The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-18
TIE MoM,N IN wnIrE.

'rhe Woman in White" comes mex
to "The aIoonstone' in establishing
the fame Of william WilHte Collins.
IS marvelously complete and intricate
in plot-indeed, the truth Is that viii
perfcct prodigality OF invention tn
author used in his one book enough
material 10 make a half dozen novels
of absorbing interest
As in The Moonstone, the story
does not stop where a mystery move
of the modern type would stop--at the
solution Of the mystery. instead OF
this Whkie Collins practically makes
TWO equally fascinating tales in each
novel
FIRST comes lie DEVELOPMENT OF the
,ver.growing mystery ending in
most unexpected solution entirely dit
feren, from th.,t which the reader an
ticipated and secondly comes an IN
Eenious tracing backward OF the tan
gled threads of conspiracy and circum-
Stance in order 10 clear the plots and
secure tustice-and agai., the result In
the END is brought about in an amaz-
ing way, totally other than that whicn
seemed quite obvious
Thus Wilkie Collins worked. on a
principle quite different from that OF
c;aborlau and Poe and the school prac-
ideally founded by them. They and
their followers begin almost invariably
with the work OF solution; t.iat is, the
detective or the detector enters the
scene at once, and 1t is the story OF his
accomplishment that gradually unTolds
the plot. Wilkie Colins's novels de-
eervedly occupy higher place as real
literature and are much harder to
read. They defy the modern skim
ming through" system OF novel read
ing
1t was singularly suItry and fore
boding night. The heat all day had
been excessive even for hot Jury
Walter Hartrighl worn out by sum
mer OF hard toll in his profession, felt
all the pulse of life sink low within
him as he strolled slowly through the
silent and lonely darkness OF Hamp-
stead Heath. Suddenly cverx drop OF
blood in his body was brought TO a
stop by hand laid lightly on his
shoulder from behind.
He turned. There stood the figure OF
"a woman, dressed from head to foot an
an white. Her hand was pointing
steadily TO the dark cloud over tho
city ahead, Her face was quite indis-
1lnct under her bonnet with curiousl,.
rapid yet curiously mechanical utter
ance she asked is that the way to
London? Can get carriage OF any
kind2 Is II too late? Ii you cou...
show rue where 10 get one-and II you
VIII only promise not to interfere with
9ne-l want nothing else"
she lad her hand on his arm and al
most lmpeAed him to hurry along with
hef' She spoke strangely slmost
WlidiN' and when at last cab came
INTO view she ran to it. entered breath
less!y, and was whirled toward Lon
don.
Walter lartright had been Walking
about ten minutes more When q cna4se
with two men came heao.on down
the road they had just traversed. 1t
drew up near solitary policeme n.
Have you seen woman pass this
way, policeman" cried one "A woman
dressed all in white! She has escaped
from my asylum"
Receiving an answer in the negative.
the men drove OH before Hartright
could say a word.
The incident, sufficiently disconcert-
ing under any circumstances, was I'M
usually so TO him, and troubled INN
Ii! heavy omen, for in her dis
jointed conversation the woman IN
white had mentioned Limmeridge
House, in Cumberland, whose dead mis-
lress Mrs. ..Fairlie, she said, had been
kind TO her oncer.iong ago. And that
very evening Walter Hartright had
been engaged by letter to act as draw