The San Francisco call., 1905-08-20

! there was in Perdita's encourage His
identity was known only to her mother
Being a well-born man, it was
the fate of his daughter to inherit his
refinement without his vices; but up to
the time of the attempted suicide this
refinement had served but to make her
feelings of shame keen and her discon-
tent with her condition intolerable. She
was rescued from the ST into which she
had ilung herself in despair; and the
poet who saved her persuaded her to
try to start a new life with the advan-
tage of d new environment. Her name
is Helen. The poet is Daniel Lester.
This poet is a Colossus of a fellow,
big in physical bulk, in good nature, in
self-conceit, in love Of existence and In
appreciation of the work of the Creator
of the world. He bears the unconscious
girl to the cottage of his wife to be
nursed back to strength. When re-
vived, she said slowly, as If speech
were an effort:
If you knew how 1 longed for death you
would hardy wonder that am not gratefui.
l should be at peace now II there had been no
there last night
AT peace! And you would have lost that "
said Daniel, sinklng into the basket chair be-
side her. and indicating the panorama OF sea
and shore with broad sweep of his large
white hand. You would have forfeited man 8
heritage of Natures loveliness. Dear child,
our senses and our imaginations were created
to enjoy this delicious world; and not to enjoy
is 10 blaEpheme against the divine spirit in
earthly things
The theme of the story bears much
similarity to one used by Mrs. Hum
phry Ward-a girl with fine blood in
her veins, born of q bad mother ami
spending a part Of her young woman
hood amid grand environment as the
protege of woman of wealth. The
poet secures her this place with a child
less widow. Helen is not well enough
educated to be q governess; she is
thought too mitch of to be made SER
want; they give her the position of care
taker of the lady's dogs. She makes a,
delight and duty OF that humble job,
and much more came OF her gentle and
affectionate performance of it than her
rather heartless mistress anticipated
This woman of thirty thousand
pounds year, a house in Mayfair, q
cottage on the Thames and villa at
Beaulieu, is the study of the book Sec
Notwithstanding her great possessions
We are led to infer that she did not
tend the garden Of it wisely and low
ingly True, she loved, and loved in
tensely, but 1t came too late. When the
choice was given her by fate she Kave
herself to wealth in preference to love
Here is the letter in which she told this
QcCfSlOH " tiS HAL BIG lOftQ Wn6n
was too late
Dearest: / have been worried into this
Forgive me IL you can, and remember that the
girl you knew at ST. Moritz was the real wo-
man. and that Lady Beaumnster will be as
artificial a product as any wife in Mayfair
NORA.
This man was Captain Belford He
went to India and cured his passion in the
tire of work and battle. Returning many
years later, grizzled and weather beaten.
but distinguished because OF his work
and courage, Nora, now the widow of
Lord Beauminster, tried TO win her first
lover back to her allegiance. Too late
He saw Helen at Lady Beauminster's
house and loved her.
Out of that comes the story's main
opportunity for forceful telling. The
grief and jealousy of the disappointed
woman who had hoped to revive an old
romance with the only man she had ever
loved tempts her into reckless disregard
for the happiness of Helen and Belmont
The young girl responds to the officer's
love, but is afraid to accept him because
of her ugly past. She cannot muster
courage to tell him OF her mother. She
trusts Lady Beauminster to do it for her.
At the interview arranged for that pur-
pose Nora tells nothing but that Helen
is pure girl of humble parentage. The