New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-01

]
! W MarchmOnt Illustrated. Emo pp vi, ~.
Frederick A Stokes Company.
TIKI, STRANGE ADVENTURES. OF MIR MID
I'll Chicago; Herbert S, Stone & Co.
IN HAP HAPPY HOLLOW. By Max Adeler Charles
Gg6er Ciark4. Illustrated by Clare Victor Dwig-
/ Philadelphia: Henry T Coates & Co.
The Heart OF Rome" is well named In Il
MI Crawford brings his reader very close indeed
/ to the inner atmosphere Of that Roman life
which he knows so well The story begins on
precisely the right note. introducing Us to a type
/ OF successful snobbery in the person Of the
/ Baroness Volterra, the wife Of a powerful but
not too scrupulous fnancier, and confronting
this lady, presently, with a representative OF the
/ old nobility. In the Palazzo Cont 10 which the
Baroness drives fine morning confusion
reigns supreme, The great family that for cen
turtles has held its head high amongst the proud
/ est IN Rome has come, apparently TO the end Of
It's tether, and young Sabina, the heroine OF the
| tale, has no knowledge Of what is to happen
/ TO her. Her people are scattered and she Is left
to the tender mercies Of the Baroness. who pro-
poses by taking the child into her own home to
gain credit with the arstocrats whose social
glory she yearns 70 share The situation Is
good one for novel. and Mr.. Crawford handles
It with his usual skill He Is effective. too. IN
| his treatment OF the events that Immediately
follow. The fnancier has obtained control OF
/ the PalaZzo. and, believing IN an old legend
/ that rich treasure lies hidden somewhere beneath
its foundations he brings young archRologist
/ TO Rome, and sets him secretly to work ex-
ploring. Soon we skirt the edge Of tragedy, but
unfortunately it Is at Just about this tine that
Mr. Crawford begins TO weaken in his grasp
upon his material. and uses the latter to far
/ less purpose that We have right 10 expect IN
/ the case Of so experienced q romancer.
The first part OF The Heart Of Rome" IS dis
/ tinctly a credit to the author. The rest can
hardly strengthen his reputation; It Is feeble
and dull The adventures Of Sabina do not
/ ring true. and though, at the outset, she and
AIaIipieri, the hero, are credible figures, before
the story comes TO close we have lost al belief
il them. The whole episode OF the hero's indls-
Greet but chivaIrous marriage, and the removal
OF this obstacle to his union with Sabina, IS so
poorly fabricated as to be laughable. Mr.. Craw-
ford may himself have had an uneasy conscious
ness when he was writing his last chapter, that
he had not made this one OF his best books. At
al events, there are two or three almost apollo
getic pages at the end. II which he says Of the
tale:
II has interested or pleased those who have
read it, the writer is glad; If il has not, he can
ind some consolation in having made two young
T people unUtterably blissful IN his own magma
ton, whereas he manfestly had il in his power
TO bring them to awful grler; ana Wheh one
cannot make living men and women happy n
real life, il is harmless satisfaction 70 DO It IN
a novel
He begs the question. II The Heart Of
Rome" is not, as a whole, interesting or pleasing,
i Is not because the author has made his two
young people happy OF miserable; it Is because
ne has failed IN the general construction Of his
novel to use the art he has hitherto shown, and
in the portrayal OF character has exhibited none
Of his accustomed insight and imaginative
power.
MI Marchmont's novel is based on pure
Enthusiastically. His hero Is represented as re-
/ seulbIing the Gear so closely that Russians
themselves mistake him for their ruler. When
MI Harper c. Denver, an American, Of course,
goes to Russia, he is given an opportunity By
wicked prince to impersonate the Car He
SEXES It, and is forthwith entangled IN very
serious and exciting circumstances. The beautt-
fuI heroine Of al such tales as this naturally
loses no time in coming upon the scene. She
brings additional troubles for the pseudo Gar
in her train, but she brings love, too and Mr..
Marchmonrs story becomes very romantic In
deed Though it IS tissue OF glazing improb-
abilities, il is decidedly readable.
We would be glad if We could say as much
for The Strange Adventures OF Mr. Middle
ton" but, it happens, the author OF this book
has attempted q task beyond his capabilities.
His young man Of Chicago who falls into inti-
mate relations with a mysterious Oriental IN
the Western city, is supposed TO have some
astonishing experiences and. under the circlIrn-