The sun., 1915-05-22

There are places in Marjorie
Bowen's story OF prince and Heretic"
(E. p. Dutton and Company. where
the punctuation could be bettered: It
grieves the humane reader to see COM
mas put to do the work OF semicolons.
Happily as we 20 on we find no in
sistence upon this wrong. no callously
sustained employment Of what may
bs called typographical child labor;
but we do find a great many split in
finitives. We think we have never
seen so many in one book. On every
page they lie. these mutilated things.
these poor infinitives severed from
their sign. The prince and hereto
Of this tale was William the Silent.
In his day and country the Holy In
quisition OF King Philip II. was doing
some OF its choicest work. II may be
read here in vivid words what ruth
less things II did; and we have Won
dered II that dark agency did not
come forth from its limbo and lend a
hand In the devastating and disjunc-
tive treatment OF Miss Bowens in
finttives. The phrase at page 7s,
whom she knew could be master
fil." would have remained grammati-
cally unaltered II II had been written:
"She knew him could be masterful."
But a glamour attaches to whom:
II may be called a scholars word, a
word carrying superior air and
warrant. The poorly educated do not
use It, but the scrupulous hate to let
It escape. Some love II so that they
establish It in places where it fits
in quite awkwardly.
The story tells Of williams mar
rage with Anne OF Saxony. Anne
was no beauty. Her person was
crooked. when she walked she dis
played what the Saxons call the devils
| limp. She was thin and undeveloped:
her mouth was wide and loose. her
voice shrill her temper abominable.
Though young she had no boom. for
she was sickly. williams patience
with her is one evidence Of his great
strength Of character. II Is related
here how at table once Il was judged
that she ought to be removed. 80
| I am to he sent from my own table"
she cried as generous and friendly
hands sought to support her and TO
lead her gently away. She swayed
| on her feet: she burst into hysterical
| tears: the Prince was one of those
who had hold Of her: she turned and
struck him feebly in the face. When
they had got her to her room she
collapsed. shaken heap. on a
chair" Renee lie Meung. the Princess's
beautiful companion. whose own love
for the Prince was a gnaw!ng secret
that she kept locked in her bosom,
said: "She is H." William said: "A
strange Illness" Katrine. little
German waiting girl. enlightened the
Prince. The story says here: "'Your
Highness. II IL the wine. Tonight
when was arranging the room I
found these'-she pointed to a dismal
row OF empty tasks on a side table
and the steward told me he brought
them to Madame-and pounds II
sugar. II IL the wine which makes
Her Highness n" Put we must sus-
pect that the pounds OF sugar
helped.
The chapter about crystal gazing
has some very interesting detail. The
table employed. made OF sweet wood
was three feet high and set on -four
legs, each OF which was set on a sea-
OF pure wax engraved with n mystical
sign and the seven names Of God, the
whole put on thick square Of red and
gold changeable silk" The crystal H.
self was egg shaped. and the skryer o,
operator wrote certain characters
with sacred oil on the legs OF the table
before the crystal was made TO glow
and the spirits were summoned. Will
liam and the four young dukes. his
brothers, heard their destinies tod
not indeed by Volangel and Kcndrick
who fell to pieces after reprov'ng thu
princely company for desiring to pene
trate tho future. but by Iilana. wht
ran about the room wearing a gown o.
fiowered tabinet and having her vel
low hair rolled up in front and hang
ing down long behind. "She fades
cried Count Adolphus. "She changes
into q wheel Of flre-she breaks-sh'
eoes!" But she came back and an
swered a number Of questions before