The New York herald., 1922-02-26

yisHA1 htIAS uicSucIiSSS pOyS
left with q governess while
their father took a run down
to South America to build railroads
are the persons represented in this
first sizable literary production Of a
young lady in Canada. The scene
is said to be laid in a cathedral town
in England: the cathedral is un-
doubted. and the Bishop is In evi-
dence. for he lives next door: but
the story has not exactly the island
atmosphere. Possibly Miss de Ia
Roche has written the sagas of three
little Canadian boys and misplaced
her labels. AT all events. the chill
dren are children and delightful
enough: IL some of their talk sounds
bit sophisticated perhaps the au-
thor's miSstep lay in having the
story told by one of the children
in the first person. Recalling other
chronicles OF beloved childhood one
reflects that Kenneth Graham's
memoirs OF the Golden Age did not
include an autobiographic child. nor
did that fascinating exercise in i'm
agination, Algernon Biackwood's
fantasy. THE Extra Day." Neither
was the tale of Hugh Walpole's
Jeremy" intrusted to childish lips.
C"Jeremy." by the way. is hard to
beat as a child one would be glad
and proud TO have played withD
And Miss de La Roche's children are
so iovahle that only an existent re-
gret that anybody may have
chance to pick flaws In them impels
its expression In words.
Their father (poor Inan.) chose
Mrs Handsomebody as n suitable
guardian angel for his children dur
ing his absence for the reason-as
stated-that she had been his own
governess. II must be true that
people forget their own childhood.
with its miniature agonies and hor-
rors. for otherwise a presumably low
ing parent would not have selected
such a very arch type of governess
and dragon as the formidable lady
who ruled these youngsters with
such an iron hand. Only In a first
book do such characters appear; an
additional quaintness Is the pub
lisher's designation OF the work as
"a novel" The tale is written out
Of a heart full OF happy thoughts
and memories. and the stories are
told with undoubted charm. but 1t
Is not a novel The publisher has
misplaced a label as well as the
author.
But all such qualifications must
be taken merely as whets for the
enjoyment OF the enormously en-
gaging adventures of these three
children Of David Curzon. Sr.. civil
engineer. father In G6scHtia to David
Curzon. Jr- called Angel" because
his mother had called him so; the
infantiie Alexander Curzon. called
The Seraph" for the same reason
and John Curzon. who is supposed
TO tell the story. The reader Is told
how they were led to be pirates and
dig for buried treasure in Mrs.
Handsomebody's back yard by an
eccentric old gentleman just re-
turned from foreign parts: how the
three boys successfully were be-
guiled into breaking their hearts
over Jane. the Bishops grandniece,
aged 6 twho told all three of them
they might call her "Jenny"). and
how they set out 90 explore the dawn
from which adventure the book
gains its name of golden fieecy
poetry. The Bishop had told them
in answer to their question that he
thought the dawn was the most
beautiful thing in the world. So
after one or two false starts they
succeeded In waking up at the right
time and they crept into the attic.
unfastened an eastern window and
then as they watched the last two
pale stars: "oh. it's coming now."
cried the Seraph. IL hear it" That's
not the dawn" said Angel. that's
the night flying away" And the
tale goes on:
'It was true that thero came 70 "a