The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-09-28
THE HELPMATE,' by May Sinclair 12mo. pp. 49S. Henry Holt & Co.

THE HELPMATE,'' by May Sinclair. 12nno. pp. 43S. Henry Holt x Co.
 Another novel by Miss Sinclair of extraordinary power and one which will excite much discussion. It deals with the ethics of married life. The two central figures are Walter Majen- die and his wife and around them and their relations to etach other the whole story revolyes. The other characters are Walter Majendie's friends on the one hand and Mrs Ma jendie's friends on the other-a small contracted circle in which the unhap- py hero and heroine of the story live and move and they mostly appear as they accentuate the differences that exist between the Najendies aforesaid
 Now Walter was polished and good sort of 9 fellow, prosperous ship owner, rather brilliant sometimes in conversation when spurred to the oc- casion; this view to be taken on the authors testimony chiefly but he had a blot upon his past-an undue in tfnnacy, q Iiaison when quite a young man with a married wonan older than himself into which he had somehow unintentionally drifted That was seven years before his marriage. He had supposed the fact was known to his wife but she never became aware of 1t until the day after their mar riage. The news came as a shock and at once chilled her feelings toward her husband. They had spent their first night at Scarby, an English wa tering place, when the damning rev. elation, as she regarded it. came. Now began the ordeal for Walter Majen- die. He had repented and supposed his wife had forgiven him but as years rolled on and his wife's chilly attitude showed no abatement he began to chafe to rebel, at being required to maintain an intending attitude of re- pentance. His fondness for his wife was great, his devotion great His wife, Anne, was the daughter of a Dean and had been reared in c1oister- al sec1usion. She was beautiful very religious, very set in her views as to duty and sanctity. She prayerfully weighs the situation and resolves not to leave Majendie but to remain with him, discharging her household dut- ies, continues to be an angel of mer- cy and devotion to Majcndie's incura- ply afflicted, patient, lovable, invalid sister Edith, but she maintains the gulf between herself and her husband and her fey memorable demeanor to- ward him and leads him hard life which he bears heroica1ly. Meanwhile Mrs. Majendie regards her course as a just punishment for her unhappy hus- band and herself as a high example of purity and virtue who has been scandalized by Walters past with Mrs. Cady-whfch was the name of the woman he had lived with years before his marriage. Later on worn and excessively weary of his wifes unyielding coldness he finds consola- ton with a pretty, sentimental young woman the discarded mistress of his friend, the gay Lothario Gorst and maintains a double establishment spending weeks of his time, nominal ly in yachting or on business as he re- ports to his wife, at his farm with his young mistress. A climax comes al last brought about by the news of his defection-imparted to Mrs Majendle by her husbands old time mistress whom Anne has unutterably loathed- and by startling illness which be- fell Maiendie. Other incidental cir cumstances and surprising develop nents are interwoven in this intensely interesting story which are left for the reader together with Miss Sinclair's complete and incis1ve exposition ot Anne's complex motives and charact- CT, her memorable clinging to false ideal incompatible with human frail ties and marital rights, all of which brings up the question whether a di- vorce would have been the proper so. lution of the marital problem involv- ed. Spiritually, temperamentally, the two were incompatible, yet Walter