New-York tribune., 1900-04-01

This is quite the best book Mr.. Hichens has
written The Londoners" was valued because
it was uproariously funny but The Slave" is
a far more serious production in more senses
than one. Monomania raised to a higher power
is its theme. Lady Carryl Knox is the central
figure, young and beautiful woman with a
consuming passion for jewels. The type not
uncommon in fiction. But the custom of the
novelists is to take a woman's fondness for
jewels merely one kind Of extravaganza.
Debts flow from it, and from the debts
circumstances which induce the heroine TO
marry against her inclinatiOns Diamonds count
in the average novel as nothing more nor less
than counters in the plot. Mr.. Hichens changes
all this. His heroine does not want precious
stones just for purposes of decoration pIa-
monds or rubes mean much her too.
than objects which might be converted into
cash That would be the last purpose to which
she would put them. She loves them as other
women love their lovers. she has for them a
passion beside which that of the ordinary
woman in fiction for her swain seems almost
cheap and vulgar Her imagination IS freG by
precious stone where the eloquent c:
men would leave her cold
''The Slave" is thus not a romance as he
author calls it, but study in psychological
analysis. There must be a plot, he sketches
one Lady CarryI is loved by the traditional
hero. well born, but penniless She marries
instead Sir Reuben Alabruth, a Of wealth,
who has been a diamond merchant ana has
Oriental blood in his veins. She does not love
Sir Reuben. but, then, neither does she love
Aubrey. The former is old, ugly and sinister,
but he tempts her with extraordinary Jewels
Aubrey is faithful, though rejected. and remains
on the scene after the marriage, but he is pres
ent more foil to Sir Reuben than anything
else. Other characters are brought in some of
them to create background of fashionable life
for Lady Carry. others. drawn from the slums,
to give contrast, and there is, especially. IN
operate singer whose efforts TO touch with his
art the soul given over to jewels through
a large part of the story. But everything con-
Verges toward one point. The authors main
purpose is not to exploit Lady Carryls rela-
tions with this one or that but study the
attitude of her mind and nature toward the
jewels by which she is enslaved. Hers is truly
grand passion, Of which it is extremely inter-
esting to read But the book might have been
made infinitely more interesting than IT is if
Mr.. Hichens had had the power To rise to the
level Of his own conception. For a time all goes
well with him. He has imagination and he can
follow Lady Carryl certain distance along the
"twnkng path that leads to AIaddin's cave"
But presently she forsakes him and he is un-
able TO penetrate into her heart, interpret
her emotions. The book then descends TO melo-
dramatic invention. Lady Carryl deprived Of
all but one of her jewels when Sir Reuben dies,
overwhelmed by the debts her desires have in
voved him in, goes to live in sordid quarters
with T-r sole remaining trophy, the great
emerald which had been the first taisman used
by her husband in their courtship. The stone
is stolen. in a scene which would be dramatic
If 1t not somehow unworthy OF the imag-
native drift of the earlier part Of the book, and
ultimately Lady Carryl marries the burglar,
simply to get back her treasure This is a
stupid expedient which substitutes theatricality
for tragedy. A book that in its conception
might have been worthy of BaIzac or Poe ends
on the plane Of the ephemeraI novel Of the day.
This invites reflection a curious point in
contemporary fiction. Mr. Hichens is clever
writer unusually clever He had the wit 10
think Of an interesting character and while
there is a morbid element in his book there is
also much human nature He has. too GER
tain facility in the writing of narrative. But
/ with him. as with many nOvelists OF the day,
the line beyond which his imagination cannot
go is clearly fixed There is something almost
pathetic in the thought Of what either Of the
masters we have just mentioned might have
done with Lady CarryI Knox. Poe would have
given her immortality in twenty or thirty pages,
. concentrating d world Of emotion within his
narrow space. Balzac, devoting TO her a whole
volume. would have made her portrait fascinat-
ing. In the cameo and in the full length Lady
I ~ bay Iaa int md