LITERARY CHAT

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume IV, 1 April 1901, Page 557

LITERARY CHAT

By "The Sage."

In the Name of a Woman is the title chosen by Mr. Arthur W. Marchraont, the author of By Right of Sword, A Dash for a Throne, etc., for his latest work, which lias been forwarded for review by Messrs. Upton and Co., of Auckland, and is published by Messrs. Longman, Green and Co. m their Colonial Library. The scene is laid in Bulgaria, and the first chapter opens with a night adventure in Sofia. "'Help!' The cry, faint but strenuous in a woman's voice, rang out on the heavy hot night air, and told me that one of those abominable deeds that were so rife in the lawless Bulgarian capital was in progress, and I hastened forward in angry perplexity, trying to locate the sound," is the opening paragraph, thus bringing the reader into the story at once without wearisome introduction. The hero turns out to be Gerald Winthrop, an Englishman passing himself off as Count Benderoff, of Radova, in order to facilitate the performance of a secret mission that he had undertaken for the Foreign Office, the object of which was to get to the bottom of the secret machinations by which Russia was endeavouring to close her grip of iron on the throne and country of Bulgaria, and if possible, thwart them.

This was the man who heard the cry of a woman in distress, and rushing to the rescue found the Countess Anna Bokara, "the staunch woman friend of His Highness the Prince," as she afterwards described herself Vol. TT.— No. 7.-38.

to him, iv dive peril from two would-bo assasins in the room of a house. Ho at onco leapt into the window and saved tho lady's life, who explains to him that because of her influence with the Prince and in opposition to Russia, she has beeu lured to bo nmrderod in cold blood, and tries by all the means in her power to persuade the Count to join tho Prince's cause. He was too cautious to yield either to the fascination of her manner, or her promises of position, riches and a fair bride. She informed him of the plot to place a certain Princess of Orli on tho throne, who, she said, was secretly betrothed to a Russian of infinite vilonoss and treachory, tho Duke Sergius, by which means Russia would attain her ends. This Princess of Orli, who is the real heroine of tho story, the Count meets shortly aftor. Ho is handed a written message which I'eads : " Follow the bearer, 'In the namo of a Woman.' " Taking this to be from the Countess of Bokara, he obeys gladly, and finds himself instead in the presence of three Russians. His curt replies to their questions end in two of them attacking him fiercely, when a door opens and the Princess appears in the nick of time, and savos tho Count's life from treachery. The rest of the story is a complication of plots and counterplots, interspei'sed with duels, the abduction of the Princess, rescues, a suicide, hair-breadth escapes, in fact as many thrilling incidents ac it is

possible to cram into the pages, or reasonable to suppose might have occurred even in Bulgaria at the period. For the result of all this I must recommend my readers to secure the book, which on the whole, is one which is sure to be read, although the reader can scarcely help feeling that the subject the author has chosen has been better handled before. His love scenes, of which he has been considerately sparing, are perhaps the weakest portions of the book.

[As the foregoing was the only new book which has come forward for review this month on account, as the booksellei*s inform me, of the slack time in the trade at Home after the Christmas business is over, I insert in these columns three essays on different subjects by various contributors, and leave the reader to judge their merits.]