The New York herald., 1922-05-07


it is far from being first
book. We shall doubtless hear so
many references to him as "one of
the ablest of our younger writer's"
that it may be worth while to point
out that he is no tyro, and that
while man still on the under side
OF forty is entitled TO he called
young one does not need to suggest
callow youth of him. 1t is more to
the point to observe that Mr.. Benet
is writing out of a fun maturity, of
experience with life and a quite
grown-up understanding. He has
been giving us poetry of a very high
order for good many years, and
he has also been long recognized as
an essayist and critic whose opinions
count for something.
Thus he comes TO the undertaking
OF writing novel with an unusu-
ally Well ripened knowledge of tech
mic and full sophistication. He
demonstrates in this story that he
has the narrative faculty in addi-
tion to the great gifts he has al
ready displayed. 1t is a very good
story, indeed, both in its central
theme and in execution. If il is not
entirely or unqualifiedly a success
that may be because it is some
times a little too artful. even some
times unnecessarily complex. He
makes too much of the mystification
and misunderstanding among his
people toward the end of the book,
which is a bit too long drawn out
The mechanism of his narrative is
quite out of the common forms, but
he controls it smoothly, so that it
performs to strikingly good effect.
The scheme is somewhat of the
technic of the theater, and its most
potent element is it's irony of situa-
tion. The plot throughout is trans
lucent to the reader. 1t is not
wholly a game played with all the
cards face down, but, to revert TO
the theater for illustration, the audi
ence is always aware of what is
going on, being in the confidence of
the dramatist, but the actors them
selves are not. The spectator knows
just who each masquerading char
acters really is and what may be
expected, but the people on the
stage do not. 1t gives room for an
abundance of fine situations" and
the writer makes the most of them.
To any of the numerous admirers
of his verse it is hardly necessary to
say that the verbal finish. the polish
of the style is admirable. though
now and then there is a kind of
staccato touch that is not alto
gether happy. One would not notice
it at all except in the case of so
fine stylist.
The character drawing is always
subtle, penetratingly intelligent, deli
cate and given in chromatic COM
pleteness. The men are especially
good, with perhaps a little qualifi-
cation as to Richard, one of the
leading gentlemen, who is occa-
sionally little STACEY. But as to
that who is not sometimes a little
STACEY real life?
The motive of the story-or
stories, for it is really composite of
several distinct but nicely interviewer
threads-is the difficult functioning
of an artistic conscience and the
troubles such an uncomfortable
possession may create for its owner
1t is present in two feminine incar-
nations: a lady who started out
with lofty ideals, had a hard time
of it, and was clever enough to turn
to excessively popular pot boiling,
and another lady, who had the true
divine fire and was unable to do
anything but keep it burning at
high pressure until she is almost
consumed in the steady confiagra-
tion. Flora (to use one of her
names) has written ten best sellers
when the story opens, but she is
fully aware of just how bad they
are. Her conscience at last gets
the better of her and she decides to
reform-especially as she can now