Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-01

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tell her husband Of these letters, and
after n moment Of hesitation she decides
to mail them as instructed as the price
of the use of the Venetian palace.
When the wandering wife returns she
thanks the bridegroom for keeping her
secret and he goes to his own wife to
find out what 1t all means. He Is out
ragged at the discovery. He Is not
shocked at the errant wife. He knew
that women Of her kind were deceiving
their husbands. But he did not intend
to take pay for assisting them in their
deceit. He would not be a hired pan
shocked that his own wife should be
willing to play the role. In his horror
and indignation he leaves her.
There Is woman who wants to
marry him and there Is a man who
wants to marry his wife. Each sas-
poets the other Of being willing to make
the new marriage. 1t was according
to the terms of their agreement. Months
pass with no communication between
them. The wife finally yields to the
persuasion Of the man who wants to
marry her and consults her lawyer about
a divorce. But she discovers that she
loves her husband too much to marry
the other man. And she begins to sup
port herself by taking care Of the chill
dren of friend in Paris while the
friend goes to Italy. And the husband,
who was drifting into n marriage with
the woman who wanted him, goes to
Paris to complete the arrangements fol-
the divorce, knowing that he still loves
his wife. but thinking that she wants
to get rid Of him to better herself. They
meet and part again with no change in
the situation, but early the next morn
ing each starts to find the other, and
there Is reconciliation, and the
glimpses Of the moon. which they had
on the terrace of the villa on Lake
Como, become once more visible to them
as they take up the interrupted life.
They hare learned that marriage
IS more than mere bond of physical
desire, that It has q spiritual quality,
tenuous IL may be, but more lasting
than any feshly substance.
60 FAR as Mrs. Wharton has
~ thesis to develop this is it. 1t is
referred to half dozen times In the
book. The mother of five children who
has lived happily with her husband
says Of his wandering after another
woman who has pursued him that little
things like that are not enough to wipe
out the memory of years Of happiness.
The husband Of the woman whose err
RANCHES the bridegroom refused to cover
for pay says when the wife insists on
divorce so she can marry her lover.
that all he wants is her happinesS that
he could forgive her because Of the
memories they share together. if she
would only come back to him. But
when one of the parties to marriage
is nothing more than a peripatetic lust.
seeking variety, the marriage fails.
When, however, there Is the spiritual
bond. when the presence Of the husband
or the wife fills the wife or husband
with content. then there is real mar
riage. Mrs. Wharton leaves the reader
with the impression that her hero and
heroine We're going to live their own
life in self-respecting independence in
stead OF continuing as parasites on the
very rich. This, indeed, is the only
solution for her problem.
The first two chapters Is romance
such as young girls like to read The
chapter In which the husband and wife
meet for the first time after their scpa
ration is emotional tragedy as deep as
that in Ethan Frome." though less
sustained. And the middle chapters oc-
cupled with the life of the idle rich nrc
doubtless true enough. but they will
disgust every wholesome minded per.
son.
GEORGE W. DOUGLAS.