The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-07-31
VI Mastery Work by Mr.. Maurice
Hewlett The Tragedy
of Mary Stuart.
BOOK IS A NOTABLE ONE

8tfGBl II e ~ LNudp9, g - ~ N1 , N
BY Stephen Crane and Finish
cd BY Robert Barr.
THE QUEENS QUAR-, OR THE SIN
! ss5s YEARS TRAGEDY. BY Maurice Maurice
4 Hewlett. The Macmillan Company
New York and London rive hundred
and nine pages.
ror more reasons than one Mr..
Maurice Hewlett's latest novel may = ,e
regarded as one OF the most Mota =.
xrorks Of fiction issued from the Engllsh
press since the year began
III is an ,incommony fine piece .ol
+, ,,,rit,nr II deals with an uncommon SUD
ia,t a. an uncommon way and " mas
succeeded In investing with y tresh ~
terest. a snatch of history hal, but 5lors
The contained mystery Of II which deepe e
rather than resolves ms time goes ~,
and speculation grows, apace, would naYo
been long since worn to q fine thread ~
capable of bearing another STRAIN.
The enigma of Mary, Queen OF Scot
land is A mist hidden behind mist.
5i3 AZ Hewlett does net SaGteed IL us
4 melting either OF these mists. On the
u contrary he but adds to one While he
II leaves The other as underlined as ever
3 Onlyf a few will &c out of their way 70
gs condemn him on account OF this,{gior
here. ms Is the !. case with some other
things from the same hand, il us not SO
much what Mr.. Hewlett does, Or or what
he writes. as the way In which nc does
8it the charm of style almost matchless
among English novelist of the present
day.
az q. the various criticisms and co,l-s
denna lions heapcd upon this book, now
going into second large edi-
sI ton there is one that we have seen, ana
perhaps but this one, that we car take
with any degree of seriousness. The vol,
ume has been discussed widely and has
- received the full mead of applause. On
# Tile other hand, there have been many
d OBJECTIONS raised The only one we M
tend to mention as pertinent to this re-
View is that to which reference is made
K above that lit Is the mystery Of Mr..
Il Hewlett himself that puzzles us in this
hook far more than tho mystery Of Mary
HI Stuart. ItBis trues One reads With n
wonder that docs not 4. diminish but
Y grows The wonder is not at the picture
Z of this perplexing and fascinating and
child, who would be a queen,
h q madcap, a lover, a reckless wanton, in
y one: it is at the amazing skill Of the
x painter who piles his brush with So
1acilcs a hand. The door closes upon
Queen Mary al the end and the record
of six years of folly and of tragedy is
done. Disgust has long since changed
1 to pity. and one is permitted to lay the
Il book aside with a sig; instead Ola
n frown. But over and above 1t. all
fingers longer and more clearly than that
Sof the queen, the thought OF Maurice
Hewlett who should not be in the book
lsat all, vet is in every line and most
positively and persistens.y so.
VS. Itsis this all peIvading presence of the
author. a wonderful presence. that makes
II his Interpretation Of his leading ciiarac-t
/ ter Of less account than it would be otli-2
erNise In the enjoyment of the style
and the consideration of the remarkable
fertility of Mr. Hewlett one forgcts that
\ his picture Of Queen Mary is not salts
factory. that he Is at fault where he eYi-E
{dently wished most to succeed. for though
We pity. and the two are close akin, yet
we cannot love his queen HeHprobes for
$sthe heart strings bull has succeeded only
In stirring comparison for a willwul. sim
.Rful girl. "A hundred books have breh5
! written. he says, "a hundred songs
sung. men enough Of these latter days
II have broken their hearts for Queen
y Mays. What is more to the matter Is,
that no heart but hers war broken in
! time. All the world can love her now:
$ but who loved her then? Not man
y among them, a few girls went weeping;
"a few boys laid down their necks that
Il she might walk free OF the miro. Alas!
4 the mire swallowed them up and she
9 must soil her pretty feet This is the
smut OF the tragedy, pity. is involved rath-
Ter than terror. But 40 song. ever pierced
Il the fold of her secstt $40 book ever found
II out the truth because none ever sought
!: her heart. Here. then. lis a book which.
H has sought nothing else. and a song which
y, springs from that only. called on that
same account "The Queens c,uair.n
From this point of view he writes and
Il from this point we must Judge Kim /
us not a pretty tale thought at times 1t,
Es3stirs the soul Into bleak Scotland went
3 a young girl a queen, French taught. a
Y Stuart she was, great in thought, frail
N in deed. adventurous, chirarous.3 hardy,
Short IF hold. doomed 10 fall at the
touch = There had been men in
Scotland but no women. Forth from the
Fl Lady of Lorraine came the Lass born in
ian unhappy hour tossing high her young
SS head, saying u .el me alone to5rule wild
q Scotland, 'rheN-shad but TO give her
3 ihonse-room; no mystery there The myg-
A%tery Is that any mystery has been found
81 a bevY Of maids to rule Wild
n Scotland What mysteryis there In that2
5GOr-since mystery is double-edged, en-
u gaging what we dare not. as well as
what we cannot telI--what mystery but
that Forth then she. came with her
maids and her high-born kin to aue the
a stiff-necked Scots lordst win with love
( the dear people See her as she stands.
brief space before her departure from
France
~ tall, slim girl, psstted and pettlsh,
t,aired. she looked like flower OF the
heat, lax and delicate. Her skn--hut
& more. the very flesh Of her--seemed trans
parent with color that warmed II from
& within. family, with a glow % fine
trpse. They said that when Ehe drank
you could see the red wine run like a