New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-02
Il PHILOSOPHER IN LOTE.
Sir Marcus Ordeyne and His Gift
from the Gods.

IfOHt INC STOuS.
THE MORALS OF MARCUS oRDEYNE, A Novel.
By William J. Locke. 12mo, PIP SoS John
bert craddock, limo, PIP. 81. The Macmillan
Company
LADY PENELOPE. BY Morley Roberts. With
pine pine asa by Arthsr William Brown
GLENANAAR: A STORY OF IRISH LIFE. By
the Very Rev Canon P A sheehan D. D.
Mr.. Locke gives us In The Morals of Marcus
Ordeyne'' that for which the iaded reader Of
fiction signs ordinarily in vain. a book with
nothing conventional about it from beginning to
end, and with positive merit in its originality
He treats with delicate art conception which
the average novelist would be bound to spoil
through clumsiness or bad taste He paints the
picture of a hardened bachelor picking up an
innocent young waif from the street, establish
ing her in his home against all the laws of
respectability. falling in love with her, and
marrying her even after she has run away with
another man and returned to him in the saddest
state-and though the picture is audacious, to
say the least it is never in any way morbid or
offensive Is it true to life? Hardly. But that
does not matter. The main point is that MI
Locke contrives to make us feel the sweet spirit
underlying the rather dubious situations in his
book, and enVelopS lne iaIIer III al doSof pliSiS
interesting and charming atmosphere.
Marcus Ordeyne is a Schoomaster when we
first make his acquaintance, obscure, but phil
osophcaI and possessed of Just the sort of in
intellectual tastes which calculated to lead
a man pleasantly through life. Suddenly, all
the kinsmen who stand between him and fair
ly rich baronetcy are swept away and he is
able to begin in luxury the writing of the work
on Renaissance Morals for which he has long
craved complete leisure. Instead of finishing 1t,
he discovers Carlotta. beautiful and naive
young creature, who has been brought all tle
xav from Alexandretta by an enterprising but
unstable lover to England, and there lett IN
state. of infinite bewilderment. The task OF
summarizing the ensuing events would be nope
less and unprofta BILE for indeed, the plot is not
the thing upon this occasion. What interests
the reader is Carlotta's simplicity, or the nero
dryIJ humorous way of exhibiting his progress IN
the art of life in a delightful blend of erudltlon
and everyday observation Ordeyne tells us all
about his experience makes US free OF MS mousse
hold and allows us to mingle with his 1rlehos'
and he does this in stream Of narrative that Is
thoughtful, but lightly touched. emotional clever
and not for an instant dull Mr. Locke has mis-
suhiect and his style well in hand His book is
a capital piece of invention it is capitaliy writ
ten. and. we repeat. it's freshness alone would
/
The further get away from the days OF
the Civil War, the more popular 1t seems to be-
come as theme for the novelists- Win the
noveIists perhaps would better express the TACT.
So far as the readers are concerned. they doubt
less are mainly Indifferent as to the period and
locale. provided the story Is new, IS well
constructed and we'll told. But when sub
iect has been so thoroughly thrashed over as
that of the war between the States. the task OF
the fiction writer becomes increasingly cifhcult'
It cannot be said that Miss Murfree in her lat
est novel; The Storm Centre" has struck a new
note or added anything to her reputation as
writer by descending from the great Smoky
Mountains TO the Tennessee Valley, among types
made familiar 10 us by many inventors or tales
in many books The hero is a Union officer IN
valided in the home OF q Southern family, where
he is welcomed on the score of antebellum
friendship. The heroine is young widow
whose previous marital experiences have not in
clned her TO repeat the experiment The story
moves somewhat sluggishly to a dramatic sit
uaticn that somehow fails of the expected thrill.
Captain Baynell is so intensely proper, so halr-
snIittinglv the man of honor that he is danger
ously near being bore. When he be-
comes the victim OF his highly sensitized
science the reader is slow to accord him the SYM
pathy to which he is logically entitled. 1t is not
that the story is not well tnOuSnL out, ana VIII
ten in workmanlike manner, marked frequent
". too. by delightful bits of character drawing;
but her theme seems TO have failed to inspire
the author, and it naturally fails to inspire
her audience.
Given charming young English woman, rich
in material possessions and bankrupt in humor.
resolved on reforming humanity. and believing
that marriage is strictly personal matter
that It should not become of public report; sur
round her with eight suitors of strongly
trastng types. from among whom she has
nromised TO make her choice OF a husband sub
iect to a condition of absolute secrecy-and the
amusing complications that may arise are
limited only by the ingenuity of The author.
Such is the theme that Mr.. Roberts has set him
self in writing Lady Penelope" II is the
frankest kind OF farce, with all farce's TN
reality and much of q really clever farce's
power to entertain. In the prompt book of an
acting farce where the dramatist has confidence
in the skill of his comedians. this useful stage
direction is often inserted Business ad lib" 1t
means that the players are to keep up the action
I'm the comic situation long the spectators
continue to laugh heartily. This appears TO have
been Mr. Morley's guiding principle in his
nreseut story. There is always the danger. of