New-York tribune., 1901-01-13
FICTION.
STORY OF IMPULSE AND REPENT
ANCE.

CONSEQUENCES \ Novel. BY Eaerton Castle.
Emo PIP. III. Frederick \. stokes company,
THE SIGN OF THE SEVEN SINS: BY William
l. oueuN. l2mo, Up. PSI. Philadelphia: }. T.
Lippincott Company.
rHE sTICKIT MINISTER'S WOOING. BY 5 r.
Crockett. l2mo. PIP. 5os. Doubleday * Mcclure
Company.
Consequences written by Mr.. Castle
long before he had got into the joyously ro-
mantle mood which belongs To The Pride of
Jennico." Young April" and The Bath
Comedy" 1t has none Of the buoyance of those
books none of their iridescence none of their
exquisite charm. But it has one quality that
those later. brilliant stories possess. it has the
quality OF human nature. The motive is grave
Geo Ee Kerr. finding life with his young Span
ish wife unbearable. shrinks from suicide. but
in a moment of impulse concludes that he may
ut least disappear and begin a career
fomewhere else, under a new name. BY
clever stratagem he causes il to be believed
that he has met his death by drowning. After
twenty-five years of interesting and profitable
experience he returns to England and finds
that his wife has died. leaving him who
has been brought up in the belief that he
George Kerr. is also dead. From this posture
of affairs there starts a train of events which
deepens the mans remorse and complicates
To an extraordinary extent the line of conduct
which he mas fondly imagined it would be
simple for him to adopt. Keeping his son in
ignorance of the natural tie between them. he
lavishes all his love on the young man. only
to reach situation in which everlasting hatred
promises To be the sole recompense of his de-
vution The plot is manipulated with dramatic
power. holding the reader in suspense and
keeping him deeply Interested But the great
virtue of the work lies in its penetrating ex-
plication OF character. its clear. convincing
demonstration of the inevitableness with which
the consequences of mans actions follow him
through life. II is a saddenng book and when
directly contrasted with the authors later work
seems positively gloomy. But there Is nothing
morbid in Consequences" it IS On a serious
and healthy plane throughout.
The scene which cnsued was chastity
shall remetlber ii through all my life Eve
minutes later. however. the wret,h-i man Nho
had thus brought card -sharping and murder
TO a fine art had brcathed his last in frightful
agony. his ignominious career ended BY his own
diabolicaI invention This * the sort of thing
to be expected in move! bearing the title of
The Sign Of the Seven Sins ana it is tn.
sort Of thing the reader Of that book gets II
the reader is 4 very Owlish person he viii per
haps be disdainful Of Mr. William L. Qucux
But for our part We are not inclined 10
as one more of the penny drradfuls' which 81
frequently come masqueradin,; serious iic-
ti0n. II is ephemeral. sensational stun. And
after its fashion. ingeniously written.
Tragedy and comedy jostIe Ona another in
the collection Of short stories which Mr. crock
EFT has brought together in The stickit Min
isters WOoing." taking that title from the first
tale in the book His sentiment-of which ~
gives us good measure sometimes goes near
To sentmentaty. But in returning from his
historical excursions 10 the familiar scenes and
types in the treatment OF which ne first gained
the goodwill OF his public. hc has rrcaptur-d
the fresh atmosphere and hou-ly quality
which commanded respect even from thoS..
who never regarded him as "A man of genius
lie is far less exciting here than IN some ~ th.
buggy rOmances he has lately poured forth
but he is more natural. more spontaneous. tn.
pages take on scuuineness that their i'm
mediate predecessors have lacked All IN all. 1t
is crcdtanle volume. which should partic-
ularly n ase the authors first admirers