New-York tribune., 1902-10-25
FICTION.



THE SPLENDID IDLE FoRTIEs. Stories Of od
California BY Gertrude Atheaion' Zion rn is ass The
Macmillan Company.
The sources OF Mr. Wellss power as novelist
and he has = very human sort OF power
despite his fondness for motives so incredlole
that they ought % seem absurd-are lmaglha-
tive daring and unshakahle aplomb. the storE
ne tells in The sea Lady is prodigious IN IFS
.udscftv vel il is told with such calm assur-
ance and with verisimilitude So consunmate'
thar the reader finds himself resenting the
lrnouledge at the hack Of his mind that the
whole thing is a fantasy. Who but Mr.. Wells
among living ronancers could land a mermaid
in the bosom of the staidest Of families on lhe
British coast, transform her be|fdered hosls
into friends willing enough and ingenious
enough 10 adjust her 10 the eNigencies or con-
ventional society. and give her the opportuhl'S
70 lure an intelligent young man Of their circle
into her native depths? He accomplishes ali
this as though IL were the most natural thing IN
the world. Difficulties rise in his path only to
he disposed Of with skill which eXcites our ad-
rniratson the more because II is made to seem SO
artless. In the first place, the Sea Ladys tan
confronts him. Is he ahashed? Not IN the
least. He provides bath chair for his heroine
and obviously. when she goes abroad IN the
most modern Of costumes. il is perfectly slhlpie
TO explain nquirers that the poor laay mas
suffered an accident Are tNllNuS ANi'A'N'' -
he suppressed? What more natural than to
point out to them the insanity Of taking seI7-
ously the rumors that have brought them TO the
door? What's this about mermaid?
believe some ones been letting you IN. Just
imaeine,-a mermaid" The single hapless
Journalist who refuses TO he put or and pre-
sents himself before his editor with what he
considers irrefutable proofs Of the truth Of the
story is treated as he deserves. We don't deal
in mermaids here" the outraged magnate Of
sensational Journalism informs him, and reads
him this lecture:
DO YOU think We're going make our public
believe anything simply because it's true? They
know perfectly well what they are going 10 be
lieye and what they aren't going TO believe, and
they aren't going to believe anything about
mermaids-vou bet your hat. don't care II the
whole id beach was Uttered with mermalds-
tstio1 to keen M See? Look here
you don't learn journalism as l hoped you'd 90.
There is more satire like this in the book
some OF il exceedingly clever and amusing one
would think that it had no business in story
about a mermaid, hut, as matter Of fact II
serves most effectively at once to heighten the
fantastic charm of the authors central motive
and TO increase the plausibility Of the atInos-
phere in which it is enveloped. 1t was posi-
tive inspiration, for example 10 make the Sea
Ladv's rival in the love of Chatteris woman
like Adeline Glendower That perfect foil TO the
heroine was always reading Mrs Humphry
Ward" and was always attempting TO he the in
carnation Of ''Marcella." The description that
follows is. incidentally, an inimitable skit upon
Mrs Wards literary characteristics;
Adeline took to the imaginary "Marcella."
There was Melville says, the strongest likeness
in their mental atmosphere. They had the
same defects bias for superiority-to use his
expressive phrase-the same disposition toward
arrogant benevoence. that same obtuseness 10
little shades OF feeling that leads people to speak
habitually of the Lower Classes and TO think
IN the vein Of that phrase. They certainly had
the same virtues q conscious ana Conscientious
magic, an industrious thoroughness. More than
in anything else. Adelne delighted in her nov
elist's thoroughness, her freedom from impress
sonism. the patient resolution with which she
went into the corners and swept under the mat
OF every incident
We might quoting. but we refrain. II
we say nothing at all about the details of the
Sea Lady's adventures IL is because we win not
discount the readers pleasure by letting him
into the secret of the auth cr's plot. We assure
him. instead, that he viii find this one Of Mr.
Wellss cleverest books, and one Of the best we
have encountered this season.
Miss SeawelTs ''Francezka" is a romance Of
France-and more than one other country-in
the time Of that picturesque soldier, Maurice
Count Of Sake He fills good deal Of space in
the book, though he is not the hero. The priv
hege Of sustaining that relation to the heroine
the beautiful maiden of histrionic gifts who
gives the book its title. is disputed bv TWO
brothers. who, in external appearance at least
are as like ar two peas in a pod. But the
author sees TO il that they are dissimilar enougb
IN character, and provides due excitement in her
exploitation OF their rivalry. The book is con
ventional. except in the preposterous situation
which is finally based upon Castor Chevernv,s
resemblance to his brother Regnard and in the
climax. But the abundant incidents in the
romance are not without liveliness: the bistori
cal personages introduced. like Voltaire and
Adr1enne Lecouvreur. are not badly drawn. and
the entire fabric artificial as il is gains intaras.
and is made really amusing 10y the authors in
Ntncible high spirits.
The author Of Fuel Of Fire" begins with a.,
ancient superstition and ends with modern
wedding bells, linking the two together as wall
as she may. Laurence Baxendale. the hero q,
The owner Of an old estate which lies llndar o
curse The curse includes the promise that
BaNendale Han shall some day be made ..fuel 20 |
nre by power greater than either king or J
STATE. Accordingly. al the time the story ora,s
TINS building is insured for 100000 and tbe |
author makes good play with the temptations %
inoendiarsm by which not only the hero, but b,s |
mother and his sweetheart are baset F2axa,
oaie faIl is presently raVaged by fire Who ts |
fTspohsloeE The reader is referred TO the boolr /
i'selr- The latter is very well put together. ana
while credulity is1a little strained At the end
one is not in the mood 10 COMPLAIN on tbs+
score, one has been 50 pleasantly diverted |
throughout The bulk OF the narrative The
uo-oe eplsrammatic Passages, however can /
not be dismissed without reproof ..You v,o,,la |
have made an ideal clergyma as wife &" ono ~ /
the women in the book is made IN say 20 h.
daughter. You energetic and csrab,o 90
amlable and unselfish and Won bs,e no, r.