New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-15

ten novel of a sort none too common in con
temporary fiction. 1t is one of the defects Of
even some of the cleverest novels of the day
that they seem to be written from the outside,
and with only a loose dovetailing of the various
matters that go to make up the story The
story may be a good one. the characters in II
may be interesting and clearly enough drawn,
yet there is something lacking. 1t is emotional
force so blended with intellectual power that
the two seem to make one element in when.
as in a solvent, the authors idea is clarified
and set firmly upon its feet. 1t is the presence
of this element which goes to make THE Way
Of Fscape" an exceptionally good book. The
authors interesting conception is due to her
imaginative resource in a certain measure, pu'
1t is based chiefly on understanding OF human
nature. The heroine is the daughter OF d 9co'cH
father and a French mother. and she lhheIlts
from the former a strength of character WHICH
| steadies her and makes her more charihlhs IL
| oil those nbases of her development which lden-
tify her with her mother. At quiet winter
resort on the Mediterranean she fals IN WITH I"
! handsome young Scotchman who Is poSsesSec
of sterling traits but whose heart, though al
| ready pighted to a woman of his own cohNeh-
tionaI circle in Edinburgh, is laid recklessiy at
the feet of the heroine Now, where your oruI-
nary novelist would make nothing more OF TINS
than an ordinary tale of intrigue, disloyaty anG
melodrama Dr. Todd has gone to the bottom
of things and enveIops the secret Tragedy o1
Vera Carruthers and Giles Willoughby IN 'he
finer spirit of a serious inquiry into the honest
difficulties which fate sometimes visits upon the
heads of we'll meaning men and women
The two cross the line past which we all like
to believe that only weakness of character VIII
lure man or woman, but Dr. Todd realizes mat
there is more in this world than is dreamt oil
in the philosophy of the conventional hlordil9N
and while she does not spare the rod, dealing
in fact in the greater part OF her STORY VII"
the suffering reaped by her two principal actors
&C the result of their early error she keeps
them both well within the range of our syi
pa HES and finds her account in carrying them
especiaIlv the heroine through a process ot
regeneration profoundly touching and lnSplrl--
ing Veras misery only deepens as time goes
on but all along the line she is learning hef
lesson If she learned it after the manner OF
the average sinner in fiction, we fear that sht
would be a bore She learns It, as matter
Of fact in intensely human fashion. The niue
normal things OF life assist at her developments
and thougb at the end there is a rather dra-
matte episode. reflection the reader VIII see
even in this a certain naturalness- Moreover
while the author has made every line count IL
her design for thoughtfulness and for medltA-
ton on the burdens Of poor mortality, she mas
not FORGOTTEN to tell d really entertaining story
Mr. NieG has written two very credltHb!e
books The Inn Of the Silver Moon ana me
Last OF the knickerbockers With the impress
sion Of an original and charming talent left ty
them fresh in the mind naturally takes
IN, .NIyra Of the Pines" with peculiar expecta-
lions These are sadly disappointed, and we are
left wondering whether the new book IS really
i new one or an early performance OF the
authors rcvarnped for the benefit of the pubic
which has shown SO lively an appreciation OF
the. TWO stories mentioned above. Whatever
th,. case may be, Mr. Viele has produced al
autf-cIi!rax. and in proportion to our admlTa-
ton Of his other work are sorry for the
mistake h. has made. His leading motive Is
not 81 bad one. He makes US acquainted WIN
an odd family living secluded among the pines
MIR Dale is an unsuccessful but still devoted
inventor His wife Is writer Of cheap fiction.
and their daughter Myra, is merely a pretty
girl with quaint ways. Into the pines come
several other characters. all unconventional III
one. way or another and among them, Of course.
is the fairy prince for whom the heroine Is
waiting 1t Is obvious that very idylIic story
could be made out Of Mr.. NIeIls material. but
Ia, has lost the idylHc touch Not chapter III
fh, book rings true. ana. if this We're not
lad enough the author fails Us where VI had
thought he could most loo trusted, in his taste.
The episode Of the pig man with its vivid