New-York tribune., 1909-06-26
Ne5c Romances by Mr.. Richard
Bagot and Others.

IHE LADY " II f1tt / Jf LIS
Appleton & Co.
Mr. OPP. By Alice Hogan Rice. Illustrated by
Leon Guipon- lerno PIP DO The century 0oli-
THE THIRD CIRCLE By Frank Norris; intro
duction by VIII Irwin. l2Tno, pp. 2ss Ehe Johh
Lane Company
The reader who takes UP Mr.. Bagots new
novel naturally assumes that its title is the
name of its hero and accordingly he is a little
abashed by the revelations of the first chapter
Anthony Cuthbert is a widower on the verge of
mis- fftieth year. scarcely romantic type. But
it turns out only such type would have
served the authors purpose This is to demon
strate once more the potentiality OF the old say
ing, Tout >comprendre. c'est tout pardonner.
Youth would never be able TO face with equa-
nimity the problem put before the central figure
IN this story. We are not sure that even a
seasoned philosopher and man Of the world
would face it and solve il with the calrnness
characterizing Mr.. Anthony Cuthbert But at
least If the question had te he dealt with Mr..
Bagot was well advised in his choice Of a me-
oium The middle aged traits Of his hero % q
little 10 lend credibility rather tall situa-
ton.
Mr.. Cuthbert remains a widower for a long
period for the excellent reason that he IS sun
deeply in love with a woman driven by her
parents TO marry q scoundrel Living on IN
his beautiful old English home. the unlucky
suitor hardly dares TO dream that fate might
some day unite him 10 the Italian beauty so
cruelty snatched from his grasp. Yet he is un-
willing TO obliterate her image from his heart
Though he may be hopeless he remains loyal
and fortunately for him the nephew 10 whom he
purposes TO leave all his possessions is q spler-
did young fellow, whom he finds il easy TO love.
However when this nephew, soldier presently
stationed at Malta takes an Italian holiday, the
one woman of whom he must become enamoured
IS the woman Of his uncle's romance, Nlr Bagot-
with rather naive gravity. declines TO make an
explicit Identification Of Anthony Cuthberts
Laura with James Sinclair's Sonia until he has
passed the middle of his narrative, ignoring the
fact that even the duilest reader would guess
the secret as soon as the woman is first intro
5uced, if not before But he might retort that
he has not aimed to write a story containing
sensational surprises. He is more interested in
questions Of character, in the reaction upon his
three personages Of a tragic set Of circUm-
stances. We say tragic" but il must be con-
Iessed that the author does quite rise 70 the
dignity which belongs 10 a truly tragic motive. |
His heroine holds him hack. She is too gross,
vindictive. and altogether unsympathetic for the
reader TO feel anything save disgust for the
trouble she causes. Mr.. Bagot's plot is ingen- |
fous but his Laura, or Sonia, is about as de-
plorable little animal as We have met in re-
cent fiction.
The conflict between Church and State in /
France has. OF course, offered material TO the |
Ksvelist. Of which more than one member Of
de craft has been quick to make use. In the
treatment Of a theme of such present interest
NJ Bazin and others have naturally sought TO
put forth their ideas in terms Of the intensest
actuaiity. They have written thus to good pur-
pose, but il was nevertheless q happy idea for |
the author Of The Cradle of the Rose" to illus |
trate this latter day disturbance in French So |
cial relations in 4 romantic rather than mod |
ern story She has chosen Brittany for her |
scene, that old Brittany which in divers other |
volumes she has painted with charming colors |
and with much instructive feeling for its pictu-
rescue traditions and unique atmosphere. Her
heroine is a woman Of Breton birth married TO !
an Englishnlan Of title. but so passionately de-
voted to the sentiment of her native land that |
she conceives the idea Of dwelling there alone |
for a time and doing what she can to help the |
Royalist and Catholic peasants against the Re |
publican and anti-clerical government The |
hero's heart swells with the same high emotion |
There seems nothing for him 10 do but To resign
his post as a naval officer and bear q share in |
the vague movement coming to q head in Brit
tany. Obviously. you would say The Cradle |
of the Rose is romance Of political conspiracy
It is that, IN q measure. Yet IL is even more !
subtle study of the growth of a great love and +
picture of a strange region and its people The /
narrative opens with the promise of sornbre (
incident, and though this promise is not irnnle-
diately fulfilled the author shows, when she
reaches her climax, a intuition for that +
melancholy with which Celtic romance is al .
ways saturated. The political upheaval does
not come OF. one suspects from the outset that
ft will not come OF. But this does not matter
The essential drift OF the novel is in no wise
disturbed On the contrary. the authors han /
ding Of this side Of her plot is one of the most
tactful strokes in a very senstivey written I
book.
When we first meet the hero of The Lady
without Jewels" the whole posture Of affairs in .
the story reeks Of modernity. Tom Duncan is
Quarrelling with his father. an unimaginative
rsssn who objects to his enthusiasm for the
building Of bridges. and when the two part we ,
expect the ambitious son TO embark upon q
course of hard and not at all romantic work
Instead Of that he goes abroad. meeting the lady
Of his heart on the way. ard falls upon ad-
ventures positively fantastic. One Of these in
wolves his posing as the husband of married
woman in distress. This is startling enough. but
Mr Goodrich has things even more surprising
up his sleeve The Miss Jane Spencer with
whom he is in love is kidnapped after fashion.
by the mildest hammered gentleman imaginable.
and quaint is the situation between these
two that the enamoured Duncan is discovered
playing the part of devoted friend to the very
man ne had expected chastise. picturesque
old castle in Europe is the scene chosen for these
developments. q villain Of the most sinister
character is soon introduced. and, in short the
author plies one astonishing episode upon an