NEW BOOKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 280, 7 August 1909, Page 9

NEW BOOKS.

."..Kingsmead.", ,':By,; tEe/,'Baroness: von..Hut- | ■■.';;. ten; ;.London:' S' Hutchinson"■■!'■ and' • Co. !' ; ,.'J'-V;Wellin^ii.: ! ' : Whit6oite\and!:Tbmbßr : '-' : .' 'is. a';mosi'*rea33&l6' book. ;Thc!_:storjt : 'is' new, 'ahd,:Worked-ou.ttarisja '.very, jori'gindl manner. ■ The: jpharacteli^S'rp",-very im«cK::alive, :: 'and tHe/settingia'j'jHctiiresque. :When,shc : wrote."Pam" tlie ; -Hutl^nny€atod. , ''a'' , 'ffhole./diry^.r^»;b^'»imi l iiE.' &fys4<SmioW&u r ages 7 :'ahd. these same' peo6l&'<■h'^fn'g:;:^ya'n- , dered : through: two.intervemlig';boo'ks; ; '},in;ako ■ tlieir- appearance' onco ' where' Tommy, Earl■ ot,lvihgsmead;: .whq£tyas jan iiifant\in : the pages of I the : 23-year-old /.little. Earl^/kind-h^arted, simple',,. weakly,- and full: of•;aiixietyVi'tb;"ipiay tho/'part ;.of .Providence, ini'jii.s.r'fn first chapter, ;the.;giiest*:qf<;hui bhum".Teddy 'Lansing,. he;istvisltihg'XEingsffieadj'' therancesiifal ;fome wiiielirhk^as^pebn 'i to',•■;'sell7j;;and:;there , {Jhe^''sUcc^ds7'4n-" .g^eruigja; £ .]a^£i:hOT^ ■ ■friends', : tb' : 'fui.tljerl^h"!^'.-ki'iidly; 'has'.ih'.view'i'APartibfJthe schemeiisjtii'rlatiuch Teddy;.iaiising(sl;;diffic'nlt sistervlnez; qn'i>thb ■seas'of co'unty.ssopie.iy'i'' atifc.part.Vbnc^rM^ a'ilittlq,widbwJ:ladyj'->vhom:OJi '.account'of'her delicate' elusiy&;bharV : they -have-, 'named -the JligndrietieJ'Lady'.'viTheVßarqn'oss : .nevorv\r6rks:'a|j)rig")v]e^-Avbr!i^line'sV. ; and'.wßen' the impulsive'-reader'jumps to, what seem; inevitable: conclusion's; early'.;: in the - story :it is;.tp; find; themVfals'ifi^ ;The:;Hi«oye"ry>;qf. the!.Jffign'qhetto Lady's true tragic story;■ah'd : tho.effect\of itba't discovery o.tt ! 'Tommyi-y.Eingsmeadfs 'scheming, .'is''.very. weU-imagined;.;tNqyels should have no.mqiS, | .and nowadays.'niostjbf them llayc; no moral, 'but'"Kingsmead V", deals wholesomely with ,a ; lurid;;side .of,-life. -, ! The .minor': characters ,'a.re : .;excellent,;:especially the 'family'-of ..-the. ,lian'sings r ;,.tho .^people;,who : :.haye-made their ;mqney.'but.,of, '.'Analytq'/'baili-tubs',,theVoid,! parents J proud ;!bf :■ the achievement,:' aricTithp fybun'g'jpebpte'jre^ itheir :/much-a'dye"rtised. 'nam©; is ;a;\ hou'sehqld iwqf'd:;,;.-Mrs'^an^ 'bian'ir;sincere,';->rid.'. ; irid6r^ndent;-;;;is:;f:w^i; ■niaiiched 'by/the'. sturdy. old vmdn, who.!- never 1 . toscsi Oilsemaid's' Jgy"; ;(thfe jgirl ; Vwhiq:'; has vbcehj'^du-i----'^ted.'Vup^'/JieYiiwlth^^ ;faibijy|s;aisq6iiites ; *^ .yentiqn ,sayes> from .;'an'^arisWßrairbl ; hia_vr'iage, A .' (t^',hiar'ry;,fh'e'^h'"p'f/hc' , i;)fatLer!s riral/'iircomV: ;faercial 'prosperity.?v>-i:. ;''■;■' ' : ;; : ':''' '. : v: .V

/'.'The ;■ Rbyal/'End.'' '■■■:">■s?. -Henry,.. Harlarid.'- ',; .;; London:;,-.-.- Hutchison.. and . CoV»; - 2s. /6d. / :.: : -'(Wellirigtbn:.'AVhitwnibe/and/Tombs.)/;,; , ./Thettheniofof :a' gnardiari,: ;a,iid/,his.;''sc;n»jle3; : ;in-.shoivn :&ye'f,or ;her'/has/-se;rvq^j/as,/:th6/^ dreds .of ..stories j^v.but/rieyeu/h'as /it/b.eeri.mbre.; /jffi; r''TJie v / Royal ,'End,"vHdnry;^ ; : 'girl,, 'pos'sessirig/t'lieveuoririous- wealthsthat/is' "aji't. to.: bo v /.an /attnbute, of k Mr, ;;■; Harlan'd' s: : /heroines;r,and; Harry ;Ppntycrdft7\a,''wealthy;, 'Englishman,;.:is; tho 'executor-:of;;hbr~.father's ,will,:.who, ; .after,.Ruth'ha,s/attained her'majority, shares with, his sister .the chief place in' ii'er/circle:of friends. /Ho is-a marridd man, .'separated-many ; years'before ..from tho wife :w|honi lie had; secretly inarried, and ho , con-. : scieritioiisly presses on /liuth ■ the." suit of, ,a ■isemi-rpyal'-lpycr, vßeftrara.-" qf/Oltramaro, -artist; .writer,',travel!er, ; and sportsman. But the lover:attains\to".F..tiny' European.king.'d6m,';_and: Ruth a' morganatic// proposal,'; which the'' Americari'.girriegards^as:an'uribdarablo "'in-' .suit./',',Shbi /takesr/refugol witli; : lior ■ uncle, ;tierierai; "Adgato, ;iriher, New England honio, arid.'it is'there that the/end of the/story is worked put tqa ;pleasant,/r'oyal end. / The book. possesses all the characteristics/that 'distinguished Mr.. Harlarid's earlier.novels— .writing so choice as-'.ln,'become--occasionally precious, little mannerisms;'savouring of aficctation, by-tlie-way disquisitioris on things, •iii general, and-tin atmosphere-of; poetry/and charm: that in"; this'.book noVonly ; remains after the scene is shifted to New England, 'but • becomes /thorp.-.' even .more dreamily poetic. The main" characters are delightful' ,—though their/good breeding is too'much insisted on,' but, by, the. cnd'-of. tho book- tho reader realises that justification, and that dealt ;with by ariother author the story might have been'obtrusively'disagreeable, in-■stcad-of the dainty; idyll that it is. .As an, off-set/to .the poetry of /the book,- thorp.is a" ; great-amount; of bantcring/corivei'sationydersigned to carry the characters over tlio deep waters' of emotion; and' iii - contrast; to, tho delightful people why; -play ; tho principal parts are several, mjnor,characters, sketched with '.a -satiric pen. and not :the less intcrcstinc on that account. • .

This is a story so grim and -needlessly cruel, so relentless in its tragedy, so. unrelieved by any gleam of happinessor humour, that it could only havo been written by a woman. It. belongs to tlio same class as. "Wuthering Heights" anil'"The Gadfly," almost to./'tbo sub-section which"'contains tho "Viper, of Milan" and '.'Human Toll." 'it i 3 the story of a boy's, life, and of. his death at tho ago of ■ twenty','■'friendless and'despairing, audit introduces the question'whether', a - woman should allow-her love for. a man whom she cannot yrespect; to , overcome .her., reasoning powers, whether passionate /love ''Without esteem justifies marriage. The authoress almost seems to thiuk tho question should be answered in the; affirmative. .Miles Starbrace, tho son of a scapegrace wbb has married far; beneath him, lived away', back in tl;o;days of the Pretender, and Miss'KayeSmith has' unearthed from! those' ■ days ■ an extraordinary .collection of bad words to'give colour to her .villains. ; The boy is brought' up as; the son of a labourer, 1 and though liis fathor insists.on tho fact of his gentle- birtlij'. ■ ho.givesrMm.no gentle education.. /When;he, i^"eighteen a serious'.' illness induces; tho 'father to appeal to his. own father for -assistance; : and' tho lad, over-grown ;" and badtempered, ! *s< taken away, to the beautiful homo where li'is grandfather, Sir John Starbrace, lives, and.there put under the charge' of a' very pious .tutor who /is) i weak '_:insympathy and .strong*' in;' severity, .'iJVliles submits.to discipline for a time, becauso he loves Theodora Straightway, tlio beautiful, cultured daughter of a ucigbbouring squire, and his, companionship, with-her is the only happy thing in his life', but the happiness does not last long; .In a.fit of "passion at an attempt to.flog himi he nearly; kills his..tutor land flies .fpr'.'his life;';: falling ...into the liands of a band of highivaymen'whom-ho joins. He, is captured and sentenced ■to deatli,- but at "the last moment reprieved.\and taken off to a lonely .farm .to .live with the';tutor, though in his hatred'.of the man he begs to' bo allowed to "'die.'./Then-,''follow' months'/of : wretched".discipline"!and -surveillance. Theodora i comes to tho'. farmhouse' by accideht, : and, ! finds lier boy-lover reduced ', to, a 'stateof pitiful/submission.!'Ho pleads"".'for;.,her!' love,; but with all .the, reason in the fcorld on her side, she remains .-firm, and tells hint. :that/though- it breaks their ..hearts ;to part 'it/would, grind down .their! souls'to bo tbfgether.i and she leaves him to a state ofutter -;iThb;end comes ; wheu Miles runs, away','' enlists' with and -is killed at* Frest'onpan's.. "Tho. story; is ; written .with. a..'g'obd/;deal'qf'iwwer, and' there'are'| ■some; very breezy descriptions 'of.;■". country life.! Tlio'"characters".are well,drawn'..:' Th'eodbra !is.;a/ very'likeable' girl,! and' the : firmnees. : and*,'severity''.:of '~ the .clergyman who piously th'e.iad's' lifo'are.cleverly depicted. .In spite' of his temper and sternness,' old Sir /John Starbrace is allowed to beivery human, ■ with/gleams' of. an affection which the; tutor rigidly/checks:/' ■■■ "'jY-'*.} : ':.'■'

"The Burden of:;' 1909: \A.m Prophecy.'' .>■ By .. Eldb'ri Hill.^London:" Stanley Paul and : ,; ..///'./:; ; : .This/little - /pamphlets-is: quite alarming in '.appearance and sombre;iii' get-up:. '.'-It begins ;in aivefyVintercsting, manner with a' detailed :aecc(jrit" of a ;dinner-party,_'at'which the host describes /some, curious!- circumstances/.' that' :have led/to/-his"desiring to test the powers. ;of two: young people,' wonderfully gifted,, the 'girl with-:mesmeric.power,/.the /■ boy ■', clairvoyant.'/ Nearl y/sixty-five pages aro; taken up withi'tho : stqry.;'of how this .desire .wis gratified '/in':: the! .presence', of several scientific, menj and;-. three'.iand-.a half;, pages contain the 'prophecy,/but. it is not very clear what the prophecy is'meant to be ; : except that' a portion, of it is. connected-' with, the writer's. . hatred of .vivisection; •Thb. first-: of; the.. f ol-'lowing'-advertisement/ .pages' contains' .the notice :of 'a-book by.. the: Aiiti-Vivisec-tion. Council/,';/■//;,■;■,/• —'•''.''..'