The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-11-22
a Spirit IN Prison -


By Robert Hichens. author Of The Call Of
the Blood" etc. Published by Harper &
Bros. New York and London. Price sl-So.
II takes Sos pages to tell about A
Spirit IN Prison. and then you have
not the whole story This is only the
SEQUEL. All the trouble began in The
Call OF the Blood" and If that has not
been read, much Of this book will not
only not be enjoyed, but scarcely I'M
derstood. In barest outline the story
Of The Call OF the Blood" was this:
A young Frenchman, with Sicl1lan
blood in him, takes his English bride 10
Sicily TO spend the honeymoon. This
brief period is scarcely spent when the
bride goes 10 Africa alone 10 nurse a
sick friend, a man. During her absence
the husband makes love TO a peasant
girl. whose father kills the betrayer on
the eve OF the wife's return. The wife
IS heartbroken and retires TO small
island in the bay. just outside OF Naples.
She knows nothing Of his treachery
and has only a noble grief for his mem
Dry Sixteen years elapse. Hermione
DeIarey, the widow, has q posthumous
daughter, and her life is spent in love
and care for the child.
a Spirit IN Prison" opens where
We're. this daughter, is Is. The fruit
OF the love affair with the peasant girl
Is q son, also born after the father S
death. and almost the same age as the
daughter. He and. We're meet and become
much interested IN each other. These
two young people, with all their charm,
are. not the hero and heroine Of "A
Spirit IN Prison" Rather is HerRiione.
now grown middle aged. never beauti-
ful, turned morbid. emotional and IN
reasonable, its heroine; and for a hero
her friend whom she nursed IN Africa
Emile Artois.
Artois knows the whole tragic story
Of the husbands death, and has
woven an elaborate tissue OF lies
20 protect his friend. Hermione. from
establishment. An old and faithful
FerTant, Gaspare, also knows the story
but be would be cut in pieces before he
would let Eermione know. All the ele-
ments for e tragedy are there, but IL Is
escaped. Rufto, the peasant lad, who
also has never seen his father, grows
I'D 10 look very like him. A word here
and there g look now and then, and
suddenly poor Hermione knows the
secret her friends have so carefully
kept from her. Instead OF appreciatine
their friendship and knowing that only
their love for her prompted the action
abe turns on Artois and nearly rend,
him n her fury OF hate, The only solu
tacn possible follows. They have beer
sentimental without quite knowing 4
al their HIVES about each other, and
finally and consolation IN their love
The love chapter, which begins on thu
e2oth page, Is the best bit Of writing
"a the book The scene is unlike an!
ether remembered love setting. 1t Il
g ruined palace beside the sea. haunted
with some Of its chambers sea washed
Hermione hides herself IN q pitch darl
room Artots follows her and talks t
her. He can not see his hand befor'
his face, but he feels her presence, an'
be talks and talks and talks and tell
his whole story and pleads with her
After q long time she answers, and tn
strongest scene Of the book takes place
No one can deny the beauty OF Nj
Kitchens writing. He IS a poet, and hi
words are always perfectly chosen
The one criticism OF this book whicl
. can not be refuted is that It is too lone
much too long. The descriptive part
are as full Of color as are those 0
The Garden Of Allah" and the admir-
ers Of that book will find much to ad
mire in this one. The story Is hardl.
satisfying, for though the middle age
lovers are left quite happily married
the young people are not so well of
Ruffo and We're are enjoying eac
others society, but as yet no word o
love is spoken, and they are in com
plete ignorance Of the relationship ex
listing between them. One can not blu
dread that Mr.. Hichens may think
necessary to write nearly 700 page
more and finish their story for them
The title OF the book is taken from tn
old saying: The spirit that restetl
upon lie is a spirit in prison" and /
IS not until Hermione knows the trutl
that her spirit is free from its prison.