The San Francisco call., 1909-12-12
"The Florentine Frame"
By Elizabeth Robins, author
Find Mn arn pn,hliahnd

By Elizabeth Robins, author of Come and
Find Me-" etc. Published by Mocat, Yard
& Co.. New York. Price $3.50
One must always use superiatives in
speaking OF the work OF Elizabeth
Robins. Her books are all we'll writ
ten. her stories are always interesting
and entirely different from anything
done by any one else. The Florentine
Frame" is no exception TO the rule. In
it we see on every page masculine
strength combined with feminine deli
cacy and a remarkable intuitive quality
hard to define. The character drawing
is as keen and clear cut as a mental
photograph, and in no instance does
she allow sympathy for the creations
of her brain 10 mar the artistic per-
fection of the whole picture.
Isabella Roscoe Is a rich widow with
daughter OF II. They live in New
York. Mrs. Roscoe is a woman who,
had she not been rich. might have made
her mark In the world of literature. We
discover her writing feverishly on the
scenario of a play which she sends to
old Professor Fanshawe for advice and
criticism. The professor comes to Isa-
bella, enthusiastic at having discovered
a young man. Chester Keith, south
erner, of a proud impoverished family,
whom he thinks will be the right man
in the right place IL given the chair Of
IHE iiSu III the pAOlCooO1 . VRA SOAAN6 o.
Fanshawe has been looking for a sue
cessor for a number of years. hoping
to be able to retire and devote himself
to his own great life work, History
of the Uses of Drama as a Factor in
Civilization" The chair of English is
given to Keith and the college profits
thereby-but the professor is sorry, for
he has discovered that the young man
has written play in his idle moments
l. . t. Il
wishes Keith and Isabella to meet in
order that the young man may receive
the benefit of her advice and criticism.
A mutual prejudice. however, keeps
them apart for some time, but they
eventually become great friends. Isa-
bella had led a lonely life with her
first husband, who was 80 years her
senior, and in the most subtle fashion
the reader sees the dawning OF love
In her heart for Keith, and gradually
her whole life is ordered to suit and
please him. When she realizes what
has come to her, she is in doubt on
only one point. her age. Although still
young woman, she is older than Keith
and generally such marriages are un-
successful. That there could be any
other drawback never occurs to her.
The reader sees il. though. in the
dawning love of Genie. whom all con-
slider still a baby. for Keith. II is a
blind adoring sort of hero worship.
surely NOT to be taken seriously, but
tragedy stalks in when the child is II
and confides her happiness to her moth
er. Every act of the young man has
been construed by the loving girl into
understanding and love for her. and the
mother finds that she must choose.
The climax comes suddenly and is
not quite what one expects. The book
is full of love, of tears, of heartbreak,
but also of reality. 1t is tremendous
at the last In it's artistic repression, and
one feels a catch at throat and a chill
of cold misery at the pity of it. 1t is
not all tragedy, for one closes the book
with a feeling of content and an
earnest of happiness assured.
Miss Robins has been so singularly
happy in her choice of titles for her
books that The Florentine Frame >
makes one wonder a little; there is
scarcely enough of the frame TO war
rant the title, though a better one can
not be suggested offhand. At most.
however, that is a small criticism to
make OF so excellent a book.