New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-10-06
TWO GOOD NOVELS.
Melodrama in One and Comedy an
the Other.

PRISONERS, FAST BOUND IN MISERY AMP
IRON By Mary . ch %an9 S Illustrated
LISTENERS LURE, A Kenstngton Comedy. BY
z. V. Lucas. limo, pp. S6 the Macnnllial
Company.
Miss Chomondeley's new novel. the first which
she has published since Red Pottage" brought
her into notice several years ago. will sustain
her we'll earned repute Prisoners" is an in
teresting story It IS also & study Of conscience
of the sufferings which human soul Is bound
10 endure when It sins against the light; but
this author is not so much a psychologist as
she is a romancer and we care less for the light
she attempts to throw upon moral issues than
we care for the ingenuity with which she tangles
and then unravels the affairs of a group OF Eng
lish men and women. There is an italian in
volved when the story opens. the elderly duke
who has married the heroine II is q little diff
cult 10 perceive just why he should have done
anything Of the sort, for the heroine is an in
corrigible flirt, selfish to the core. However, a
story must start somewhere. In this case 1t
starts with a good dramatic incident, no matter
what may be thought Of the elements Of char
acter and probab ty in the situation. The
young duchess, bored TO death amid her stately
surroundings. suddenly encounters a man with
whom she had once fancied herself to be in love.
She revives the fancy. and in doing so wakes
pected. Michael Carstairs comes secretly to see
her for the last time. At the moment a man
is murdered and his body is found IN the dukes
garden. The duchess conceals Michael behind
a screen in her apartments, the officers Of the
law enter and presently, TO save her honor. the
young Englishman gives himself up and declares
that he has committed the murder. The duchess
IS not alone IN knowing the truth 1t is revealed
to her husband But the two men understand
each other. and the supposed assassin goes to
trial, and accepts sentence with his secret safe.
The 1irt, Fay. could release him with a word
but she refrains, and thenceforth she and
Michael are prisoners. he within stone walls and
she within the invisible bonds of her lower
nature.
We have no computations in disclosing the
salient episode in Miss Cholmondeley's story,
for the bulk Of the latter is taken UP with the
curious events which flow from Michaers sacri-
fee and Fays cowardy weakness The duke,
dying a year after the great crisis, and honoring
the man who has shown such heroic soIicitude
for the happiness of a woman and the good
name Of ancient house. indicates to his wife
in his dying words that the time has come for
her to set her lover free. She goes back to
England. instead in silence. The author draws
some entertaining pictures at this stage Of her
narrative, giving US glimpses into English fam
cisely true nature, but are generally plausible
and have a human touch. There is a bishop In
the book who recalls and then dirnly
enough II is true, TroloPe's endearing Arch
deacon GRAVITY. There is no dramatic moment
in prisoners" quite equal to the first one In
deed the author scarcely even tries save in
one quite unsuccessful scene Of violence to
hiring back the thrill Of excitement which goes
with the hero's sudden assumption of RESPONSE
bilitv for detestable crime. But this is easily
forgiven inasmuch Miss Cholmondeley shows
rnuch adroitness in maintaining interest in the
broad movement Of her plot. She is peculiarly
skiIful in giving that plot turn whenever
as happens more than once 1t threatens to land
bar IN an iuapasse. In other words, she knows
how m spin a story, and we go on with Curl
ost+v undated until the threads are all picked
IN and we know the outcome of the fantastic
incident invented at the beginning The fact
that one is more conscious OF invention in this
bool, than of knowledge of life does not make
1t the less readable.
II IS not often given TO an author 10 preserve
along with marked versatility. peculiar fresh
ness and charm. Mr.. E. V. Lucas is lucky, for
he can do this He has approved himself an
ideal bioerapher and editor OF Charles Lamb
In another column to-day we refer TO his merits
as a writer of typographical literature, and we
have before this had occasion TO praise his work
In the same fleld and along other lines. Now We