New-York tribune., 1906-10-24
FORTUNE DU BOISGOBEY
Il Joyous Tribute to Him By Mr..
Andrezo Lang.
From the Illustrated London News.

News
During some days of utter solitude in a place
where never book was seen, have battened
on stXpenny novels. After all, how singularly
splendid shines out the genius of MI R l. Ste
venson's old favorite. the late Monsieur Fortune
du isgobey-Fortune, a name TO resound for
ages! Even in an English translation. how
The Condemned Door (not of the masters
most celebrated romances) clutches the reader
The anonymous translator does his very best
to be idiomatie ma We meet & the phrase n @ Hang it
Hang it all?' give it up; IT cannot be
"Pends-noi tout ca
Let me give a faint idea OF the plot Lady
FYavia young and beautiful is the wife of Baron
Houlbecq. old military Breton noble. With
them lives Lady Flavia's sister. Vivette, an in
genue de Ia pire eSpece.
II IS midnight in November Lady Flavia is
in her 'snuggery." (What is the French for
snuggery?) The rain falls, the winds blow. the
Baron has gone to hunt with friends in shoot
ing coats and wading boots" desperate fellow.
across country. He is to sleep at the hunting
lodge Of a sporting friend. AS Lady Flavla
watches the figures on the wind shaken tapes
tries Cfor her snuggery opens into an ancient
tower) man in "a hooded waterproof ulster
enters by the easement 'Tis Alain Of Trigavou.
The lover finds my Flavia in a deucedly logical
hurnor" and laughs at the idea Of the Barons
return.
The lodge bell tolls. the gloomy Baron is de
retour! Que faire? Lady Flavia raises the
into the ruinous old tower. Enter the Baron,
not in good hunnor. You have been walking in
the wet"
Then whence the wet footsteps all over the
carpet?"
The Baron sits all night in the snuggery be-
side the sleepless Lady Flavia. Next morning
he summons plumbers, who close the entrance
from the snuggery into the old tower with a
sheet of lead. He means 10 sit there till Alain
Of Trigavou perishes of inanition, and: when he
leaves the room his keeper watches below the
window with hunting sword ana gun
What could Lady Flayia do? a woman OF
resource she scribbled, Rid me OF nm! on a
slip Of paper, and dropped II out OF the WINDOW
Lady F'lavia, with womans keen instinct, knew
that the gau1ekeeper was deeply enamored
of her, though loyalty devoted to her iord
What situation for the keeper!
Presently the Baron looks out of window and
roers ike a right baron What are you doing
there? Just wait till I get down TO you!"
gun is fired. And the Baron drops with a
bullet in his heart!
the sheet of lead removed from the doorway Of
the tower No, the magistrate opens up the
sealed passage Lady Flavia has hltherto SHOWN
great fortitude, but now she Taints.
There is nobody in the old tower: yet Alaln
has not escaped by the staircase that goes doWh
10 the base, for that staircase mas TecehtIy peeI
walled M Where is Alain? Who shot the
Baron? Not Alain, for the Baron when ne
shouted Just Wait TIL I get down 10 you!
clearly did not recognize his hated rival To
him he would have spoken in the disnlneo ac-
cents Of an injured husband Nor dld the keeper keeper
bag the Paron for the Baron would not have
+breeTened his own attached and faithful sen
tineI Here, if you please. is mystery, and I
have not vet fathomed it; l have still many
sI1ces ~ this nIunn bun of a book TO devour.
Iady Flavfa seems 10 me quite saIe true,
the keeper has her note. F;Id me OF nm m t nue
that ~ she is the woman l take her TOT sIle
oaT1 cea'' easiiv explain BY him" she meant, she
can say rabbit who enters her garden n. ana
1900 her roses or, IL is November let US
49, Lnr cbrvsant hemums. do not see how
his defence could be upset. the LADY being de-
,-o,a6 W her chrysauthemums ana bitterly nos
E1te t,1 .ha ysTybit Moreover. it is incredible
that Lady Faya should 4 b throw e56s nofs to Rs hs
Sa'iica 'h,,cha nd People don't do these
things as The SAYS in tba Hedd3 d be eass heeper
tSesIueS' i he will shoot Alain of Trigavou,
for the Keeper knows and Asin has Is 2st f9d 3sr s
tlat Inc ~ &c regards the affections Of Lady
T95ts aTa % the Baron has been driven to an outside
prico. xo5 IN tha rabhit and the
=, IL-S,ttTe,,,Irn IL-S has not, far occurred TO
Tis5y Fgavia, but it ought 10 occur to her fur
ttI ~, in this delightful romance: We nave
ther or OF - ance a model of the difficult art Of
ranstn French pros set nd OF secrets fS asaSe wnS
Wlst WIZ on ate Character OF Lady Flavia OF Houl-
heco hnn 'o Mr. George Meredith and Mr. Thomas