SOME RECENT FICTION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2717, 11 March 1916, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION

SIR CILBERT PARKER'S LATEST STORY. Sir Gilbert Parker, tho author of "TJie Money Master" (Hutchinson aud Co.; per Gordon and Gotcli), is always at his best, so I am pleased to consider, on his old favourite background of French Canada.' His latest story contains soruo of the best work, especially in character-drawing, that the novelist has yet given us. The Money Master, Jean Jacques Barbille, is a French Canadian, a miller and farmer, the wealthiest' man in his little town. In his youth ho has spent a yea rat the Laval Univorsity, afterwards visiting France. On his way home he meets a beautiful young Spanish woman, Oarmen Dolores, whom he marries and makes the mistress of the Manor Cartier. Unfortunately, Jean Jacquos, with his business preoccupations and his much-cherished philosophy—the result of his early, ill-directed, and ill-digested studies at Laval—fails to respond to the romantic side of his wife's nature, and despite the birth of a daughter, Carmen becomes discontented. A rascally, but handsome, fellow now comes along, and makes furious love to the over-susceptible Spaniard, who consents to leave her husband. Eventually, however, her eyes being opened to the would-be Don Juan's real character, she leaves both husband and lover. It takes all poor Barbille's' philosophy to console him : for the loss of his mate, who .disappears for some years. His next trouble is the revolt of his daughter, .who insists upon marrying an Englishman.—an , aotor—and, worse still, to the mind of the average Canaiian habitant, a Protestant. Zoo runs away, and the old man is almost inconsolable. To _ make matters worse his business affairs get in a muddle, his mill is burned down, and he is robbed of the insurance moiiey by his wife's father,, a worthless fellow, whom, "commo philosoplie," the poor miller lias nevertheless provided with a home. The much-tried miller goes out West to i small farm, which is the sole relict if his former substantial . proßerties, first', however, discovering His _ wife, tvho had gone on the stage, dying in Toronto, poor and friendless: In the West he discovers that his daughter is dead, but has left a child. Yet again poor Jean Jacques is confronted by a Erave difficulty, for the woman w!ho has adopted the infant refuses to give her up. Once more, and for the last time, the submits to an unkind fate, but finally finds comfort with a Hood-hearted little widow, who has long adored him, whilst a .timely discovery of a valuable coal seam on 'his property rostores him to comparative wealth. As will "be seen, the author condemns the good-natured old philosopher to many sore trials, but it must not be thought' that the interest of the story is dominantiy pathetic. On the contrary, some fine dramatic scenes arc alternated by touches of a very pleasant humour. The, miller's two friends, M." Fille, Clerk of the Court, and Judge Carcasson, are characters, of whom any novelist might well bo proud, and the ever-faithful Madame Poucet, who offers ' the miller her small fortune, to 1 save him from bankruptcy, is another very successful creation. As'to Jean Jacques himself, no one can help loving'him, despite his :liildish .egotism, his helpless reliance upon his philosophy. "Cost un bon coeur voyes vous"—"he has a good ieart,". his fellow villagers would loubtless say, . and for his jood heart he might ' well bo forgiven that obstinacy and selfnonceit .whioh- led him into such sora trouble. "The Money Master" is, in many ways, one of tlie best novels Sir jrilbert Parker has yet written, an in» x)ring arid essentially wholesome story ivliicli cannot fail to please. PASSION AND FAITH. The clash between love and religious lifferences which spoils so many unions letween persons of opposite faiths pro'ides the motif of .Dorothea Gerard's a test story, "Passion and Faith" (Staney Paul and Co.) Miss Gerard's herone, Marian Escott is a beautiful wonan, unsuitably mated, who falls in ove with a nobleman. After her divorce the lovers are about to marry, iut in Vienna Marian comes under I!atholio. influence, and the ' Roman 3hurch ' not countenancing marriage of livorced persons, she has to choose beween her faith and her lover. For a ;ime religion wins, but when the wonan learns that her old lover is about *1 marry another lady she wavers, retails the still amorous nobleman,. , and .hey marry. After a time, however tTTO ild conflict 'twixt passion and faith is wived, and is only ended by death, he .distracted wife first giving birth to i child who, so she induces her husband « promise, shall be brought up in the aith to which she has returned. Perionally I do not care for the discussion n works of fiction of the differences beween one religious faith and 1 another, iut Miss Gerard's story is well written, ind her study of Marian Escott's coinilex character exhibits a clever discernneiit and exposition of a severe mental md spiritual struggle. "HARMONY HALL." Many of my' reader who remember hose very charming stories, "The Lure it Crooning Water"_ and "Sunrise Hill;" ly Marion Hill, will be interested to cam that the author has. written a new itory, this time a . story for girls, envied "Harmony Hall," snd published iy John Long, Ltd.' It is a very orignal and lively story, in which figure irominently three sisters, Harmony, illegra, and Gappy by name, all boing efreshingly bright and unconventional roung ladies. Harmony, in particular, s a specially lovable character, and.the ■eader will follow the story of her ex- 1 jeriences in endeavouring to add to tlio amily funds, sadly disorganised by the Ilness of the girls' father, with 110 abatement of interest until the last page s reached. Ostensibly written for a ;irl audience, "Harmony Hall" will, no, loubt, please adult readbrs just as much is. those.for whose entertainment it was >rimarily intended, especially by reason if its happy and unforced humour. "SUSAN PROUDLEIGH." "Susan Proudleigh," by Herbert G. le Lesser (Methuen and Co.), is a novel vhicli at least possesses the merit of lovolty. For, although. West Indian .cenes are by 110 means uncommon in English fiction, I can recall only Mr. Mdane Macfall's clover story, "The iVooing of Jezebel Pefctifcr," as being nainly devoted to pictures of the everylay life of the coloured folk. Mr. do [■isser's story deals entirely with tlio Famaican negroes, the heroine being a Kingston girl, black but comey, .who is "engaged"—an expression which in Jamaica, has a somewhat different meaning from its ordinary English signification—to a young fellow who goes off tho Colon to ivork on the Canal. After a while Susan lerself emigrates to the Isthmus, accompanied by a now lover, who'promises to marry her. The marriago is indefinitely postponed, and eventually Susan, finding her protector becoming. moro attached to drink and gambling than to herself, weds another, an older and moro prosperous coloured gentleman, becoming Mrs. Mackenzie, instead of, as she had once hoped, Mrs. Jones. Whon the husband l is killed by a fall of earth ia tho Culcbra Cut, the wife returns to her native island, apparently reconciled to the prospect of wedding her old lover, now disenchanted with the joys of life in the Canal zone, and swearing repontance and reform. The interest of the story lies in its intimate and realistic studies of life and character. The local colour of the .Canal scenes is desid'edly fresh and picturosaiuu .

"THE ENDS OF THE EARTH." Under tho title of "Tho Ends of tlio Earth" (Werner Laurio), Mrs. Mary Gaunt, whoso "Uncounted Cost" was such mi excellent novel, and whose travel books, "Alone in West Africa" and "A Woman in China," woro both so woll received, now gives us sixteen capital short stories, drawn literally from tho "ends of tho earth" ; for tho scene is continually changing from Australia to Togoland, from China to the Eastern shores of Siberia, and to tho far south of South America. There is a fine dramatic interest in somo of the stories, a touch of comedy in others. Vividly picturesque local colour and Mrs. Gaunt's bright and vigorous stylo combine to make her book thoroughly roadable.