The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-26
NEW BOOKS.
An N. 4. Braddon story.

Life, by NJ. E. Braddon (Brentanos). Daniel
Lester, the poet here, Immediately In
terested Us. He was Of the heaven born
kind He had dramatic qualifications and
| lived poetry as we'll as wrote 1t. He was
large and massive, as 1t seems to US that
poet needs to be II he is going to give
body to his ideals in everyday practise.
We had much rather be six feet four than
four feet six II we were bent upon going
about and being a poet obviously. 1t Ii
painful to think what humiliations may
befall small poet insistent upon self
/ revelations In promiscuous company.
Our Daniel was safe enough He was
large enough. and he had the other especial
gifts necessary to carry the matter through.
We have found ourselves envying his ap-
petite and his capacity to bear OF the re-
suits Of the same. Ortolans, goose Hvers,
champagne, we dare say Welsh rabbits
and old ale-he carried them all comfort
ably of in his capaoious and gifted in
terror and thought sublime poetry on the
strength of them. On the shores Of the
Mediterranean In select places, after gorg-
ing himself, he walked home under the
stars and dashed of poetry that his Inn
posing reputation enabled him to sell at
prices that would have been e1orbitant
for any other commodity. What does
the story say? At page 50 We read:
He had caroused with friends and ad-
mirers at Monte Carlo till after midnight,
and then, on coming homo In the quiet
hours, when the world sleeps and the stars
are brightest, he had flung himself upon
a Quire Of foolscap as tiger ON his prey.
and had written In white heat Of inspira-
ton, throwing sheet after sheet OF his
large, heavy writing, on the floor, till IT,
creaked? nay-'was oarpeted with tho
rough drafts Of his story poem. It was
his habit to write thus with flying pen.
and afterward to lick his verse into shape,
as the she bear ticks her young, and with
an epicurean enjoyment Of his own genius.
He enjoyed himself and was interesting
at both ends Of the expanse Of his conscious
moments. He Uttered his room with
precious and measured thoughts before
he laid his large head on a downy pillow.
At noon he awoke with placid craving
for chocolate and bread and butter. Tho
chocolate was abundant and delicately
served; the rolls were numerous, with white
insides; the butter was iced, and an ador-
ing wife, who had brought q gratifying
dowry, spread the fair rolls with the cold
butter. There Is Joy in being poet II
one knows exactly how.
Our poet returning home In the early
hours took note Of the scented night and
OF the waning moon. "The moon Ia old,
he murmured. She lies on her back like
a tired creature" His thoughts took q
melancholy direction. He was Jeremiah.
He lamented. He smoked. He saw girl OF
good figure throw herself into the tidelees
sea. He got her out. He took her home
and delivered her into the care Of his middle
class sensible wife. He bestowed upon
her the name OF the Sea Anemone. He got a
rich lady-Lady Beauminster.:to take her
as governess to three difficult Chinese
poodle dogs. He in vestigated the case OF the
Sea Anemone's mother. That lady he
discovered had led the life Of beautiful
and thoughtlees creature. She had cult
waited low company for the sake Of suppers
with wine and board and chances at the
Monte Carlo games. The Sea Auemone
herself had been marrie1. but happily
she was not bounden. Her husband, a
music hall singer Of Spanish extraction.
Was q bigamist, already burdene1 with
drunken wife. The Sea Anemone forsook
him promptly when the wife in question
presented herself and made q row in the
public street.
We must confess to being sorry for Lady
Beauminster. She married for money
She got it. She became q widow shortly.
Her lover, a soldier In India, might have
had her at the end Of seven years, a period
that did not half deter the scriptural Jacob.
Gen. Sir Malcolm Belford overlooked her
when he came homo. We consider 1t
no excuse for him that his liver had been
touched. We believe he was 10 when he
turned from Lady Beauminster to the
governess Of Lady Beauminsters dogs
the Sea Anemone. He turned from rich
and gifted woman, . beautiful woman too
Where else could the General have had tea
more pleasantly served than at Lady Beau
minister's house In the Riviera? She had
even brought exotic attractions to that
already sufficient place Of abode. Daniel,
the poet, knew. He loved to 60 to Lady
Beauminster's for goose liver sandwiches
and tea. We read:
Lady Beauminster was sitting in . low
chair in the veranda Of tho Japanese tea
house, q fairylike ediAoe which had been
brought over in packing cases from the
f,owery isles and set up In this southern
garden where 1t seemed In its right place
against ckground Of tall. black stemmed
ha1nboos. The lady's dark blue satin
tea gown, scrawled over with gold and
scarlet embroidery, had q certain Japanese
air which harmonized with her dark beauty.
The face, worn by decade Of intense life.
had perhaps more Of distinction than OF
absolute beauty. The oval contour and
soft lines Of youth had sharpened into
chiseled keenness az OF bronze, and all that
there was of originality and power In the
features and expression had become ac-
oentuated by the burning Of the fame with
in, Daniel read her like book, and knew
how much Of life WEAKNESS and suppressed
passion those worn lines indicated
Daniel knew. but Sir Malcolm was either
uninstructed or careless. He was within
q year Of the half century. Sharp chiseling
was not SO particularly to his notion. He
looked through his probable spectacles
for the soft contour and the down. He
reverted. He swept easily through his
suppressed inclination distance OF thirty
years. He married the Sea Anemore,
vhonn the poet had sayed, The poet was