The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-28
DOrOfhY Vernon.

Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hail. is the
full title of the new novel by Mr.. Charles
Major, author of when Knighthood Was
in Flower" AS in the latter book, Mr.
Major has chosen to deal with historic
characters and an historic episode 1t is of
the time of Elizabeth. Haddon Hall, In
Derbyshire, then the residence of Sir George
Vernon, father of the Dorothy of this
tale, is still in existence and belongs TO the
descendants of the Vernons At the open
ing of the story the feud existing between
Sir George and his neighbor, the Duke of
Rutland, living a few miles distant kept
the families apart. Sir John Manners, son
of the duke, and Dorothy Vernon fall I'm
love with each other and il is their clan
destine love affair that forms the theme of
the book. The story is told in the first
person by Sir Malcolm Vernon, cousin to
Dorothy and friend TO Sir John Manners
the feud not extending to the younger gen
Grafton. Dorothy, too. has a friend AIadge.
a beautiful blind girl, and Malcolm falls
in love with her. Dorothy is a tempestuous
person, qulck-tempered. wiilful, spoiled and
bent upon having her own way in all
things. Her father is a choleric. domineer-
ing man, and the verbal encounters be-
tween the two are frequent and furious
when affairs do not move TO the approval
of either. Once he threatened TO whip her.
and in spirit of defiance she tears off her
bodice and bids him strike her bare shout
deTs. Dorothy is put to great straits 10
meet her lover, and once goes To meet him
in the park, dressed as a man. Here is an
absurd scene, fit only for the stage which,
there is reason to suspect, the author had
in mind when writing it, When the girl,
in her masculine garb, goes to the park
she encounters her lover, who does not
recognize her, but, Supposing her TO be a
man, talks with her, and after a most re-
markabe conversation for strangers to in
dulge in finally suspects that his COM
panion is a woman, Another scene OBJ
viously introduced for spectacular purposes
is a dance by Dorothy in scant attire before
Queen Elizabeth and her suite. who are
guests at the hall. The girl takes all the
PAGES of a horse. and enumerates her good
points calling them to the attention of an
unwelcome wooer whom her father favors.
Eventually, and after much tribulation.
and her cousin being made happy in their
respective ways.
The story will inevitably suggest when
Knighthood Was in Flower to readers
familiar with the latter book. The group
ing of the characters is similar. Dorothy
Is Mary Tudor" under another name, her
father is King Henry slightly varied.
Madge differs not from Jane in type, and
Malcolm Vernon and Manners are Casko-
den and Brandon over again. The situa-
tons in the two books too, resemble each
other in numerous instances. The charac-
tiers are treated in the same way. at
tempt being made to give an old-time at
mosphere to the tale. Dorothy, like Mary
Tudor, has the modern feminine charac-
teristics of self-confidence and independ-
ence, also a free-and-easy tendency to in
dulge in pert remarks. This impression of
present-day young wcmanhood is strength
ened by Christy's Illustrations, which are
pleasing representations of the twentieth
century girl.
In When Knighthood Was in Flower
Mr. Major told a story in which a variety
of events and adventures abundantly
mingled with a gentle and amiable senti-
mentality. a great number of people liked
the story. In Dorothy Vernon he has
produced another of the same sort. No
doubt this book, too. will meet with a
similar welcome. 1t is handsomely printed
by the Macmillan Company, New York.