overpewering egoism.
Lncy Foster, the young American girl,
comes from Vermont VILLAGE where the
winter SHOWS. the ailthe year-round at
mosphere OF Puritanism, and life OF
primitive simplicity, have enwrapped her
always, and Eleanor is filled with an
amused pity for her Ignorance of this
old. old Europe" She thinks her "a fit
ting type Of q young, crude race. with all
its lessons to learn; that saw nothing alb
surd in Methodists and Universallsts and
the rest--confident as a child is, in its
creeds and whims and prejudices, this girl
fresh from her wilds, and doubtful
whether she will 60 to see the Pope In
Saint Peters, lest she shall have to bow
the knee to Antlchrist But "a mys-
tic-and q beauty both - quoth Eleanor.
These women love Edward Manisty,
and Lucy becomes his wife. Who shall
| say that of the two, Elesnor's fate was
not the more enviableY
Nothing in the English language could
be finer or mora thrilling than the Won
oerful picture of Leo XII. chanting the
quavering voice rising into the sudden
silence, and "hfty thousand people
hushinz every movement and straining
their ears to listen."
His voice-.'how weak 1t Isl Surely
the effort is too great for frame SO en-
| feeb led, SO ancient. 1t should not have
been exscted-allowed. Lucy's ears listen
painfully for the inevitable break. But
no The Pope draws long sigh-the
sigh of weakness, e All poveretto J says
a woman close to Lucy, in transport OF
PITY, then once more attempts the chant
-sighs again-and Sings. Moth
ing more touching than this weakness
and this perseverance,. Fragile, 'indomit-
able facs beneath the papal CROWN I'm
der the eyes of fifty thousand people the
Pops signs like a child because he is weak
and old, and the burden of his ofiica is
great; but in signing keeps perfect SIM
| pllcity, dignity, courage. Not trace of
s:oical conoealment; but also not a trace
of fiinching. He sings to the end, and
st. Peters listens in tender hush.
Father Beneoke is wonderfully interest
ing. Alice Manisty, with her madness,
is the only jarriug chord in Mrs. Ward S
enchanting story; but we are too grateful
for the delight she has given us to dwell
upon the one false note. (Loring, Short
& Harmon.
| The Lane That Had no Turning, is a
collection of dignitied and delightful
stories by Mr.. Gilbert Parker, whose
work, always thoroughly good, satisfao-
tory and of delicate craftsmanship, is too
we'll known to need praise.
| This volume is dedicated to the Right
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