The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-07
n'rhe Faithful Failure.

"a BY Rosamond Napier. Holder &
B Stoughton. New York: George H.
noran Company.
Tho prologue OF this unusual
piece Of fiction is written IN the form,
VI charming allcsory which says:
tn one OF the green alleys of Para
j disc there was an angel. He picked
UP feather that had Just dropped
from his wing. and, dipping it into q
pool of sunlight Offering through tho
fragile loneliness o. cherry bloom
overhead. he wrote
'Agains, Sir MnNimiiian's name wua
tho word rcmorsc.
Against Iill'e, love.
Hk'Against rhilippa's. ma ternity.
Against Yoes and N,nx's who were
bracisetod together. growth
Kits name came last of all The
angel smiled, and unhcsltatiugly wrote
81 sun bright letters. iiSht
Then smiling, smiling wisely to
himself he sped down 70 welcome a
Faithful Failure.
The title OF The book is inspired by
Robert Louis Itcvcnsop's flashing
thought transmitted into these words :.
There ont OF the glorious sun -cnlorea
asrth out OF the day ana The dust and
the ecstasy. there goes another Faith
ful Failure
Tho Failure" who is Rosumomd Ma.
piers hero and lends such vital bright
ness 10 her story, is bv name, Christie
phcr Sorocoid OF Oricls. near the Ems.
Iish hamlet OF Penton, st. Gregory. in
Wiltshire. Brought face TO face with
sincerity, young Scrocold acknowl-
edged to himself that though he fought
CALAMITY for health. he cotIld never
keep It: though he had r!skcd his all
for tho happiness OF a beloved woman
and his own, happiness was denied
him: though ne had st,ivcn to be Il
good brother to tho tcndcrcst ANA most
devoted sister Il man ever had, he had
Tcauitcd her devotion with deceit
Clearly. all through. he had failed
The woman whom he loves. whose
beauty, rcsourcefuluoss and spiritual
comprehension uWakcs in him the de-
sire to write. 10 paint, TO sing. is, i'll
her turn, soul Weakened by hor con
tact with man, who IS SO saturated
with q sense OF all that bcncncent Ma
turo can bcstow in her lowers. her
'wncds, her Wild creatures, her honey
colored downs. her sunsets. dawns and
all the vast panorama which sho daily
spreads before the eyes of humanity.
Out, even of failure, comes this rcah-
cation that not all ia vanity. Eolan-
do Hope, the woman beloved is. IN
til she meets Christopher Sorocold, Just
the daughter of man who died In
prison, a pcnsinnGr the bounty of
a hard and cruel Relatives just Il WOO
mau suffering from repression and
struggling constantly against circum-
stances which bar her out of the cir
Gle where She feels she belongs
Through young Scrocold she comes
Into her womans inheritance. But
che comes between Christopher apd
his twin sister, Jill. Jtll, knowing her
Brothers constant fight against ILL
health, knowing him to be cut off from
most of the things mans heart and
ambition dearly Graves, sacrifices the
soldier sho herself loves to share his
loneliness and sootho tho Gerry rest
lcssncss of his impaticncc. For Chris
Its--s-Sr is poet and an artist, with
all ,thC sensuous faucics that belong by
inheritance to such And Jill'S reward
is to know that her sacrifice is count
ed 10 her as nothing in comparison
with the vitality of Noes hold upon
a Christopher that even death. fearless
ly and gladly faced cannot break.
The prologue mentions most OF the
characters that count for something
in the book SIR MaXim!lian is tho
Srandfat her OF Christopher and Jill. an
old man unrcconcilcd 10 the cNtraya
Eances and whim8 Of youth and re-
moraeful, when too late. TINT Inc had
mot been moro generous and kinder.
rhlippa. the wife of an English
rector. Hugh f.rskine. with her baby
sn her arms. her struggles with poor
servants and poverty; with her say.
ing grace OF humnr and her devotion
TO her children. her husband and his
work. Is altogether inimitable-
Max is a cousin OF Christophcrs and
kits. man who has missed i'll litc
all the opportunities which come so
easily 10 his yonnE, kinstoik. who Is
the product OF Il very hard and I'M
lovely boyhood, who comes back To
OTiels. the homo of his people. after
long years of absence. and. softeneh
hy association with JIM, Philippa and
zoe, grows into better likeness OF
himself.
The characters, Of course. invest the
book with It's personality and color.
The authors wonderful charm in de-
scription. In the flashing of thought.
an vivid phrasius. ind!vidua!izc IT.
Miss Napier has an Incompatible deli
cacy. an elusivenesE in portrayal that
put her novels in place on a read
er's mental bookshelf that belongs al
together to her.
ssI;nrth."
/ BY Murei time. Johu Lane Com
panY. Of New York and London. Sl.2S
tnet.
Il London forms a background atd the
shou5eiold of n retired anglo Indian of
tncc, the centre NJ interest FOR a novel
t1hot rosacsses more than ,he ordinary
amount of piquancy and Individuality to
command It 10 the WNrra'iou Of TIE
EIeadrr.
| The heroine or the story Is Do only
ghld Of 81 Iohn Cottnr and Ils Wifi,
SSslc, from helms spoiled beauty al
& x5tk lime Of her MARKINGS HAS 4crr1Itlr-
ated at the beginning ~ the hook Into
IA irritable. scIf-centrcd inyaIid in
capable of appIcciatinr uny;h!ng that
stands 81 the way 81 it"r desire 10 bc
the FIRST consideration in the thorEhts
and care of all around ana ahou, her
y Not oven hcr daughters wrfdrc or
pleasure can como between Inc mother
md the strict household regime cstah-
lished by her