The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-18
NEW hooks.
Mr.. wards best story.

Mrs. Humphry Ward has Tor the nero
Of her new story, THE Marriage Of Will
liam Ashe" Harper q Bros.), young
statesman who comes In time 10 be Prime
Minister. There was an eminent political
chaTacter-ouT memory Is that he also
was a Prime Minister-in her last previous
story. Readers will recall how that dis
tinguished man was holding forth In a
sonorous and somewhat too loud voice at q
surrepttious party given by Lady Roses
daughter. when the lady who employed
Lady Roses daughter as secretary, and
who was mistress Of the house, came down
stsirs from sick chamber and with con-
siderable acerbity and exhibition Of a sense
Of personal injury dismissed the company.
That earlier Prime Minister impressed US
by the ease and nonchalanoe with which
he bore himself on social occasions-even
very trying social occasions, occasions sur
charged with a tremulous and disturbing
quality, We thought az we read at that
time that a Prime Minister would have
more chance Of displaying an engaging
placidity Of demeanor in awkward social
moments than another would who might
not have any very exalted place in the
world. Assurance attends naturally upon
a sense Of power,
Ibl q lAlblltNAh We were hlEulu pl AbHe
the coming Prime Minister in the new
story To the lady who was to be his
mother-in-law he said, concerning what
ceremony may have attended the seating
Of him in Parliament that 1T fell jolly fat e
We prayed that our impending Prime Min
lister might not be too tripping in his con-
versltional style The reading Of much
current En- glish fiction has made Us willing
TO encounter the word Jolly" only rarely.
We found as we went on that Ashe was TO
delight us and not to disturb US We we're
not long in coming to the opinion that this
is the best Of Mrs. Wards stories-best in
the respect that il is the most persistently
ard pervasively interesting, and that it
is the one with the least of obvious and
labored preachments, descriptions and
metaphysics. We remember the night
landscapes and the theological essays
written by night in other stories by Mrs.
Ward-remembeT them as entire and grisy
visions. but remember no edifying and
compromising part Of them-and are glad
that this story flows more easily and IN
accountlngly on its pos lbly reprehens ble
course.
Especially and enthusiastically grateful
are we for Lady Kitty She like Ashe,
the hero, communicated to US certain
tremoTs at first. She broke out at Ashe
She pleaded with him rot to ask her IL she
liked balls She preferred to converse
Of the incidents Of French hunting. The
dogs OF France! The dogs Of st. Hubert
We shivered a little. We were willing to
retire from the din Of the st. Hubert bow
WOW. But Lady Kitty speedily forgot the
dogs and, so far. as we have discovered
was never at the trouble to remember them
again. She developed into a most unrea-
sonable and engaging personality.
We see Lady Kitty in an attractive Cam
bridgeshire interior We have a fine library
and a surrounding Of books belonging to
level headed lord who never read them.
The quiet, respectable graces Of most
estimable household are set forth. Think
Of a library with gallo antico columns
and Adam decorations Lady Grosville,
presiding female of the place, Is described
as looking like the Ieformer Savonarola
and like a horse. In the illustration, by
Mr.. Sterner she looks like Benjamin Dis !
Taeli, who may have looked like both Of |
the others. Into this noble library, among |
a conventional, hungry and waiting COM |
pany, fifteen minutes after the hour for !
dinner, comes our heroine, the Lady Kitty. !
with a recalcitTant dog. She explains |
the dog Whlle the unaCcustoned and I'M |
sympathetic company aches for soup. |
For reasons obvious 10 us we forbear from !
quotation. The reader must forgive us,
even while he wishes that we would quote /
the whole book.
We have heard It said that Mrs. Ward |
Is without humor. If we ever hear II said |
again we shall not believe it. II Kitty with |
the dog does not provide a humorous stu |
alton we have never known one, II there |
is no humor of an ironical cast where the |
Grosville girls undertake to alleviate Kitty's |
headache lat page 435 in our fugitive copy, |
we have no understanding Of humor. To
be sure, this quality is not persistent-nor
need IL be. And yet we doubt whether
we may not find IL always subtly employed.
We should like to dwell upon this story;
but that, perhaps fortunately, we cannot do.
1t will surely be enough to say that in re-
cent fiction we have found nothing by which
we have been more impressed and enter
tanned Mrs. Ward has her limitations.
and her abilities also. We arc no friend Of
paradoxies. but it will not surprise us after
reading this story If she transcends her
limitations and gives us something that we
shall particularly like to assail and find
altogether impTegnabie.