LONDON LITERARY GOSSIP.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1152, 30 March 1894, Page 30

LONDON LITERARY GOSSIP.

From Our o<'-n Correspondent. London, January 27. Constance Fennimore Woolsoa, who committed suicide under melancholy circumstances at Venice last week, seemed likely ten years ago to become America's greatest novelist. When in ISS2 " Anne" appeared in Harper's a chorus of surprise! a 1 miration ran through the States. Tlie chief character was drawn with deficacy and restraint, and the scenes of the story were fresh and new. The following year, 13>3, Miss Woolson reached her high water mark with " For the Major,' a tender and sympathetically written novelette, which only our Mrs Oiiphant at her best could, of other contemporary storycl'ers, have achieved. These works gave Miss Woolson fame nnd money, and enabled her (even then middle-aged) to roam about Europe r:s she chose. Several short stories and articles of hers cam- out in American magazines in 1884 an s 1.->SS but it was not iill ISS-i " East Angels," a carefully drawn picture of country life in Florida, ran through Harpers. By common consent this story, though capclb'e and readable enough, was voted inferi< r to "Anae," and the same remark applies to the more recent " Jupiter Lights." Miss Woolson visited Oxford last year, and

was said to be writing a talc of undergraduate life. She made great friends with Oriel Bill, the magnificent bull dog who lives at the gates of Oriel College, ami had him many times to dinner, sending him home with her autograph (fur which she was being con-! stantly bothered' round his neck. Miss Woolson was suffering from influenza when she leapt from the window of the house in Venice where she was stopping. The poor lady (just, -15 years of age) had shown symptoms of eccentricity for some timr.

In writing you of Mr C'oulson Kcmahan's powerful study of dipsomania " A Literary Gent. '' in the " Book of Strange Sins," I remarked it would make an effective temperance tract. Apparently the teetotallers think so too, for the United Kingdom Alliance have arranged with the publishers for its appearance in a special Celebration number of the Alliance News, to be issued next March. The author who in these days of typewriting submit.-; ordinary MS to either amateur or publisher's reader deserves the bad luck which will probably befall him or her. Srtrah Grand's " Ideaia" was finished in 'S3, and the lad} T being an anient admirer of Raskin's, she'ofrercd it first to George Allen, of Orpington, as all the world knows the Professor's private printer. Allen liked the ;< study," and said he would publish it if Mr Raskin gave him leave. The rather tattered and untidy manuscript was thereupon sent to Coniston. Probably its appearance prejudiced the venerable art critic, or the tone of the opening displeased him. Anyhow after reading ten or twelve pages he scribbled (or rather his niece, Mrs Severn, scribbled for him) on the front page, " Mr Buskin doesn't like the title, and can't bear queer people, however nice." Miss Grand, disappointed, promptly locked away the despised M S. In ISSB, however, after five years' repose, she reviewed her work again, and her confidence in the book being unshaken, published it as a yellow-back. The moment the book appeared in print Bentley, wdioso readers had rejected the manuscript, recognised its somewhat eccentric geniu=, and offered to reissue "Ideaia" in library form. Its success was instantaneous. Nevertheless, the same, publisher had not confidence enough later to bring out "The Heavenly Twins."

Readers of Dorothea Gerard will regret that the title of her new story, " The Rich Miss Ridded," would seem to indicate an English scene. Far the best tale 3 she has written alone were the Polish " Orthodox," and " A Voice of a Flower," both much superior to " Lady Baby.'' " The Rich Miss Riddell " commences in Blackwood for February, which also contains a study in ghost-lore by Andrew Lang, an 1 further sporting experiences by Sir Edward Braddon. The " most pathetic line in the w r orh'l " controvei-sv raged for many days in the Pall Mall Gazelle, all sorts of good, bad and indifferent —mostlv indifferent—quotations being trotted oat by the " Constant Reader. ' Probably a ribald pauper came nearest the truth when he remarked in a financial journal chat the most pathetic line in the world to most of us is " Our collector will call to-morrow." He also says, and with truth, that there is some pathos and plenty of poiut in the lines on the title page of Bulwer's " Money." 'Tis a very good world that we live in, To lend or to spend or to give in,

But to beg, or to borrow, or to get a man's

own, 'Tis the very worst world that ever was known.

It has not generally transpired that the amusing article in the <S7. James' Gazelle. of December entitled " The Late Sherlock Holmes: Sensational Arrest : Watson Accused of the Crime,'' was by J. M. Barrie, and served first as a ledfer to Conan Doyle. The Bookman says tins is the first article Barrie ha? written for some years, but it forgets his contributions to various Christmas publications in 1892.