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

'1LApt bN SdIitu great. ne l1ed Is LGO
subtle. the types too unusual TO appeal tc
wide public. 1t lacks what the purvey-
! ors of melodrama call heart iutere t.
the touch Of hoIely universal feeling
Nhlch would make it popular. Tbst sol t
Of work is not in Mr.. Kitchens line. lie
deals in eXotics. and this book is as elf
| ferent from the ordinary novel as rare
orchid, feeding on air. is from a iGcquc
minot rose. 1t is not everyone who can
create a perfect orchid He NAV well he
content with this book. IL representing the
best that he can do.
While the main interest OF the story
lies in the development OF LAZY Catyil
| knoS's peculiar character through her
passion for jewels. it need not be- infer
red that the book is without a plot. or
lacking in incident; for there is plenty Of
| both. With an unerring sense Ct The ar
! tlstic, the author has made Lady Cdr,Il
I the daughter Of a London society 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 in-e2se though mar
row nature. The Slava" cCmes in view
while she Is yet scarcely more thar de
I butanle. We watch the development Of her
passion and its sway owe, her-an iniu-
ence scarcely resisted at all except for ere
brief moment IN her girlhood-datI the
dehuuenent, which is sttOnE without being
IN the least melodramatic. As tolls 10 this
character. so abnormal as to verge ca The
/ inhuman, still within the cnLnds OF peg
| slblity, We find Aubrey HerFick. con-
ventional. wholesome young Engtisbmdn
Sir Reuben Allabruth. the old diamond
merchant. result OF a mixture OF Egyptian
and French blood. and quite human dezp tie
his goblin-like cunning; and most realistic
10 oh
her mischieyous kinsman, Aft 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
piecing together Of the plot Not a charac-
ter. an incident, nor even a speech is in
troduced 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 a blanched
stalk of cardinal flowers in a meadow. and
as abnormal. The author has painted her
portrait in words as Sargent or Philip
BuTne-Jones would have done il with
brush. 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 soul-a
human diamond. Yet, with one of those
touches OF semi-inspiration which abound
IN the book, the author has limited at hui
man heart in this sprte Of a creature. A
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 a moment do we see the
world from her point Of view. and think Of
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 hu-
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 emer-
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 dissimlar 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 mis- 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 fault in the work
it is too much minuteness Of description,
but, after all, ii is difficult upon retro
spect 10 see how any Of the chapters
could be much shortened.
A word must be added in condemnation
Of the publishers work. The type is Of
that execrable sort which gives one as
tigmatism. II it were not for that. most
people would read the volume through AT
sitting; but any one who does such a thing
with the present edition is liable to wake
up in a semi sightless condition next
morning. Chicago: Herbert $. Stone &
Co. $500