The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15

SitaN- ne l. ttU
| subtle. the types too unusual TO appeal 10
a wide public. 1t lacks what the purvey-
i ors OF melodrama call heart iutere t.
the touch OF hoIely, universal feeling
Nhleh would make it popular. Tia, sol t
! OF work is not in Mr. Kitchens line I{e
deals in exotics. and this book is as diff
| fereI. from the ordinary novel as a rare
orcfid. feeding on air. is from q iGcquo-
mlnot TOie. 1t is not everyone who can
create perfect orchid Pe NAV well he
;Dntent with this book. as representing the
best that he can do
While the main interest OF the story
lies in the development of LAZY Ca1yil
hnoSs peculiar character through her
passion for jewels. it need not be- infer
red that the book is without 4 plot. or
! lacking in incident; for there is plenty of
both. with an unerring sense CT the ar
tlstic. the author has made Lady Cdryil
| the daughter of a London society Y oman
OF the decadent class, precisely the kind o:
! person TO have a daughter of somewhat
freakish temperament and small capacity
Tor affection. with an incense though mar
row nature. The SLAVE" Genes in view
while she is yet scarcely mere thar de
nutante. We watch the development of her
passion and its sway ove.' her-aL inilu-
ence scarcely resisted at all except for ere
brlef moment IN her girlhood-IatI The
denouement. which is strong without being
IN the least melodramatic. As foils 10 this
character, so abnormal as to verge en- the
lnhuman. still within the cpLGd, OF pes
sibility, we find Aubrey Herrick. con-
Ventonal, wholesome young Engiisbman
Sir Reuben Allabruth, the old diamond
merchant. result OF a mixture OF Egyptian
and French blood, and quite human despite
MS oblin-like cunning: and most realistic
OF all. the little chorus girl, Diamond, AMI
her mlschievous kinsman ALI the ac o.
bat.
The various odd and blase characters of
London smart" society form the back
ground, moving through the chapters in a
sort OF kaleidoscope but orderly confusion
and all in time fall into their places in the
Freeing together of the plot Not a charac-
Ter, an incident nor even a speech is in
PRODUCED which does not in some way fit
INTO the mosaic groundwork of Lady Ca
rylis portrait. She stands out against all
TINS mingled light and shadow, color. and
movement, single white, slender. domi-
mating figure. insistent as blanched
stalk OF cardinal flowers in meadow, and
as abnormal. The author has painted her
portrait in words as Sargent or Philip
burne-Jones would have done it with a
orush She is tall. slight. fair, with an
odd pallor; her hair is like frosted gold
and her eyes narrow, grey, and brilliantly
clear. She is an Undine without a souI-a
human diamond. Yet, with one of those
touches of semi-inspiration which abound
in the book, the author has limited at hu-
man heart in. this sprite of a creature
close analysis will show that only once
in one of the earlier chapters. is the reader
given glimpse into the nature of this wo-
man. Only for moment do We see the
hpr- uirt 81 ,~ix 4 III
her as she thinks of herself, not as other
people see her This glimpse is vouch-
safed during the love scene with Aubrey
when she comes near being moved by hui
man emotion. Then her birthright passes
from her; the half-awakened power of wo-
manly feeling is atrophied. and she be-
comes the prey of her passion for emei-
aids. and diamonds, and rubies-for all
beautiful stones.
The book is the oldest mingling of
the weird Oriental atmosphere of the Ara
bian Nights and the feverish life of mod
ern London that can possibly be conceived
and though the most dissimilar elements
are introduced, the effect is never incon-
gruous. II cannot fail TO be fascinating to
anyone who is interested in psychological
fiction, and there is enough plot in it to
hold the interest of the reader who cares
only for a story. and nothing FOR character
analysis In fact, Mr.. Kitchens does not
analyZe his heroine at all; he shows her
as others knew her, and leaves the reader
TO look, listen. and form his own con-
illusions. If there is a fault in the work
it is too much minuteness of description,
but, after all, it is difficult upon retro
spect to see how any of the chapters
could be much shortened
word must be added in condemnation
of the publishers work. The type is of
that execrable sort which gives one as
tigmatism. If it We're not for that most
people would read the volume through at a
sitting; but any one who does such thing
with the present edition is liable to wake
up in semi-sightless condition next
morning. Chicago: Herbert S. Stone &
-