The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-12
Tho Guests of HERCULES.

n.
Doubleday. Page g. Company, Of Gar
den City. y. Y.
The scene in this book is Monte
Carlo. and the rich color illustrations
bE y. auckland and NJ L. Bracker do
iuIl justice TO the enchanting scenery
about the famous resort. The hook is
declared by the publishers 10 be one
OF The most ambitious efforts OF this
versatile pair.
The heroine of the novel IS mos;
attractively skctched in. She is an
English girl an orphan brought up at
II convent and intended for convent
life AT the last moment a legacy
4eit the girl. whose name is Mary
Grant. diverts her Srom her purpose
ana decides her after destiny in an
entirely different way. She first leaves
tins convent for the home of an ann,
IN London. Finding her aunt and cou-
SIN totally unconsenial, however, and
desiring above all else to spend tho
winter IN the south and visit Italy,
Mary Grant, utterly ignorant of trans
crossing conventionalaty, started alone
on her journey to Florence But her
lather mad been gambler she had
wiz blood in her veins. and when she
met Il party of English people bound
for Monte Carlo. she too left thu train
there and sought quarters at the Hotel
DC Paris, having enough money 10
choose her own quarters and follow
out her own whims.
Ihesc We're. first of ALL 10 buy her
self such attire as she considered would
De proper for her 10 appear in at tho
casino For she had decided to go
'here and try her fortune at the Cas-
mo tables. She went, was wonder
ln!iy successfully and, being young
ana beautiful, her name was specdily
on every ones lip. She was fast pc.
coming habituc Of the play rooms
AT Inc Casino and a great favori,e
with The croupiers. when Love IN the
person oil the Prince Della Robin.
stopped II, and love being stronger
than anything else, Mary Grant csve
UP Tue casino to become Il happy wife
vi course there We're complications
Nary's name being the same MS that
OF Il former schoolfcllow 1T tho CON
vent who had gone seriously wrong.
Mary had suffer for this girl's mis-
uoihs, she had also TO suffer severe
~ from the righteousness of a mar
r'ed couple OF adventurers whose ac-
pua!nthncc she had mistakenly made
when she first left England Being
altogether unsuspicious and generous
herself, she could not possibly COM
hrehcnd the troachery and baseness
with which kindness and fo.b,.,
are sometimes repaid
But AT last Mary married her prince
ana Went with him !nto the desert
iar from the temptations and allure.
nents OF such ii world as tina, which
gathers at Monaco
The story is told with all the col,r
IN description and all the bcautv In
IMAGERY which FENDER the Williamsons
such popular writers. The pictur.
OIL Mary 5 last days at the convAn,
IN the Swallowed garden where "the
three Maiys" of the school had nlaved
together IN childhood; the satire upon
hhs!!sh society given by Mary's brief
STA! IN FOG -enshrouded London: tho
!oNeiincas OF Monte Carlo as IL burst
upon Mary's vision and as ..}e saw :,
afterwards slvered by moonlirh,
cr.msoned BY dawn. and languorous
uhder t-e spell OF noon: the charm OF
me hillside retreat of the cure, who
gave Mary his blessing in the rose
a'pvr OF his garden, and the good
work OF the Protestant rector and his
VIE moving like ngures Of mercy
aihouns the human notsam and les
sam thrown By fate in their way. All
OF these things. separately and TO-
Ssiner. Aelp TO render the book ius,
what II IS, Il novel OF tn, ro,oan,Ir
class with an Individuality and power
thhi belong TO whatever appears Over
tAe names OF c. y and \. NJ. Wi.
Z