The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-13
NEW BOOKS.
The Agitatlons OF a sinner.

ever thing may be before us, and the feel
ings with which we apprehend IL may vary
as widely az apathy and enthusiasm II
may be that the reader will think himself
prepared to hate sin as It should be hated.
and still that he will be able to find no
more h the very pale shadow OF an
offender in Mr.. Antonio Foga1zaro's story
Of THE Sinner" translated from the Italian
by Mary Prichard-Agnetti %. p. Putnam's
Sons). Here 10 the beginning OF that
conscientious tumult which follows young
Piero Maironi into another tale and there
qualities him to be the hero Of THE Saint. "
Piero, while his insane wife was still alive,
loved another lady. The love between
these two permitted itself no very ex-
travagant or indelioate expression. II we
have counted correctly he kissed her on
two occasions only-onoe at her beauti-
full villa. where they had met in the season
Of roses TO look at an eclipse Of the moon
and once "a somewhat more advanced
and threatening manifestation at the
edge Of the terrifying abyss called the
~Profondo--this last an object in material
nature and not a mere ngurative express
sion. Further IL 10 10 he counted in EMU
merating Piero's sins thai for a brief period
he rejected the teachings Of religion.
We think 1t likely that the reader will
be entertained by the humorous social
picture with which the story o~pens-the
Marchesa Meme Scremin. a thrifty lady,
busting her own drawing room and scolding
because she has missed an egg and cannot
discover the greedy and audacious soul
who purloined IL. II came to be known.
toward the end of q day Of excessive agita-
tions, that the Marchesa's husband. whom
she adored, had eaten the egg for break
fast; and 80 curiosity Is satisfied and the
ira gical quality Of the incident is per-
mitted TO be less than it might have been.
In the chapter concerning the egg the
reader meets a considerable company and
is made acquainted with a good deal Of
the social color and flavor OF the neigh
borhood. AZ we'll as a picture and an
introduction this chapter about an q
serves as a foil 10 throw into contrast the
matters Of seriousness that are TO follow.
Though Piero's actual SHINING may be
held to have been inconsiderable. he found
himself thoroughly culpable In certain OF
his inclinations. He was tempted. The
Marchesa's young maid (the Marohesa
was his mother-in-law and he lived with
the Screminsl, "a tall, slender. light COM
plexioned girl. came TO his room. having
no good errand. He turned pale when
she presented herself. The girl, who
was also pale. fixed her fine blue eyes
upon him. eyes in which behind a veil Of
tenderness there lurked a certain boldness."
She exercised a number of little arts. and
she was very pretty. AS the little maid
brushed past him he was conscious Of that
warm perfume that from the hair
Of the young and from a wholesome body"
He had said no moro than 70 bid her come
in when she had knocked, but now "he
heard her whisper a Thank you laden
with meaning az she took his overcoat.
hung it up with slow and
smoothed IL with light touches Of her
hands, which. though not white. were
small and slender. The little lamp thai
was. burning or the consoile opposite the
cloak stand gilded her ma gnificent hair,
which was twisted in her neck like a knot
OF serpents,"
She was provocative. so oil the more
reason why he should send her packing,
which he did presently. She faced about.
glanced at the lamp hat was smoking.
moved very slowly forward on her way
10 turn it down, and. as she passed Maironi.
raised her great eyes to his face. They
had a CLASSY look and were full OF an out
spoken proposal. He shuddered. but said
nothing. Very slowly the little fair haired
maid began TO lower the wick. II sank
steadily lower and lower until the light
had almost disappeared. Then Maironi
exclaimed sharply; The Signora is ringing
for you!' The girl started. raised the
wick, looked the young man in the face
and saw at once that she had gone too far"
She walked out stiffiy and the incident was
terminated. The Marchesa had not really
rung. The sinner had been his own pro-
tector. He had invented the fable.
Piero went to Don Giuseppe Flores,
the good old priest. with the story OF his
troubles. He told how he had fallen in
love with Jeanne Dessalle, a woman sepa-
rated from her husband and a woman
without religious faith. whom he had met |
in a railway train. He had been assiduous |
in his ascetic practices. but he could not
forget her eyes. Strange doubts assailed
concerning religion. While deeply
engaged in his religious practices these
flashed upon hin and shook him. He
drove them quickly away. but they left
him trembling. Why should there be such
a thing as temptation "One night he
told Don Giuseppe. my mother-in-law's
pretty young maid found a pretext for
coming to my room. I controlled myself;
my face and my words were cold, and she
withdrew; but a moment followed in which
l asked myself IL God really wished His
creatures to be tortured thus why Heidi not
make His help more adequate. Why had He
me TO meet that woman in the
train and this girl here in my mother-in-
laws house2 l felt rebellious; a pressing.
gnawing question throbbed in my brain:
What il God did not exist? What IL He
did not exist? What IL all my faith be
but a web OF illusions? What IL | be but the
slave OF the prejudioes Of others. Of ideas
that had been put into my head when |
was too young to think? What II, as re-
CARDS religion. l be but aping miserably
those l had always seen about me? Oh,
Don Giuseppe. Don Giuseppel You must
save me. you must save me!' Piero en-
braced the priest and sopbed upon his neck.
It is plain enough that he was torn by his
conflicting carnsl and spiritual emotions.
The plot of the story 10 fully embodied in
that clearly presented fact.