The New York herald., 1922-02-12
ONE. By Sarah Warder MacConnell
The Macmillan Company.

| ~ that Frederick Haviland was
philanderer, and he told
her so himself when he asked her to
marry him. 81 like to know what
colors woman will show under a
compliment or a kiss he confessed
Il know I've experimental and I
haven't thought of the conse-
quences. ] may do it again.
You'd have these things 10 face if
you took me. :" And then he
explains that, to his way of thinking.
| a philanderer is an "internationalist
| of the heart" which is not at all a
bad definition. In addition 10 saving
| clever things Frederick has a certain
verve which stands him in good stead
In his love affairs. He is, in fact. en-
tirely irresistible, as Alethea discoy-
ers on page 33, when he asks her
how much she knows about love.
In the twinkling OF an eye an i'm
mense excitement seized them, a
rushing, mighty need. Emotion in
warm flood poured between them,
flowing like the light OF the moon."
But Alethea soon RECEIVERS her poise
and warns him she is going to be
reasonable" Il like the headlong
rush as much as any one" she ad-
mits, but I've other things to think
of. She means the future, one
gathers. She leaves town suddenly
for her step-sister's home in Albany,
where she may think uninterrupt-
edly, but she might have saved her
self the journey. Among his other
accomplishments Frederick can write
convincing love letters, AMI he sends
Alethea one which nearly settles
matters. Her pulses throbbed," We
are told, and back to town she bus
ties.
There is another suitor-Pinsent-
who is immensely wealthy, "rotundly
amorous, Ogling and glowering, and
always out OF it even when he was
most in it," He stands not the slight
est chance against Frederick, who is
soon honeymooning with Alethea in
Florida. Immediately upon their re-
turn Frederick spends full, COM
pletely satisfying day without any
where a thought of her" Presently
Caro- Martyr appears, always flying
the flag OF sex and never AZ half
mast" Caro- has hair like FURNISHED
metal, eyes like a golden pool and
voice like tolling bell" However, Caro-
has much '.in the show window and
nothing at all in the shop" so that
Alethea has but little real trouble.
Alethea simply feeds her husband on
the fruit OF his own selection until it
clogs, which 1t quickly does. Alma
Reeves and Sylvia Seaton soon enter
the lists for the attractive Mr.. Havi-
land. Alma, indeed. is quite beside
herself under his spell, and comes to
see Alethea to ask il she Is really in
love with her husband Then she
kneels dramatically and agrees to
renounce Frederick if Alethea will
promise mot to let Sylvia Seaton
reach him." What else could Alethea
do? Then there is a Mrs. Bronson.
whose hair is like the visible weight
of some tragic love-" Alethea inter-
cepts a look which Frederick flashes
Mrs. Bronson and is very unhappy.
Accordingly she takes her little son,
Mowbray, and starts for Palm Beach.
merely leaving a note at the house to
say she has gone. Frederick is trou-
bled. but even after she returns he
does not stop his experimentation
with other women. II would seem,
too, that Alethea was not entirely
blameless. as II is chronicled that one
man holds her in his arms
briefly. it is true-and that another
kisses her. In the end little Now
bray is very i'll. and at his bedside,
believing their boy is dying, Alethea
and Frederick come together again.
The shadow passes and the child re
covers. The reader is asked TO be-
lieve that the leopard changes his
spots and that Frederick philanders
no more. but it is very hard TO do so.
Mrs. MacConnell chose the title OF
her book to signify Alethea's married
life, which was constant effort 10
make herself one with her husband.
Perhaps few women, even had they
been as deeply in love with him as
was Alethea, would have had the
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