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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a5711fd --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66004 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66004) diff --git a/old/66004-0.txt b/old/66004-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8668409..0000000 --- a/old/66004-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8772 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Marie Corelli, by T. F. G. Coates - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Marie Corelli - The Writer and the Woman - -Author: T. F. G. Coates - Robert Stanley Warren Bell - -Release Date: August 7, 2021 [eBook #66004] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Tim Lindell, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARIE CORELLI *** - - - - - [Illustration: "MASON CROFT" MISS CORELLI’S PRESENT RESIDENCE - - (A Corner Glimpse in Winter)] - - - - - MARIE CORELLI - - The Writer and The Woman - - By - T. F. G. COATES - Author of “The Life of Lord Rosebery” - - and - - R. S. WARREN BELL - Author of “Bachelorland,” etc. - - [Illustration] - - WITH 16 FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS - - PHILADELPHIA - GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO. - PUBLISHERS - - - Copyright, 1903, by - George W. Jacobs & Company, - Published June, 1903 - - - - -Preface - - -Miss Marie Corelli’s unique personality has aroused interest and -curiosity among all classes of society, and we are aware that the -present work will be diligently searched for intimate information -regarding the subject of these pages. It behooves us, therefore, to -remind those who peruse this volume that the writing of contemporary -biography is a most delicate literary performance; so, while it has been -our aim to set before the public as many particulars as possible -concerning Marie Corelli the Woman--as distinct from Marie Corelli the -Writer--it will be apparent to the least intelligent of our patrons -that, in common courtesy to Miss Corelli, it is possible for us to -publish only a limited number of personal minutiæ concerning the -novelist during her lifetime. - -In making a general survey of Miss Corelli’s various books, we have -endeavored, in each case, to quote such passages as may be read with -interest independently of the context, or such as tend to explain the -spirit animating the novelist whilst engaged upon the volume under -treatment. - -It has been our endeavor to keep this biographical study free from -offense to any living person, or to the memory of any who have passed -away. In cases where we have found it necessary to refer in vigorous -terms to the words or conduct of certain individuals, we have been -actuated solely by a desire to have justice done to Miss Corelli. And in -this respect we prefer not to be regarded as her champions so much as -“counsel” briefed for the defense of a woman who has had, and still has, -to contend with a very great number of adversaries, not all of whom are -in the habit of conducting their warfare in the open. - -In conclusion, we beg to offer Miss Corelli our grateful thanks for -permitting us to have access to letters, papers, and other documents -necessary to authenticate our facts, as without such permission we could -not have undertaken our task. - - THOMAS F. G. COATES, - R. S. WARREN BELL. - -_March, 1903._ - - - - -Contents - - -CHAPTER I - -THE HEROINE OF THE STORY - -A Bentley Letter--The Effect of a Publisher’s Advice on a Writer’s -Career--The Success of “A Romance of Two Worlds” without help from the -Press--The Unfairness of appointing Novelists to Criticise Novels or act -as Publishers’ “Readers”--Marie Corelli’s Universality, and the Reason -for it--Her Endeavors to Promote Holy Living--Her Unequaled -Boldness--Which is her Best Book?--“Thelma” most Popular as a -Love-story--Her Short Works--The Difficulty of awarding her a Definite -Place in Letters 13 - - -CHAPTER II - -MARIE CORELLI’S CHILDHOOD, ETC. - -Marie Corelli, Adopted as an Infant, by Dr. Charles Mackay--Description -of Mackay’s Career--The “Rosebud” and her Fancies--Absence of Child -Playmates--Marie Corelli at the Convent School--Her Musical Studies--Dr. -Mackay’s Illness, and her Return Home for Good--Miss Bertha -Vyver--George Eric Mackay: his Chequered Career--“Love-Letters of a -Violinist”: their Publication and Reception 26 - - -CHAPTER III - -“A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS” - -Its Original Title--The MS. Accepted by Bentleys--Its Name Suggested by -Dr. Mackay--The Press and the “Romance”--Its Reception by the Public, -and its Effect on Readers--Marie Corelli and the Supernatural--Synopsis -of Plot--Heliobas and his “Electric Creed”--X-Rays and Wireless -Telegraphy foretold in this Book 48 - - -CHAPTER IV - -“VENDETTA” AND “THELMA” - -Mr. Bentley’s Opinion of “Vendetta”--Practically a True Story of Naples -during the Cholera Epidemic of 1884--The Remarkable Ingenuity of its -Construction--The Novelist’s Habit of Creating a Pretty Picture only to -Destroy it, as Exemplified by the Opening Chapters of “Vendetta” and -After Events--The Appalling Ferocity of Count Fabio and the Culminating -Scene of his Vengeance. - -Mr. Bentley’s Enthusiastic Comments on “Thelma”--The Story Compared with -“She,” to the Latter’s Disadvantage--A Romantic Setting--The Main Theme -of the Book--Thelma’s Bewilderment at the Hollowness of Society--Her -Husband’s Alleged Unfaithfulness--Her Flight to Norway and the -Sequel--Miss Corelli’s “Unsparing Brush”--The Weak Spot in the -Book--Thelma’s Winning Personality 64 - - -CHAPTER V - -“ARDATH” - -Its Theme--Congratulations from Lord Tennyson--A suggested Corelli City -in Colorado--An Example of the Novelist’s Descriptive Powers--Theos -Alwyn, Agnostic--His Interview with Heliobas--The Dream and the -Poem--The Field of Ardath--The City of Al-Kyris--Sah-Lûma, the Poet -Laureate--The Religion of Al-Kyris--Lysia, High Priestess of the -God-Serpent--The Prophet Khosrûl and his Predictions--The Fall of -Al-Kyris--The Awakening of Alwyn and his Return to London--The Converted -Poet--“Ardath” a Book for all who Doubt--Six Tests for -Spiritualists 79 - - -CHAPTER VI - -“WORMWOOD” AND “THE SOUL OF LILITH” - -Pauline de Charmilles: a Character Sketch--Her Engagement to Beauvais -and the Arrival of Silvion Guidèl--“First Impressions”--Pauline’s -Confession and Beauvais’ First Bout of Absinthe-drinking--The Exposure -on the Wedding-Day--More Absinthe, and the Murder of Guidèl--The Meeting -between Beauvais and Pauline, and the Suicide of the Latter--Pauline’s -Corpse at the Morgue--A Denunciation of Absinthe--A Suggestion to Marie -Corelli Concerning the Drink Question in this Country. - -“The Soul of Lilith” an Attempt to Prove the Apparently Unprovable--A -Reason for Marie Corelli’s Immense Popularity--El-Râmi and the Dead -Egyptian Girl--His Experiment--Heliobas again--“The Two Governing Forces -of the Universe”--“Poets are often the Best Scientists”--“The Why, Why, -Why of Everything”--A Solution of Life’s Problems 112 - - -CHAPTER VII - -MR. BENTLEY’S ENCOURAGEMENT - -The Thorny Path of the Literary Pilgrim--Old Publishers and New--Mr. -George Bentley an Honorable Example of the Former Type--The Happy -Relations that existed between Miss Corelli and her Publisher--A List of -the Novelist’s Works Published by Bentleys--Mr. Bentley’s Appreciation -of “Ardath”--His Refusal to make Overtures to the Press--A Reference to -Miss Rhoda Broughton and the Treatment dealt out to her by Critics--Mr. -Gladstone’s Visit--Concerning “Wormwood”--Maarten Maartens and his -Opinion of “Ardath”--Press Attacks on “The Soul of Lilith”--The Late -Queen Victoria and Marie Corelli’s Books--A Comment on the Chivalry of -the Press--A Carlyle Anecdote--Mr. Bentley as Author--His Book: “After -Business”--The Inestimable Value of Mr. Bentley’s Advice to the Young -Novelist 134 - - -CHAPTER VIII - -“BARABBAS” - -Charles Kingsley and “Women’s Writings”--Marie Corelli’s Idea in Penning -“Barabbas”--The Character of “Judith”--St. Peter’s Definition of a -Lie--The Character of Jesus of Nazareth--Melchior’s Speeches--The -Treacherous Caiaphas--The Magdalen--The Scene of The Resurrection--The -Tragedy of Love and Genius 152 - - -CHAPTER IX - -“THE SORROWS OF SATAN” - -As a Book--How the Critics Missed the Allegorical Idea of the Story--The -Opinion of Father Ignatius: “Tens of Thousands will Bless the -Author”--A Plea for more Womanliness among modern Women--Geoffrey -Tempest--£5,000,000 from Satan--Prince Lucio Rimânez and his -Associations with Tempest--Lady Sibyl Elton--The Effect of Perfect -Beauty on a Man--The Modern Gambling Mania--Viscount Lynton’s Last -Wager--The Character of Mavis Clare,--Lady Sibyl’s Bitter Description of -Herself--Her Marriage with Tempest, and the Disillusionment--Her Passion -for Prince Rimânez and Subsequent Suicide--The Conception of Satan, and -an Explanation of his Position: “Satan becomes on Terms of Intimacy with -Man only if Man shows that he wishes to Travel an Evil Course”--The -Yachting Cruise and Tempest’s return to Christian Ways--Opinion of the -Late Rev. H. R. Haweis. - -“The Sorrows of Satan” as a Play--How Miss Corelli has Suffered from the -Defective Law of Literary Copyright--The Play Written, and Read at the -Shaftesbury Theatre--Miss Corelli’s Opinion of it--Miss Evelyn Millard’s -Attitude with Regard to the part of “Lady Sibyl”--“The Grosvenor -Syndicate”--The Play Produced--Other Versions--How the Dramatic Rights -of Novels have to be Protected 164 - - -CHAPTER X - -“THE MIGHTY ATOM” AND “BOY” - -Novels with a Purpose--The Criminally Mistaken Up-bringing of -Children--Lionel Valliscourt an Eleven-year-old Atheist--The Cramming -Process and its Effect on him--His Breakdown and Holiday--His Return to -find that Little Jessamine is Dead--His Grief and Pathetic End--The -Power of a Book like “The Mighty Atom” to _Teach_. - -“Boy”--A somewhat Similar Work--The Responsibilities of Parents--“Boy’s” -Childhood--His Neglected Condition--Miss Letty and the Major--“Boy” goes -to School--The Change Wrought in him--His Entirely _blasé_ Demeanor at -sixteen--“Boy” Guilty of Drunkenness and Fraud--His Final Reformation -and Death 192 - - -CHAPTER XI - -“THE MURDER OF DELICIA” AND “ZISKA” - -Modern Husbands--The Money Marriage--The Average Man and his Attitude in -this Respect--Delicia Vaughan, Novelist and Beauty--Her foolish -Infatuation for Lord Carlyon and Consequent Misery--“The Rare and -Beautiful Blindness of Perfect Love”--The Penalty Paid by Delicia. - -“Ziska”: A Cairean Romance--Ziska the Flesh-clad Ghost of a Long-ago -Dancer--“The Mighty Araxes,” her Former Lover, Presented in Modern Shape -as Armand Gervase, a French Painter--The Renewal of his Passion for -Ziska--His Rival--“The Attraction we Call Love” a Preordained -Destiny--Dr. Dean, _savant_, and his Interesting Theories--Beneath the -Great Pyramid--Ziska’s Terrible Revenge 207 - - -CHAPTER XII - -“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN” - -How it was Commenced and Interrupted--The Novelist’s Severe -Illness--Death of George Eric Mackay--The Literary Dinner and the -Critic--Sir Francis Burnand Describes “Boy” as “a Work of Genius”--Mr. -Stead and “The Master-Christian”--The Novelist’s Views on Roman -Catholicism--Miss Corelli’s Open Letter to Cardinal Vaughan--The Story -of the “Master-Christian”--Cardinal Bonpré at Rouen--Paulism--The -Discovery of the Boy Manuel--The Miraculous Healing of the Lame -Fabien--The Cardinal and Manuel at Paris--Angela Sovrani--The Abbé -Vergniaud, Atheist--A Flower Legend--Manuel and Angela 222 - - -CHAPTER XIII - -“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN” (_continued_) - -The Abbé Vergniaud’s Sermon and the Attempt on his Life--He Confesses -that his Assailant is his Son--The Cardinal’s Leniency towards the Abbé -and his Persecution by the Vatican--Monsignor Moretti--Manuel and the -Cardinal at Rome--Manuel’s Extraordinary Address to the Pope--“Come and -Preach Christ as He Lived and Died”--The Effect of the Boy’s Exhortation -on the Pope--Other Characters--Angela’s Picture--A Poem by Dr. Charles -Mackay--The Death of Cardinal Bonpré 246 - - -CHAPTER XIV - -“TEMPORAL POWER” - -An Unprecedented Sale--A Note on its Title--Reviewed by Three Hundred -and Fifty Journals, although not sent out to the Press--Criticisms from -_Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper_ and the _Review of Reviews_--A Reply to Mr. -Stead’s Suggestion that Certain Royal and other Characters in the Book -have Living Counterparts--The Novelist’s Emphatic Denial in this -Respect--“Carl Perousse, Secretary of State”--The European Statesman -Miss Corelli had in her Mind when Drawing this Character--The “King” of -“Temporal Power”--Morganatic Marriages: the Novelist’s -Denunciation--Attempts on the Part of Book Trade Journals to Quash the -Success of the Novel, and their Retractations--The Rejection of the -King’s Love by Lotys, Woman of the People: a Quotation 265 - - -CHAPTER XV - -SPEECHES AND LECTURES - -The Novelist’s First Public Speech: an Appeal for a Warwickshire -Church--An Address Delivered to Stratford Working-men on “The Secret of -Happiness”--Hard Work the Best Tonic in the World--The Novelist at the -Edinburgh Philosophical Institution--“The Vanishing Gift”: an Address on -the Decay of the Imagination--Art in the “Old World” Period and Art -now--Imagination an Artist’s First Necessary--Modern Wonders Imagined -when the World was Young--The Novelist at Glasgow--An Address on “Signs -of the Times” Delivered before a Huge Audience--An Allusion to the -Prince of Wales and his Famous Speech at the Mansion House--“The Old -Country must Wake up”--“The Advancing and Resistless Tide of Truth”--A -Notable Peroration 281 - - -CHAPTER XVI - -MARIE CORELLI’S VIEWS ON MARRIAGE - -The Novelist’s Definition of Marriage--The Modern “Market”--“One Woman, -One Man”--Marie Corelli’s Exhortation to Women--“God will not be -Mocked”--The Religious Instruction of Children--The Abolition of -Religious Education in French Schools and its Unhappy Effect on the -Country--Lionel Valliscourt: a Pathetic Example of “Cram”--And “Boy”: of -Parental Neglect 298 - - -CHAPTER XVII - -SOME PERSONAL ITEMS - -The Helen Faucit Memorial--Marie Corelli’s Successful Campaign in Behalf -of Shakespeare’s Burial Place--Portraits of the Novelist--Marie Corelli -Declines to Review “The Eternal City”--An Introduction to Mr. -Labouchere--Use made of a “Private and Confidential” -Letter--“Self-advertisement”: Some Comments on Accusations of this -Character brought against Marie Corelli by certain Sections of the -Press--The Invitation to the Abbey on the Occasion of the King’s -Coronation--An Invitation to open a Nonconformist Bazaar at Brighton, -and why it was Declined--Letters from Dr. Parker and the Rev. Hugh Price -Hughes--“The Ethics of Criticism”: a letter by E. Rentoul Esler--“To the -Quarterly”: Some Verses by Marie Corelli 311 - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -AT STRATFORD-ON-AVON - -The “Local Color” in Marie Corelli’s Books--“I _Imagine_ it must be so, -and I find it generally _is_ so”--Why the Novelist went to live at -Stratford--“Hall’s Croft,” “Avon Croft,” and “Mason Croft”: her -Successive Residences--Her Affection for Stratford and her Regret that -the Memorial Theatre is so little used--Her Benefactions--Instances of -Kind-heartedness in Other Writers--Marie Corelli’s “Life-Programme”--Her -Personality “Striking in its Simplicity and in its Power”--The Novelist -as a Shakespeare Enthusiast--Her Desire to see Stratford become the -“Bayreuth of Literature”--The Novelist’s “Public”: the Vastness of her -Constituency--Her Friends--A Character Sketch of Marie Corelli by Mr. J. -Cuming Walters--Mr. Gladstone’s Parting Benediction 332 - -_Of the above Chapters, II, V, VIII, IX, XII, XIII, XVI, and XVII are by -Thomas F. G. Coates; and Chapters I, III, IV, VI, VII, X, XI, XIV, XV -and XVIII by R. S. Warren Bell._ - - - - -Illustrations - - -“Mason Croft,” Miss Corelli’s Present Residence _Frontispiece_ - -A Boating Place on the Avon _Facing page_ 80 - -A Favorite Reach on the Avon " " 80 - -What Becomes of the Press Cuttings " " 146 - -Marie Corelli’s Pet Yorkshire Terrier “Czar” " " 146 - -“Killiecrankie Cottage” where “Ziska” was Finished " " 212 - -“Avon Croft” where “The Master Christian” was Finished " " 212 - -“Hall’s Croft” where Marie Corelli Wrote Half -of “The Master Christian” " " 228 - -Winter at “Mason Croft” " " 320 - -The Elizabethan Watch Tower, “Mason -Croft” " " 336 - -Miss Corelli’s Boatman and Punt " " 346 - - - - -MARIE CORELLI - -The Writer and the Woman - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE HEROINE OF THE STORY - - -“Keep a brave heart. You are steadily rising. People recognize that you -are an artist working with love, not a machine producing novels against -bank-notes, with no interest in its work. But keep a good heart, little -lady. It is the way with people of imagination and keen sensibility to -have their moments of depression.... I believe you will emerge out of -all this with your brave little spirit, and I shall rejoice to see you -successful, because I believe you will not be spoilt by success.” - -Thus wrote George Bentley, the publisher, to Marie Corelli on November -15th, 1888. At that time only three of her books had appeared--“A -Romance of Two Worlds,” “Vendetta,” and “Thelma”--and she was engaged -upon the latter portion of “Ardath.” She was in the spring of her -career, probing the Unknown and the Unseen, the Long Ago and the Future, -with daring flights of fancy that had already set the world wondering. - -Meanwhile, Mr. Bentley watched over his _protégée_ with a care that was -almost parental. A number of extracts from his wise and helpful letters -will be given in the course of this work; and the reader will not fail -to observe that there was very much more in Mr. Bentley’s attitude than -a mere desire to coin pretty expressions for the benefit of a charming -young woman possessed of undeniable genius. He could be very candid in -his criticisms, when occasion demanded, but his tact was unfailing, and -his sympathy boundless. He was one of an old school of which but few -examples now remain. He was a personal friend as well as a publisher, -one who could regard an author as something more than a creature with a -money-producing imagination. He was of the school that produced -Blackwood, Murray, Smith--the famous scions of those houses--and others -whose names have ever been uttered with affection by those men and women -of the pen who had dealings with them. One has only to peruse the -correspondence which passed between John Blackwood, on the one side, and -G. H. Lewes and George Eliot, on the other, to appreciate in full the -power of encouragement and the influence a publisher possesses in his -negotiations with a writer of promise. - -Of a truth, Marie Corelli had need of such a friend, for her early -career, as everybody knows, was thorny and troublous. A publisher greedy -for a golden harvest might have prevailed upon her to write quickly, -and, as a natural consequence, not at her best, for the certain gains -which such work would produce in abundance. Mr. Bentley deprecated undue -hurry. “You are now a person,” he says in one of his characteristic -letters, “of sufficient importance not to have to depend on appearance -or non-appearance. You have shown not only talent, but versatility, and -that you are not a mere mannerist with one idea repeating itself in each -book; consequently, when you next come, there will be expectation.” - -In advising one possessed of so seemingly inexhaustible a fund of mental -riches, Mr. Bentley was undertaking no light task. Moreover, he was -offering counsel to a writer, who, to many people, was an absolute -enigma. - -For when Marie Corelli appeared as a novelist she was altogether new. -She was something entirely fresh, and, to a certain extent, -incomprehensible; as a result, she was reviled, she was told that she -was impossible, she was treated as a pretending upstart: the critics -would have none of her. - -But her success with her first book, “A Romance of Two Worlds,” was due -to itself, and not to either the praise or the censure of the press. -Only four reviews of this romance appeared, each about ten lines long, -and none of the four would have helped to sell a single copy. But the -public got hold of it. People began to talk about it and discuss it. -Then it was judged worth attacking, and the more continuous its sale the -more it was jeered at by the critical fault-finders. - -Marie Corelli did not invite adverse criticism. She was quite a girl, -untried and inexperienced, and had, apparently, from her letters to her -friends, a most touching faith in the chivalry of the press. “I hope,” -she wrote to Mr. Bentley, “the clever men on the Press will be kind to -me, as it is a first book [the ‘Romance’]; because if they are I shall -be able to do so much better another time.” - -But, much to her surprise, the clever men of the press bullied her as -though she had been a practiced hand at literature, and abused her with -quite unnecessary violence. She did not retort upon them, however. -“Vendetta,” “Thelma,” “Ardath,” and other works were produced patiently -in rotation, and still the abuse continued--and so did her success. It -was only with the publication of “Barabbas” and the distinctly unfair -comments that book received, that she at last threw down the gauntlet, -and forbade her publishers to send out any more of her books for review. - -This action practically put an end to the discussion of her works in the -literary journals by critics with warped ideas of fair play. For they -failed to remember that, though his draftsmanship may here and there -display a flaw, an artist should be judged by the conception of his -design--by his coloring--by the intention of his work as a whole. - -Five years have elapsed since the one-sided truce was called; those -critics, wandering by the bookshops, see people issuing therefrom -bearing in their hands the hated volumes--the brain-children of the -woman who had met them in unequal combat. They read in the papers of the -gigantic sales of these works; they lift their hands in horror, and sigh -for the gone days of authors who appealed but to the cultured few. So -waggeth the world of letters; so arriveth that person to be trampled -on--offend he or she the critics by ever so little--the New Writer. - -It is manifestly unfair that a novelist should criticise novels; yet -this is frequently done. It goes without saying that the novelist who -devotes valuable time to reading and criticising the works of his -brethren in art cannot be in very great demand, as fiction is paid for -at a much higher rate than reviewing. That Miss Corelli’s earlier works -were submitted for valuation to those engaged--if we may use a -commercial phrase--in the same line of business, may account for the -bitterness that characterized many of the notices. Let the critic -criticise, and the novelist write novels; then, each attending to his -trade, the new writer will receive fairer play. - -The rough-and-tumble journey through the now defunct house of Bentley -which “A Romance of Two Worlds” experienced, prompts us to question the -advisability of appointing novelists to act as publishers’ “readers.” -Quantities of manuscript pass through the hands of a publisher’s -literary adviser, and in six weeks he may imbibe--he cannot help -imbibing--enough ideas to set him up for six years. A novelist who -spends a considerable portion of his lifetime weighing and sorting the -raw material of other novelists, must find it a matter of great -difficulty to reconcile his conscience with the performance of such -duties. - -It must often have occurred to the men who have so harshly criticised -Miss Corelli’s works to demand of themselves a logical reason for her -boundless popularity--a popularity that extends to every corner of the -earth. “The Mighty Atom” has been published under the auspices of the -Holy Synod in Russia, and “Barabbas” has been translated into Persian, -Greek, and Hindustani. And these are but two instances of her -universality. Why is Marie Corelli read the world over, while the -authors upon whom many responsible judges of literature shower encomiums -can claim but an Anglo-Saxon public, and not a tremendous one then? - -It is because, primarily, her chief mission is to exploit, with -knowledge, with conviction, and with limitless zeal, the most vital -question of this or any age--man’s religion. Since the world was created -this has been the chief motive of humanity’s actions. The Israelites, -for taking to themselves false gods, were sold into bondage; thousands -of years later, because the tomb of Christ was threatened, Christian -Europe, putting aside international differences, arose in pious wrath -and sent forth its men of the Red Cross to do battle with the infidels. -In misguided zeal, and prompted by a morbid fanaticism, “bloody” Mary -destroyed the peace of our own fair land, and earned for her memory -undying execration by burning at the stake the unfortunates who -differed from her in their religious views. The impiety of its rulers -was the root of the evil which plunged France into the throes of a -ghastly Revolution. Even on every coin of the realm at the present -day,--on every sovereign that changes hands at race meetings, on every -penny that the street arabs play pitch and toss with, we are reminded -that the reigning monarch is the Defender of our “Faith.” - -A simple belief in God pervades everything that Marie Corelli has -written, and from this devout standpoint she views all those other -things which constitute mundane existence--Love, Marriage, buying and -selling, social intercourse, art, science, and education. - -Her books abound in passages which bewail the fact that--to extract a -phrase from the “Master-Christian”--“the world is not with Christ -to-day.” Her sole weapons pen and paper, the author of that remarkable -book is making a strenuous effort to dispel the torpor to which -Christianity is gradually succumbing. The keynote of her work is sounded -by Cardinal Bonpré, when he deplores the decay of holy living. “For -myself, I think there is not much time left us! I feel a premonition of -Divine wrath threatening the world, and when I study the aspect of the -times and see the pride, licentiousness, and wealth-worship of man, I -cannot but think the days are drawing near when our Master will demand -of us account of our service. It is just the same as in the case of the -individual wrong-doer; when it seems as if punishment were again and -again retarded, and mercy shown,--yet if all benefits, blessings, and -warnings are unheeded, then at last the bolt falls suddenly and with -terrific effect. So with nations--so with churches--so with the world!” - -Marie Corelli is bold; perhaps she is the boldest writer that has ever -lived. What she believes she says, with a brilliant fearlessness that -sweeps aside petty argument in its giant’s stride towards the goal for -which she aims. She will have no half-measures. Her works, gathered -together under one vast cover, might fitly be printed and published as -an amplified edition of the Decalogue. - -It is small wonder, then, that she has not earned the approbation of -those critics who are unable to grasp the stupendous nature of her -programme; they, having always held by certain canons, and finding those -canons brusquely disregarded, retort with wholesale condemnation of -matters that they deem literary heterodoxy, but whose sterling -simplicity is in reality altogether beyond their ken. Fortunately, their -words have failed to frighten off the public, which, ever loyal to one -fighting for the right, has supported and befriended Marie Corelli in -her dauntless crusade against vice and unbelief. - -Other writers have doubtless written in a somewhat similar strain, and -it has not been their fault that the woman who forms the subject of this -biography has eclipsed all the worthy makers of such books who have -preceded her. Power has been given her, and she has not proved false to -her trust. Genius is Heaven-sent, to be used or abused according to the -will of its possessor; let those so gifted beware lest they cast the -pearls of their brain before swine, for of a surety there will come a -day of reckoning when every genius, as well as every other man, shall be -called upon to give an account of his stewardship. - -Unlike the majority of her contemporaries, Marie Corelli does not -subsist on a single “big hit.” She is a twelve-book rather than a -one-book woman. It is a fortunate circumstance for a writer when people -disagree in regard to his or her _chef-d’œuvre_. There are those--and -their name is legion--who regard “Thelma” as Miss Corelli’s best book, -while others--and their name, too, is legion--account “The Sorrows of -Satan” the worthiest of her productions. The overwhelming success of the -“Master-Christian” served somewhat to bedim the lustre of her former -writings, but in many hearts the moving history of the sweet and -unsophisticated Norwegian maid will always cause “Thelma” to hold chief -sway. - -“Barabbas,” at once the most scriptural and devotional of its author’s -long list of publications, has won almost as great a popularity as “The -Sorrows of Satan,” being now in its thirty-seventh edition. “The Mighty -Atom,” of which nearly a hundred thousand copies have been sold, is -regarded by the public with singular affection, many children, as Mr. -Arthur Lawrence has told us in _The Strand Magazine_, sending Miss -Corelli “all sorts of loving and kindly greetings” as a token of their -sympathy with little Lionel and Jessamine. The turbulent and stormy -progress of “A Romance of Two Worlds” through the sea of criticism has -made this book more familiar to the ear than some of its successors, -though its sale has not equaled that of half a dozen of its -fellow-works. - -Miss Corelli’s average book is about as long as two novels of the -ordinary six-shilling size put together; but she has published some -comparatively short stories--notably “Boy,” “Ziska,” and “The Mighty -Atom,” as well as some brochures; to wit, “Jane,” a society sketch; -“Cameos;” and her tribute to the virtues of “Victoria the Good.” “Boy,” -though published about the time that the “Master-Christian” appeared, -was accorded the heartiest of welcomes, being now in its forty-sixth -thousand. - -In days to come the “Master-Christian” and “The Sorrows of Satan” will, -we venture to predict, be sufficient alone to preserve their author’s -fame; and, for those who delight in a love-story, “Thelma” will -constitute a perpetual monument to its creator’s memory. - -Owing to the unique and unclassifiable nature of her productions, it is -impossible to award Miss Corelli a definite place in the world of -letters. It is under any circumstances a thankless task to arrange -writers as one would arrange boys in a class--according to merit. There -are the poets, the historians, the novelists, the humorists, and--the -critics. Marie Corelli occupies a peculiarly isolated position. A -novelist she is, in the main, and yet hardly a novelist according to -cut-and-dried formulas; she is, unquestionably, a poet, for there is -many a song in her books not a whit less sweet because it is not set in -measured verse and line. So we may safely leave her place in the Temple -of Fame to be chosen by the votes of posterity, for there is one critic -who is ever just, who goeth on his “everlasting journey” with gentle -but continuous step; who condemns most books, with their writers, to -oblivion, but who saves a certain few. - -And his name is TIME. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -MARIE CORELLI’S CHILDHOOD--EARLY INFLUENCES--LITERARY BEGINNINGS--THE -MACKAYS--FATHER AND SON - - -In explanation of an unannounced and unexpected afternoon visit in 1890, -Mr. W. E. Gladstone said: “I came because I was curious to see for -myself the personality of a young woman who could write so courageously -and well, and in whose work I recognize a power working for good, and -eminently calculated to sway the thoughts of the people.” - -Such were the veteran statesman’s words--well remembered by a friend of -the novelist’s who was present at that eventful meeting. - -This young woman was Marie Corelli, the novelist, whom so many lesser -men have abused, because, unlike Gladstone, they have not studied her -work, or have done so only with the determination to find fault. - -The baby girl for whom so distinguished a career was destined, was -adopted, when but three months old, by Dr. Charles Mackay, that -excellent journalist, poet, song writer, and author. The love between -Dr. Mackay and his adopted daughter was one of the closest and most -sweet of domestic experiences. When reverses and suffering came to the -man of letters, his joy and consolation was in the careful training of -the much-loved little girl; and in his closing years he had the -satisfaction of knowing that she had fulfilled his hopes and achieved -success. - -To the high character of Dr. Charles Mackay must be attributed the chief -influence in the formation of the child’s ideas; a glance, therefore, at -the career of that gentleman cannot fail to be of interest. A native of -Perth, Charles Mackay was born March 27th, 1814. His father, George -Mackay, was the second son of Captain Hugh Mackay, of the Strathnavar -branch of the Mackay clan of which Lord Reay is the chief. Charles -Mackay received his earlier education in London, and, subsequently -proceeding to a school at Brussels, made a special study of European -languages. He early commenced writing for Belgian newspapers, and, also -whilst a youngster, sent poems to English newspapers, which readily -published them. A volume of “Songs and Poems” followed; and then, -returning to England, Mr. Mackay became a contributor to _The Sun_, -assistant sub-editor of _The Morning Chronicle_, and editor of _The -Glasgow Argus_. He was married in 1831, and by his first wife had three -sons--Charles, Robert, and George Eric, and also a daughter, who died -when she was twenty-two years of age. Of the sons, Charles is still -living, being resident in America with his wife and family. Robert is -dead, but is survived by a son and a daughter. Of George Eric Mackay, -the second of the three sons, more will be told anon. - -During Charles Dickens’s brief editorship of the London _Daily News_, a -number of verses by Mackay were published in that newspaper, and -attracted much notice and praise. They were subsequently republished in -a volume as “Voices from the Crowd.” A selection of these verses was set -to music, and quickly caught the ear of the people, “The Good Time -Coming” reaching a circulation of well-nigh half a million. - -In 1848 Mr. Mackay became a member of the staff of _The Illustrated -London News_, and in 1852 was appointed editor of that journal. Here, -through the enterprise of Mr. Ingram, the song-writing capacities of Mr. -Mackay were put to good use, and a number of musical supplements of _The -Illustrated London News_ were produced. “Songs for Music” afterwards -appeared as a volume in 1856. The pieces included such prime favorites -as “Cheer, Boys, Cheer!” “To the West! To the West!” “Tubal Cain,” -“There’s a Land, a dear Land,” and “England over All.” Set to the taking -melodies of Henry Russell and others, these songs, it may truly be said, -have been sung the world over, wherever the English language is spoken. - -Mackay severed his connection with _The Illustrated London News_ in -1859, and in the following year started _The London Review_, which did -not succeed. Failure was the fate, too, of another periodical, _Robin -Goodfellow_, founded by him in 1861. During the American Civil War, -Mackay was the special correspondent of the New York _Times_. Dr. -Mackay’s efforts in prose were as numerous and as interesting as his -verses. His “Forty Years’ Recollections of Life, Literature, and Public -Affairs from 1830 to 1870,” is a classic and a literary treat to every -one who reads it; for herein is set forth a graphic picture of the life -and times of that most interesting period, not only in England, but in -the United States. His relations with Greeley and with President Lincoln -were of altogether exceptional interest. Few men had experiences so -varied and interesting as those of Charles Mackay--his degree, by the -way, was that of LL. D. of Glasgow University--and few men were so -capable as was he of vividly describing what he did, and saw, and -heard. - -In addition to writing many volumes of songs and ballads himself, it -should be mentioned that Mackay compiled the well-known “A Thousand and -One Gems of English Poetry.” - -From the year 1870 he engaged in little regular work, though he -undertook interesting and valuable researches into Celtic philology. His -closing years were--through ill-health and age--a period of financial -reverses, but the gloom was brightened by the presence of the pet child -of his adoption. He worked on till the last, being engaged during the -very week of his death in writing two articles, one for _Blackwood’s -Magazine_, the other for _The Nineteenth Century_. - -When his adopted daughter’s somewhat brief school-days were over, she -returned home well fitted to assist Dr. Mackay in his literary work. She -was already on familiar terms with his study and his books. A good many -of the baby days were spent in the Doctor’s study, and as an infant -there were evidences that the mind of the little one was of a thoughtful -and inquiring bent. She was considered almost too inquiring by those -governesses who guided her earliest lessons, religious subjects always -having a peculiar attraction for her. “Little girls must be good and try -to please God,” one governess impressed upon her; and the child’s -wondering reply was: “Why of course; everybody and everything must try -to please God, else where would be the use of living at all?” - -Babies--when they are good--always seem somewhat akin to angels, and the -“Rosebud”--as Mackay called his adopted girl--always had a perfect -belief not only in their existence, but in their near presence. The poet -especially encouraged her faith in them. The “Rosebud” always believed -angels were in her bedroom at night, and on her once saying that she -could not see the angel (whom she fully expected) in her room, the -Doctor answered: “Never mind, dearie! It is there, you may be sure; and -if you will behave just as if you saw it, you will certainly see it some -day.” - -Passed chiefly in the country and abroad, the first ten years of Marie -Corelli’s life went by pleasantly enough. Some hours daily were devoted -to lessons; others to play, and most of these amongst the flowers that -she has always loved. And as much time was spent, not over lesson books, -but over those works of a nature to be understood by a child which she -found in the Doctor’s library, and listening to stories, witty and wise, -of Dr. Mackay’s former friends and literary associates. Many, indeed, -had been these friends--Dickens and Thackeray, Sir Edwin Landseer and -Douglas Jerrold, to name but a few. He had known many men of light and -leading in his day, and to the little girl who played in his study he -delighted to recount reminiscences of them. Through him she learned to -love some of his old friends as if she had known them personally. - -Those were days that had much to do with the moulding of the character -of the future novelist. There were no child playmates for little Marie, -and the naturally studious bent of her mind was greatly affected by her -environment. It gave her thought and wisdom beyond her years. This -absence of child companions may or may not be advantageous; it all -depends upon the circumstances. Victoria, who became Queen of England, -had no child companions, and often in later years dwelt upon the fact -with regret. Yet who would say they would have had any alteration in the -character and doings of our late sovereign? The loss to a child of that -child-companionship which most enjoy may be very great; but there are -compensations. - -Those who have studied the productions of Marie Corelli with -understanding of the spirit which has animated her work would not, we -think, wish that anything should have been different. As to the reading -of her early years, it was quite exceptional, as reading with children -goes. She not only heard of the sayings and doings of Dickens, -Thackeray, Jerrold, and such, but had read many of their works before -she was ten; had not only read, but understood a great deal of them, -having a loving tutor to make matters easy for her. She took great -interest in histories of times and peoples, and learned to sympathize -with the workers. Dr. Mackay’s poems were all familiar to her. So were -the works of Shakespeare and Scott and Keats. Poetry was one of her -chief delights, while instrumental music appealed to her as did the -rhythm of song. The Bible, and especially the New Testament, was always -her greatest friend in the world of books. And so, when it was deemed -well to send her away for more systematic educational training than that -of the sweet home-life, it was a little maiden of unusual knowledge who -went to a convent in France to receive further tuition. - -Peculiarly did the convent school-life commend itself to the studious -mind of the child. The quietude and peacefulness of this holy retreat -appealed very greatly to her contemplative and imaginative mind. The -Doctor had instilled into her a strict regard for truth and sincerity, a -reverence for sacred things, and a desire to follow in spirit and in -truth the teachings of Christ. Meditating on New Testament matters, she -at one time had a curious idea of founding some new kind of religious -order of Christian workers, but this never subsequently took definite -shape. - -A great happiness which the convent provided was a grand organ in the -chapel. At this, when schoolfellows were indulging in croquet, tennis, -and other games, the young girl would sit, sometimes for hours at a -time, playing religious songs and improvising harmonies. In several of -the novels that were written in after years there are references to the -organ and its soothing influences. Miss Corelli possesses remarkable -musical talents, this power of improvisation amongst them, and her -intimate friends to-day often have the pleasure of listening to her -performances. Dr. Mackay had recognized that her musical ability was of -exceptional order, and, as his financial losses had been such that he -was aware he would not be able to provide for his adopted daughter, he -determined that she should endeavor to win her way in the musical -profession. - -With this object in view the convent training was specially devoted to -the development of her music, and with such thorough care were her -studies conducted, that she still retains the skill then acquired upon -organ, piano, and mandolin, and her voice is both sweet and powerful. - -Both as instrumentalist and vocalist Miss Corelli could have been sure -of a large measure of success. Principally she loves the old English and -Scotch ballads; listening to her as she sings such songs to her own -accompaniment in her dainty drawing-room at Mason Croft, it is pleasant -to observe how very feminine she is, how paramount is the Woman in her -nature. - -That the young girl was ambitious goes without saying. During her -holidays from school, she wrote the score of an opera, which was called -_Ginevra Da Siena_. About the same time she produced numerous verses and -short poems which brought high praise from that competent judge, Dr. -Mackay. Moreover, she wrote in her very young days three sonnets on -Shakespearean plays, these being approved, praised, and published by Mr. -Clement Scott in _The Theatre_. - -It soon appeared, however, that the little convent maid had done too -much for her strength. Athletic exercises would have been better in -those early days than the excess of brain-work to which she set herself, -absolutely from inclination and of her own free will. Under the great -strain her health broke down, and she was compelled to return from -school for a spell of rest, carrying with her, however, impressions of -the convent life which had a great effect upon her subsequent thoughts -and aims. - -Her health being restored, and Dr. Mackay growing more feeble, he was -glad to keep her at home with him. Musical studies were persistently -pursued. Half the day she would spend with the Doctor, reading, playing, -or singing to him, conversing with him, and cheering him in the illness -that was upon him. The other half of the day was passed at her desk, and -literature finally claimed all her working hours. The first story she -wrote was returned to her. It seemed she was to traverse no path of -roses to fame and fortune. Though occupied with minor literary matters -she was turning over in her mind the outlines of a singular story -suggested by the thoughts or fancies or dreams of that period when her -health broke down, and during which, whilst health was being restored, -there was little to do save keep quiet and meditate. The result was the -formation of the plot of “A Romance of Two Worlds.” These early years, -by the way, up to 1885, were spent in a country cottage; then Dr. Mackay -removed to London, and took a house in Kensington. “A Romance of Two -Worlds” was published in 1886. - -Miss Corelli’s sole companion after her convent school-life, with the -exception of Dr. Charles Mackay, was her devoted friend, Miss Bertha -Vyver, daughter of the Countess Vyver, a not unimportant personage at -the court of Napoleon III. The friendship between Miss Vyver and Miss -Corelli has always been of the closest description. Since Dr. Charles -Mackay welcomed Miss Vyver as his “second daughter,” they have never -been separated. In all her daily life, not least the nursing of Dr. -Mackay through his long illness, Miss Vyver has been by her side, -helping her in home difficulties and trials as help can only be given by -one with whom there is perfect sympathy. Miss Vyver has seen every -detail of all the work the novelist has done, and to-day the friendship -between the two is closer and dearer than ever for the years that have -passed, and the sorrows and joys that have been borne in company. - -George Eric Mackay, Dr. Mackay’s second son, had been a wanderer on the -Continent for many years. Born in London in 1835, and educated chiefly -at the Academy of Inverness, he had first been put into a business -house. Trade was, however, entirely opposed to his tastes and -temperament, and consequently he left the commercial establishment and -began to think of another career. With such a father there was naturally -a desire that the son should enter the field of literature. George -Eric, however, did not seem, at first, disposed to do this. He preferred -the stage, and made efforts to secure a footing on it. He was tried by -Charles Kean, and there were evidences of talent. Eric did, indeed, -possess very considerable powers of portraying character. The stage, -however, was in those days, as it probably will be for all time, a -thankless profession for the embryo actor, and Eric found the work too -severe. The plodding labors of the beginner by no means suited one who -was not fitted by nature for drudgery or slow progress. - -He had a good voice, and the next profession to which he turned his -attention was operatic singing. For this again he had a not unpromising -equipment, and his father determined to send him to Italy for the -purpose of studying music there under good masters. No progress, -however, was made with the musical studies, though the people and the -conditions of existence in Italy appealed strongly to him, and he made -Italy his home for many years. - -During the first portion of his sojourn abroad he received a liberal -allowance from his father, and was at other times indebted to him for -considerable financial help. He was, like the Doctor, a master of -European languages, and this knowledge enabled him to earn a precarious -livelihood as a teacher of French and English. The income thus derived -was added to by correspondence for newspapers. - -Dr. Mackay gave his son many valuable introductions, and he thus became -acquainted with Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton (to whom he subsequently -dedicated a book of poems); Sir Richard Burton; and Sir William Perry, -the British Consul at Venice. All three became interested in him, and -were frequently of assistance to him. - -He found it impossible, however, to settle down. He stayed nowhere very -long. Rome and Venice saw more of him than other cities. He wrote -verses, and some were, under the title of “Songs of Love and Death,” -collected in a volume and published by Messrs. Chapman & Hall in 1864. -This was the volume which was dedicated to Sir E. Bulwer Lytton. He was -not encouraged by the financial results of his work. Poetry, in fact, -does not pay, and the public at the time gave his verses but a chilly -greeting. His poetic ardor somewhat damped by this treatment, he left -the lyrical muse alone for a time and commenced the publication in Rome -of _The Roman Times_. This journal, unfortunately, like most newspaper -enterprises that do not “go,” was a costly failure. _Il Poliglotta_, -another journalistic venture, was published in Venice. It was a -disastrous undertaking, absorbing all the money which its editor had -been able to raise, and leaving a heavy deficit. - -The failure was the more serious because of other debts--personal, and -in connection with two volumes which he had published. One, a collection -of his newspaper articles, was called “Days and Nights in Italy”; the -other, “Lord Byron at the Armenian Convent,” this being practically a -handy guide-book to Venice. Nothing paid. The result was that he left -Italy, after living there for twenty years, poorer than he went, which -literally meant that he came back penniless. Broken financially, and in -spirit, he returned to his father. - -To the young girl Marie, whose life had hitherto been so exceptionally -quiet, there was almost a romantic interest in this sudden arrival of -the middle-aged man who, she was informed, was her stepbrother, and she -made much of him. Moreover, Dr. Mackay was seriously disappointed at the -failure of his son to make a career, and at his position--without income -or apparent hope of earning one; and it was evident to Marie that it -would afford her stepfather the keenest pleasure if George Eric should, -after all, achieve success. - -The circumstances of her untiring efforts to bring him into notice are -known only to a few, though misunderstood by many. - -In the first place, her principal aim was to relieve her stepfather from -the burden of his son’s maintenance. In the second, she sought to rouse -and inspire that son to obtain for himself a high position in -literature. She spared no pains to attain these two objects, and all her -first small earnings went in assisting him. She was at this time still -continuing her musical studies, and very often went to hear Sarasate. -The large sums of money earned by this eminent artist first suggested an -idea to George Eric of learning the violin, and, though late in life to -begin, he resolved to study the instrument. His musical training in -Italy must have been very ineffectual, as he had to learn his notes. He -wished, however, for a good instrument, and his stepsister secured a -“Guarnerius” model from Chappell, which she paid for by instalments and -presented to him. It may be added that he never made anything of it, but -it was useful in providing the title of his best-known work. - -He had produced a volume, “Pygmalion in Cyprus,” published at the -expense of friends, but the result was again disheartening. Some plays -that he wrote were rejected by the managers to whom they were sent. -About the same time Miss Corelli had returned to her the first story she -had written. The editor of the magazine to whom it had been submitted -was of opinion that the writing of novels was not her _forte_. She took -the opinion seriously, and decided to write no more, but to complete her -musical training and look to the concert platform as the means of -livelihood. She had already composed quite a large number of poems, some -of which were subsequently torn up, some remain unpublished, and some -have found a place in her books. A strong poetical tendency is evident -throughout all her books, and is particularly prominent in “Ardath,” a -great portion of which is almost as much poetry as prose. Two letters, -written by Eric Mackay at this time, and now preserved in Miss Corelli’s -autograph album, are particularly interesting. One ran: - -“I am happier than I have been since boyhood, for I have a little sister -again, and that little sister--the best and brightest in the world--does -everything for me. But how far short of your ambition for me must I -fall!--for you have already done so much in your short life--you, a -child, and I, alas! a man growing old.” - -And in another he said: - -“I must thank you for sending me the little Keats volume. Curiously -enough, I never read his poems at all before. Browning I can’t stand, -but if you like him I must read him. You seem to live in an atmosphere -of poetry, but pray be careful and do not study too hard.” - -“Love-Letters of a Violinist” at last made Eric Mackay famous. The book -was published in 1885, and it was Marie Corelli who arranged for its -production. She had fully convinced herself of the beauty of the poems, -and she determined that they should be published as became what she -regarded as their great value. She corrected the proofs of the poems, -selected the binding, and saw to every detail of the book. The poems -were published anonymously, and at once became the talk not only of -England, but of America. There was much speculation as to the -authorship. Eric Mackay entered fully into the humor of the thing, and -made numerous suggestions to his acquaintances as to the probable -writer, even putting forth the hint that the late Duke of Edinburgh, an -able violinist, might have written them. He must have chuckled hugely at -the discussions about this anonymous author; and the whole story was -often talked about among his friends. Miss Corelli wrote an introductory -notice to a subsequent edition of the “Love-Letters,” the introductory -note and the initials “G. D.”--which she had adopted--causing almost as -much discussion as the publication of the “Love-Letters” themselves. “G. -D.” was meant by her to signify _Gratia Dei_. Probably few books have -ever emerged from the press in more attractive form. It was a quaint, -vellum-bound, antique-looking volume tied up on all sides with strings -of golden silk ribbon, and illustrated throughout with fanciful -wood-cuts. - -But the poems are beautiful and deserving of the fame they attained. It -is curious how very different in quality they are to the author’s -earlier published works, issued in 1864, 1871, and 1880. Each -“Love-Letter” (and there are twelve of them) is in twenty stanzas--each -stanza contains six lines. Antonio Gallenga of _The Times_ declared the -poems to be as regular and symmetrical as Dante’s “Comedy,” with as -stately and solemn, ay, and as arduous a measure!... “There are -marvelous powers in this poet-violinist. Petrarch himself has not so -many changes for his conjugation of the verb ‘to love.’” The latter is -what may be called, to quote a phrase recently used in a well-known -newspaper, a “quotation from an hitherto unpublished review,” because -the late Antonio Gallenga wrote a review of the “Love-Letters” at the -request of Miss Corelli (whom he had known since her childhood); but -_The Times_ refused it, and he sent Miss Corelli the original -manuscript, from which she quoted excerpts in her “Introduction” to the -“Love-Letters.” - -A lengthy review entitled “A New Love-Poet” appeared in _London -Society_ under the name of “W. Stanislas Leslie,” no other than Marie -Corelli herself. For the rest, all the critics fell foul of the book and -“slated” the author unmercifully. - -Some of the reviewers, notwithstanding the mystery they made of it, knew -all about the authorship. Miss Corelli gave the news to the world in an -anonymous letter to the _New York Independent_, which was the first -journal to reveal the identity of the writer of the poems. It published -a brief statement to the effect that the author was simply a gentleman -of good position, the descendant of a distinguished and very ancient -family, George Eric Mackay.... “He will undoubtedly,” it was added, “be -numbered with the choice few whose names are destined to live by the -side of poets such as Keats, whom, as far as careful work, delicate -feeling, and fiery tenderness go, Eric Mackay may be said to resemble.” - -Swinburne, about whom Marie Corelli was to write so strongly in “The -Sorrows of Satan,” the poet-violinist thus addressed: - - “Thou art a bee, a bright, a golden thing - With too much honey; and the taste thereof - Is sometimes rough, and somewhat of a sting - Dwells in the music that we hear thee sing.” - -Again, there are such pretty fancies as: - - “Phœbus loosens all his golden hair - Right down the sky--and daisies turn and stare - At things we see not with our human wit,” - -and - - “A tuneful noise - Broke from the copse where late a breeze was slain, - And nightingales in ecstasy of pain - Did break their hearts with singing the old joys.” - -There are scores of passages like these. The great gifts displayed in -the volume certainly afforded some justification a few years afterwards -for the strenuous efforts which Marie Corelli made to get her -stepbrother made Poet Laureate. - -The “Love-Letters of a Violinist,” great as was their success as poems, -did not prove lucrative. Miss Corelli had provided for the first issue; -afterwards Mr. Eric Mackay made a free gift of the book to the -publishers of the Canterbury Poets series. The sales have since been -considerable, but the arrangement made by Mr. Mackay was one which, of -course, did not benefit him financially. - -Shortly after the publication of “The Love-Letters of a Violinist,” -there were serious developments in Dr. Charles Mackay’s illness. He was -stricken down with paralysis, and the pinch of poverty was being felt, -for there was very little coming into the home. Marie Corelli had now a -great responsibility upon her young shoulders. The completion of her -musical training it was impossible to afford. What should she do? She -determined to try to write a novel. More articles and essays were -contributed anonymously to newspapers and magazines; and, meanwhile, the -plan of “A Romance of Two Worlds” had been prepared and the book was -being written. Finally it was submitted to and accepted by a great -publisher, who came to see Miss Corelli, and stared with amazement to -find that the young lady to whom he was introduced as the author was a -personal friend of his. Yet so it was, and the story of the publication -and reception of the book is instructive. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -“A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS” - - -In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred an author’s first long manuscript -is a poor and immature thing, which, owing to its inflammatory nature, -were best devoted to fire-lighting purposes. But the aspiring scribbler, -not being--from this point of view, at any rate--a utilitarian in his -views, would as lief lose his right hand as behold his precious pages -being put to the base wooing of wood and coals. Instead, he spends -several pounds on having it typewritten, and then sends it forth upon -its travels round the publishing houses. It comes back to him with -exasperating regularity, until the author, at last realizing that his -book does not appeal to publishers’ readers quite as vividly as it does -to its creator, either (if he be wise) consigns it to the dust-bin, or -(if he be unwise) pays one of the shark publishing firms to bring it -out. Did he know that the wily fellows to whom he entrusts his work -simply print enough copies for review purposes and a few more to put on -their shelves, charging him the while for a whole edition, he would not -part with his good money so readily! As it is, he has the satisfaction -of seeing his story between covers, of sending it to his friends, of -beholding his name in the “Books Received” corner of the daily papers, -of knowing for certain that a copy, wherever else it may not be found, -will always be supplied to students of fiction at the British Museum; -and that is all. - -It is needless to say this was not the course of procedure adopted by -Miss Marie Corelli. She wrote voluminously in her school-days, and was -as successful as most young girls are when they are serving their -literary apprenticeship. She scribbled poetry, and was no doubt -happy--as every youthful scribe should be--when she was rewarded for her -labors by the mere honor of print. - -But the time came--as come it always does to those who have the real -gift of literary creativeness--when the young artist set a large canvas -upon her easel and sturdily went about the task of filling it. - -Of ideas, at such an age, there is an abundant flow. Meals are irksome -and many hours are stolen from slumber; it is late to bed and early to -rise; it is a hatred of social duties, and a period when everything else -but the dream of fame is forgotten. Although we may take the foregoing -to be fairly applicable to the average girl-author, Miss Corelli denies -that the writing of “A Romance of Two Worlds” ever caused _her_ to -become “æsthetically cadaverous.” Her methodical habits may account for -the fact that, in spite of much desk toil and hard thinking, she has -always managed to keep a well-balanced mind _in corpore sano_. - -“I write every day from ten in the morning till two in the afternoon, -alone and undisturbed.... I generally scribble off the first rough draft -of a story very rapidly in pencil; then I copy it out in pen and ink, -chapter by chapter, with fastidious care, not only because I like a neat -manuscript, but because I think everything that is worth doing at all is -worth doing well.... I find, too, that in the gradual process of copying -by hand, the original draft, like a painter’s first sketch, gets -improved and enlarged.” - -The “Romance,” then, according to this salubrious programme, entered -quietly into a state of being. Miss Corelli was doubtful whether it -would ever find a publisher: her first notion was to offer it to -Arrowsmith, as a railway-stall novelette. Possibly the success of -“Called Back” suggested the Bristol publisher, the title she first fixed -upon, “Lifted Up,” being eminently suggestive of a shilling series. -However, the manuscript never went westwards--a matter which good Mr. -Arrowsmith has excellent cause to regret--for, in the interim, as a kind -of test of its merit or demerit, Miss Corelli sent it to Bentley’s. The -“readers” attached to that house advised its summary rejection. Moved by -curiosity to inspect a work which his several advisers took the trouble -to condemn in such singularly adverse terms, Mr. George Bentley decided -to read the manuscript himself, and the consequence of his unprejudiced -and impartial inspection was approval and acceptance. - -Letters were exchanged, terms proposed and agreed upon. “I am glad that -all is arranged,” wrote Mr. Bentley; “nothing now remains but to try to -make a success of your first venture. The work has the merit of -originality, and its style writing will, I think, commend it.” - -A later letter from him says: “I expect our rather ‘thick’ public will -be slow in appreciating the ‘Romance,’ but if it once takes, it may go -off well.” - -These extracts are interesting as showing the view taken by a veteran -publisher--one who had been dealing with books and authors since early -manhood--of a work by an absolutely unknown writer. His opinion of Miss -Corelli’s powers is represented by a further letter dispatched to her -in February, 1886: “I shall be perfectly ready to give full -consideration to anything which proceeds from your pen, all the more -readily, too, because I see you love wholesome thought, and will not -lend yourself to corrupt and debase the English mind.... I have no -greater pleasure than to bring to light a bright writer like yourself. -After all, the Brightness must be in the author, and so the sole praise -is to her.” - -After his first visit to Miss Corelli, in July of that year, Mr. Bentley -wrote as follows: “The afternoon remains with me as a pleasant memory. I -am so glad to have seen you. I little expected to see so young a person -as the authoress of works involving in their creation faculties which at -your age are mostly not sufficiently developed for such works.” - -Miss Corelli was allowed to retain her copyright, a fact which, though -regarded by her as of slight import at the time, has since proved of -some pecuniary advantage, seeing that the “Romance” is now in its -twentieth edition. - -The wise old publisher saw nothing attractive, explanatory, or salable -in such a name as “Lifted Up,” so a new title was asked for. Scott once -said there was nothing in a name, and certainly it did not matter what -such a magician as he was, called a book, any more than it matters what -name any firmly established author fixes upon; but a new writer can -seldom afford to despise the gentle art of alliteration or the -appellation which appeals to the eye, ear, and imagination. - -Both Dr. Charles Mackay and his son George Eric were appealed to by the -young beginner in that literary career to which they were both -accustomed. Both demanded a reading of the manuscript that they might be -guided by its contents as to the title. But Marie refused to show her -manuscript to any one. She told her stepfather that he would only “laugh -at her silly fancies.” She would not let George Eric read it, because -she wanted to surprise him by quoting some of his poetry in the book -from the “Love-Letters of a Violinist,” which title she, by-the-bye, had -suggested. She said her story was “about this world and the next,” -whereupon Dr. Mackay, who happened to be reading Lewis Morris’s “Songs -of Two Worlds” at the time, suggested “A Romance of Two Worlds.” - -So, as “A Romance of Two Worlds,” the book appeared. Up to this time -Miss Corelli had naturally had no experience with reviewers. She had -heard of them, of course, being a member of a literary household, and -she had every reason to suppose that they would, in the ordinary course -of events, write criticisms upon the “Romance.” In this expectation, -however, she was doomed to disappointment. It received only four -reviews, all brief and distinctly unfavorable. It may not be -uninteresting, at this distance of time, to quote the criticism which -appeared in a leading journal, as it is a very fair sample of the rest: - -“Miss Corelli would have been better advised had she embodied her -ridiculous ideas in a sixpenny pamphlet. The names of Heliobas and Zara -are alone sufficient indications of the dulness of this book.” - -Less could hardly have been said. Had the paper been a provincial -weekly, and the writer a junior reporter to whom the book had been flung -with a curt editorial order to “write a par about that,” the review -could not have been more innocent of any attempt at criticism. It is -highly apparent that the critic in question was not employed on the -elbow-jogging terms known as “on space.” - -As for the names, it would have been equally absurd to call a -Chaldæan--descended directly from one of the “wise men of the East”--and -his sister, by the Anglo-Saxon Jack and Jill; or, indeed, to apply to -them European nomenclature of any description. The “Romance,” to quote -its writer’s own description, was meant to be “the simply-worded -narration of a singular psychical experience, and included certain -theories on religion which I, personally speaking, accept and believe.” - -What name, then, would this reviewer have chosen for the electric healer -who is the principal male character in the work? Although he lived in -Paris, it would hardly have been fair to christen him Alphonse, a name, -by the way, strongly suggestive of a French valet. Clearly the critic -here was unreasonable as well as idle. - -With regard to the allegation as to dulness, we imagine that Miss -Corelli’s most bitter detractors have never accused her of this most -unpardonable crime in a maker of books. Her imagination may take flights -exasperating in their audacity to the stay-at-home mind of Wellington -Street; she may occasionally state her opinions a thought too -didactically for people who are themselves opinionated; when she cries -shame on vice and humbug, her pen may coin denunciations somewhat too -hot-and-strong for the easy-going and the worldly; but, whatever she is, -or whatever she does, she is never _dull_. - -In spite of the meagre allowances in the review way dealt out by the -press to “A Romance of Two Worlds,” the book prospered exceedingly. It -is absurd to deny the power of the press--either for well or for -ill--and Miss Corelli’s career is a striking proof of the soundness of -this statement. The public recognized the power of the new writer, and -the “Romance” sold by thousands; the press went out of its way to -condemn the works that followed it, and thereby advertised them. “If you -can’t praise me, _slate_ me,” said an author once to an editor; and he -spoke sagely. Luke-warm reviews are the worst enemies a writer can have; -favorable reviews impress a certain number of book-buyers, book-sellers, -and librarians; but bitingly hostile criticisms--tinged, if possible, -with personal spite--are frequently quite as helpful as columns of -eulogy. - -In the case of “A Romance of Two Worlds,” the press did not help one way -or the other, however. The public discovered the book for themselves, -and letters concerning its theories began to pour in from strangers in -all parts of the United Kingdom. At the end of its first twelve months’ -run, Mr. Bentley brought it out in one volume in his “Favorite” series. -Then it started off round the world at full gallop. - -It was, as Miss Corelli has already related in a very frank magazine -article, a most undoubted success from the moment Bentleys laid it on -their counter. It was “pirated” in America; chosen out and liberally -paid for by Baron Tauchnitz for the popular and convenient little -Tauchnitz series; and translated into various Continental languages. A -gigantic amount of correspondence flowed in upon the authoress from -India, Africa, Australia, and America; and it may be added that the more -recent editions of the “Romance” have contained very representative -excerpts from this epistolary bombardment. One man wrote saying that the -book had saved him from committing suicide; another that it had called a -halt on his previous driftings towards Agnosticism; others that the book -had exercised a comforting and generally beneficent influence over them. -To quote only one correspondent: “I felt a better woman for the reading -of it twice; and I know others, too, who are higher and better women for -such noble thoughts and teaching.” - -Now, if a book--however one may object to the writer’s convictions or -disagree with them--has an undoubted influence for good; if it drives -from some minds the black spectre of Doubt, makes good men better, bad -men less bad, and all men _think_, then has not that book won a brave -excuse for its existence? may it not be considered, as a work of art, -infinitely the superior of a picture or a play or another book that -leaves beholders or readers exactly where it found them? - -Many people condemn Marie Corelli without reading her, on the old -Woolly West principle of “First hang, then try!” - -She has a big public, but it would be a thousand times bigger if only -scoffers and doubters would really _read_ these books by the authoress -whom they hang without trial. Let them take a course of Marie Corelli -during the long winter evenings, passing on from book to book--from the -“Romance” to “Vendetta,” thence to “Thelma,” “Ardath,” “Wormwood,” “The -Soul of Lilith,” and so on--in the order in which they were written. For -the idle and listless, for the frivolous, for the irreligious, for the -purse-proud, for the down-hearted and distressed, she will prove a -veritable “cure,” for she is at once a moralist and a tonic. And whereas -she is a literary sermon in herself to those who listen to other -preachers without profit, so will she prove a profitable and restorative -change of air to the busy, the honestly prosperous, the “godly, -righteous, and sober” of her students. She is for all, and, where funds -are scarce and shillings consequently precious, Free Libraries bring her -within reach of everybody. - -At a time when our leading dramatists and novelists drag their art in -the mud for the sake of the lucre that may be found down there in -plenty, it is refreshing and hope-inspiring to find that the writer -with the largest public in the world, whose work has penetrated to every -country and is thus not restricted to Anglo-Saxondom any more than a new -type of rifle is, has ranged herself on the side of _Right_! Thus, owing -to the wide-spread interest in her work, she is enabled to preach the -gospel of her beliefs in all corners of the globe;--this, too, in spite -of the fact that she is comparatively a newcomer in literature. - -“My appeal for a hearing,” wrote Miss Corelli, when describing, in the -pages of the _Idler_, the appearance of her first book, “was first made -to the great public, and the public responded; moreover, they do still -respond with so much heartiness and good-will, that I should be the most -ungrateful scribbler that ever scribbled if I did not” (despite press -“drubbings” and the amusing total ignoring of my very existence by -certain cliquey literary magazines) “take up my courage in both hands, -as the French say, and march steadily onward to such generous cheering -and encouragement. I am told by an eminent literary authority that -critics are ‘down upon me’ because I write about the supernatural. -Neither ‘Vendetta,’ nor ‘Thelma,’ nor ‘Wormwood’ is supernatural. But, -says the eminent literary authority, why write at all, at any time, -about the supernatural? Why? Because I feel the existence of the -supernatural, and, feeling it, I must speak of it. I understand that the -religion we profess to follow emanates from the supernatural. And I -presume that churches exist for the solemn worship of the supernatural. -Wherefore, if the supernatural be thus universally acknowledged as a -guide for thought and morals, I fail to see why I, and as many others as -choose to do so, should not write on the subject.... But I distinctly -wish it to be understood that I am neither a ‘Spiritualist’ nor a -‘Theosophist’.... I have no other supernatural belief than that which is -taught by the Founder of our Faith....” - -The plot of the story with which Miss Corelli won her spurs is simple in -the extreme. The plot indeed, is a secondary matter, the main strength -of the book being the Physical Electricity utilized by Heliobas--the -medicine man of Chaldæan descent who has neither diploma nor license--in -his cure of the young improvisatrice whose nerves have been shattered by -over-devotion to musical study and whose vitality has been reduced to an -alarmingly low ebb by her inability to recuperate, even in the soothing -climate of the Riviera. An artist who has been saved from -self-destruction and restored to absolute health by Heliobas, advises -her to seek out this “Dr. Casimir” (as Heliobas is called in Paris) and -put herself in his hands. This she does, with astounding results; for, -from a miserable, woe-begone creature, all “palpitations and headaches -and stupors,” Casimir’s potions and electrical remedies change her into -an absolutely healthy woman, “plump and pink as a peach.” In Casimir’s -house lives the physician’s sister, Zara, who, by means of the same -medical and electrical properties, retains, at thirty-eight, the -complexion and supple health of a girl of seventeen, being ever “as -fresh and lovely as a summer morning.” During her stay with him, -Heliobas expounds his “Electric Creed” to the young musician, and by her -own wish, and by means of his extraordinary hypnotic powers--combined -with a fluid preparation which he causes her to take--throws her into a -trance, in the course of which “strange departure,” her soul is -temporarily separated from her body and floats from the earth to other -spheres. Guided by the spirit Azùl, it wanders to the “Centre of the -Universe,” and, after being permitted to gaze upon the wonders and -glories of the supernatural, returns to earth and once more takes its -place in the work-a-day body from which it had been temporarily -released. After Casimir has afforded the girl further explanations of -his theories, she is admitted to the small circle of adherents to the -Electric Creed. As a result of Casimir’s treatment she eventually finds -herself not only in possession of complete health, but also equally -perfected in her work; so much so, indeed, that while her improved looks -are a delight to her friends, her playing fills them with wonder and -delight. - -The story ends pathetically. Just as the heroine is about to go forth -into the world again, armed with new bodily vigor and tenfold her -previous talent, her friend, the ever-youthful Zara, is killed by a -flash of lightning. After attending the burial of his sister in -Père-la-Chaise, Heliobas takes leave of his patient, and proceeds to -Egypt to accustom himself to the solitude to which his sister’s death -has condemned him. The reader is given to understand, however, that -Heliobas and the young musician meet again later on under more cheerful -conditions. - -Such is a mere outline of this popular story, which is told throughout -with admirable restraint and dignity, the language being moderate, and -the arguments pithily expressed. The half-dozen minor characters are -touched in with all the skill of an experienced novelist; and yet, when -Miss Corelli set to work on this “Romance,” she was younger than her -heroine is represented to be. - -The actual penmanship occasioned by the writing of the book must have -been as nothing compared with the very arduous thought and study -connected with the mental generation of the views held by Heliobas and -his fellow-believers. That the theories here exploited are well worth -the consideration of all thoughtful persons, is proved by the intense -interest the book has aroused in so many widely different and widely -separated areas of civilization. - -It ought to be remembered, too, that, at the time the “Romance” was -published, the wonders of the X-rays had not been demonstrated, nor had -wireless telegraphy become a _fait accompli_. Yet these were distinctly -foretold in Marie Corelli’s first book, as also the possible wonders yet -to be proved in certain new scientific theories of Sound and Color. It -may instruct many to know that the theory of God’s “Central World” with -which all the universe moves, is a part of the authoress’s own implicit -belief in a future state of being. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -“VENDETTA” AND “THELMA” - - -To Miss Corelli’s host of admirers the story of “Vendetta” must be so -familiar as to render a lengthy repetition of it unnecessary. “Vendetta” -is, briefly, an exposition--in the form of a novel--on marital -infidelity. - -In August, 1886, before the book was published, Mr. Bentley wrote: “May -I tell you that I have been again looking into ‘Vendetta,’ and I venture -to prophesy a success? It is a powerful story, and a great stride -forward on the first book ... it marches on to its awful finale with the -grimness of a Greek play.” - -That Mr. Bentley’s prophecy was fulfilled is clearly indicated in a -letter addressed by him to the authoress on October 22d of the same -year: “I have very great pleasure in sending the enclosed, because I -should have been mortified beyond expression if the public had not -responded to the marked power of your story. I believe you will come now -steadily to the front, and I am very curious to read your new story".... -“I shall yield to no reader of your works,” he again wrote, some -time afterwards, “in a very high opinion of such scenes as the supper -scene in ‘Vendetta’--as good as if Bulwer had written it....” - -As the preface to “Vendetta” tells us, the book’s chief incidents are -founded on an actual and fatal blunder which was committed in Naples -during the cholera visitation of 1884. “Nothing,” says the authoress, -“is more strange than truth;--nothing, at times, more terrible!” -“Vendetta” is, then, practically, a true story, and certainly a very -terrible one, of a Neapolitan nobleman who, being suddenly attacked by -the scourge that was decimating this fair southern city, fell into a -coma-like state so closely resembling death that he was hurried into a -flimsy coffin, and deposited in his family vault as one deceased. -Awaking from his deep swoon, the frenzied strength which would naturally -come to a man finding himself in such an appalling situation, enabled -him to break the frail boards of his narrow prison and escape from the -vault. In the course of his wanderings, ere he found an outlet, he -became acquainted with the fact that a band of brigands had utilized the -mausoleum as a store-house for their ill-gotten valuables. Having helped -himself liberally to a portion of the plunder, the count--with hair -turned white by his harrowing experiences--retraced his steps to his -house, only to find his most familiar friend consoling his supposed -widow for the loss of her husband in a manner which plainly gave -evidence that the amours of the guilty couple were by no means of recent -origin. Fired by a desire for revenge, and materially assisted by the -bandits’ secret hoard, the wronged nobleman, instead of making known his -resurrection to his wife or anybody else, quitted Naples for a while. On -his reappearance, six months later--well disguised by his white hair and -a pair of smoked spectacles--he represented himself to be an elderly and -wealthy Italian noble, lately returned from a long but voluntary exile -from his native land. Playing his _rôle_ to perfection, he soon -succeeded in striking up a friendship with his wife and her lover, his -ire increasing as he found that they were both supremely indifferent to -the memory of the man whom they imagined to be lying in the tomb of his -ancestors. - -From this point the reader is compelled to pass rapidly from chapter to -chapter in following out the injured husband’s scheme of retaliation. -With remarkable ingenuity the novelist depicts the manner in which the -elderly nobleman, making free use of his abundant means, wormed himself -into the confidence of his supposed widow as well as his traitorous -friend, and how he finally manœuvred the latter into a duel which proved -fatal to the doer of evil, and the former into a second marriage with -himself. The curtain falls on a midnight adventure which proved fatal to -the twice-wed wife. - -Miss Corelli appears to be thoroughly at home at Naples and among the -Neapolitans. Her descriptions of the place and its people are admirable. -She is well-versed in the art of painting a pretty picture, only, for -the purposes of her plot, to destroy it with a great ugly dab across the -smiling canvas. For the story opens as daintily as you please. Left, -while still a youth, an ample fortune, Count Fabio Romani dwelt “in a -miniature palace of white marble, situated on a wooded height -overlooking the Bay of Naples.” His pleasure grounds “were fringed with -fragrant groves of orange and myrtle, where hundreds of full-voiced -nightingales warbled their love-melodies to the golden moon.” - -One can imagine that a young nobleman, who, though athletic and fond of -the open air, was at the same time of a bookish and dreamy disposition, -might, in such a pleasant retreat, have lingered on, a bachelor, until -the discretion of the thirties would have befriended him in selecting a -suitable mate. As it was, he saw but few women, and did not seek their -society; but, when only a few years had passed since his accession to -the title, Fate cast in his way a face “of rose-tinted, childlike -loveliness,” it dazzled him. And “of course I married her.” - -The fair canvas is not blurred over too soon, for following the marriage -come several years of bliss undimmed by any cloud. The false friend’s -infidelity remains unexposed and all is peace at the Villa Romani, the -husband doting and believing himself to be doted upon, and a girl-babe, -“fair as one of the white anemones” which abounded in the woods -surrounding the home, arriving to add pride to his love. Then the bolt -falls. The cholera descends upon Naples, and with inexorable clutch -claims victim after victim. - -Count Fabio, strolling down to the harbor one hot early morn, comes upon -a lad stricken by the dread malady, and tends him. Within an hour he is -himself convulsed with excruciating agony, and, whilst stretched on a -bench in a humble restaurant, loses consciousness--to awake in his -coffin. - -The horrors of such a restoration to life are depicted with -extraordinary force, and with equal power is described the revulsion of -feeling--the intoxicating delight--experienced by the unfortunate man -as, having regained his liberty, he stands rejoicing in the morning -light and listens to the song of a boatman who is plying his oars on -the smooth surface of the Bay. It was a happy fancy to set down the -words of the sailor’s carol--a gentle touch of human gladness ere the -demon of vengeance whispers “Vendetta!” - -With astonishing cleverness the outraged husband maps out his plan of -requital; his patience, his self-control, his constant alertness are -described by himself--the story is told in the first person--with a -deliberation that is almost diabolical in its cold-blooded intensity. - -Count Fabio scorns the idea of divorce or even an ordinary duel; his -revenge must partake of nothing so prosaic as an action at law or ten -minutes’ rapier play. The matter does, indeed, come to a fight at last, -but even here the injured nobleman gives his rival no chance; for, by -removing his smoked spectacles, and disclosing his eyes for the first -time to his one-time friend, he so unnerves his opponent that the latter -fires wildly and merely grazes the count’s shoulder, while Fabio’s -bullet finds a vital spot in the breast of the man who in a mere prosaic -action for divorce would be referred to as the co-respondent. - -The count intended to kill his man, and, if his action were -unsportsmanlike, he would doubtless have excused it on the ground that a -_vendetta_ wots not of fair play, the idea being that one person has to -bring about the death of another, by means fair or foul. The count found -it necessary to his programme to make the duel appear a perfectly fair -one; but as a matter of fact he never for a moment, owing to the -precautions he took, had any misgivings as to which combatant would -prove successful. - -In the event of this book being dramatized, the most thrilling situation -will undoubtedly be pronounced the scene in the vault when Fabio, having -remarried his wife, takes her to what he describes as the house where he -keeps his treasure. When retreat is impossible the guilty woman -discovers that he has lured her into the Romani mausoleum. In this -noisome place of sepulture, amidst the bones of bygone Counts Romani, he -discloses his identity, and points to his own coffin, broken asunder--a -ghastly proof of the fact that his story is true. This is his night of -triumph: here ends his revenge. “Trick for trick, comedy for comedy.” -His once familiar friend lies dead in a grave distant but a few yards -from the vault in which, held fast in a ruthless snare, stands the wife -whose love had strayed from her husband to the silent one yonder. - -Her first fright over, she shows resource even in these dire straits: -she flees, but a locked gate bars her exit, and then she almost -succeeds in stabbing her jailer. But nothing avails against his -vigilance and iron strength, and her terrible surroundings turn her -brain. Mad, she breaks into song--an old melody that at last, when too -late, touches the heart of her husband, and he resolves to remove her -from the charnel-house. But ere his new-found compassion can take -action, while she is crooning over the bandits’ hoard of jewels and -decking her fair arms and neck with blazing gems, a sudden upheaval of -Nature, not uncommon in those parts, shakes a ponderous stone out of the -vault’s roof and silences her song forever. - -The conclusion is fittingly brief. The once proud noble flees from -Naples to the wild woodlands of South America, where, with other -settlers, he ekes out a bare existence by the rough and unremitting toil -inseparable from such surroundings. - - * * * * * - -It is a relief to turn from these scenes of black and tempestuous -passion to the gracious and winning personality of the Norwegian girl -Thelma, whose name adorns the title-page of Miss Corelli’s third novel. -Here is no pestilence, for the opening chapters seem to breathe health -and strength and well-being, so redolent is the setting of all that is -good and sweet. - -Miss Corelli’s publisher was delighted with the manuscript. “I have read -all,” wrote Mr. Bentley, on March 22d, 1887; “what a nuisance space is! -Here are three hundred miles separating us, and I feel I could say what -I have to say fifty times better by word of mouth than with this pen.... -‘Thelma,’ as long as it is Norwegian, is a lovely dream--a romance full -of poetry and color. ‘Thelma’ in London (I speak of the book) I cannot -like. Of course the contrast, if not too deep, is effective.... How glad -I was to get back to Norway! The death of Olaf is very picturesquely -painted, and little Britta is a charming little brick.” In a previous -letter, written when he had perused up to “page 1017,” he said: “The -character of Sigurd I consider a most beautiful creation. I hardly like -to write what I really think of it, since either it is of the very -highest order, or I have no claim to critical ability of any sort. His -whole career, his half-thought-out, half-uttered exclamations, the -poetry of his thoughts, his passion so noble and so pitiful, the grand -and highly dramatic close of his life, must give you a position which -might be denied for ‘Vendetta’ as melodrama. Here there is nothing of -that sort of life--here one is in the world which held Ariel. The Bonde -I like much, and Lorimer. How necessary are some defects to a perfect -liking! How we are in touch with poor Humanity through its weak side! -This is, I suppose, why we do not sympathize as we ought with Christ. We -feel sad for ourselves, and I can only truly pity those who need -it,--the sort of cry in our hearts for the lost perfection.... I could -write several sheets about the novel, but I forbear. Don’t write too -fast. _One who can write as well_ as you can, can write better, and in -the long run will stand better on financial grounds.” - -Here is advice from one possessing great experience and much worldly -wisdom. How helpful such sound and friendly counsel proved to the young -novelist can readily be imagined. - -“The death of Sigurd, and that also of Olaf,” wrote Mr. Bentley, on -March 28th, 1887, “are far ahead in literary excellence and truth of -anything in ‘She’".... “I confess I hate perfect people,” he remarks in -a subsequent letter, “and that is why, on the contrary, I love Thelma’s -father, have a strong sympathy with poor Sigurd as well as with many of -the other characters in the story, and with that pretty little side -picture of the plucky little waiting maid. I congratulate you on your -next idea. It is in the Spirit of the age to pierce into the mysteries -of the unseen world, and I look forward to some interesting speculations -from your enquiring mind.” - -Various passages in other letters testify to Mr. Bentley’s genuine -appreciation of the book. “A clever lady, a great friend of mine whose -opinion I value, is charmed with ‘Thelma.’ This lady was a friend of -Guizot, is a keen critic, and hates our modern novels.” And again: -“There is a rich imagery in ‘Thelma,’ which makes me believe you capable -of becoming our first novelist, and there is a versatility which bodes -well.... But God sends what is best for His children--may His best be -for you!” - -“Thelma” is, in truth, for some considerable way through its numerous -pages, a very pretty story: by many readers, as has been said, it is -counted Miss Corelli’s best achievement, albeit the authoress, in her -heart of hearts, sets “Ardath” above everything that has come from her -pen. - -“Thelma” is quaintly unorthodox from its very start, for the two -principal characters meet each other in the unconventional manner so -dear to the heart of the romance-lover. A wave-lapped beach, at -midnight, in the Land of the Midnight Sun--a handsome English -aristocrat--a wonderful maid, who can claim direct descent from the old -Vikings--some slight assistance required in the launching of a -boat--are not these particulars sufficient to whet the appetite for what -is bound to follow? Favored by circumstances, this chance meeting ripens -into a full-fledged friendship, whence to a wooing and a wedding is no -far cry in the hands of a skilful novelist. - -The main theme of the story, of course, is English society as viewed by -a girl who, though naturally refined and carefully educated, is, as -regards the world and its ways, a child. Thelma, having become Lady -Bruce-Errington, is gradually introduced to her husband’s social equals, -the result being as diverting as it is pathetic; for she has to go -through a process of disillusionment whereby she learns with no little -pain that an invitation to dinner is not necessarily a genuine -expression of regard any more than a woman’s kiss betokens the slightest -affection or even liking for the woman upon whom it is bestowed. - -Having imbibed all the accomplishments of the schoolroom, Thelma finds -that the vanity of the world is a study which brings much bitterness of -soul in the mastering. At first the young bride’s astonishing frankness -is taken for a supreme effort of art; then, when the truth dawns upon -her associates, her success in society advances by leaps and bounds, -and she becomes what is called “the rage.” Naturally her large nature -soon sickens of such adulation, and induces a strange weariness which -gives place to blank despair and unutterable misery when the -machinations of certain evily-disposed persons lead her to believe that -her husband has bestowed his affections upon a burlesque actress. So -great is her selflessness that the poor girl makes excuses for her -husband’s (alleged) infidelity, and actually blames herself for not -having proved sufficiently fascinating to keep him by her side. In -bitter weather she quietly leaves London--bound for home. She crosses -the rough seas in a cargo-boat, and arrives in Norway to find that her -father is just dead. Her husband follows her by a perilous route, and, -surviving the many dangers of the journey, gains her bedside in time to -save her life and reason. And thereafter all is well. - -In a book containing six hundred and fifteen closely-printed pages, -there must of necessity be a long roll of characters. It is often the -case that characters, increasing in number as a book progresses in the -writing, demand more and more space for their exploitation. Hence such -voluminous works as “Thelma.” In the first part of the novel the persons -introduced are mainly of the bachelor kind, and, though useful in -filling chairs at the literary repast, are not absolutely necessary to -the plot’s working. In Book II.--“The Land of Mockery”--a new set of -people is introduced, society people mostly, and their servants. In Book -III.--“The Land of the Long Shadow”--the reader is taken to Norway in -the winter, the novelist appropriately and strikingly making Nature’s -moods harmonize with those of her pen-and-ink creations. - -Miss Corelli lays on her colors with an unsparing brush--there is -nothing half-and-half in her characterization. There are four -“principals” in this play. Lady Winsleigh, as opposed to Thelma, fills a -_rôle_ full of wrongful possibilities in that she portrays “a woman -scorned,” than whom, as we are asked to believe, Hell hath no fury whose -malevolence is of a worse description. Sir Francis Lennox is, in -wrong-doing, her masculine counterpart; and to balance him we have -Thelma’s husband, an excellent fellow who makes a fool of himself in a -truly bewildering manner. His behavior in endeavoring to bring about a -reconciliation between his secretary and his secretary’s wife--the -actress already referred to--is the weak spot in the book. - -Much, however, that displeases the critical sense--which is fortunately -not the predominating mental attribute of the novel-reading public--is -obliterated by Thelma’s womanliness and attractively gentle nature. She -is born to love and to suffer, and still to love, without murmur or -reproach, “for better for worse, for richer for poorer,” the husband of -her heart’s choice. She is a human flower, well pictured by the lines -from Rossetti quoted by the authoress: - - “Sweet hands, sweet hair, sweet cheeks, sweet eyes, sweet mouth - Each singly wooed and won!” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -“ARDATH”--THE STORY OF A DEAD SELF--THE WONDERFUL CITY OF AL-KYRIS--THE -MISSION OF THE BOOK - - -In no work produced by her busy pen has Miss Corelli given such range to -her imagination, to her love of the beautiful and fantastic, as in -“Ardath.” This, her fourth book, abounds in wonderful accounts of a -strange people in a strange place. When she sets a scene of barbaric -splendor in the city of Al-Kyris, she reaches great descriptive heights; -she tells, indeed, a tale of beauty, of horror, and of extraordinary -amours, whose like can nowhere be found, look where you will. “Ardath” -stands alone--a prose poem and a startlingly vivid narrative in one. “I -have read it,” wrote Mr. Bentley (referring to the work in manuscript -form), “with wonder that one small head could hold it all.” - -That the authoress has a quick and appreciative eye for the picturesque, -her most bitter detractor will not care to deny; she loves to write of -birds and flowers, field and forest, golden sunshine and blue waters. -She exhibits a passion for the bygone--in architecture and in man. In -her interesting miscellany, “A Christmas Greeting,” she reproves those -who would take from the charming old-worldliness of Shakespeare’s -birthplace by erecting in Stratford-on-Avon ugly villas and shops -suggestive of Clapham or Peckham Rye. She would--as we all would--have -Stratford kept as much as possible like Stratford was when Shakespeare -wandered by Avon’s banks or brooded over the fire in his home near to -the old Guild Church. - -“Ardath” was written in a hot glow of inspiration. Its theme is drawn -from the Book of Esdras, one of the apocryphal Jewish writings which, -while not used for “establishment of doctrine,” are held to be of value -for historical purposes and for “instruction of manners.” Like a -constantly recurring refrain in a musical composition, the passage in -Esdras chosen by the authoress for her text greets the reader ever and -anon as he turns the pages: “_So I went my way into the Field which is -called ‘Ardath,’ and sat among the flowers._” - -On this passage Miss Corelli built her romance, and so successfully did -she work out her ideas that “Ardath” drew letters from all sorts and -conditions of men--letters discussing the theories propounded in her -writings, and asking for information and advice of encyclopædic -character. Amongst the - -[Illustration: A BOATING PLACE ON THE AVON] - -[Illustration: A FAVORITE REACH ON THE AVON] - -correspondence were many flattering letters from men and women of light -and leading, not only in England, but abroad. The novel under notice, -which was issued in 1889, brought Miss Corelli a letter of praise from -Lord Tennyson. The work was indeed so remarkable a piece of imaginative -conception and picturesque writing that it appealed peculiarly to the -Laureate’s sense of the poetic and artistic. - -Of the mission of the book, which was of serious character, we shall -speak anon. “Ardath” is one of the author’s finest efforts to further -the cause of true religion. A strange outcome of the book was the -proposed building, by some enthusiastic Americans, of a Corelli city in -Fremont County, Colorado, U. S. A., on the Arkansas River, and a -prospectus was actually issued explaining the project. - -“Ardath” is divided into three parts. In the first is introduced a -sceptic poet, Theos Alwyn. In the Second Book, Theos is transplanted -into the city of Al-Kyris, in a bygone world, where he is supposed to -have led a previous existence five thousand years before Christ’s -advent. In the Third Book, Alwyn is back in London, amongst old -associates, with the knowledge of all these strange experiences within -him. The book has a sub-title, “The Story of a Dead Self,” and it is in -the city of Al-Kyris that the peculiar “Dead Self” experience comes to -Theos Alwyn, through whom Miss Corelli expounds lessons to all men--and -women. - -The story opens in the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, where a wild -storm is gathering, and there is an early example of the descriptive -delights with which the book is adorned. Miss Corelli is unique, not -alone in her imaginings and in her treatment of them, but, too, in her -powerful pictures of scenery. Here, - - “in the lonely Caucasus heights, drear shadows drooped and - thickened above the Pass of Dariel--that terrific gorge which like - a mere thread seems to hang between the toppling frost-bound - heights above, and black abysmal depths below. Clouds, fringed - ominously with lurid green and white, drifted heavily yet swiftly - across the jagged peaks where, looming largely out of the mist, the - snow-capped crest of Mount Kazbek rose coldly white against the - darkness of the threatening sky.... Night was approaching, though - away to the west a broad gash of crimson, a seeming wound in the - breast of heaven, showed where the sun had set an hour since. Now - and again the rising wind moaned sobbingly through the tall and - spectral pines that, with knotted roots fast clenched in the - reluctant earth, clung tenaciously to their stony vantage ground; - and mingling with its wailing murmur, there came a distant hoarse - roaring as of tumbling torrents, while at far-off intervals could - be heard the sweeping thud of an avalanche slipping from point to - point on its disastrous downward way. Through the wreathing vapors - the steep, bare sides of the near mountains were pallidly visible, - their icy pinnacles, like uplifted daggers, piercing with sharp - glitter the density of the low-hanging haze, from which large drops - of moisture began presently to ooze rather than fall. Gradually the - wind increased, and soon with sudden fierce gusts shook the - pine-trees into shuddering anxiety,--the red slit in the sky - closed, and a gleam of forked lightning leaped athwart the driving - darkness. An appalling crash of thunder followed almost - instantaneously, its deep boom vibrating in sullenly grand echoes - on all sides of the Pass; and then--with a swirling, hissing rush - of rain--the unbound hurricane burst forth alive and furious. On, - on!--splitting huge boughs and flinging them aside like straws, - swelling the rivers into riotous floods that swept hither and - thither, carrying with them masses of rock and stone and tons of - loosened snow--on, on! with pitiless force and destructive haste, - the tempest rolled, thundered, and shrieked its way through - Dariel.” - -It was such fine writing as this, doubtless, which caught Tennyson’s -fancy on casually opening the book to inspect and arrive at conclusions -concerning its contents for himself, regardless of anything reviewers -might have said previously in its disfavor. It was a sympathetic perusal -of its many pages that drew from him a letter of commendation which he -duly dispatched to its writer. It was the poetic conception of the city -of Al-Kyris which appealed to the lonely Man of Wight, pondering, in his -long island walks, on the strange romance of pre-Babylonian times set -down by a woman who had won the whole-hearted approval of his great -contemporary, William Gladstone. - -Not unlike this majestic opening of “Ardath” are many of the poet’s own -sublime pen-pictures. A master of verse, standing high above all others -of his time as well as above most who had preceded him, the warm -encomiums that he deliberately awarded to Marie Corelli should surely -silence the snarls of envious Grub Street. - -But to our story. Within the Monastery of Lars, “far up among the crags -crowning the ravine,” are seen a group of monks whose intonations -strangely stir a listener,--an Englishman,--Alwyn, whose musings on the -reverential exercises of the monks indicate the religious purpose that -underlies the story which follows. For Alwyn at the time is not only a -poet, but an egoist and an agnostic. What sort of fellows are these -monks, he muses,--fools or knaves? They must be one or the other, thinks -he, else they would not thus chant praises “to a Deity of whose -existence there is, and can be, no proof.” He is none the less conscious -that the ending of faith and the prevalence of what he regards as Truth, -would be a dreary result, destroying the beauty of the Universe. With -cold and almost contemptuous feelings he watches the proceedings of -these monks, and listens to the recital of their seven _Glorias_: - -“Glory to God, the Most High, the Supreme and Eternal!” And with one -harmonious murmur of accord the brethren respond: - - “Glory forever and ever! Amen!” - -Vespers over, the monks leave their chapel, and immediately the agnostic -poet is face to face with one who is presumably chief of the Order--the -monk who had recited the _Glorias_. And who, indeed, is he? None other -than the mystic scientist, the Heliobas of “A Romance of Two Worlds,” -who has now adopted this secluded monastic life. To him Theos Alwyn -explains that he is miserable, and that, though an agnostic and searcher -after absolute and positive proof, he desires for a time to be deluded -into a state of happiness. So, the Parisian fame of Heliobas having -reached him, this modern poet does not hesitate to seek from him a peace -and happiness which neither his world of success nor his agnostic -opinions can give him. From Heliobas he learns that this strange monk -possesses a certain spiritual force which can overpower and subdue -material force--that he can release the poet’s soul--“that is, the Inner -Intelligent Spirit which is the actual You”--from its house of clay and -allow it an interval of freedom. Alwyn pleads--even demands--that -Heliobas will exercise this power at once; but the monk, amazed and -reproachful, declines. - - “To-night!--without faith, preparation, or prayer,--you are willing - to be tossed through the realms of space like a grain of dust in a - whirling tempest? Beyond the glittering gyration of unnumbered - stars--through the sword-like flash of streaming comets--through - darkness--through light--through depths of profoundest - silence--over heights of vibrating sound--you--_you_ will dare to - wander in these God-invested regions--you, a blasphemer and a - doubter of God!” - -Stranger than many of the marvels of the book is the scene that follows. -It is a contest of Will between Alwyn and Heliobas. The former, -concentrating all the powers of his mind upon the effort, declares that -Heliobas _shall_ release his soul: - - “He felt twice a man and more than half a God ... what--what was - that dazzling something in the air that flashed and whirled and - shone like glittering wheels of golden flame? His lips parted--he - stretched out his hands in the uncertain manner of a blind man - feeling his way. ‘Oh, God!--God!’ he muttered, as though stricken - by some sudden amazement; then, with a smothered gasping cry he - staggered and fell heavily forward on the floor--insensible!...” - -The soul of the poet had by a superhuman access of will managed to break -its bonds and escape elsewhere. “But whither? Into what vast realms of -translucent light or drear shadow?” Unable to answer the question, the -monk betakes himself to the monastery chapel, and prays in silence till -the heavy night had passed and the storm “had slain itself with the -sword of its own fury on the dark slopes of the Pass of Dariel.” - -Theos for a time lies as one dead. Anon he awakes, seats himself at a -table, and writes. Sometimes he murmurs “Ardath,” but he goes on writing -for hours. Then Heliobas rejoins him. “I have been dreaming,” Theos -says. The monk points to the written manuscript as proof that the dream -has been productive, at any rate. Alwyn reads from the manuscript and -recites: - - “With thundering notes of song sublime - I cast my sins away from me, - On stairs of sound I mount--I climb! - The angels wait and pray for me!” - -But that, he remembers, is a stanza he had heard somewhere when he was a -boy. Why does he now think of it? “_She_ has waited,--so she -said,--these many thousand days!” And there was the key to the dream. -There was a woman in it; and an angel. - -Theos explains his dream to Heliobas, tells how he had seemed to fly -into darkness, how in wild despair he cried “Oh, God, where art Thou?” -and heard a great rushing sound as of a strong wind beaten through with -wings, while a voice, grand and sweet as a golden trumpet blown suddenly -in the silence of night, answered, “_Here!--and Everywhere!_” And then -all was brightness, a slanting stream of opaline radiance cleft the -gloom, and Alwyn was uplifted by an invisible strength. And then he -hears some one call him by name, “Theos, my Beloved!” and a woman of -entrancing beauty appears, crowned with white flowers, and robed in a -garb that seems spun from midsummer moonbeams; ... a smiling -maiden-sweetness in a paradise of glad sights and sounds. - -And this being, bidding Alwyn return to his own star, further directs -him to seek out the Field of Ardath, where she will meet him. And so -they part. - -Theos Alwyn awakens from his dream madly in love with this vision of -loveliness, and determines, if a Field of Ardath there is, to go there -and keep the appointment. Heliobas shows him where the Field of Ardath -lies. It is mentioned in the Book of Esdras, in the Apocrypha, and is -described as situated four miles west of the Babylonian ruins. Alwyn -decides on journeying thither, first sending the poem he had written to -his London friend, Francis Villiers, with the request that as -“Nourhàlma; a Love Legend of the Past,” it shall be published in the -usual way. - -By the waters of Babylon we next find Theos Alwyn, who is soon housed in -the Hermitage, near Hillah, with one Elzear of Malyana, to whom Heliobas -has supplied the traveler with a letter of introduction. So impatient is -this lover to prove the truth or falsity of his mystic vision at Dariel, -that, on the first night of his arrival at the Hermitage, he proceeds -shortly before midnight to search for the Field of Ardath which was -known to the Prophet Esdras. He sets forth, and the wondrous story of -his experiences immediately commences. “Kyrie eleison! Christe eleison! -Kyrie eleison!” sung by full, fresh, youthful voices in clear and -harmonious unison, greets his ears; though whence comes the sound, and -from whom, there is nothing to show. “Was ever madman more mad than I,” -he murmurs. It is a sweet and fascinating madness none the less, for the -angel-lover is true to her promise. “Behold the field thou thoughtest -barren, how great a glory hath the moon unveiled!” quoth the Prophet -Esdras, and as Theos treads the Field of Ardath, which had appeared, -when first his eyes rested upon it, a dreary and desolate place, he -finds the turf covered with white blossoms, star-shaped and -glossy-leaved, with deep golden centres, wherein bright drops of dew -sparkled like brilliants, and whence puffs of perfume rose like incense -swung at unseen altars. And here he finds, moving sedately along through -the snow-white blossoms, a graceful girl. He no longer has eyes for the -flower-transfiguration of the lately barren land. “My name is Edris; I -came from a far, far country, Theos,--a land where no love is wasted and -no promise forgotten!” she tells him. More than that, she adds that she -has waited and prayed for him through long bright æons of endless glory, -and he recognizes in Edris at last the angel of his vision. She upbraids -him for his doubts and unhappiness, speaks slightingly of fame as a -perishable diadem; and crying “O fair King Christ, Thou shalt prevail!” -she leaves him, and as she goes Theos is told “prayers are heard, and -God’s great patience never tires;--learn therefore _from the perils of -the past, the perils of the future_.” Alwyn, falling senseless, drifts -into the dream wherein he is to learn the story of his new self. - -The description of Theos’s dream fills over fifteen score of pages. The -reader is impelled on and on, finding in every step new subject for -wonder. The city of Al-Kyris is a feast of scenic splendors, the skill -of the writer providing fascinating word-pictures of incidents more -strange than were ever imagined in an Arabian Nights’ entertainment. And -through all runs a steady and strong undercurrent made up of the solid -lesson of the book, “_learn from the perils of the past, the perils of -the future_.” - -Theos Alwyn could not tell how long he slept on the Field of Ardath, for -his awakening was confusing. He had a consciousness of his previous -life, its conditions, his position, and opinions. All now was changed. -He was before a gate leading into a walled city, the entrance to which -consisted of huge massive portals apparently made of finely moulded -brass, and embellished on either side by thick round stone towers from -the summits of which red pennons drooped idly in the air. Through the -portals was seen a wide avenue paved entirely with mosaics, and along -this passed an endless stream of wayfarers. A strange city and a strange -people. Fruit-sellers, carrying their lovely luscious merchandise in -huge gilded baskets, stood at almost every corner; flower-girls, fair as -their own flowers, bore aloft in their gracefully upraised arms wide -wicker trays overflowing with odorous blossoms tied into clusters and -wreaths. Theos understood the language spoken. It was perfectly familiar -to him--more so than his own native tongue. What was his native tongue? -Who was he? “Theos Alwyn” was all he could remember. Whence did he come? -The answer was direct and decisive. From Ardath. But what was Ardath? -Neither a country nor a city. And his dress!--he glanced at it, dismayed -and appalled--he had not noticed it till now. It bore some resemblance -to the costume of ancient Greece, and consisted of a white linen tunic -and loose upper vest, both garments being kept in place by a belt of -silver. From this belt depended a sheathed dagger. His feet were shod -with sandals, his arms were bare to the shoulder and clasped at the -upper part by two broad silver armlets richly chased. The men were for -the most part arrayed like himself, though here and there he met some -few whose garments were of soft silk, instead of linen, who wore gold -belts in place of silver, and who carried their daggers in sheaths that -were literally encrusted all over with flashing jewels. - - “The costume of the women was composed of a straight clinging gown, - slightly gathered at the throat and bound about the waist with a - twisted girdle of silver, gold, and, in some cases, jewels; their - arms, like those of the men, were bare; and their small delicate - feet were protected by sandals fastened with crossed bands of - ribbon coquettishly knotted. The arrangement of their hair was - evidently a matter of personal taste, and not the slavish copying - of any set fashion. Some allowed it to hang in loosely flowing - abundance over their shoulders; others had it closely braided or - coiled carelessly in a thick, soft mass at the top of the head; but - all without exception wore white veils--veils long, transparent and - filmy as gossamer, which they flung back or draped about them at - their pleasure.” - -Dazed and bewildered, Theos Alwyn gazed about him. Then, following the -crowd, he was borne along to a large square which bordered on the banks -of a river that ran through the city. A strange gilded vessel was seen -approaching. Huge oars, like golden fins, projected from the sides of -the vessel and dipped lazily now and then into the water, wielded by the -hands of invisible rowers. The ship sparkled all over as though it were -carved out of one great burning jewel. Golden hangings, falling in rich, -loose folds, draped it gorgeously from stem to stern; gold cordage -looped the sails. On the deck a band of young girls, clad in white and -crowned with flowers, knelt, playing softly on quaintly shaped -instruments; and a cluster of tiny, semi-nude boys, fair as young -cupids, were grouped in pretty, reposeful attitudes along the edge of -the gilded prow, holding garlands of red and yellow blossoms which -trailed down to the surface of the water. - -Theos, gazing dreamily and wonderingly upon the scene, was suddenly -roused to feverish excitement, and with a smothered cry of ecstasy fixed -his straining eager gaze on one supreme, fair figure--the central glory -of the marvelous picture. - - “A woman or a Goddess?--a rainbow Flame in mortal shape?--a spirit - of earth, air, fire, water?--or a Thought of Beauty embodied into - human sweetness and made perfect? Clothed in gold attire, and - girded with gems, she stood, leaning indolently against the middle - mast of the vessel, her great sombre dusky eyes resting drowsily on - the swarming masses of people, whose frenzied roar of rapture and - admiration sounded like the breaking of billows.” - -Beauty-stricken, Theos was roughly brought back to a sense of his -position as a stranger in the city. Al-Kyris was given up to the worship -of a serpent, Nagâya. This woman who had passed was Nagâya’s High -Priestess, the chief power in the place. All the people worshiped her, -and Theos had not, with them, fallen down before her. Immediately he was -seized and roughly handled by the mob, who proclaimed him an infidel and -a spy. At this opportune moment the Poet Laureate of the Realm, one -Sah-Lûma, made his appearance. In Al-Kyris the Laureate was a great man, -next only indeed to Zephorânim, the King. - -Sah-Lûma rebuked the crowd for their ill-treatment of the stranger; and -then, hearing that Theos was a poet from a far country, took him to his -own palace. - -Probably no vainer person than Sah-Lûma ever existed, whether in a real -or imaginary world. They were very artistic in Al-Kyris. Nobody ever -seemed to work except the black slaves. Apparently there was no -necessity for that. The people, including the King, positively doted on -poets. No wonder Sah-Lûma was the Prince of Egoists, seeing that he was -the chief poet in Al-Kyris. - -The Laureate explained the religion of Al-Kyris to his guest: - - “We believe in no actual creed,--who does? We accept a certain - given definition of a supposititious Divinity, together with the - suitable maxims and code of morals accompanying that definition--we - call this Religion,--and we wear it as we wear our clothing, for - the sake of necessity and decency,--though truly we are not half so - concerned about it as about the far more interesting details of - taste in attire. Still, we have grown used to our doctrine, and - some of us will fight with each other for the difference of a word - respecting it,--and as it contains within itself many seeds of - discord and contradiction, such dissensions are frequent, - especially among the priests, who, were they but true to their - professed vocation, should be able to find ways of smoothing over - all apparent inconsistencies and maintaining peace and order. Of - course, we, in union with all civilized communities, worship the - Sun, even as thou must do,--in this one leading principle at least, - our faith is universal! - - “‘And yet,’ he went on thoughtfully, ‘the well-instructed know - through our scientists and astronomers (many of whom are now - languishing in prison for the boldness of their researches and - discoveries) that the Sun is no divinity at all, but simply a huge - Planet,--a dense body surrounded by a luminous flame-darting - atmosphere,--neither self-acting nor omnipotent, but only one of - many similar orbs moving in strict obedience to fixed mathematical - laws. Nevertheless, this knowledge is wisely kept back as much as - possible from the multitude;--for, were science to unveil her - marvels too openly to semi-educated and vulgarly constituted minds, - the result would be, first Atheism, next Republicanism, and, - finally, Anarchy and Ruin. If these evils--which, like birds of - prey, continually hover about all great kingdoms--are to be - averted, we must, for the welfare of the country and people, hold - fast to some stated form and outward observance of religious - belief.’” - -These views were strikingly similar to those held by Theos when he was -in the world, and he could thus endorse the further assertions of -Sah-Lûma, who deemed even a false religion better for the masses than -none at all, urging that men were closely allied to brutes. If the moral -sense ceased to restrain them they at once leaped the boundary line and -gave as much rein to their desires and appetites as hyenas and tigers. -And in some natures the moral sense was only kept alive by fear--fear of -offending some despotic invisible force that pervaded the Universe, and -whose chief and most terrible attribute was not so much creative as -destructive power. Thus Sah-Lûma again on the theology of Al-Kyris: - - “To propitiate and pacify an unseen Supreme Destroyer is the aim of - all religions,--and it is for this reason we add to our worship of - the Sun that of the White Serpent, Nagâya the Mediator. Nagâya is - the favorite object of the people’s adoration;--they may forget to - pay their vows to the Sun, but never to Nagâya, who is looked upon - as the emblem of Eternal Wisdom, the only pleader whose persuasions - avail to soften the tyrannic humor of the Invincible Devourer of - all things. We know how men hate Wisdom and cannot endure to be - instructed; yet they prostrate themselves in abject crowds before - Wisdom’s symbol every day in the Sacred Temple yonder,--though I - much doubt whether such constant devotional attendance is not more - for the sake of Lysia, than the Deified Worm!” - -Lysia, High Priestess of Nagâya, was the charmer of the God of Al-Kyris, -charmer of the serpent and of the hearts of men. “The hot passion of -love is to her a toy, clasped and unclasped so!--in the pink hollow of -her hand; and so long as she retains the magic of her beauty, so long -will Nagâya-worship hold Al-Kyris in check.” Otherwise,--who was to -know? Not Sah-Lûma and not Theos, though both were to learn later. -Already in Al-Kyris, it was explained to Theos by his new friend, there -were philosophers who were tired of the perpetual sacrifices and the -shedding of innocent blood that marked the worship of the city. There -was a Prophet Khosrûl who even denounced Lysia and Nagâya in the open -streets, and gave out the faith that was in him--that far away in a -circle of pure Light the true God existed,--a vast, all-glorious Being, -who, with exceeding marvelous love, controlled and guided Creation -towards some majestic end. Furthermore, Khosrûl held that thousands of -years thence (the times described in Al-Kyris are assumed to be 5000 -B.C.) this God would embody a portion of His own existence in human -form, “and will send hither a wondrous creature, half God, half man, to -live our life, die our death, and teach us by precept and example the -surest way to eternal happiness.” - -It is the prophet who gave out this faith against whom the King and the -people of Al-Kyris are mostly incensed. They prefer their worship of -Lysia, “The Virgin Priestess of the Sun and the Serpent,” who “receives -love as statues may receive it--moving all others to frenzy she is -herself unmoved.” So ’tis said. There is, however, the threatening -legend: - - “When the High Priestess - Is the King’s mistress - Then fall Al-Kyris!” - -And the fall of Al-Kyris is imminent. - -To the splendors of the court of Zephorânim, King of Al-Kyris, Theos is -duly introduced by the Poet Laureate. He finds there that the poetic -muse is adored, and Sah-Lûma is scarcely less esteemed than the King, -who, indeed, his friend and devotee, would almost make the Poet supreme. -The government and religion of Al-Kyris is mainly humbug. They sin -freely and get absolution at an annual feast where a maiden is always -slaughtered and offered as a sacrifice to Nagâya. - -Theos has some quaint experiences. His great friend Sah-Lûma enchants -the court with a poem--one that Theos faintly remembers he himself had -written in days of old. The poet and his friend, after a court function, -proceed to a reception at the Palace of Lysia. There they witness and -take part in marvelous scenes; and the garden of the Palace gives the -novelist an opportunity for those beautiful word-pictures that her pen -evolves so brilliantly. The poets attend a midnight reception and there -witness an extraordinary ballet which follows a banquet even more -astounding in its incidents and in its revelations of the real character -of this so-called Virgin Priestess. One, Nir-jalis, who had received -favors from Lysia, and who, filled and flooded with wine, was indiscreet -in his utterances, is given by her a cup of poison--the Chalice of -Oblivion--which he drinks, and before a laughing, bacchanalian crowd -dies a horrible death with the jeering words of Lysia in his ears, her -contemptuous smile upon him. Nobody cares. In Al-Kyris, and certainly in -Lysia’s Palace, they enjoy such scenes. - -Theos, amazed, watches all. He, too, has another strange revelation -before the night is through. In the midst of the revelry he hears a -chime of bells, which reminds him of the village church of his earlier -years, and of odd suggestions of fair women who were wont to pray for -those they loved, and who believed their prayers would be answered. As -he meditates thereon he is suddenly seized and borne swiftly along till -in the moonlight he recognizes Lysia. Dramatic indeed is the scene that -follows. Theos makes a passionate declaration of love to her, and has -the promise from Lysia: “Thou shalt be honored above the noblest in the -land ... riches, power, fame, all shall be thine--_if thou wilt do my -bidding_.” The bidding is “_Kill Sah-Lûma_,” and it is Lysia who shows -Theos his sleeping friend and places in his hand the dagger with which -to strike. Horrified at the suggestion, Theos flings the weapon from -him, escapes from the Palace, and reaches the home of Sah-Lûma, where, -later, the Poet Laureate rejoins him. - -The sands of Al-Kyris were fast running out, and events crowded one upon -the other in rapid succession. Theos was terrorized when Sah-Lûma -recited “the latest offspring of my fertile genius--my lyrical romance -‘Nourhàlma.’” Then the full title was proclaimed--“Nourhàlma: A -Love-Legend of the Past”; and we are given the first line of this -mysterious poem: - - “_A central sorrow dwells in perfect joy._” - -It was the poem written by Theos after the vision of Edris! He had to -hear Sah-Lûma proclaim it as his own; to praise it, too, as the work of -the other. Assuredly the cup of self-abnegation for Theos Alwyn was very -full. As they talked about the poem a great commotion was heard in the -streets. Theos and Sah-Lûma found themselves in the midst of a turbulent -crowd, who, for once, even disregarded the Poet Laureate. The Prophet -Khosrûl was predicting in the midst of excited multitudes the early -destruction of the city, and the coming of the Redeemer. Upon Theos was -again forced the knowledge which was his in the world whence he had been -transported to this pre-Christian age; and, suddenly roused to -excitement, he declared to these talented barbarians--“He HAS come! _He -died for us, and rose again from the dead more than eighteen hundred -years ago!_” - -From the astonishment caused by this declaration the people had scarcely -been roused by words from Sah-Lûma, when King Zephorânim appeared. -Khosrûl, having delivered his last dread warning, fell dead; and his -decease was immediately followed by the collapse of the great obelisk of -the city. The people’s final terrors had begun. The last words of the -Prophet Khosrûl had been a reiteration of the old forgotten warning -regarding the relations of the High Priestess and the King, and the fall -of the city was foretold for _that night_. - -Escaping the destruction caused by the fall of the obelisk, Sah-Lûma and -Theos returned to the Palace of the former, and there the Poet Laureate -for the first time showed real emotion on learning that his favorite -slave, Niphrâta, had left him forever. Soon Sah-Lûma and Theos were -summoned by Zèl, High Priest of the Sacrificial Altar, to take part in -the Great Sacrifice; for the people were terrified by the many strange -happenings and were about to join in solemn unison to implore the favor -of Nagâya and the gods. The Temple of Nagâya was magnificently decorated -for this New Year’s Festival. There Sah-Lûma found that the maiden to be -sacrificed was Niphrâta, and he made an impassioned demand, then an -appeal, for her life. Niphrâta was permitted her choice, but she -repudiated Sah-Lûma, appearing to be in love with some ghostly -representation of the Poet and to be unconscious of his material -existence. She had, she plaintively cried, waited for happiness so long; -and, the Sacrificial Priest calling for the victim, she rushed upon the -knife the Priest held ready for her. One second and she was seen -speeding towards the knife; the next--and the whole place was enveloped -in darkness. Fire broke out in every part of the Temple. A terrible -scene of destruction was enacted, and the terrified people rushed hither -and thither in the effort to save their lives;--efforts vain, because -the last day of the city had come,--Al-Kyris was doomed,--there was -rescue neither for people nor priests. - -Sah-Lûma, death being certain, desired to die with Lysia, but his claim -was contested by the King. Sovereign and Poet then learned that they had -been rivals in love. The prophecy of Khosrûl was being fulfilled. The -barbarous Lysia, even in these last moments, was fierce in her hate, -and demanded of the King that he should kill Sah-Lûma. Her last order -was obeyed. She could secure the death of the Poet, but she could not -save herself. Her own death was one of the most terrible and appalling -scenes ever conceived or described. Nagâya, the huge snake that the -people of Al-Kyris had worshiped, claimed its own. Frightened by the -flames, in its fear it turned upon its mistress Lysia, and, with the -King vainly striving to drag her from the coils of the python, the High -Priestess, chief of the city of lies, atheism, and humbug, died a death -which she had many times remorselessly and gleefully decreed for others. - -Theos, gazing at the funeral pyre, as it vaguely seemed to him, of a -wasted love and a dead passion, passed from the scene, taking with him -the dead body of his friend the Poet. And as he kept his steadfast gaze -on Sah-Lûma’s corpse, “the dead Poet’s eyes grew into semblance of his -own eyes, the dead Sah-Lûma’s face smiled spectrally back at him in the -image of his own face!--it was as though he beheld the Picture of -Himself, slain and ‘reflected in a magician’s mirror!’” Humbly he prayed -to God to pardon his sins and to teach him what he should know; and -again he heard soft, small voices singing _Kyrie Eleison_, and AWOKE to -find himself on the Field of Ardath, the dawn just breaking, and the -angel Edris near him. Then Edris told him that in the past he had been -Sah-Lûma, that in those days he would neither hear Christ nor believe in -Him, and that his talents had been misused; she also told Theos how his -future years should be spent. She promised that afterwards he should -meet her in the highest Heaven, but “not till then, _unless the longing -of thy love compels_.” - -It is in that portion of the work called “Poet and Angel” that the -serious aim of Marie Corelli in writing this romance is clearly and -emphatically brought out. Theos Alwyn is himself once again; but he is a -very different self. Returning to London he is received warmly by his -friend Villiers, and hears that “Nourhâlma” has brought him much of fame -and profit. He had ceased to care for one or the other. He tells -Villiers he has become a Christian, anxious, so far as he is able, to -follow a faith so grand, and pure, and true. In his declarations on the -subject we hear what our author again and again urges in many -books--that Christianity and Religion are not determined by one sect or -the other. In the words of Theos: - - “I am not a ‘convert’ to any particular set form of faith,--what I - care for is the faith itself. One can follow and serve Christ - without any church dogma. He has Himself told us plainly, in words - simple enough for a child to understand, what He would have us - do,--and though I, like many others, must regret the absence of a - true Universal Church where the servants of Christ may meet all - together without a shadow of difference in opinion, and worship Him - as He should be worshiped, still, that is no reason why I should - refrain from endeavoring to fulfil, as far as in me lies, my - personal duty towards Him. The fact is, Christianity has never yet - been rightly taught, grasped, or comprehended;--moreover, as long - as men seek through it their own worldly advantage, it never will - be,--so that the majority of people are really as yet ignorant of - its true spiritual meaning, thanks to the quarrels and differences - of sects and preachers. But, notwithstanding the unhappy position - of religion at the present day, I repeat I am a Christian, if love - for Christ and implicit belief in Him can make me so.” - -This is the text on which many of Alwyn’s powerful arguments are based, -in dealing, both in and out of society, with those opinions of sceptics -and agnostics which had formerly commended themselves to him but which -he now combats with convincing clearness and strength. To emphasize his -position he quotes that terse rebuke of Carlyle’s, in “Sartor Resartus,” -as to the uselessness of Voltaire’s work: - - “Cease, my much respected Herr von Voltaire,--shut thy sweet voice; - for the task appointed thee seems finished. Sufficiently hast thou - demonstrated this proposition, considerable or otherwise: That the - Mythus of the Christian Religion looks not in the eighteenth - century as it did in the eighth. Alas, were thy six-and-thirty - quartos and the six-and-thirty thousand other quartos and folios - and flying sheets of reams, printed before and since on the same - subject, all needed to convince us of so little! But what next? - Wilt thou help us to embody the Divine Spirit of that Religion in a - new Mythus, in a new vehicle and vesture, that our Souls, otherwise - too like perishing, may live? What! thou hast no faculty of that - kind? Only a torch for burning and no hammer for building?--Take - our thanks then--and thyself away!” - -The theologian and the lay thinker alike must follow with keen interest -the arguments of Theos Alwyn against atheism, materialism, and, what -Miss Corelli calls, Paulism. Uncompromisingly should those writers be -denounced who take immorality for their theme, and achieve considerable -sales thereby. The declarations of Alwyn are of particular interest -because in them expression is given to many of Marie Corelli’s own views -on sacred things. The man or woman who is bewildered by the quarrels of -the religious sects of these days, and whose bewilderment is increased -by the teachings of the cynics, may well exclaim with Alwyn what a -howling wilderness this world would be if given over entirely to -materialism, and conclude with him that, if it were, scarce a line of -division could be drawn between man and the brute beasts of the field! -“I consider,” says the poet, “that if you take the hope of an after-joy -and blessedness away from the weary, perpetually toiling Million, you -destroy, at one wanton blow, their best, purest, and noblest -aspirations. As for the Christian Religion, I cannot believe that so -grand and holy a Symbol is perishing among us. We have a monarch whose -title is ‘Defender of the Faith,’--we live in the age of civilization -which is primarily the result of that faith,--and if, as it is said, -Christianity is exploded,--then certainly the greatness of this hitherto -great nation is exploding with it! But I do not think, that because a -few sceptics uplift their wailing ‘All is vanity’ from their -self-created desert of agnosticism, _therefore_ the majority of men and -women are turning renegades from the simplest, most humane, most -unselfish Creed that ever the world has known. It may be so, but, at -present, I prefer to trust in the higher spiritual instinct of man at -his best, rather than accept the testimony of the lesser Unbelieving -against the greater Many, whose strength, comfort, patience and -endurance, if these virtues come not from God, come not at all.” - -To those who, through the atheistic views of some in the churches and of -the hosts outside, begin to feel doubt as to the truth of the Christian -faith, this book “Ardath” will be of enormous value. It will strengthen -their faith and aid greatly to carry conviction to those who pause, -unable to decide amid the chaotic teachings of conflicting theorists. We -praise this book more especially for its virtue as an antidote to the -pitiful writings of some female novelists whose vicious themes must do -much harm amongst the women of the day. “If women give up their faith,” -declares Alwyn to the Duchess de la Santoisie, “let the world prepare -for strange disaster! Good, God-loving women,--women who pray,--women -who hope,--women who inspire men to do the best that is in them,--these -are the safety and glory of nations! When women forget to kneel,--when -women cease to teach their children the ‘Our Father,’ by whose grandly -simple plea Humanity claims Divinity as its origin,--then shall we learn -what is meant by ‘men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking -after those things which are coming on the earth.’ A woman who denies -Christ repudiates Him, Who, above all others, made her sex as free and -honored as everywhere in Christendom it is. He never refused woman’s -prayers,--He had patience for her weakness,--pardon for her sins,--and -any book written by woman’s hand that does Him the smallest shadow of -wrong is to me as gross an act as that of one who, loaded with benefits, -scruples not to murder his benefactor!” - -The reading of “Ardath” will help many to the conviction of Theos -Alwyn--“God Exists. I, of my own choice, prayer, and hope, voluntarily -believe in God, in Christ, in angels, and in all things beautiful, and -pure, and grand! Let the world and its ephemeral opinions wither; I will -not be shaken down from the first step of the ladder whereon one climbs -to Heaven!” - -Such is the teaching of this remarkable book “Ardath,” which inculcates -these lessons interwoven with a romantic story of fascinating interest. - -Towards its close there occurs, again in the person and in the words of -Heliobas, a scathing comment upon “spiritualists,” for whom six tests -are suggested: - - “_Firstly._--Do they serve themselves more than others?--If so, - they are entirely lacking in spiritual attributes. - - “_Secondly._--Will they take money for their professed - knowledge?--If so, they condemn themselves as paid tricksters. - - “_Thirdly._--Are the men and women of commonplace and thoroughly - material life?--Then, it is plain they cannot influence others to - strive for a higher existence. - - “_Fourthly._--Do they love notoriety?--If they do, the gates of the - unseen world are shut upon them. - - “_Fifthly._--Do they disagree among themselves, and speak against - one another?--If so, they contradict by their own behavior all the - laws of spiritual force and harmony. - - “_Sixthly_ and lastly.--Do they reject Christ?--If they do, they - know nothing whatever about Spiritualism, there being _none_ - without Him.” - -There is a charming finale. Theos marries the angel Edris. An angel? -Yes; but an angel because _a woman, most purely womanly_. That is all, -and all women can be angels--“A Dream of Heaven made human!” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -“WORMWOOD” AND “THE SOUL OF LILITH” - - -Some day a selection of extracts from “The Works of Marie Corelli” will -be published, and excellent reading it will prove. For, scattered about -the novelist’s goodly list of books, one may light on many interesting -little observations concerning human nature which will well bear -reproduction without the context. In the course of this biography a -modest choice of Miss Corelli’s thoughts on religion, men, women, -education, and such-like topics will be found; but it is impossible in -the narrow scope of the present publication to quote everything that one -would like to. - -Early in “Wormwood” there occurs a passage of the kind to which we -refer. It is a pretty description of the ill-fated heroine of the story, -and of her “soft and trifling chatter.” Pauline de Charmilles is -eighteen, newly home from school--“a child as innocent and fresh as a -flower just bursting into bloom, with no knowledge of the world into -which she was entering, and with certainly no idea of the power of her -own beauty to rouse the passions of men.” Pauline, by mutual parental -head-nodding, is thrown much into the society of young Beauvais (who -tells the story), a wealthy banker’s son. His description of the girl -forms the passage alluded to above: - - “Pauline de Charmilles was not a shy girl, but by this I do not - mean it to be in the least imagined that she was bold. On the - contrary, she had merely that quick brightness and _esprit_ which - is the happy heritage of so many Frenchwomen, none of whom think it - necessary to practice or assume the chilly touch-me-not diffidence - and unbecoming constraint which make the young English “mees” such - a tame and tiresome companion to men of sense and humor. She was - soon perfectly at her ease with me, and became prettily garrulous - and confidential, telling me stories of her life at Lausanne, - describing the loveliness of the scenery on Lake Leman, and drawing - word-portraits of her teachers and schoolmates with a facile - directness and point that brought them at once before the mind’s - eye as though they were actually present.” - -Pauline’s ingenuousness and alluring looks quickly enslave young -Beauvais. He cannot understand the reason of this fascination. He quite -realizes that she is a bread-and-butter schoolgirl, and “a mere baby in -thought,” but--she is beautiful. So, having granted that the net in -which he finds himself immeshed is purely a physical one, he thus -descants on the reasonableness of his fall: - - “Men never fall in love at first with a woman’s mind; only with her - body. They may learn to admire the mind afterwards, if it prove - worth admiration, but it is always a secondary thing. This may be - called a rough truth, but it is true, for all that. Who marries a - woman of intellect by choice? No one; and if some unhappy man does - it by accident, he generally regrets it. A stupid beauty is the - most comfortable sort of housekeeper going, believe me. She will be - strict with the children, scold the servants, and make herself look - as ornamental as she can, till age and fat render ornament - superfluous. But a woman of genius, with that strange subtle - attraction about her which is yet not actual beauty,--she is the - person to be avoided if you would have peace; if you would escape - reproach; if you would elude the fixed and melancholy watchfulness - of a pair of eyes haunting you in the night.” - -The love of Beauvais is apparently returned by Pauline, and all goes -merrily in the direction of marriage-bells, whose ringing seems a matter -of no great distance off when the two young people become betrothed; -although it is apparent to a great friend of Pauline’s, Heloïse St. Cyr, -that the schoolgirl is not so sure of herself in the matter of being in -love as she should be. - -Among the many charmingly French touches in this book is Pauline’s -reassuring speech to her lover. “Be satisfied, Gaston; I am thy very -good little _fiancée_, who is very, very fond of thee, and happy in thy -company, _voilà tout_!” And then, taking a rose from her -_bouquet-de-corsage_, she fastens it in his button-hole, enchanting him -completely. - -Then comes Silvion Guidèl, nephew of M. Vaudron, Curé of the parish in -which live the De Charmilles. Guidèl is destined for the priesthood and -possesses considerable personal charms. Beauvais _père_ comments on -them: - - “A remarkably handsome fellow, that Guidèl!” he said. “Dangerously - so, for a priest! It is fortunate that his lady penitents will not - be able to see him very distinctly through the confessional - gratings, else who knows what might happen! He has a wonderful gift - of eloquence too. Dost thou like him, Gaston?” - - “No!” I replied frankly, and at once, “I cannot say I do!” - - My father looked surprised. - - “But why?” - - “Impossible to tell, _mon père_. He is fascinating, he is - agreeable, he is brilliant; but there is something in him that I - mistrust!” - -As events prove, Beauvais _fils_ has only too good reason to distrust -the embryo priest. Soon after, Beauvais _père_ is called away to London -for several weeks, and, as a consequence of the superintending of the -Paris banking house falling entirely to the son, Gaston sees but little -of his _fiancée_. But he is often in the company of Silvion Guidèl, to -whom he becomes much attached in spite of his previous feelings towards -M. Vaudron’s nephew. So, writing the history of those days long -afterwards, Beauvais acknowledges that he was mistaken in changing his -attitude towards Guidèl: - - “Though first impressions are sometimes erroneous, I believe there - is a balance in favor of their correctness. If a singular antipathy - seizes you for a particular person at first sight, no matter how - foolish it may seem, you may be almost sure that there is something - in your two natures that is destined to remain in constant - opposition. You may conquer it for a time; it may even change, as - it did in my case, to profound affection; but, sooner or later, it - will spring up again, with tenfold strength and deadliness; the - reason of your first aversion will be made painfully manifest, and - the end of it all will be doubly bitter because of the love that - for a brief while sweetened it. I say I loved Silvion Guidèl!--and - in proportion to the sincerity of that love, I afterwards measured - the intensity of my hate!” - -The wedding day draws closer, and Beauvais remains blind to everything -save his own joy and the bliss which he fondly imagines will result from -the union. True, he sometimes notices a certain lack of enthusiasm in -Pauline’s view of the approaching ceremony, but he attributes this and -her wistfulness of expression to “the nervous excitement a young girl -would naturally feel at the swift approach of her wedding day.” -Strangely enough, Guidèl, too, shows signs of physical and mental -distress, but when Beauvais rallies him on his manner and appearance, he -puts the young banker off with light speeches in which, however, there -is a certain bitterness which puzzles the latter considerably. However, -Beauvais still suspects nothing. At length Pauline shatters all his -dreams of the future, and makes him a miserable wretch for life, by -confessing that she loves Silvion Guidèl, that her love is returned, and -that, in consequence of this mutual passion, the worst of possible fates -has befallen her. - -Then Beauvais flies to absinthe drinking, which is the keynote of the -story. From that time on it is all absinthe. A broken-down painter, -André Gessonex, lures him on to this disastrous form of begetting -forgetfulness; and this is the first step down the short steep hill -which leads to the young banker’s utter ruin. Having once tasted the -potent and fascinating mixture, he returns to it again and again, and -gradually it warps him, physically and mentally, finally transforming -him into one of the meanest scoundrels in Paris. - -But this is after many days. On the morning after his first bout of -absinthe drinking, Beauvais decides to challenge Silvion, but discovers -that the betrayer of Pauline has disappeared from Paris. Thereupon, -though sore at heart, he determines to save Pauline’s family an -infinity of shame by marrying the girl; and so the preparations -continue. - -But in the interval that elapses between this decision and the date -fixed for the nuptials, the absinthe works a terrible change in -Beauvais’ attitude towards Pauline, with the result that, when the day -of the ceremony arrives, he denounces her before her parents and the -large assembly of guests as the cast-off mistress of Guidèl, and harshly -refuses to make her his wife. - -The awful effect of this speech may be imagined; poor Pauline’s looks -confirm the truth of his statement; the guests quietly leave the -broken-hearted parents with their daughter; there is no marriage. Take -the decorations down; fling the wedding feast to the mendicants who -whine round the house; there is no marriage! - -Even Beauvais _père_ turns on his miscreant of a son as they quit the -desolate girl’s abode: - - “Gaston, you have behaved like a villain! I would not have believed - that my son could have been capable of such a coward’s vengeance!” - - I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. - - “You are excited, _mon père_! What have I done save speak the - truth, and, as the brave English say, shame the devil?” - - “The truth--the truth!” said my father passionately. “Is it the - truth? and if it is, could it not have been told in a less brutal - fashion? You have acted like a fiend!--not like a man! If Silvion - Guidèl be a vile seducer, and that poor child Pauline his - credulous, ruined victim, could you not have dealt with _him_ and - have spared _her_? God! I would as soon wring the neck of a bird - that trusted me, as add any extra weight to the sorrows of an - already broken-hearted woman!” - -More than this, the indignant old man gives his son a substantial sum of -money, and turns him out of his house. - -Pauline, too, leaves her home in a mysterious and sudden fashion, -without telling any one where she is going. The death of her father, M. -de Charmilles, quickly follows. Beauvais drinks himself stupid every -night, and spends his days doggedly hunting for Pauline, who, he feels -sure, has hidden herself in the loathsome slums in which Paris abounds. -And in time he does meet her, but long before this he encounters her -seducer, Silvion Guidèl, and, after a mad struggle, throttles him, and -casts the corpse into the Seine. - -The murder is not traced home to Beauvais, who drinks more deeply than -ever of the deadly absinthe, and becomes more surely its slave with -every draught. Gessonex, the disreputable artist who introduced him to -this form of vice, ends his failure of a career by shooting himself on -the pavement outside of a _café_ after one of these carousals, and it -is while Beauvais is visiting the artist’s grave that he at last sets -eyes on Pauline, kneeling by the tomb of the De Charmilles. For he -cannot mistake the figure crouching by that closed door: “She was -slight, and clad in poorest garments--the evening wind blew her thin -shawl about her like a gossamer sail,--but the glimmer of the late -sunlight glistened on a tress of nut-brown hair that had escaped from -its coils and fell loosely over her shoulders,--and my heart beat -thickly as I looked,--I knew--I felt that woman was Pauline!” - -When he endeavors to track her to her lodgings, however, she -unconsciously eludes him, and he obtains no clue as to where she may be -found. - -Weeks go by, and Beauvais swallows more and more absinthe by way of -deadening thought and feeling. The insidious poison is beginning to tell -on his brain. At times he is seized by the notion that everything about -him is of absurdly abnormal proportions, or the reverse. “Men and women -would, as I looked at them, suddenly assume the appearance of monsters -both in height and breadth, and again, would reduce themselves in the -twinkling of an eye to the merest pigmies.” So, while the _absintheur’s_ -brain and body decline, the summer fades into autumn, and he is still -looking for Pauline. At length, one dismal November evening, whilst -wandering home in his usual heavily drugged condition, he hears a woman -singing in one of the by-streets. She is singing a well-known convent -chant, the “Guardian Angel”: - - “_Viens sur ton aile, Ange fidèle_ - _Prendre mon cœur!_ - _C’est le plus ardent de mes vœux;--_ - _Près de Marie_ - _Place-moi bientôt dans les cieux!_ - _O guide aimable, sois favorable_ - _A mon désir_ - _Et viens finir_ - _Ma triste vie_ - _Avec Marie!"_ - -It is Pauline at last! Then the absinthe tells its tale, and Beauvais -completes his scheme of vengeance. With cold-blooded ferocity he -confesses that he has slain her lover, whereupon the desolate girl, the -hopes she had fostered of meeting Silvion again being forever shattered, -buries her woes in the dark bosom of the river of sighs. - -Beauvais haunts the Morgue for two days, and his patience is rewarded. -Here is a piece of description which, in its way, is perfect: - - “An afternoon came when I saw the stretcher carried in from the - river’s bank with more than usual pity and reverence,--and I, - pressing in with the rest of the morbid spectators, saw the fair, - soft, white body of the woman I had loved and hated and maddened - and driven to her death, laid out on the dull hard slab of stone - like a beautiful figure of frozen snow. The river had used her - tenderly--poor little Pauline!--it had caressed her gently and had - not disfigured her delicate limbs or spoilt her pretty face;--she - looked so wise, so sweet and calm, that I fancied the cold and - muddy Seine must have warmed and brightened to the touch of her - drowned beauty! - - “Yes!--the river had fondled her!--had stroked her cheeks and left - them pale and pure,--had kissed her lips and closed them in a - childlike, happy smile,--had swept all her soft hair back from the - smooth white brow just to show how prettily the blue veins were - penciled under the soft transparent skin,--had closed the gentle - eyes and deftly pointed the long dark lashes in a downward sleepy - fringe,--and had made of one little dead girl so wondrous and - piteous a picture, that otherwise hard-hearted women sobbed at - sight of it, and strong men turned away with hushed footsteps and - moistened eyes.” - -And that, practically, is the end of the story, for Gaston Beauvais, -having revenged himself on his sweetheart and her betrayer, has nought -to do now save drink absinthe. _Delirium tremens_ ensues, Beauvais is -laid up for a month, and at the end of that period the doctor speaks -plain words of wisdom and warning to him: - - “You must give it up,” he said decisively, “at once,--and forever. - It is a detestable habit,--a horrible craze of the Parisians, who - are positively deteriorating in blood and brain by reason of their - passion for this poison. What the next generation will be, I dread - to think! I know it is a difficult business to break off anything - to which the system has grown accustomed,--but you are still a - young man, and you cannot be too strongly warned against the danger - of continuing in your present course of life. Moral force is - necessary,--and you must exert it. I have a large medical practice, - and cases like yours are alarmingly common, and as much on the - increase as morphinomania amongst women; but I tell you frankly, no - medicine can do good where the patient refuses to employ his own - power of resistance. I must ask you, therefore, for your own sake, - to bring all your will to bear on the effort to overcome this fatal - habit of yours, as a matter of duty and conscience.” - -But the physician’s admonition falls on heedless ears. Beauvais returns -to the alluring glass, and the book ends with the confession that he is -a confirmed _absintheur_--“a thing more abject than the lowest beggar -that crawls through Paris whining for a sou!--a slinking, shuffling -beast, half monkey, half man, whose aspect is so vile, whose body is so -shaken with delirium, whose eyes are so murderous, that if you met me by -chance in the daytime, you would probably shriek for sheer alarm!” - -Such is the graphic and terrible picture drawn by Marie Corelli of the -effects of this iniquitous draught. If Beauvais had not been tempted by -Gessonex to taste it, it is not probable that Pauline’s piteous -confession would have resulted in such wholesale tragedy; for Heloïse -St. Cyr, the sweet woman-friend of the bride-elect’s, dies, too, and so -an entire happy household is destroyed by reason of one man’s -uncontrollable savagery. - -Had Beauvais never put his lips to the fatal glass, he would in all -probability, on hearing what had befallen his sweetheart, have quietly -broken off the match. For, it must be remembered, he was a respectable -young banker, of sober mien and quiet ways, not a Bohemian and -frequenter of all-night _cafés_. But he tasted absinthe, and so brought -about his undoing, as many another young Parisian is bringing it about -at the present day. Here is the novelist’s fierce denunciation of the -vice: - - “Paris, steeped in vice and drowned in luxury, feeds her brain on - such loathsome literature as might make even coarse-mouthed - Rabelais and Swift recoil. Day after day, night after night, the - absinthe-drinkers crowd the _cafés_, and swill the pernicious drug - that of all accursed spirits ever brewed to make of man a beast, - does most swiftly fly to the seat of reason to there attack and - dethrone it;--and yet, the rulers do nothing to check the spreading - evil,--the world looks on, purblind as ever and selfishly - indifferent,--and the hateful cancer eats on into the breast of - France, bringing death closer every day!” - -“Wormwood” is undoubtedly a work of genius--a strange, horrible book, -yet fraught with a tremendous moral. The story of inhuman vengeance goes -swiftly on, without a stop or stay; one feels that the little bride-girl -is doomed, that the priest must die, that unutterable misery must be the -final lot of all the actors in the story. - -Marie Corelli does not overstate the case when she declares that -absinthe has taken a grim and cancerous hold of Paris. It is called for -in the _cafés_ as naturally as we, in London, order a “small” or “large” -Bass. But what a difference in the two beverages! A French writer of -authority says that fifteen per cent. of the French army are rendered -incapable by the use of absinthe. - -The bulk of the French populace drinks either _bock_ or light wine, and -it takes a fairly large amount of either to produce intoxication. In -England the populace drinks draught ale or whiskey. Comparing the two -peoples and their behavior--for example--on public holidays, we must -allow that the French are by far the more sober nation. But in London we -have not--except in one or two West-End _cafés_--this dreadful absinthe, -and we may well be thankful that the drinking of it has not grown upon -us as it has grown upon the Parisians. - -Could not Marie Corelli turn the heavy guns of her genius on the drink -question _this_ side of the Channel! The field is a very wide one. -Children under fourteen are now prevented by law from being served at -public-houses. It would be a good plan, too, if women could not order -intoxicants from grocers. Many a man, in discharging his grocer’s -account, does not trouble to inspect the items, or is not afforded the -chance of inspecting them; many a man, however, if he were to submit his -grocer’s book to a close scrutiny, would find that bottles of inferior -wines and spirits were being supplied along with the raisins and -baking-powder not for his own, the cook’s, or his family’s use, but for -the secret consumption of his wife. - -In suggesting new legislative measures with regard to the sale of -intoxicants in this country, Marie Corelli would be performing a public -service worthy of the Nation’s profoundest gratitude. - - * * * * * - -“The Soul of Lilith,” which was published about a year after “Wormwood,” -is a work of a very different character. This book treats of a subject -in which Marie Corelli revels. As a brief introductory note explains, -“The Soul of Lilith” does not assume to be what is generally understood -by a “novel,” being simply the account “of a strange and daring -experiment once actually attempted,” and offered to those who are -interested in the unseen possibilities of the Hereafter. It is the story -of a man “who voluntarily sacrificed his whole worldly career in a -supreme effort to prove the apparently Unprovable.” - -This persistent probing on Marie Corelli’s part of what most writers -shun and very few have ever attempted to solve, is one of the secrets of -her great sales. Turn to page 319 of “The Soul of Lilith,” and you will -find the matter put neatly in a nutshell: - - “And so it happens that when wielders of the pen essay to tell us - of wars; of shipwrecks, of hairbreadth escapes from danger, of love - and politics and society, we read their pages with merely - transitory pleasure and frequent indifference, but when they touch - upon subjects beyond earthly experience--when they attempt, however - feebly, to lift our inspirations to the possibilities of the - Unseen, then we give them our eager attention and almost passionate - interest.” - -This passage may afford a little light to those people who are forever -declaring that they cannot understand what other people can see in Marie -Corelli. The fact is, Marie Corelli appeals to a tremendous section of -the public--a section in which, we are assured, the fair sex does not -predominate. Indeed, the majority of the novelist’s correspondents are -_men_. Marie Corelli is intensely in earnest, imaginative, and -passionate. She lets her reader know, before she has covered many pages, -precisely what her book is to be about, and in this way she spares one -the irritation excited by those old-fashioned writers who used to drone -on for chapter after chapter, making headway in an exasperatingly slow -and cumbrous fashion. - -Then it must be taken into consideration that there is a very big public -which has practically nothing to do except eat meals, sleep, take -exercise, and read novels. Such people are necessarily more -introspective than busy folk, and many of them are exceedingly anxious -as to what will become of them when it shall please Providence to put an -end to their aimless existence in this vale of smiles and tears. Marie -Corelli supplies them with ample food for thought and argument. - -Perhaps all these attempts to solve the Unsolvable have a morbid -tendency; a little simple faith is certainly more salutary. However that -may be, a very great public regards such attempts as more engrossing -reading-matter than tales “of love and politics and society”; and a -still stronger reason for Marie Corelli’s immense popularity is to be -found in the fact that she is the only female Richmond in the field. -She sits on a splendidly isolated throne, a writer whose genius has -enabled her to soar to certain peculiar heights which no other literary -man or woman has succeeded in scaling. - -“The Soul of Lilith,” as we have inferred, displays its author in her -element. It is a work which, from its nature, may be classed with “A -Romance of Two Worlds” and “Ardath.” It possesses the same mystic -properties, the same speculative endeavors to obtain knowledge that is -denied to mortals. - - “_I have kept one human creature alive and in perfect health for - six years on that vital fluid alone._” - -This is the kernel of the story, which narrates how El-Râmi, a man of -Arabian origin, possessing many of the mysteriously occult powers -peculiar to the Indian _fakir_, injects a certain fluid into the still -warm veins of a dead Egyptian girl-child called Lilith. In this way he -preserves her body in a living condition, and the success of his -experiment is proved by the fact that Lilith passes from childhood to -womanhood whilst in this state, and answers questions put to her by -El-Râmi. - -It is the desire of El-Râmi, however, to make himself master of Lilith’s -soul as well as of her body, and this impious object leads to the -destruction of the fair form he has preserved and of his own reason. For -he falls in love with Lilith, and the declaration of his passion is -followed by her crumbling away to dust. The shock to his highly strung -organization results in his mental collapse, and from this he never -recovers. - -There are many passages of wild beauty and extraordinary power in this -story, which occupies many pages in the telling before the superbly -dramatic _dénouement_ is reached. Heliobas, the wise physician of “A -Romance of Two Worlds,” but now turned monk, is introduced into the -story, and warns El-Râmi that his atheistic experiment will prove -fruitless: - - “How it is that you have not foreseen this thing I cannot - imagine,”--continued the monk. “The body of Lilith has grown under - your very eyes from the child to the woman by the merest material - means,--the chemicals which Nature gives us, and the forces which - Nature allows us to employ. How then should you deem it possible - for the Soul to remain stationary? With every fresh experience its - form expands,--its desires increase,--its knowledge widens,--and - the everlasting necessity of Love compels its life to Love’s - primeval source. The Soul of Lilith is awakening to its fullest - immortal consciousness,--she realizes her connection with the great - angelic worlds--her kindredship with those worlds’ inhabitants, - and, as she gains this glorious knowledge more certainly, so she - gains strength. And this is the result I warn you of--her force - will soon baffle yours, and you will have no more influence over - her than you have over the highest Archangel in the realms of the - Supreme Creator.” - -El-Râmi reminds Heliobas that it is only a woman’s soul that he is -striving for--“how should it baffle mine? Of slighter character--of more -sensitive balance--and always prone to yield,--how should it prove so -strong? Though, of course, you will tell me that Souls, like Angels, are -sexless.” - -The monk repudiates such a suggestion. “All created things have sex,” he -declares, “even the angels. ‘Male and Female created He them’--recollect -that,--when it is said God made Man in ‘His Own Image.’” - -“What! Is it possible you would endow God Himself with the Feminine -attributes as well as the Masculine?” cries El-Râmi, in astonishment. - - “There are two governing forces of the Universe,” replied the monk - deliberately; “one, the masculine, is Love,--the other, feminine, - is Beauty. These Two, reigning together, are GOD;--just as man and - wife are One. From Love and Beauty proceed Law and Order. You - cannot away with it--it is so. Love and Beauty produce and - reproduce a million forms with more than a million variations, and - when God made Man in His Own Image it was as Male and Female. From - the very first growths of life in all worlds,--from the small, - almost imperceptible beginning of that marvelous evolution which - resulted in Humanity,--evolution which to us is calculated to have - taken thousands of years, whereas in the eternal countings it has - occupied but a few moments,--Sex was proclaimed in the lowliest - sea-plants, of which the only remains we have are in the Silurian - formations,--and was equally maintained in the humblest _lingula_ - inhabiting its simple bivalve shell. Sex is proclaimed throughout - the Universe with an absolute and unswerving regularity through all - grades of nature. Nay, there are even male and female Atmospheres - which when combined produce forms of life.” - -The verbal duel between Heliobas, the man of God, and El-Râmi, the man -of Science, is exceedingly well-written. In the course of their -conversation El-Râmi opines that Heliobas is more of a poet than either -a devotee or a scientist. The monk’s rejoinder is worth quoting: - - “Perhaps I am! Yet poets are often the best scientists, because - they never _know_ they are scientists. They arrive by a sudden - intuition at the facts which it takes several Professors - Dry-as-Dust years to discover. When once you feel you are a - scientist, it is all over with you. You are a clever biped who has - got hold of a crumb out of the universal loaf, and for all your - days afterwards you are turning that crumb over and over under your - analytical lens. But a poet takes up the whole loaf unconsciously, - and hands portions of it about at haphazard and with the abstracted - behavior of one in a dream.” - -In spite, however, of Heliobas’ warning words, El-Râmi proceeds with his -experiment, which ends as recorded. The scientist is taken by his -brother Féraz--a poetically conceived character--to a monastery in -Cyprus, where he lives in placid contentment. Here he is visited by some -English friends, who sum up his condition and suggest a simple remedy -for others inclined to pursue similar researches in a way that strikes -one as singularly practical: - - “He always went into things with such terrible closeness, did - El-Râmi,”--said Sir Frederick after a pause; “no wonder his brain - gave way at last. You know you can’t keep on asking the why, why, - why of everything without getting shut up in the long run.” - - “I think we were not meant to ask ‘why’ at all,” said Irene slowly; - “we are made to accept and believe that everything is for the - best.” - -And surely the gentle rejoinder of Irene is one that should silence -controversy, dissipate vain speculation, and bring peace and rest to -many thousands of minds which are wearied with attempts “to prove the -apparently Unprovable.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -MR. BENTLEY’S ENCOURAGEMENT--SOME LETTERS OF AN OLD PUBLISHER - - -When Solomon was at the zenith of his glory the number of people who -could read must have been extremely limited, and yet that monarch--whose -methods of administering justice may compare, in point of brevity and -common sense, with those of the late Mr. Commissioner Kerr--is known to -have commented on the never-ceasing literary output of his generation. - -We may take it, then, that from the earliest times the supply of books -has always exceeded the demand--when Israel had kings there must have -been publishers, and from that era to the days of Byron (and, possibly, -in subsequent times) there must have been robbers among them. - -The young and aspiring writer has probably trodden a thorny path in his -pursuit of fame at all stages of literary history; for, dealing only -with the facts of yesterday and to-day, the scribe of tender years, -after successfully arranging for the publication of his work has still -had the vitriolic condemnation of the jealous critic to contend with. - -There have been occasional straightforward articles in the literary -journals on the ethics of criticism, and now and then a writer of note -and influence has come forward with a word in behalf of the literary -pilgrim, who, however, still goes on his way having no real weapon of -defense save his native ability--and in Marie Corelli’s case this has -proved to be a very sharp weapon indeed! - -How Mr. Bentley first became acquainted with Miss Corelli has already -been described in the chapter on “A Romance of Two Worlds.” When Mr. -Bentley paid his first call on her, he found her, to his astonishment, a -mere schoolgirl. It was altogether a novel experience to him to have -dealings with a writer who was at once so youthful and so gifted, and -the attitude he adopted towards her from that time onwards was benignly -paternal. - -Marie Corelli has never employed a literary agent, and fails to see why -a writer should not manage his or her own business affairs without any -such extraneous assistance. In some respects we ourselves are of the -opinion that the agent is an undesirable “middleman,” he being far too -apt to hold out glittering awards which lure authors on to work above -their normal pace; but it must be borne in mind that there are many -authors who are poor hands at haggling over terms with publishers and -editors, and, in such cases, the literary agent proves of great service. - -No gentleman of this order, then, came between Miss Corelli and Mr. -Bentley after the successful appearance of the “Romance;” terms for -future work were arranged to the mutual satisfaction of author and -publisher; and book after book, under these genial auspices, was -steadily written, each new volume serving still more fully to -substantiate the high opinion Mr. Bentley formed of Miss Corelli’s -abilities after reading her first manuscript. - -Shortly after the publication of “The Soul of Lilith” Mr. George Bentley -retired from active participation in the business of his firm (which was -subsequently incorporated with the house of Macmillan), and Miss Corelli -transferred her books to Messrs. Methuen. Hereunder is a list of the -novelist’s works published by Messrs. Bentley: - -“A Romance of Two Worlds,” Published 1886. -“Vendetta,” “ 1887. -“Thelma,” “ 1888. -“Ardath,” “ 1889. -“Wormwood,” “ 1890. -“The Soul of Lilith,” “ 1892. - -Portions of some of the many letters written to the author of these -works by her publisher we have already quoted. We will now proceed to -give a selection of extracts from others. The reader will not fail to -observe how happily cordial--affectionate, almost--were the relations of -these two--the gray-headed publisher and the young lady novelist. - -The first of our selection has to do with “Ardath,” which Mr. Bentley -had been reading in manuscript form: - -“_March 3d, 1889._ - - “You have been very patient and considerate, and I think you - believed that I would not lose any time in reading your Romance, - for a Romance it is, and a most original one. _I have read it all_, - that is, to 964. I should like to see the conclusion. - - “The story of Al-Kyris is a magnificent dream, the product of a - rich imagination, the story rising towards the close to - considerable power. The design, the method, the treatment, all are - original, and the fancy has an Eastern richness, and, I presume, a - legitimate basis in fact. - - * * * * * - - “There is so much in the work that I could write yards upon yards - about it. The fine drawing of Sah-Lûma, its consistency, and the - moral taught by him; the character of Lysia, typifying Lust; that - of poor Niphrâta, of the King, and the finely conceived character - of Theos; the scenes, one after the other, in rapid succession, - ending in the fall of Al-Kyris, should give you a _status_ as a - writer of no ordinary character. - - * * * * * - - “There can be no doubt that it is a most unusual work, a daring and - sustained flight of the imagination. You will have to rest after - it, for some of your _life_ has gone into it.” - -“_March 14th, 1889._ - - “You must bear in mind that in giving an opinion I am bound to have - an eye upon what I deem defect, rightly or wrongly. I have no need - to call your attention to merits--if I had, I could write a quarto - letter on the merits of Al-Kyris, in which I include, by the way, - the beautiful scene on Ardath, and the first introduction of Edris. - So in the epilogue I quite agree with your critic in his high - admiration of the Cathedral scene, and the reappearance of Edris. - - * * * * * - - “Please do what you wish--you may be quite right and I wrong. I - shall be very glad to be wrong, as I sincerely desire your success, - because you have a worthy motive and an honorable ambition in - writing, and not any lower aim competing with your Art-Love. - - * * * * * - - “I enter into your feelings about being ‘passed over,’ but I - observe that reputations which grow gradually and always grow, come - to compel attention at some time or other.” - -It would appear from the next letter that the novelist had been throwing -out a hint that the doughty knights of Grub Street might be approached -with a preface of a nature to make them pause ere they ground her latest -work under heel. Mr. Bentley’s letter in reply, like that which follows -it, is redolent of his sturdy independence and sound common sense. - -“_April 21st, 1889._ - - “As to an appeal to critics, I never make one. No good book, that - is a really literary production, should require it, and any other - sort of book doesn’t deserve it.” - -“_May 27th, 1889._ - - “The criticism will do no harm, though it may exercise some in - trying to understand how the blowing hot and cold can be - reconciled. For years almost the whole Press regularly attacked - Miss Broughton, and I have often said that in a long business life - I have never known any one so decried as she was by the Press, who - yet had the good fortune to see the public set aside the verdict of - the critics. May the public so deal with you, and leave the critics - to their isolation.” - -The following was written after Mr. Gladstone’s first visit to the -novelist. It should be explained that Mr. Gladstone, when he first -called, found Miss Corelli “out,” and was afterwards invited by her to -come to tea on a particular date: - -“_June 4th, 1889._ - - “I do indeed congratulate you on bringing the man (Gladstone), who - is in all men’s mouths, to your feet, and that, too, simply by your - writings. I know you will be charmed with him, and he with you. - That is a safe prophecy. You will find him delightfully eloquent, - various in knowledge, and highly appreciative.” - -And again, on the same topic: - -“UPTON, SLOUGH, BUCKS, -“_June 6th, 1889_. - - “How very kind of you to write to me the very interesting account - of your interview with Mr. Gladstone! - - “It is an event of your life, an event of which you may well be - proud, because the interview arises from his interest in the - product of your brain and heart. It does him honor that he should - thus seek to form the acquaintance of one whom he believes to be - possibly moulding public opinion in religious matters. - - “I do most heartily congratulate you, because, in the history of - your life, such an interview henceforth becomes a bit of your - career, as Fox’s conversations with the poet Rogers forms an - interesting and valuable episode in Rogers’ life.” - -The following are characteristic of Mr. Bentley’s opinions and frame of -mind. The conclusion of the letter written in October is pleasantly -Johnsonian: - -“_June 11th, 1889._ - - “Genius recognizes genius; it is only mediocrity which is jealous. - Genius is too full of richness to want others’ laurels.” - -“_October 14th, 1889._ - - “I shall very gladly give the matter my best attention, as I need - not add that my literary association with you is a source both of - pleasure and pride to me. At any rate I feel a pride and pleasure - in publishing for an author who loves her work, and does it not - primarily for money, but for fame, and because she can’t help the - bubbling over of her rich imagination. When I get to London, one of - my first visits will be to you. Real conversation is delightful and - refreshing, and the idle talk of the ‘crushes’ is weariness of the - flesh and death to the spirit. You, who aim at higher things, have - an ideal; you who, thank God, believe this world to be a - stepping-stone to one of immeasurable superiority, must often have - asked yourself, after one of the great assemblies to which you went - or where you received--_Cui bono?_ Yes, if the weather keeps - decent, I will with the greatest pleasure refresh my mind with some - converse with you.” - -Now occurs an interval of ten months, and then the manuscript of -“Wormwood” evokes the following sentiments: - -“_August 5th, 1890._ - - “DEAR THELMA,--Of the power in your latest work there can be no - doubt. The interest commences immediately, and is on the increase - throughout. The grip you have of the story is extraordinary, and - will react upon the reader, ensuring success.” - -“_September 5th, 1890._ - - “The public, however, may forgive you for the extraordinary power - of some of the scenes, which haunt me now, though it is a month - since I read them.” - -“OCTOBER 9TH, 1890. - - “When you are on the eve of a remarkable success in the making or - marring of which a few days can have no part, it is a little - unreasonable that you should take so gloomy a view. I await with - confidence the happier feeling which I feel certain is to succeed - these darker moments, and am, as ever....” - -“_October 20th, 1890._ - - “I feel very confident of a great run upon your book. Power is what - the public never refuses to recognize.” - -“_October 24th, 1890._ - - “You so distrust yourself, that you believe your success hangs upon - arts which belonged to publishers who existed in the days of Lady - Charlotte Bury, whereas you have a right to presume that the public - need nothing more than to know a novel of yours is at the - libraries. - - * * * * * - - “Once more, believe a little more in yourself.” - -“_November 3d, 1890._ - - “I have just had a debate about ‘Wormwood’ with one of the leading - critics of the day, who was complaining of the gloom which - overspread the book. - - “‘Well,’ said I, ‘you cannot deny that none but a person who had - genius could have written that work.’ - - “‘Genius is a big word, but yet I think you are right in this - case,’ replied the critic. - - “I know I am.” - -“_November 17th, 1890._ - - “The _Athenæum_ review, to dignify it with that name, is the barest - outline of the story. It points to what, I believe, is the real - cause,--a doubt in the writer’s mind whether an attack would not - stultify the attacker. He recognizes the power, I am certain, but - won’t give you the meed of praise for it.” - -“_March 1st, 1891._ - - “The _Spectator_ is very savage on ‘Wormwood’ this week, but speaks - of the force and power of your imagination.” - -“_October 17th, 1891._ - - “But you must not complain; your recognition, though much slower, - is more and more a fact. Your reputation to-day is higher by a good - way than it was two years ago, as the demand for your works - indicates. Be true to yourself, and only write when the impulse is - irresistible, and all will be well with little Thelma.” - -The first part of the next letter has reference to “The Soul of Lilith.” -Following it are further remarks about “Ardath,” which, of all Marie -Corelli’s books, seems to have taken the greatest hold on Mr. Bentley. - -“_November 4th, 1891._ - - “I am glad to hear of your successful progress with your new story. - I get quite curious as the time approaches. One cannot feel with - you as with most authors, that we know what is coming. Every new - story is a new departure. - - * * * * * - - “I had a charming letter from Herr Poorten Schwartz (Maarten - Maartens) in which he speaks in glowing terms of ‘Ardath,’ which he - had just been reading. He says the description of Al-Kyris is a - magnificent effort of the imagination, in which I entirely agree, - and I rank the description in richness of conception with - Beckford’s famous ‘Hall of Eblis.’ So far, I think it is your - greatest height of imaginative conception--just as in ‘Wormwood,’ - much as it repels me in parts, I cannot but recognize the - tremendous dramatic force of many of the scenes.” - -“_January 3d, 1892._ - - “I can say truthfully that I have not known any writer bear success - better than you do, and may you be put to the test for a long time - to come. - - * * * * * - - “I like much to hear you say, ‘As long as my brain under God’s - guidance will serve me.’ It is an age when such an observation is - by no means an ordinary one, yet I doubt whether the genius of any - writer attains its full scope unless it listen to His voice.” - -“_January 29th, 1892._ - - “‘Good wine needs no bush,’ and I am averse to associating your - name or mine with a system of vulgar exploitation. - - “What do Dickens, Thackeray, George Eliot, Collins, or Besant owe - to exploitation, and how long do the reputations survive which are - built on this mushroom bed?” - -The following alludes to the publication of a new edition of the work -mentioned: - -“_March 16th, 1892._ - - “DEAR IMPULSIVE, WARM-HEARTED THELMA,-- - - “Tell me what I am to give you for _Thelma_.[A] I should like to - gratify your wish. Your prosperity and success you know I rejoice - at, and I trust your belief of a short life is only the outcome of - one of those wistful sad moments, which come to all who are richly - endowed with imagination.” - -“_April 11th, 1892._ - - “So cheer up, little Thelma; you have youth and imagination, and - love your art, and have the will to work. So you have the world - before you, and ought to die a rich woman, if that is worth living - for.” - -“_April 16th, 1892._ - - “DEAR LITTLE LADY,-- - - “It makes me feel uncomfortable to hear of brave little Thelma - being half killed, like Keats, for a review. - - “Pooh! stuff and nonsense! You are not to be snuffed out by any - notice. As to not writing again, you will live to write many a good - book yet. - - “Laugh at the review, and don’t notice it to any of your friends. - You have a good spirit of your own, and you don’t need to be - crushed, and neither will you be. You will be the first to laugh - this day six months for having been temporarily disquieted. - - “As to Law! Oh, lor! Wouldn’t your enemies, if you have any, - rejoice to see you at loggerheads with the Press? No, no, that - wouldn’t do. - - “You can _firmly_ rely on your gifts to render nugatory all - attacks upon you of the nature of the present. Let me hear that - Thelma’s herself again. - - “Yours sincerely, - “GEORGE BENTLEY.” - - - -“_May 4th, 1892._ - - “The attacks do not daunt me, and it seems to me that three out of - the four are by one hand.” - -“UPTON, SLOUGH, -“_May 17th, 1892._ - - “DEAR THELMA,-- - - “I am right glad at the news in your letter. I am sure you will now - see that the late attacks on ‘Lilith’ will derive their importance - only when you notice them. Even from those who do not like highly - imaginative literature, I have heard the remark that the reviews in - question were entirely one-sided, and left one to suppose that the - English public was cracked in running after a writer without a - solitary merit. - - * * * * * - - “Put together the talents of all your critics, and ask them to - paint the city of Al-Kyris. That came out of a finely sustained - vision, your intense interest in your subject keeping it at a white - heat. I reckon two-thirds of ‘Ardath’ as one of the finest - contributions to imaginative literature which this country - possesses. - - * * * * * - - “Never write a line if the humor is not in you. It is that - impulsion to write because you can’t help it, which carries you - away, and, for that reason, carries away your reader.” - -[Illustration: WHAT BECOMES OF THE PRESS CUTTINGS] - -[Illustration: MARIE CORELLI’S PET YORKSHIRE TERRIER “CZAR"] - -“_August 29th, 1892._ - - “Mille felicitations! Thelma, I hope you will keep a diary, which, - though it will not be published in my day, and I shan’t read it, - will some day give interesting glimpses into the social life of - this last decade of the nineteenth century. - - * * * * * - - “That is a good trait in you that you love your work, and as long - as you do, take it from an old publisher, the public will like it. - Once write as a machine, and the decline is assured. - - “I hope and expect that you will like the Prince of Wales. Gambetta - thought highly of him, and your wit will draw out his.” - -“_October 4th, 1892._ - - “I wish you were more assured on this point. Such a creation as - ‘Ardath’ will not be again in our time. It assures your position - amongst all those whose opinion is worth having, as surely as - Beckford is remembered to this day by the ‘Hall of Eblis.’” - -The next (undated) was written just after Queen Victoria desired that -_all_ Marie Corelli’s works should be sent to her:-- - - “Bravo! Bravissimo!! dear Thelma, as one used to cry out in my old - opera days, when the glorious Grisi denounced Pollio in _Norma_. I - rejoice at your being recognized all round by Scotch Duchess and - Australian wool merchant, and I hope it may be that Her Most - Gracious Majesty will enjoy a trip into the two worlds of her - bright little subject’s creation, wherein the subject is Queen and - the Queen her subject.” - -“_October 28th, 1892._ - - “I was unable to write and tell you how glad I am that you are once - more yourself again. - - “Bother the papers; don’t let them bother you. If I lived next door - to you, I should intercept them all. - - * * * * * - - “It seems a growing fashion to use strong language, and certainly - such language has been leveled at you. The fair sex in former days - were held to command a chivalrous respect, which seems to be almost - as much a thing of the past as the Crusades.” - -This of October 28th, 1892, forms the last of the batch of extracts -placed in our hands. Throughout his business associations with Miss -Corelli, it is apparent that Mr. Bentley was everything that was kindly, -tactful, and encouraging. The imaginative temperament is always a -difficult one to deal with, and Mr. Bentley excelled himself in this -respect. Even when he wished to bestow a mild rebuke he did so with an -old-fashioned courtesy that is truly delightful and only too rare in -these days of dictated, typewritten epistles. - -There are other letters, but from these it will be only necessary to -cull a sentence here and there. All the above-quoted communications, we -should add, were in Mr. Bentley’s own handwriting. - -Marie Corelli has always been a neat workwoman, and here, in a letter -from her publisher, dated August 28th, 1886, we find a tribute to the -perfection of her “copy:”-- - - “The printers report that, owing to the fewness of the corrections - and the clearness with which they are made, revises will be - unnecessary, which will be a great gain in time, as well as a - saving of expense.” - -_Vice versâ_, one calls to mind a tale of Miss Martineau’s about -Carlyle, who literally smothered his proof-sheets with corrections. One -day he went to the office to urge on the printer. “Why, sir,” said the -latter, “you really are so very hard upon us with your corrections. They -take so much time, you see!” Carlyle replied that he had been accustomed -to this sort of thing--he had got works printed in Scotland, -and ---- “Yes, indeed, sir,” rejoined the printer, “we are aware of that. -We have a man here from Edinburgh, and when he took up a bit of your -copy, he dropped it as if it had burnt his fingers, and cried out, -‘Lord, have mercy! have you got that man to print for? Lord knows when -we shall get done with his corrections.’” - -It is evident that Mr. Bentley deemed his _protégée_--if we may so term -her--capable of turning her pen in many directions. “I am not sure that -you could not give us a fine historical novel,” he wrote in 1887, “if -you got hold of a character which fascinated your imagination.” - -In a letter dated May 7th, 1888, he refers playfully to “the little blue -silk dress” which seems to have taken his fancy on a previous occasion; -nor did he forget the young novelist’s birthday, for in a previous -letter of the same year he declares that, if he were in London, he would -“be tempted to cast prudence to the wind, even to the perilous East -wind, to offer you my greeting on the first of May.” - -Besides being a keen judge of manuscript--as, indeed, he had need to -be--Mr. Bentley wrote very pleasant prose himself. His reading was -extensive and his comments thereon lucid and thoughtful. In 1883 he -printed for private circulation among his friends a little green covered -volume called “After Business.” A copy of this work, presented to Miss -Corelli a fortnight after Mr. Bentley first met her, lies before us. -There are seven chapters, whose nature can be divined from their titles: -I. An Evening with Erasmus. IV. How the World Wags. V. An Afternoon with -Odd Volumes--and so forth. A peaceful, soothing little book is this. -Here is the final passage of the “Odd Volumes” chapter. It affords a -happy example of the book’s literary flavor, of its truly “After -Business” characteristics: - - “Let us say good-bye to these dear old volumes, and step - down-stairs, that Lawrence’s sister may give us one of his - favorite melodies. God provides good things for men in music and - books and flowers, and when His fellow-men disappoint Him, or die - around Him, it is something to be able to enjoy the melody of - Mozart and to live with the grand old ghosts who, disembodied, flit - about the old library.” - -The influence of the kindly advice George Bentley dealt out to the young -novelist cannot be overestimated. Was she upset by a criticism, he came -to her aid with good humored _badinage_ and sympathy; was she -despondent, he laughed away the mood and bade “Thelma” be herself again! -Always, indeed, he urged her to _be herself_--to embody in her books the -message so nobly delivered by a poet: - - “_Stand upright, speak thy thought, declare_ - _The truth thou hast, that all may share;_ - _Be bold, proclaim it everywhere;_ - _They only live who dare._” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -“BARABBAS”--A “PASSION PLAY” IN PROSE - - -“Why should women’s writings be in any respect inferior to that of men -if they are only willing to follow out _the same method of -self-education_?” asked Charles Kingsley. This was of the nature of a -prophecy, for had Kingsley lived until to-day he would have seen the -verification of his words. Women, as a rule, do not self-educate -themselves. They will not try to walk alone. They understand only just -the easy verse and rhyme of existence. Some few understand to-day a -higher phase by self-conviction. Marie Corelli is certainly one. - -To write prose, _perfect_ prose; to stir the heart and move the soul, is -the highest phase of mental reasoning. It is the air and melody of -spiritual conception, the so-called “supernatural.” All our lives we can -talk prose, but to grasp tersely your brain’s creation, to fix upon your -different dream characters and embody them with life, with passion, and -with naturalness--the naturalness which has existed from creation--is -the highest prose, for it is poetry and prose hand-in-hand, an -achievement, a oneness of the two. - -This was Marie Corelli’s idea in penning “Barabbas.” Setting her mind -hard and fast to face creeds and defy criticism; true to the instincts -which permeated her mind throughout her pristine works, she went on -following her soul impression, her inspiration to see “good” in most -things, nobility in men and women who might be scourged by the world. -And thus “Barabbas,” though a robber, might have had some strong points, -and though of an evil nature must certainly, from scriptural evidence, -have had the sympathy of the populace. That sympathy gave the author the -keynote to produce the human drama, which is lived over and over again -to-day and forever,--and which is aptly called _A Dream of the World’s -Tragedy_. - -Marie Corelli, true to her colors in this later work, still adheres to -poetic spirituality, the “ideal,” the sublime, the free, the -sympathetic, mingled with the rendering of a forcible and traitorous -character in that of “Judith” (the heroine of the book) in its full -strength of weakness and evil, and in its final magnificent revulsion -from _a past_ to the glory of a holy repentance and in finding the King, -in the symbol of the cross. Take this scene, where after madness and -despair, she meets her death: - - “The sun poured straightly down upon her,--she looked like a fair - startled sylph in the amber glow of the burning Eastern noonday. - Gradually an expression of surprise and then of rapture lighted her - pallid face,--she lifted her gaze slowly, and, with seeming wonder - and incredulity, fixed her eyes on the near grassy slope of the - Mount of Olives, where two ancient fig-trees twining their gnarled - boughs together made an arch of dark and soothing shade. Pointing - thither with one hand, she smiled,--and once more her matchless - beauty flashed up through form and face like a flame. - - “‘Lo there!’ she exclaimed joyously,--‘how is it that ye could not - find Him? There is the King!’ - - “Throwing up her arms, she ran eagerly along a few steps, ... - tottered, ... then fell face forward in the dust, and there lay; - ... motionless forever! She had prayed for the pardon of - Judas,--she had sought,--and found--the ‘King!’” - -The conception of the character of “Judith” in “Barabbas” is fret with -strong and sympathetic points. She is the mainspring of the work. The -idea of the “Betrayal” emanates from her, yet the æsthetic treatment at -the finale with the symbol of the cross, while closing her eyes in -death, is poetry in itself. - -Listen to Peter’s definition of a lie: - - “The truth, the truth,” cried Peter, tossing his arms about; “lo - from henceforth I will clamor for it, rage for it, die for it! - Three times have I falsely sworn, and thus have I taken the full - measure of a Lie! Its breadth, its depth, its height, its worth, - its meaning, its results, its crushing suffocating weight upon the - soul! I know its nature,--’tis all hell in a word! ’tis a ‘yea’ or - ‘nay,’ on which is balanced all eternity! I will no more of it,--I - will have truth, the truth of men, the truth of women,--no usurer - shall be called honest,--no wanton shall be called chaste,--to - please the humor of the passing hour! No--no, I will have none of - this, but only truth! The truth that is seen as a shining, naked - simitar in the hand of God, glistening horribly! I, Peter, will - declare it!--I who did swear a lie three times, will speak the - truth three thousand times in reprisal of my sin! Weep, rave, tear - thy reverend hairs, unreverent Jew! Thou who as stiff-necked, - righteous Pharisee, didst practice cautious virtue and self-seeking - sanctity, and now through unbelief art left most desolate!” - -The critics were as usual up in arms over “Barabbas,” but in spite of -them its sale has been immense. The book has made such headway since its -publication that it has been translated into more foreign tongues than -any other novel of either the past or present--the translations -comprising thirty to forty languages. As a matter of original -conception, tragical effect and clearness of diction, “Barabbas” is -considered by many the best of Marie Corelli’s works. - -In “Barabbas” there is no loitering by the way, as it were, to argue, -although the moral throughout is strong enough. The author’s sensibility -grasps the situation of that potent day in the World’s era with a subtle -reasoning of how to-day things are precisely the same, and would be -precisely the same at the advent of a new Christus, save possibly as -regards the execution. For our lunatic asylums afford an infinitely -better kind of torture than the cross. - -The character of Jesus of Nazareth, “the dreamy Young Philosopher” of -his short day, is the poem of the tragedy. Barabbas himself is a -character of much force, despite his weakness in the hands of Judith. -The soliloquies of Melchior throughout the first part of the book are -somewhat drastic, though the character bears out well its own mission. - -There is extreme spirituality in the sayings of this somewhat important -creation. He might be the Cicero of the work. One of his replies to -Barabbas, showing the vesture of his thoughts, occurs again thus: - - “If thou dost wait till thou canst ‘comprehend’ the mysteries of - the Divine Will, thou wilt need to grope through æons upon æons of - eternal wonder, living a thinking life through all, and even then - not reach the inner secret. Comprehendest thou how the light finds - its sure way to the dry seed in the depths of earth and causes it - to fructify?--or how, imprisoning itself within drops of water and - grains of dust, it doth change these things of ordinary matter into - diamonds which queens covet? Thou art not able to ‘comprehend’ - these simplest facts of simple nature,--and nature being but the - outward reflex of God’s thought, how should’st thou understand the - workings of His interior Spirit which is Himself in all? Whether He - create a world, or breathe the living Essence of His own Divinity - into aerial atoms to be absorbed in flesh and blood, and born as - Man of virginal Woman, He hath the power supreme to do such things, - if such be His great pleasure. Talkest thou of miracles?--thou art - thyself a miracle,--thou livest in a miracle,--the whole world is a - miracle, and exists in spite of thee! Go thy ways, man; search out - truth in thine own fashion; but if it should elude thee, blame not - the truth which ever is, but thine own witlessness which cannot - grasp it!” - -A terse reasoning out of the living essence of the supreme, and an -almost matchless soliloquy. - -Here is another of Melchior’s speeches: - - “Men are pigmies,--they scuttle away in droves before a storm or - the tremor of an earthquake,--they are afraid of their lives. And - what are their lives? The lives of motes in a sunbeam, of gnats in - a mist of miasma,--nothing more. And they will never be anything - more, till they learn how to make them valuable. And that lesson - will never be mastered save by the few.” - -It was Marie Corelli’s idea in this particular work evidently to clothe -her characters in the real _human_, that which is changeless and -unchangeable as cycles in the world’s eye; and to show that the mind of -man in its essentials _does not change_, and that its perfection is -gained only by the spiritual side of things, overcapping the material -and the so-called animal. That God intends men and women to attain this -superiority over matter is one of the æsthetic treasures of Marie -Corelli’s literature, generally not particularly well received, still -less understood, but haply none the less welcome, as it is a conception -of its own peculiar originality by no means local. The fictional -character of Caiaphas in all his sycophancy and sacerdotal arrogancy -occupies a measure of the romance, furnishing a tone of treachery -throughout. - - “Once dead,” whispered Caiaphas, with a contemptuous side-glance at - the fair-faced enemy of his craft, the silent “Witness unto the - Truth,”--“and, moreover, slain with dishonor in the public sight, - he will soon sink out of remembrance. His few disciples will be - despised,--his fanatical foolish doctrine will be sneered down, and - we,--_we_ will take heed that no chronicle of his birth or death or - teaching remains to be included in our annals. A stray street - preacher to the common folk!--how should his name endure?” - -Naturally the description of the Magdalen is full of extraordinary -beauty. It is the beauty of a regenerated soul, a soul of love and -greatness, emancipated from the material, yet bearing the same. The -death of the one Magdalen, and the rising therefrom of the new Mary, is -pathetically described in her own words to Barabbas: - - “Friend, I have died!”--she said.--“At my Lord’s feet I laid down - all my life. Men made me what I was; God makes me what I am!” - - * * * * * - - “Thou’rt man”--she answered.--“Therefore as man thou speakest! Lay - all the burden upon woman,--the burden of sin, of misery, of shame, - of tears; teach her to dream of perfect love, and then devour her - by selfish lust,--slay her by slow tortures innumerable,--cast her - away and trample on her even as a worm in the dust, and then when - she has perished, stand on her grave and curse her, saying--‘Thou - wert to blame!--thou fond, foolish, credulous trusting soul!--thou - wert to blame!--not I!’” - -If Miss Corelli was bold in attacking so vast and so controversial a -subject as the tragedy of the Christ, she was none the less inspired in -her conception of the situation. The description of Jesus of Nazareth, -upon whom the story centres and concludes, is simplicity itself. It -teaches charity, love, brotherhood, and yet preaches humility; not -humility of a universal ignorance, but that “humility” which puts even -dignity in the shade, since it is dignity in another name. The pathetic -touches are the cream of her story. It is not a long study, but what -there is, is strange and touching with the wholesomeness of real pathos, -not of one particular class, not mythical, but a tender theme as it were -from a woman’s tender heart, possessing the faculty of a noble sympathy -for the world’s greatest tale of inimitable love and sorrow therefrom. -The chapter on the resurrection is one of the highest aims of the work, -and has been read frequently as a “lesson” in the Churches on Easter -day. The peculiar and idealistic spirituality of the angels at the tomb -is told in a fashion distinctive of the writer. The scene of the -resurrection, indeed, is worth giving in its entirety: - - “A deep silence reigned. All the soldiers of the watch lay - stretched on the ground unconscious, as though struck by lightning; - the previous mysterious singing of the birds had ceased; and only - the lambent quivering of the wing-like glory surrounding the two - angelic Messengers, seemed to make an expressed though unheard - sound as of music. Then, ... in the midst of the solemn hush, ... - the great stone that closed the tomb of the Crucified trembled, ... - and was suddenly thrust back like a door flung open in haste for - the exit of a King, ... and lo!... a Third great Angel joined the - other two! Sublimely beautiful He stood,--the Risen from the Dead! - gazing with loving eyes on all the swooning, sleeping world of men; - the same grand Countenance that had made a glory of the Cross of - Death, now, with a smile of victory, gave poor Humanity the gift of - everlasting Life! The grateful skies brightened above Him,--earth - exhaled its choicest odors through every little pulsing leaf and - scented herb and tree; Nature exulted in the touch of things - eternal,--and the dim pearly light of the gradually breaking morn - fell on all things with a greater purity, a brighter blessedness - than ever had invested it before. The man Crucified and Risen, now - manifested in Himself the mystic mingling of God in humanity; and - taught that for the powers of the Soul set free from sin, there is - no limit, no vanquishment, no end! No more eternal partings for - those who on the earth should learn to love each other,--no more - the withering hopelessness of despair,--the only “death” now - possible to redeemed mortality being “the bondage of sin” - voluntarily entered into and preferred by the unbelieving. And from - this self-wrought, self-chosen doom not even a God can save!” - -This appeals fully to the poetic imagination, and it seems to quicken a -kind of personal interest as to the marvelous mystery of that stupendous -occasion. - -Marie Corelli’s Christ embodies much of the human--the human that is -divinely magnetic, almost, if not quite, undefinable, yet not exclusive, -not idolatrous, but simply and gently _human_. The creation of the -character of Jesus of Nazareth possesses no atom of bigotry. It teaches -love and does not seek to embitter hate. The aura of the master -character permeates each living character throughout the work. It -preaches Love, Charity, and Brotherhood; it ignores the Church (_i.e._, -sectarian misnomer), so it should have, as it has through so many -tongues, its mission. - -There is no new creed, no new passion, no new deed under the sun to-day. -There is only the same recapitulation in a fresh garb. Our Saints still -live to-day. It sounds drastic enough, but Miss Corelli feels this and -knows that midst the fair field of fairness there is also the thorn and -the poisonous flower any one may cull, or the simple field lily that -lifts its face to Heaven, and sees only Heaven in its purity. - -Kingsley said, “The history of England is the literature of England.” -Possibly so. The strong advance of women writers ever since that -excellent man’s passing has proved much of this. It is to the honor of -women to-day. It is proved in the fine grasp of subjects, the faculty of -dealing poetically with a theme, so widely known yet always fresh, under -new lens, and without which this world to many would be a finite and a -joyless place. There is just another quotation from “Barabbas,” quite at -the conclusion of this remarkable book, which weighs in with this and -also with the author’s idea,--just an exoneration of the Great Tragedy, -a simplification of the whole story. It is the finale and in itself not -only teaches powerfully, but is an invitation, as it were, from a potent -mind to those to whom it sends its own message: - - “‘It is God’s symbolic teaching,’ he said, ‘which few of us may - understand. A language unlettered and vast as eternity itself! Upon - that hill of Calvary to which thou, Simon, turnest thy parting - looks of tenderness, has been mystically enacted the world’s one - Tragedy--the tragedy of Love and Genius slain to satisfy the malice - of mankind. But Love and Genius are immortal; and immortality must - evermore arise: wherefore in the dark days that are coming let us - not lose our courage or our hope. There will be many forms of - faith,--and many human creeds in which there is no touch of the - Divine. Keep we to the faithful following of Christ, and in the - midst of many bewilderments we shall not wander far astray. The - hour grows late,--come, thou first hermit of the Christian - world!--let us go on together!’ - - “They descended the hill. Across the plains they passed slowly, - taking the way that led towards the mystic land of Egypt, where the - Pyramids lift their summits to the stars, and the Nile murmurs of - the false gods forgotten. They walked in a path of roseate radiance - left by a reflection of the vanished sun; and went onward steadily, - never once looking back till their figures gradually diminished and - disappeared. Swiftly the night gathered, and spread itself darkly - over Jerusalem like a threatening shadow of storm and swift - destruction; thunder was in the air, and only one pale star peeped - dimly forth in the dusk, shining placidly over the Place of Tombs, - where, in his quiet burial-cave, Barabbas slept beside the - withering palm.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -“THE SORROWS OF SATAN,”--AS A BOOK AND AS A PLAY,--THE STORY OF THE -DRAMATIZATION - - -The publication of “The Sorrows of Satan,” in 1895, caused a greater -sensation than had followed the appearance of any other work by Miss -Corelli. Many presumably competent judges of literature indulged in an -absolute orgie of denunciation. In the _Review of Reviews_, Mr. W. T. -Stead printed a column or so of sneers, though admitting that the -conception was magnificent, and that the author had an immense command -of language. Anxious, apparently, not to miss what would greatly -interest the public, a good twelve pages of his periodical were devoted -to extracts from the book. He knew, as all the critics knew, that all -the world would soon be reading it, and forming its own judgment. The -public must, in very truth, form an unflattering opinion of the fairness -of some of those who attempt to force their own opinions of a book upon -men and women who are not only fully capable of thinking for themselves, -but who, sometimes,--as in the case of Marie Corelli’s -publications,--insist upon doing so. - -Most of the critics entirely missed the point of “The Sorrows of Satan.” -There is a notable character in the book--Lady Sibyl Elton. Now the idea -of Lady Sibyl was an allegorical one. She represented, to Marie -Corelli’s mind, the brilliant, indifferent, selfish, vicious -impersonation of _Society offering itself body and soul to the devil_. -This was completely lost sight of by most of those who criticised the -book, and who had not the imagination to see _beyond_ the mere _forms_ -of _woman_ and _fiend_. _All_ the other characters are arranged to play -round this one central idea, so far as the “woman of the piece” was -concerned. - -It utterly surprised the author to find that people imagined that she -had taken some real woman to portray, and had contrasted her badness -with Mavis Clare to advertise her own excellent character against the -other’s blackness. Facts, however, are facts. Marie Corelli considers -that the evils of society are wrought by women; hence the impersonation -of Lady Sibyl as a woman, courting the devil. Secondly, she considers -that the reformation of society must be wrought by women; hence the -impersonation of Mavis Clare, as a woman _repelling_ the devil. - -“The Sorrows of Satan” is now in its forty-third edition. The book has -not only been read by representatives of all classes in all countries, -but is valued and loved by many thousands who, by the wonderful power of -this single pen, have been forced to _think_; and, by meditating upon -the problems which make the book, have found themselves better men and -women for the exercise. - -“Thousands and tens of thousands throughout English-speaking -Christendom,” declared Father Ignatius, “will bless the author who has -dared to pen the pages of ‘The Sorrows of Satan’; they will bless Marie -Corelli’s pen, respecting its denunciation of the blasphemous verses of -a certain ‘popular British poet.’ Where did the courage come from that -made her pen so bold that the personality of God, the divinity of -Christ, the sanctity of marriage, the necessity of religious education -should thus crash upon you from the pen of a woman?” - -Courageous, indeed, is any author or speaker who attacks the -selfishness, the materialism, the insincerity of much of our social life -and of many of our social customs. And what made the attack so -successful, what caused such bitter resentment on the part of those who -hate Marie Corelli for her exposures of shams and impostures, and her -valiant upholding of virtue and of truth, is the fact that the author -has not only the courage which her convictions give her, but that she -has the power that justifies her bravery! The book is a grand and -successful attempt to show how women who are good and true hold the -affection, the esteem, the devotion, the homage of men; it is an -incentive to women to be in men’s regard the Good Angels that men best -love to believe them; it is a lesson to women how to attain the noblest -heights of womanhood. - -As Marie Corelli, in discussing the “Modern Marriage Market,” has said, -“Follies, temptations, and hypocrisies surround, in a greater or less -degree, all women, whether in society or out of it; and we are none of -us angels, though, to their credit be it said, some men still think us -so. Some men still make ‘angels’ out of us, in spite of our cycling -mania, our foolish ‘clubs,’--where we do nothing at all,--our rough -games at football and cricket, our general throwing to the winds of all -dainty feminine reserve, delicacy, and modesty,--and we alone are to -blame if we shatter their ideals and sit down by choice in the mud when -they would have placed us on thrones.” - -The woman who reads and studies “The Sorrows of Satan” will desire to -attain the angel ideal; and the lesson will be the better learned by the -reading of this book because of the appalling picture of Lady Sibyl -Elton, whose callousness and whose _fin-de-siècle_ masquerading, lying, -trickery, atheism, and vice, make up an abomination in the form of Venus -that is a painting of many society beauties of the day,--soulless -beauties whose bodies are as deliberately sold in the marriage mart as -the clothes and jewels with which their damning forms are adorned. - -And then in “The Sorrows of Satan” there is the unattractive personality -of Geoffrey Tempest, a man with five millions of money, one of whose -first declarations on the attainment of wealth is that he will give to -none and lend to none, and who pursues a life of vanity, selfishness, -and self-aggrandizement, until at last he repels the evil genius of the -story, Prince Lucio Rimânez--the devil. - -In the opening chapter of “The Sorrows of Satan” we are introduced to -Mr. Geoffrey Tempest, at the moment a writer and a man of brains, but -starving and sick at heart through a hopeless struggle against poverty, -and railing against fate and the good luck of a “worthless lounger with -his pockets full of gold by mere chance and heritage.” He is in the -lowest depths of despair, having just had a book of somewhat lofty -thoughts rejected with the advice that, to make a book “go,” it is -desirable, from the publisher’s point of view, that it should be -somewhat _risqué_; in fact, the more indecent the better. It was pitiful -advice and wholly false, for the reason that the great majority of -publishers most carefully avoid works of the kind. Tempest’s case is bad -indeed. He must starve, because his ideas are “old-fashioned.” Moreover, -he cannot pay his landlady her bill. And just at this critical moment -two things happen. He receives £50 from an old chum and £5,000,000 from -Satan. But he is not aware of the real source from which proceeds the -latter sum. Presumably it comes from an unknown uncle whose solicitors -confide to the legatee that the old man had a strange idea “that he had -sold himself to the devil, and that his large fortune was one result of -the bargain.” But who, with five millions to his name, would worry about -an old man’s fancies? Certainly not Geoffrey Tempest. Probably no man. - -On the very night that the intimation of his good fortune reaches him, -the newly made millionaire receives a call from Prince Lucio Rimânez, -whose person is beautiful, whose conversation is witty to brilliance, -whose wealth is unlimited, and whose age is mysterious. The meeting -takes place very suitably in the dark, and the hands of the pair meet in -the gloom “quite blandly and without guidance”; and we soon hear from -the lips of the Prince that it is a most beautiful dispensation of -nature that “honest folk should be sacrified in order to provide for the -sustenance of knaves!” and that the devil not only drives the world whip -in hand, but that he manages his team very easily. - -Tempest and Rimânez forthwith become friends--even more, chums -inseparable; and soon we find Mr. Geoffrey Tempest very aptly playing -the part he had formerly rallied against--that of a worthless lounger -with his pockets full of gold, and gluttonously swallowing the evil and -corrupting maxims of his fascinating friend. He eats the best of food, -drinks the most expensive of wines, and rides in the most luxurious of -carriages; his book is published and advertised and boomed at his own -expense, and he has not a particle of sympathy for the poor or the -suffering. “It often happens that when bags of money fall to the lot of -aspiring genius, God departs and the devil walks in.” So asserts -Rimânez--who ought to know; and so it proves in the case of his rich and -ready disciple, Mr. Geoffrey Tempest. Nothing seems to disturb the -serenity of the multi-millionaire in the early days of his new-found -wealth and power--for the world bows before him--except a mysterious -servant of the Prince’s, a man named Amiel, who cooks mysterious meals -for his master and, imp of mischief, plays strange pranks upon his -fellow-servants. - -Soon Tempest, through the instrumentality of his princely friend, makes -the acquaintance of the beautiful Lady Sibyl Elton. “No man, I think, -ever forgets the first time he is brought face to face with perfect -beauty in woman. He may have caught fleeting glimpses of many fair faces -often,--bright eyes may have flashed on him like starbeams,--the hues of -a dazzling complexion may now and then have charmed him, or the -seductive outlines of a graceful figure;--all these are as mere peeps -into the infinite. But when such vague and passing impressions are -suddenly drawn together in one focus, when all his dreamy fancies of -form and color take visible and complete manifestation in one living -creature who looks down upon him, as it were, from an empyrean of -untouched maiden pride and purity, it is more to his honor than his -shame if his senses swoon at the ravishing vision, and he, despite his -rough masculinity and brutal strength, becomes nothing but the merest -slave to passion.” Thus Geoffrey Tempest when the violet eyes of Sibyl -Elton first rest upon him. - -The scene is a box at a theatre, the play of questionable character -about a “woman with a past.” The picture is complete with the lady’s -father--the Earl of Elton--bending forward in the box and eagerly -gloating over every detail of the performance. There is assuredly no -exaggeration in this portraiture. Such scenes can be witnessed every -night during the season. Nor does Marie Corelli go beyond the unpleasing -truth in asserting that novels on similar themes are popular amongst -women and are a sure preparation for the toleration and applause by -women of such plays. - -The Earl of Elton is hard up, as his daughter knows, and she has been -trained to manœuvre for a rich husband. The idea of a marriage for love -is out of the question; she is too wary to brave “the hundred gloomy -consequences of the _res angusta domi_,” as old Thackeray puts it. She -is not the sort of girl who marries where her heart is, “with no other -trust but in heaven, health, and labor,”--to quote the same mighty -moralist. - -As Prince Rimânez has explained to Tempest, Lady Sibyl is “for sale” in -the matrimonial market, and Tempest determines to buy her; or, in other -words, decides that he wants to marry her and that his millions will -enable him to achieve that object. Poor Lady Sibyl! A victim of -circumstances, it is impossible not to pity her! Cold, callous, -heartless, calculating, corrupt, she is what her mother has made -her--the mother herself being a victim of paralysis and sensuality, a -titled, worn-out _rouée_. - -“Madame, we want mothers!” Napoleon once said truly to one who sorrowed -over the decadence of French manhood; and to the Countess of Elton might -have been applied, with more justice than to the less sinful sisters -from whom society sweeps its skirts, the name of wanton. - -Tempest loses no time in pursuing what now becomes the main object of -his life--marriage with Lady Sibyl Elton, who is quite ready to be -wooed. Incidentally, the book contains stirring pictures of the times. -There is a visit of Tempest and Rimânez to an aristocratic -gambling-house, and Miss Corelli’s account of the scene there enacted is -but a true description of what is going on constantly “in the West.” How -often, when the Somerset House records of the wills of deceased men of -note are revealed, do people marvel that So-and-so, with his vast -income, was able to put by so little! - -Very often it is the gaming-table that supplies the reason. For the -gambling fever is raging in the world of to-day from peers, statesmen, -lawyers, aye, and ministers, to the street-boys who stake their trifles -on a race or a game of shove ha’penny. There are book-makers who, as the -police records show, do not hesitate to accept penny bets on horse -races from boys. There are “swell” boardinghouses, we know, in secluded -country retreats, where _roulette_, _rouge et noir_, and baccarat are -played nightly all the year round, not for pounds, but for hundreds of -pounds, and the police of the districts concerned never disturb the -accursed play. There are luxurious flats in London where similar play -goes on, equally undisturbed by the police. And there are the gaming -hells, such as Miss Corelli describes, where often may be seen men of -distinction, whose names are familiar to every ear, destroying their -peace, their prosperity, the happiness of themselves and their families, -for the luck of the cards. - -To such a place as this--where wealth and position were the only “open -sesames”--went Tempest and Prince Rimânez. Both, so rich that it -mattered not to them what resulted, play and win heavily, mainly from a -Viscount Lynton. Rimânez here stays one of the only good impulses that -came to Geoffrey Tempest after his accession to wealth. He would have -forgiven the Viscount his ruinous losses. And so the play goes on, and -then--a merry bet--Lynton plays with Rimânez at baccarat for a queer -stake--his soul. Of course he loses, and Rimânez has but a short time to -wait to collect the wager, for the mad young Viscount blows out his -brains that night. Such is the history--less only the last specific -bet--of many a young aristocrat’s suicide. - -In the furtherance of his marriage scheme, Tempest purchases Willowsmere -Court, in Warwickshire, a place which, in his palmy days, the Earl of -Elton had owned, but which had subsequently got into the hands of the -Jews. Near to Willowsmere lives Mavis Clare, the good angel of the -story. It has been said “in print,” and it is popularly believed even -now, notwithstanding positive denial, that Mavis Clare was intended to -portray Miss Marie Corelli. It was an unwarrantable and unfair -suggestion, because it implied to Miss Corelli that gross libel, often -falsely attributed to her, of vanity and self-advertisement. In very -truth, if she were vain it would be a sin easy to condone in one who has -achieved so much. Yet, happily, she is so true a woman that vanity has -no part in her character, and she is incapable of deliberately applying -to herself the Mavis Clare description. - -In the _Review of Reviews_ it was stated: “A leading figure in ‘The -Sorrows of Satan’ is none other than the authoress herself, Marie -Corelli, who, like Lucifer, the Son of Morning, also appears under a -disguise. But it is a disguise so transparent that the wayfaring man, -though a fool, could not fail in identifying it. Mavis Clare, whose -initials it may be remarked[B] are the same as those of the authoress, -represents Marie Corelli’s ideal of what she would like to be, but -isn’t; what in her more exalted moments she imagines herself to be. It -is somewhat touching to see this attempt at self-portraiture.” The -suggestion thus put forward, that Mavis Clare was a _deliberate_ -portrait of Miss Marie Corelli, was at once accepted by the public--be -it said to the credit of the public, who, having read her books, must -have been instilled with the accurate idea that the talented author must -be good and true, like Mavis Clare. Color was naturally lent to the -suggestion of her deliberate self-portraiture by the similarity of the -initials, and also of the circumstances of Miss Corelli and the lady of -the story. - -Nothing, however, was further from Miss Corelli’s thoughts or intentions -than this, and the similarity of the initials was purely accidental. The -name was written in the manuscript and appeared in the proofs as “Mavis -Dare” and not Mavis Clare. Not only just before the book went to press, -but actually whilst it was in the press, the second name was suddenly -altered, because it was pointed out to Miss Corelli that the name was -so very like the “Avice Dare” of another writer. When these facts were -brought to Mr. Stead’s notice he did Miss Corelli the justice to -apologize for the statement which had been made in the _Review of -Reviews_. - -It is Lady Sibyl who suddenly and violently breaks the thin wall between -Tempest’s desire to marry her and the formal request that she shall -become his wife. She, with just enough glimmering of honor to detest the -“marriage by arrangement,” informs him of her knowledge that her charms -are for sale and that he, Tempest, is to be the accepted purchaser. Her -language is plain enough in very truth to demonstrate the hideousness of -the bargain, for this is the picture of the bride-to-be that she herself -draws for the edification of her future husband: - - “I ask you, do you think a girl can read the books that are now - freely published, and that her silly society friends tell her to - read,--‘because it is so dreadfully _queer_!’--and yet remain - unspoilt and innocent? Books that go into the details of the lives - of outcasts?--that explain and analyze the secret vices of - men?--that advocate almost as a sacred duty ‘free love’ and - universal polygamy?--that see no shame in introducing into the - circles of good wives and pure-minded girls, a heroine who boldly - seeks out a man, _any_ man, in order that she may have a child by - him, without the ‘degradation’ of marrying him? I have read all - those books, and what can you expect of me? Not innocence, surely! - I despise men,--I despise my own sex,--I loathe myself for being a - woman! You wonder at my fanaticism for Mavis Clare,--it is only - because for a time her books give me back my self-respect, and make - me see humanity in a nobler light,--because she restores to me, if - only for an hour, a kind of glimmering belief in God, so that my - mind feels refreshed and cleansed. All the same, you must not look - upon me as an innocent young girl, Geoffrey, a girl such as the - great poets idealized and sang of. I am a contaminated creature, - trained to perfection in the lax morals and prurient literature of - my day.” - -The unholy wedding of the selfish millionaire and Lady Sibyl Elton takes -place. Prince Rimânez acts as master of the ceremonies, and calls to his -aid a devil’s own army of imps who work marvelous musical and -picturesque effects--their identification as creatures of hell being, of -course, hidden. Even thunder and lightning are called down to add to the -remarkable scene. And so the marriage bargain is completed. -Disillusionment quickly follows, and we find the husband and wife -mutually disgusted with one another, and on the verge of hate. Lady -Sibyl, however, finds passion at last, passion for the husband’s friend, -Lucio Rimânez, Prince of Darkness. - -To such an extent does this fever of love possess her that she seeks -out Rimânez one night and declares her love, only to be scorned by him: - - “I know you love me,” (is his retort); “I have always known it! - Your vampire soul leaped to mine at the first glance I ever gave - you.” And he rejects her pleadings. “For you corrupt the - world,--you turn good to evil,--you deepen folly into crime,--with - the seduction of your nude limbs and lying eyes you make fools, - cowards, and beasts of men!” There is no limit to the degradation - of this evil wife. “Since you love me so well,” he said, “kneel - down and worship me!” - -She falls upon her knees. And the scene thus continues: - - “With every pulse of my being I worship you!” she murmured - passionately. “My king! my god! The cruel things you say but deepen - my love for you; you can kill, but you can never change me! For one - kiss of your lips I would die,--for one embrace from you I would - give my soul!...” - - “Have you one to give?” he asked derisively. “Is it not already - disposed of? You should make sure of that first! Stay where you are - and let me look at you! So!--a woman, wearing a husband’s name, - holding a husband’s honor, clothed in the very garments purchased - with a husband’s money, and newly risen from a husband’s side, - steals forth thus in the night, seeking to disgrace him and pollute - herself by the vulgarest unchastity! And this is all that the - culture and training of nineteenth-century civilization can do for - you? Myself, I prefer the barbaric fashion of old times, when rough - savages fought for their women as they fought for their cattle, - treated them as cattle, and kept them in their place, never - dreaming of endowing them with such strong virtues as truth and - honor! If women were pure and true, then the lost happiness of the - world might return to it, but the majority of them are like - you--liars--ever pretending to be what they are not. I may do what - I choose with you, you say? torture you, kill you, brand you with - the name of outcast in the public sight, and curse you before - Heaven, if I will only love you! All this is melodramatic speech, - and I never cared for melodrama at any time. I shall neither kill - you, brand you, curse you, nor love you; I shall simply--call your - husband!” - -After further passages of this description, concluding with some passes -with a dagger, the scene ends, the hidden but listening husband coming -forth and blessing the friend for his upright conduct. The inevitable -follows. Lady Sibyl commits suicide; and the husband, finding the corpse -seated in a chair before a mirror, carries out a plan for an awful -midnight interview with the dead, turning on a blaze of lamps, and -sitting down there in the death-chamber to read a document left by his -wife, in which she gives a pitiful picture of the training that has made -her character so repellent. She describes, in a remarkable and appalling -letter, of which an extract follows, how the death-giving poison is -taken and the agonizing thoughts of the last moments. - - “Oh, God!... Let me write--write--while I can! Let me yet hold fast - the thread which fastens me to earth,--give me time--time before I - drift out, lost in yonder blackness and flame! Let me write for - others the awful Truth, as I see it,--there is No death! - None--none! _I cannot die!..._ Let me write on,--write on with this - dead fleshly hand, ... one moment more time, dread God!... one - moment more to write the truth,--the terrible truth of Death whose - darkest secret, Life, is unknown to men!... To my despair and - terror,--to my remorse and agony, I live!--oh, the unspeakable - misery of this new life! And worst of all,--God whom I doubted, God - whom I was taught to deny, this wronged, blasphemed and outraged - God EXISTS! And I could have found Him had I chosen,--this - knowledge is forced upon me as I am torn from hence,--it is shouted - at me by a thousand wailing voices!... too late!--too late!--the - scarlet wings beat me downward,--these strange half-shapeless forms - close round and drive me onward ... to a further darkness, ... amid - wind and fire!... Serve me, dead hand, once more ere I depart, ... - my tortured spirit must seize and compel you to write down this - thing unnamable, that earthly eyes may read, and earthly souls take - timely warning!... I know at last WHOM I have loved!--whom I have - chosen, whom I have worshiped!... Oh, God, have mercy!... I know - who claims my worship now, and drags me into yonder rolling world - of flame!... his name is ----” - -Here the manuscript ends,--incomplete and broken off abruptly,--and -there is a blot on the last sentence as though the pen had been -violently wrenched from the dying fingers and flung hastily down. - -From this terrible incident the story hastens to its close, remarkable -alike for the discourses of the Prince of Darkness, for the experiences -of Tempest, for his final severance from the evil genius and his return -to honest work. And here it is necessary to consider the conception of -his Satanic Majesty with which the author presents us. She states that -the idea came to her in the first place from the New Testament: “There I -found that Christ was tempted by Satan with the offer of thrones, -principalities and powers, all of which the Saviour rejected. When the -temptation was over I read that Satan left Him, and that angels came and -ministered to Him. I thought this out in my own mind and I concluded -that if man, through Christ, would only reject Satan, Satan would leave -him, and that angels would minister to him in the same way that they -ministered to Christ. Out of this germ rose the wider idea that Satan -himself might be glad for men to so reject him, as he then might have -the chance of recovering his lost angelic position.” In fact, the writer -would have it that Satan becomes on terms of intimacy with man, and man -then becomes consequently evil, only if man shows that he wishes to -travel an evil course; that man may never redeem the devil, but that -when man has become as perfect as, through Christ, he may, then the -devil may again become an angel--a Doctrine of universal salvation for -sinners and for Satan too. No other writer has given such a conception -of the devil’s character and position. - -The central conception of “The Sorrows of Satan,” Marie Corelli further -says, is that as the possession of an immortal spirit must needs breed -immortal longings, Satan, being an angel once, must of necessity long -for that state of perfection; and that God, being the perfection of -love, could not in His love deny all hope of final redemption even to -Satan. Truly she here gives a conception of the God of Love more -attractive than the pitiless readings of the Divine character which some -theologians would have us accept. - -There are the two conflicting influences in the novelist’s conception of -the devil--Satan endeavoring to corrupt and destroy man, yet knowing -that if man rejects him he is nearer to his own redemption. And so in -this book we find Prince Lucio Rimânez often giving utterance to -thoughts and principles which the man enslaved by him refuses to adopt -and practice, as if he longed for Tempest to repel him, though helping -forward all his selfish schemes. And we are given, too, the picture of -this Prince of Darkness, finding that Mavis Clare could not be tempted, -begging for her prayers--“_you_ believe God hears you.... Only a pure -woman can make faith possible to man. Pray for me, then, as one who has -fallen from his higher and better self; who strives, but who may not -attain; who labors under heavy punishment; who would fain reach Heaven, -but who by the cursed will of man, and man alone, is kept in hell! Pray -for me, Mavis Clare; promise it; and so shall you lift me a step nearer -the glory I have lost.” - -Rimânez and Tempest go on a long yachting cruise together,--to -Egypt,--and during this journey the discourses of the Prince are -numerous and of intense interest. In one he states that if men were true -to their immortal instincts and to the God that made them,--if they were -generous, honest, fearless, faithful, reverent, unselfish, ... if women -were pure, brave, tender, and loving,--then “Lucifer, Son of the -Morning,” lifted towards his Creator on the prayers of pure lives, would -wear again his Angel’s crown. There is for a brief period after this a -vision of the devil,--“one who, proud and rebellious, like you, errs -less, in that he owns God as his Master”--as an Angel. And then the -yacht, steered by the demon Amiel, crashes on through ice with a noise -like thunder, to the world’s end. Tempest catches a passing glimpse of -his dead wife, and feels remorse and pity at last. A few moments pass -and Tempest’s hour has come, an hour for a great decision: - - “Know from henceforth that the Supernatural Universe in and around - the Natural is no lie,--but the chief Reality, inasmuch as God - surroundeth all! Fate strikes thine hour,--and in this hour ’tis - given thee to choose thy Master. Now, by the will of God, thou - seest me as Angel;--but take heed thou forget not that among men I - am as Man! In human form I move with all humanity through endless - ages,--to kings and counselors, to priests and scientists, to - thinkers and teachers, to old and young, I come in the shape their - pride or vice demands, and am as one with all. Self finds in me - another Ego;--but from the pure in heart, the high in faith, the - perfect in intention, I do retreat with joy, offering naught save - reverence, demanding naught save prayer! So am I--so must I ever - be--till Man of his own will releases and redeems me. Mistake me - not, but know me!--and choose thy Future for truth’s sake and not - out of fear! Choose and change not in any time hereafter,--this - hour, this moment is thy last probation,--choose, I say! Wilt thou - serve Self and Me? or God only?” - -The choice is made. Tempest realizes with shame his miserable vices, his -puny scorn of God, his effronteries and blasphemies; and in the sudden -strong repulsion and repudiation of his own worthless existence, being, -and character, he finds both voice and speech. “God only! Annihilation -at His hands, rather than life without Him! God only! I have chosen!” -From the brightening heaven there rings a silver voice, clear as a -clarion-call,--“Arise, Lucifer, Son of the Morning! One soul rejects -thee,--one hour of joy is granted thee! Hence, and arise!” And with a -vision of the man fiend rushing for a brief hour to celestial regions, -because of one soul that rejected Satan, Geoffrey Tempest finds himself -tied to a raft on the open sea, and remembers the promise, “Him who -cometh unto me will I in no wise cast out.” - -The late Rev. H. R. Haweis, preaching on this book, said: “‘Seek ye -first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things -shall be added unto you,’ is the grand moral carried out,” and that is -an opinion, notwithstanding the ban of the Romish Church, which is -entertained of the book by many Christian men, by a large number of -Christian clergy. It is a declaration of the Nemesis of everything that -opposes itself to the will of God. The book teaches the softening -influences upon mankind of good deeds done, of good words spoken. It -teaches, in brief, that there are two contending powers at work upon -mankind--the evil and the good; and the book is an eloquent, beautiful, -effective contribution to the victory of the Good. The sensuality, the -evil imagination, the prostitution of the marriage sacrament to -commercial bargains, the infidelity, in thought and intention, though -not in deed, of Lady Sibyl Elton, are stripped of their pretty dressings -and shown in their detestable reality. “The acts of selfishness in man,” -Mr. Haweis added, “are exhibited in the person of Geoffrey Tempest in a -garb that repels and with results that horrify; and the pure influence -of Mavis Clare is shown on the other side of the picture, bright and -attractive, the spirit of peace, contentment, and love in a glorious and -glorified conquest of the spirit of evil.” - -Miss Corelli has suffered in a peculiar way from the deficiencies of the -law of copyright which allows perfect protection to a mechanical patent, -but which gives an author no adequate protection over rights such as the -dramatization of a book. “The Sorrows of Satan,” as everybody knows, was -dramatized, and this is how it came about: In the year of the -publication of “The Sorrows of Satan,” 1895, Mr. George Eric Mackay -introduced to his stepsister a lady of his acquaintance, a sculptress, -who, so he said, was anxious to make a study of his head. This lady, in -her turn, introduced Captain Woodgate, who expressed his enthusiastic -admiration for “The Sorrows of Satan” to Miss Corelli, and said it would -make a very fine play, and followed up his praise by asking whether he -might try his hand at dramatizing it, as he had already had some -experience in the writing of plays. Miss Corelli replied that she had -not thought of it at all as a play, but that she had no objection to his -trying, on condition that nothing was produced without her authorization -and permission. Captain Woodgate readily consented to this, but the -whole subject was talked of so casually that (so Miss Corelli declares) -she did not think he really meant to undertake it. - -Miss Corelli was very ill at the time, and went to Scotland for her -health. During her absence, Captain Woodgate went to work, and called in -the assistance of Mr. Paul Berton. Between them they wrote a play, and -“The Grosvenor Syndicate” was formed for the purposes of its production. - -Miss Corelli was then invited to hear the play read in the Shaftesbury -Theatre green-room. Miss Evelyn Millard, selected to play the part of -“Lady Sibyl,” was present. After the first act had been read by Mr. Paul -Berton, Miss Corelli informs us that she very decidedly expressed her -objection to it, and said that it would never do. Mr. Eric Mackay, who -was also present, said that, on the contrary, he thought it “admirable.” -Miss Corelli, hearing this, remained silent while the second act was -proceeded with by Mr. Berton, to her increasing distaste. Her feelings -in the matter (so Miss Corelli declares) met with complete sympathy from -Miss Evelyn Millard, who, rising from her place, begged Miss Corelli to -give her a few words in private. Miss Corelli followed her out of the -room, and Miss Millard then said: “My dear Miss Corelli, I was ready and -glad to think of playing your character of ‘Lady Sibyl Elton’ in ‘The -Sorrows of Satan,’ but I cannot possibly consent to act in this.” - -Miss Corelli thanked Miss Millard very heartily for her plain speaking -and her decision, and then, informing the joint authors that she would -have nothing whatever to do with the play, the meeting at the -Shaftesbury broke up. Mr. Lewis Waller, who had been selected for the -part of “Lucio Rimânez,” wrote a letter to Miss Corelli in which he -cordially sympathized with her on the treatment her work had received. - -“The Grosvenor Syndicate” paid her five hundred pounds for the use of -her name, but this sum she offered to promptly return if they would as -promptly withdraw the play. Upon this the shareholders met together at -the office of Miss Corelli’s lawyer to discuss the matter, and Miss -Corelli again proposed to give them back at once the five hundred -pounds, and to write a play on her book herself. It may be added that, -if she had been allowed to do this, Mr. Beerbohm Tree would have been -ready and glad to consider the part of Prince Lucio. She said to those -who had invested their money in the syndicate: “Gentlemen, if you will -withdraw this work, I will guarantee to write you a play which shall be -a success.” They, however, after consideration, refused, saying that -shares were issued and they could not go back. Miss Corelli, therefore, -withdrew her “authorization” altogether, and only allowed the simple use -of her name on the programmes to this effect: “Dramatized from the novel -of that name by Marie Corelli.” The play was therefore produced for the -first time at the Shaftesbury Theatre on the evening of January 9th, -1897, in the presence of H. R. H. the Duke of Cambridge and suite, the -Duke, audibly expressing agreement with Miss Corelli’s views of the -work. She herself was not present. She was lying ill in bed, suffering -acute pain, having that very day gone through a trying ordeal of -surgical examination by Sir John Williams, who had bluntly informed her -that she had not, perhaps, six months to live unless she went through a -grave operation. It will be owned that this was a singular situation for -any author, as she herself says, “to have the work of her brain dealt -with in a way to which she took obvious exception, and herself -threatened with death both on the same day.” - -The play of _The Sorrows of Satan_ was produced, Mr. Lewis Waller -playing the part of Lucio. Miss Millard remained staunch to her opinion, -and wrote to Miss Corelli, saying how sincerely sorry she was that the -play had been brought out, notwithstanding the protest. Since that time -several dramatic versions of the book have been played, including Mr. C. -W. Somerset’s version, which Miss Corelli has described as a combination -of her novel and the late George Augustus Sala’s “Margaret Foster.” Mr. -Somerset is himself the author of this production, and we are told that -he informed Miss Corelli that he put the two books together in this work -“to strengthen both!” - -Miss Corelli would much like to put a stop to the various stage -renderings of “The Sorrows of Satan” if the law would give her the power -to do so; and she would greatly like to see the law altered so as to -give her and other authors such power. As it is, she now, to secure her -titles, whenever she writes a book, has a play, bearing the title of her -book, produced before a paying audience. - -In order to secure such dramatic copyright, authors have to pay to have -their “sham” play performed before a “sham” audience with “sham” actors! -And the law compels it! - - - - -CHAPTER X - -“THE MIGHTY ATOM” AND “BOY” - - -Marie Corelli never writes without a purpose--never solely to excite or -entertain the reader who regards books as pleasant things provided for -his regalement just as ices, pantomimes, and balloon ascents are. - -The greatest of novelists have generally told their stories with an -object other than mere story-telling. Charles Reade brought about asylum -reform by publishing “Hard Cash,” while in “Foul Play” he made clear the -injustice of preventing a prisoner from giving evidence in his own -behalf--a state of things which has been only recently remedied; Dickens -showed up villainous schoolmasters, receivers of stolen goods, the -delays of the Law, Bumbledom, emigration frauds, and a hundred other -abuses; Thackeray preached against cant; Wilkie Collins broke a lance -with the vivisectionists; and Clark Russell, in “The Wreck of the -_Grosvenor_,” told a harrowing story of the rotten food provided for the -helpless merchant sailor. - -Miss Corelli has grappled with human wrongs just as great, even though -they may not be amenable to jurisdiction. - -In the two books before us she deals, in hard-hitting, -thought-compelling terms, with the criminally mistaken up-bringing of -children. Her object in writing “The Mighty Atom” she tersely explains -in her dedicatory note to “those self-styled ‘progressivists’” who -support the cause of education without religion. The short and pathetic -history of Lionel Valliscourt is placed before us as typical of the fate -which so often befalls the overwrought child-brain: the horrible end to -the young life is depicted with the idea of manifesting in what the -absence of religion even from a boy’s mind may result. Had Lionel -learned to say his prayers at his mother’s knee; had he trotted off to -Church every Sunday morning, his hand within his father’s, and at -eventide listened to the sweet old Bible-stories which so appeal to a -child’s imagination, the Christian precepts thus implanted in his heart -would surely have stayed his hand when he conceived the idea of taking -his own life. - -This most sad story fully brings home to the reader the evils attendant -on the entirely godless teaching bestowed on a young and exceptionally -bright boy, who has an instinctive yearning for that “knowledge and -love of God” of which our authoress is the strenuous champion. - -Lionel, the small centre of the picture, is introduced as a boy who -“might have been a bank clerk or an experienced accountant in a London -merchant’s office, from his serious old-fashioned manner, instead of a -child barely eleven years of age; indeed, as a matter of fact, there was -an almost appalling expression of premature wisdom on his pale wistful -features;--the ‘thinking furrow’ already marked his forehead,--and what -should still have been the babyish upper curve of his sensitive little -mouth was almost, though not quite, obliterated by a severe line of -constantly practiced self-restraint.” - -Mr. Valliscourt has hired tutor after tutor to assist him in forcing -Lionel’s intellect: by turns each tutor has thrown up his task in -disgust. At last comes William Montrose, B. A., a breezy Oxonian, who -refuses point-blank to go through the “schedule of tuition” which Mr. -Valliscourt “formulates” for his son’s holiday tasks. Montrose is -angrily dismissed, and Professor Cadman-Gore, “the dark-lantern of -learning and obscure glory of university _poseurs_,” is engaged in his -place to squeeze the juice out of poor little Lionel’s already wearied -brains. - -Very early in his holiday term of coaching the Professor has to submit -to some cross-examination from Lionel on the subject of the Atom. “Where -is it?--that wonderful little First Atom, which, without knowing in the -least what it was about, and with nobody to guide it, and having no -reason, judgment, sight, or sense of its own, produced such beautiful -creations? And then, if you are able to tell me where it is, will you -also tell me where it came from?” - -It appears that Lionel has imbibed atheistic principles not only from -his father, but from a former tutor, and he is determined to thrash the -matter out with the Professor, whom he takes to be the cleverest man in -the world. The Professor’s replies, however, are unsatisfactory, and -Lionel goes on wondering. - -The work continues, and he grows yet wearier. Manfully he struggles to -accomplish his allotted tasks, each effort sapping his strength still -further and adding to the pains which fill his head and drive sleep from -his tired eyes. The Professor, acting according to orders, continues to -grind the young brains to powder. - -At last the crisis arrives. Under dishonorable circumstances Lionel’s -mother leaves her husband: over-work, sorrow, too little exercise--all -these combined bring about Lionel’s collapse. The plain-spoken village -doctor orders him away for rest, and so the Professor and his young -charge go to Clovelly, where they spend some bewilderingly delightful -weeks of absolute idleness. The Professor’s eyes have been somewhat -opened by Lionel’s break-down to the real state of the child, whom -thereafter he treats with a certain rough kindness which wins him the -boy’s whole heart. Lionel cannot quite make it out--but he is grateful. - -“He used to show his gratitude,” we are told, “in odd little ways of his -own, which had a curious and softening effect on the mind of the learned -Cadman-Gore. He would carefully brush the ugly hat of the great man and -bring it to him,--he would pull out and smooth the large sticky fingers -of his loose leather gloves and lay them side by side on a table ready -for him to wear,--he would energetically polish the top of his big -silver-knobbed stick,--and he would invariably make a ‘buttonhole’ of -the prettiest flowers he could find for him to put in his coat at -dinner.” - -One can imagine the grim old gentleman being by turns astonished and -touched by such attentions: the Professor indeed warms to the lad, and, -when they return to Combmartin, bids him go and play instead of -returning to his investigation of “The Advance of Positivism and Pure -Reason,” which formed part of that schedule of study which his father -had previously insisted upon. - -Before his illness Lionel had become close friends with the village -sexton, Reuben Dale, and that worthy’s little daughter, Jessamine. It -had been the boy’s keenest joy to romp and talk with Jessamine, and so, -on being afforded a holiday by the Professor’s thoughtfulness, he -proceeds with a light heart in search of his former playmate. He finds -Reuben at work in the churchyard, and “the significant hollow in the -ground was shaped slowly in a small dark square, to the length of a -little child.” - -The old man’s sobs betray the truth--during Lionel’s absence his baby -sweetheart has fallen a prey to diphtheria. The boy’s anguish is -terrible: the sexton’s simple faith in God’s way being the best way has -no comfort for the helpless little pagan who has been taught that such -faith as this is sheer nonsense. “No, no!” he cries; “there is no God; -you have not read,--you have not studied things, and you do not -know,--but you are all wrong. There is no God,--there is only the Atom -which does not care.” - -Distracted with grief, Lionel tears away into the woods, his bewildered -and weary head full of strange thoughts. At last a firm resolve takes -possession of him. “I know!--I know the best way to discover the real -secret,--I _must_ find it out!--and I will!” - -And he does. With the cool deliberation that is often a distinguishing -attribute of one bent on self-destruction, he goes to bed in the usual -way. When the house is quite still, and all its other inmates are -slumbering, he steals down to his schoolroom, where he carefully pens -some letters--one to his father, another to the Professor, and a third -to Mr. Montrose. This done, he falls upon his knees by the open window -and prays to that Being whom he feels “must be a God, really and truly,” -in spite of the many learned theories to the contrary by which his -child-mind has been distracted. - -A little later “there came a heavy stillness, ... and a sudden sense of -cold in the air, as of the swift passing of the Shadow of Death.” - -One may reasonably contend that such passages as these are unnecessarily -distressing, and certainly there are several of Miss Corelli’s works -which should not be left in the way of weak-minded persons. The -authoress, it is clear, wishes to drive home her arguments in a manner -that will be remembered. Chapter XIV. of “The Mighty Atom” is not one -that is ever likely to be forgotten by those who have read this book. - -People who object to such methods as Miss Corelli employs in “The Mighty -Atom” must bear in mind that the motive underlying each of her stories -is to show up a certain evil and suggest remedial measures, themselves -as powerful as the disease requiring their application. - -The lesson taught so startlingly in “The Mighty Atom” must have brought -home the truths of its straightforward doctrines to a multitude of -readers. Thus can a book drop seed which is destined to flourish -abundantly for a great length of time and in widely separated places. If -a book be good, it will have a long life: living, its effects will be -felt by more than one generation of readers. Such is the power of -literature--such the strength of a mere pen when wielded by one whose -principal stock-in-trade is knowledge combined with sincerity and a -determination to speak out for the general weal at all hazards, critics -notwithstanding. - - * * * * * - -“Boy,” a book about equal in length to “The Mighty Atom,” is less -picturesque in its setting than the latter, but, on the other hand, is -lightened by considerable humor and happy characterization. It is a -sermon to parents. The boy, as we know, is father of the man; -consequently, if you bring a boy up badly, the complete growth of him -when he reaches man’s estate is hardly likely to be satisfactory. - -“It is a dangerous fallacy,” says the author of “Boy,” “to aver that -every man has the making of his destiny in his own hands: to a certain -extent he has, no doubt, and with education and firm resolve, he can do -much to keep down the Beast and develop the Angel; but a terrific -responsibility rests upon those often voluntarily reckless beings, his -parents, who, without taking thought, use God’s privilege of giving -life, while utterly failing to perceive the means offered to them for -developing and preserving that life under the wisest and most harmonious -conditions.” - -The career of the particular “boy” under notice is traced from the time -when, a crawling babe, he gravely surveys his father’s drunken antics -and ascribes them to attacks of illness. Hence his frequent references -to the “poo’ sing” whose too close attentions to the bottle have earned -him this mistaken infantile sympathy. “Boy’s” especial admirer is a -maiden lady of ample means, who has an ardent desire to adopt him, but -whose wishes are invariably thwarted by “Boy’s” mother, a “large, lazy, -and unintelligent” woman with limited and peculiar ideas on the rearing -and educating of children. The maiden lady herself has a devoted -cavalier, in the shape of an elderly Major, who proposes to her -regularly, only to be met with a gentle but steady negative. The lady’s -heart is buried with a former lover, who, years before, went to India -and died there; and although the Major knows that the object of his -attachment is burning perpetual candles before a worthless shrine--for -the dead man was a sad rascal in his day, and was, moreover, false to -her--he prefers to let her live with her illusion rather than profit by -acquainting her with the true facts of the case. - -As the Major is generally in attendance on Miss Letitia Leslie we see a -good deal of the bluff old soldier, for “Boy” is occasionally allowed to -go and stay with “Miss Letty.” These are the golden periods of the good -maiden lady’s life--and, too, of “Boy’s,” for while Miss Leslie cares -for him properly, his mother exploits her ideas of motherhood by feeding -the little fellow “on sloppy food which frequently did not agree with -him, in dosing him with medicine when he was out of sorts, in dressing -him anyhow, and in allowing him to amuse himself as he liked wherever he -could, however he could, at all times, and in all places, dirty or -clean.” - -Meantime, Captain the Honorable D’Arcy Muir rolls in and out of the -house--more often than not in that state of drunken combativeness which -finds a vent in assaulting mantelpiece ornaments and the lighter -articles of furniture--and Mrs. D’Arcy Muir reads novels, or, studying -personal ease before appearance, slouches about the house in soft felt -slippers and loosely fitting garments which frequently lack a -sufficiency of buttons and hooks. - -In spite of such surroundings “Boy” remains a very lovable little fellow -until he goes to school. Then Miss Letty and the Major lose sight of him -for a long period, for he is sent to a school in Brittany. The Major -deplores the fact: “You must say good-bye to ‘Boy’ forever!... Don’t you -see? The child has gone--and he’ll never come back. _A_ boy will come -back, but not the boy _you_ knew. The boy you knew is practically -dead.... The poor little chap had enough against him in his home -surroundings, God knows!--but a cheap foreign school is the last straw -on the camel’s back. Whatever is good in his nature will go to waste; -whatever is bad will grow and flourish!” - -As it happens, “Boy” stays in France only a year, but during that period -Miss Letty, the Major, and the Major’s niece go to America and settle -down there for a time. “Boy” reappears at the age of sixteen, when he is -being educated at an English military school. One of the best-written -scenes in the book describes the meeting of “Boy” with Miss Letty, who -returns from America about this time. “Boy” has grown into a slim, -awkward youth, getting on to six feet in height, callous, listless, and -cynical. He has lost his old frankness; he is not, as the Major -predicted, the “boy” that Miss Letty knew in the days gone by. - -The description of the luncheon party when the four sides of the table -are occupied respectively by Miss Letty, the Major, the latter’s niece, -and “Boy,” is exceedingly well done, “Boy’s” stolid, _blasé_ replies to -the many questions he is asked being exceedingly diverting, although one -feels sorry to see into what an automaton he has grown. - -“Are you glad you are going to be a soldier?” the Major asks him. “Oh, I -don’t mind it!” says “Boy.” “Are you fond of flowers?” the girl demands -of him a little later. “I don’t mind them much!” replies “Boy” -indifferently. “Well, what _do_ you mind? Anything?” puts in the Major. -“Boy” laughed. “I don’t know.” - -This scene--from which we have merely extracted a few remarks--is in its -way an excellent bit of comedy, but on behalf of public schoolboys -generally we must say that we don’t think “Boy” would have put his hat -on--as he is reported to have done--while still in the room with the -ladies. - -“Boy” passes into Sandhurst, but is expelled therefrom for drunkenness; -he gets a clerkship, incurs card debts, alters the amount on a check -which Miss Letty has sent him, repents of the fraud, returns the whole -amount, with a manly apology, to Miss Letty, enlists, and is killed by -the Boers. That, then, is the sad end of “Boy.” - -In addition to the characters mentioned there are others of subsidiary -importance, and there is, threading in and out of the “Boy” episodes, a -love-story which ends tragically, at the time, for the Major’s niece, -though she eventually meets the man Fate has decreed she shall marry, on -a South African battle-field. - -In no other book has Miss Corelli favored us with so many -smile-provoking passages. There is, for instance, a good deal of grim -humor about “Rattling Jack”--the salt-dried veteran of whom “Boy” makes -a friend when the D’Arcy Muirs move from their London home in Hereford -Square to cheaper quarters on the coast. - -Rattling Jack doesn’t sympathize with the elementary methods of the -young student of natural history. He doesn’t see why beetles and -butterflies should be trapped and carried home for the “museum.” One -day “Boy” brings for the old sailor’s inspection a beautiful -rose-colored sea-anemone which he had managed to detach from the rocks -and carry off in his tin pail. - - “There y’are, you see!” cries Rattling Jack. “Now ye’ve made a - fellow-creature miserable, y’are as ’appy as the day is long! Eh, - eh--why for mussy’s sake didn’t ye leave it on the rocks in the sun - with the sea a-washin’ it an’ the blessin’ of the Lord A’mighty on - it? They things are jes’ like human souls--there they stick on a - rock o’ faith and hope maybe, jes’ wantin’ nothin’ but to be let - alone; and then by and by some one comes along that begins to poke - at ’em, and pull ’em about, and wake up all their - sensitiveness-like--’urt ’em as much as possible, that’s the - way!--and then they pulls ’em off their rocks and carries ’em off - in a mean little tin pail! Ay, ay, ye may call a tin pail whatever - ye please--a pile o’ money or a pile o’ love--it’s nought but a tin - pail--not a rock with the sun shinin’ upon it. And o’ coorse they - dies--there ain’t no sense in livin’ in a tin pail.” - -This weary-wise old fellow must be credited to Miss Corelli as one of -her best portraits in miniature. His observations are full of sage and -seasoning, and we could do with more of him. - -Did Miss Corelli’s themes allow of it, we might have been treated to a -good deal more humor in her works, but she is too good an artist to -intrude comic relief when such relief would merely be an annoying -interruption. But various passages in her books show her to be the -possessor of a considerable sense of the laughable, and it is to be -hoped that she will some day find time to write a story dealing with the -lighter side of existence. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -“THE MURDER OF DELICIA” AND “ZISKA”[C] - - -In the former of these works Marie Corelli has much to say about men -that is very disagreeable and, as it appears to us, only partially true. -It would seem that the novelist is too prone to seize upon a particular -instance of “man’s ingratitude,” laziness, cruelty, and general -worthlessness, and set it up as a frequently occurring type. - -In “The Murder of Delicia,” for example, a handsome guardsman, nicknamed -by his fellow-officers “Beauty Carlyon,” marries a lady novelist who is -equally gifted in brain and person, and, after spending her money for a -considerable period, finally breaks her heart--in short, “murders” -her--by his neglect and infidelity. - -The keynote of the story--which is, we are assured by its writer, a true -one--may be found in an introductory note, which contains the following: -“_To put it plainly and bluntly, a great majority of the men of the -present day want women to keep them._” - -Now surely this is an over-statement which will not strengthen Marie -Corelli’s case. We grant that a certain number of men marry for money, -and that the women they so marry are only too glad to be married on -those or any terms; but the social conditions of this era have not -become so cankered as to lead the “great majority of men” to seek a -livelihood at the altar steps! Would it not be altogether more -reasonable to substitute “a certain minority” for “a great majority”? In -fairness to the novelist, we must add that her remarks on this subject -apply principally to the aristocracy. The worthy lover or husband of the -middle classes may therefore breathe again. - -Nevertheless, we will venture to present the other aspect of this matter -of marrying for money. It is well-known that many a wealthy woman -languishes in virgin solitude on account of those very shekels of gold -and shekels of silver which she possesseth, while her penniless -girl-friends are donning their marital veils and going through the sweet -old business of marrying and being given in marriage. This applies to -the upper as well as to the lower ranks of society. - -Many a man--aye, many a guardsman--would now be a happy Benedict had a -certain girl of “once upon a time” been possessed of no riches save the -inestimable wealth of a loving heart, no diamonds except those shining -in her eyes, no pearls but what one might see when her lips parted in -shy smile or merry laughter. - -For the average man--be his rank high or low--loves a woman, as the -saying is, for herself. While recognizing the value and usefulness of -money, while raising no objection should his father-in-law allow the -young wife pin-money, the average man who marries in the ordinary way -sets little store on what his bride brings him in the shape of earthly -dross. - -It is, however, incumbent on a writer of contemporary biography to be in -the main courteous and commendatory, else we might apply a harsher -criticism to “The Murder of Delicia” than a mere statement to the effect -that this book is the least worthy of all the books Marie Corelli has -written. It is far too full of railing against men; it is far too -one-sided and far too bitter. Granted that a novelist must put his or -her case strongly, in order to drive conviction home to the reader’s -mind--granted this, it must be at the same time pointed out that there -are generally two sides to every question. Given that a certain number -of men marry for money--for money and nothing else--it must be -recollected that there are at the present moment thousands of -Englishwomen devoting whatever powers of mental arithmetic they may be -endowed with to reckoning up exactly what pecuniary advantages shall -accrue to them if they marry Jack Jones, or, failing Jack Jones, John -Smith! And a cross-Channel _père de famille_ would tell you that they -are quite right to do this, that, indeed, if they were his daughters, he -would do it for them, and have the whole thing put down in black and -white at a notary’s office. - -But--thank heaven!--we are a little more sentimental on this side of the -narrow strip of silver sea. We still believe in the love marriage, and -so an approving Dame Nature gives us healthy sons and daughters for the -regular renewal of the nation’s strength. Whereas in la belle France, -with her businesslike matrimonial alliances, they have to offer prizes -for babies! Truly a pathetic endeavor to stem a national decay! - -“The Murder of Delicia” is a short story, soon told. Lord Carlyon takes -a strong fancy to Delicia Vaughan, the popular and beautiful -lady-novelist, and his liking is returned tenfold. They marry, and -Delicia supplies him with money for his clothes, club expenses, cabs, -and card games. Were it not that we are aware that even the wisest of -women may, in spite of their wisdom, love unwisely, we should marvel at -a woman of Delicia Vaughan’s intellectual gifts (which were coupled, we -may presume, with the keen insight into human nature that a novelist -should possess) marrying a man of the Lord Carlyon type--a big, handsome -animal, whose conversation must have afforded her very little -entertainment. She loved him because to her (to quote the book) he was a -“strong, splendid, bold, athletic, masterful creature who was hers--hers -only!” Is it possible that a woman of Delicia Vaughan’s alleged -intelligence would have fallen so completely in love with a man who “was -absolutely devoid of all ambition, save a desire to have his surname -pronounced correctly”? Truly, a dull dog--yet Delicia worshiped him. She -disregarded the apostolic command to little children not to take unto -themselves idols. She doted on this man of inches. She housed and fed -him, pampered him, showered money on him, and he repaid her by indulging -in a low intrigue with a music-hall dancer. - -Marie Corelli almost laughs at her heroine. But, even while the smile -hovers on her lips, she explains poor Delicia’s phantasy. It was “the -rare and beautiful blindness of perfect love”--squandered on an entirely -worthless object. And this is quite a true touch, for even -lady-novelists are only human. - -Delicia had to pay the penalty of her passion. Her eyes were opened all -in good time, and from showering the wealth of her hand and all the -treasures of her heart upon Carlyon, she came, in the end, to -threatening him with a revolver when he would have healed their -differences with a kiss. - -The book, as its title implies, ends sadly. How sadly, those who have -read it will know, and those who may read it hereafter will soon -discover, for it is quite a little book, and its price but a florin. - - * * * * * - -“These are the people,” writes Marie Corelli in “Ziska,” alluding to the -tourists assembled in Cairo, “who usually leave England on the plea of -being unable to stand the cheery, frosty, and in every respect healthy -winter of their native country-- - - “that winter, which with its wild winds, its sparkling frost and - snow, its holly trees bright with scarlet berries, its merry - hunters galloping over field and moor during daylight hours, and - its great log fires roaring up the chimneys at evening, was - sufficiently good for their forefathers to thrive upon and live - through contentedly up to a hale and hearty old age in the times - when the fever of traveling from place to place was an unknown - disease, and home was indeed ‘sweet home.’ Infected by strange - maladies of the blood and nerves, to which even scientific - physicians find it hard to give suitable names, they shudder at the - first whiff of cold, and, filling huge trunks with a thousand - foolish - -[Illustration: "KILLIECRANKIE COTTAGE” WHERE “ZISKA” WAS FINISHED] - -[Illustration: "AVON CROFT” WHERE “THE MASTER CHRISTIAN” WAS FINISHED] - - things which have, through luxurious habit, become necessities to - their pallid existences, they hastily depart to the Land of the - Sun, carrying with them their nameless languors, discontents, and - incurable illnesses, for which Heaven itself, much less Egypt, - could provide no remedy.” - -Be that as it may, the tourists assembled at the Gezireh Palace Hotel -one winter were treated to a vision of loveliness which for a time made -them momentarily forget their nameless languors in spells of admiration -and envy, according to the sex which claimed them, the vision in -question taking an apparently human shape in the person of the Princess -Ziska. - -Reputedly a Russian lady, Ziska was in reality the flesh-clad ghost of -Ziska-Charmazel, the favorite of the harem of a great Egyptian warrior, -described in forgotten histories as “The Mighty Araxes.” Visiting Egypt -at the same time as the Princess was Armand Gervase, a French painter of -great renown, and the interest of the story may be imagined when it is -explained that Armand was the nineteenth-century incarnation of Araxes, -who, it must be understood, had, in the dim long-ago, slain -Ziska-Charmazel because she stood in the way of his ambition. - -The modern Araxes is quickly enslaved by Ziska’s loveliness, but the -passion that consumes him is a decidedly uncanny one, as the following -passage will show. Armand is speaking to Helen Murray, the sister of his -great friend, Denzil Murray. In Scotland during the previous summer -Armand had paid Helen some attentions, and Helen does not fail to note -that the charms of Ziska have dissipated any tender feeling which Armand -might have once entertained for the Scottish girl. “How was I to know,” -cries Armand, “that this horrible thing would happen?” “What horrible -thing?” enquires Helen. - - “This,” he answers: “the close and pernicious enthralment of a - woman I never met till the night before last; a woman whose face - haunts me; a woman who drags me to her side with the force of a - magnet, there to grovel like a brain-sick fool and plead with her - for a love which I already know is poison to my soul! Helen, Helen! - You do not understand--you will never understand! Here, in the very - air I breathe, I fancy I can trace the perfume she shakes from her - garments as she moves; something indescribably fascinating yet - terrible attracts me to her; it is an evil attraction, I know, but - I cannot resist it. There is something wicked in every man’s - nature; I am conscious enough that there is something detestably - wicked in mine, and I have not sufficient goodness to overbalance - it. And this woman,--this silent, gliding, glittering-eyed creature - that has suddenly taken possession of my fancy--she overcomes me in - spite of myself; she makes havoc of all the good intentions of my - life. I admit--I confess it!” - -Unfortunately, the painter’s very good friend, Denzil Murray, also -becomes inspired with a passion for Ziska, and the lad’s temper is -roused when Armand openly admits that his intentions with regard to the -Princess are strictly dishonorable. Murray suggests that it were well -Ziska should know this, but Armand laughs at the other’s idea that the -bringing of such tidings to Ziska’s ears would lower him one jot in that -lovely lady’s estimation: - - “My good boy, do you not know that there is something very - marvelous in the attraction we call love? It is a preordained - destiny,--and if one soul is so constituted that it must meet and - mix with another, nothing can hinder the operation. So that, - believe me, I am quite indifferent as to what you say of me to - Madame la Princesse or to any one else. It will not be for either - my looks or my character that she will love me, if, indeed, she - ever does love me; it will be for something indistinct, - indefinable, but resistless in us both, which no one on earth can - explain.” - -The hot-headed young Highlander, however, will not be put off with any -such reasoning, and the rivalry might have resulted awkwardly at an -early date of its upspringing had not Armand steadfastly refused to -quarrel. - -There is one person at the hotel who makes a shrewd guess at the -spiritual identity of both Ziska and Armand--an old _savant_ named Dr. -Dean, who is visiting Egypt for the purpose of studying its hieroglyphs -and other matters possessing interest for an antiquarian. A knowing -fellow is this Doctor, and a fine little character, whose good-humored -personality and quiet, shrewd observations present a soothing contrast -to the passionate utterances of Murray and Armand, and the dramatic -outbursts of Ziska when she scornfully taunts the painter with his -vileness. - -In conversation with the Doctor, Gervase Armand admits that there is -something about Ziska which has struck him as being familiar. “The tone -of her voice and the peculiar cadence of her laughter” affect him -peculiarly. When he wonders whether he has ever come across her before -as a model either in Paris or Rome, the Doctor shakes his head. “Think -again,” he says. “You are now a man in the prime of life, Monsieur -Gervase, but look back to your early youth,--the period when young men -do wild, reckless, and often wicked things,--did you ever in that -thoughtless time break a woman’s heart?” - -Armand admits that he may have done so, and the Doctor propounds his -theory: - - “Suppose that you, in your boyhood, had wronged some woman, and - suppose that woman had died. You might imagine that you had got rid - of that woman. But if her love was very strong and her sense of - outrage very bitter, I must tell you that you have not got rid of - her by any means; moreover, you never will get rid of her. And why? - Because her Soul, like all Souls, is imperishable. Now, putting it - as a mere supposition, and for the sake of the argument, that you - feel a certain admiration for the Princess Ziska, an admiration - which might possibly deepen into something more than platonic, -...”--here Denzil Murray looked up, his eyes glowing with an angry - pain as he fixed them on Gervase,--“why, then the Soul of the other - woman you once wronged might come between you and the face of the - new attraction and cause you to unconsciously paint the tortured - look of the injured and unforgiving Spirit on the countenance of - the lovely fascinator whose charms are just beginning to ensnare - you. I repeat, I have known such cases.” - -For it should be explained that, when Ziska gave the celebrated painter -a sitting, he could produce nothing on his canvas, in spite of his -genius, but a strange and awful face distorted with passion and pain, -agony in every line of the features--“agony in which the traces of a -divine beauty lingered only to render the whole countenance more -repellent and terrific.” - -Dr. Dean quickly comes to the conclusion, and very reasonably, that this -is the most interesting problem he has ever had a chance of studying. -It could be only one case out of thousands, he decides. - - “Great heavens! Among what terrific unseen forces we live! And in - exact proportion to every man’s arrogant denial of the ‘Divinity - that shapes our ends,’ so will be measured out to him the - revelation of the invisible. Strange that the human race has never - entirely realized as yet the depth of the meaning in the words - describing hell: ‘Where the worm dieth not, and where the flame is - never quenched.’ The ‘worm’ is Retribution, the ‘flame’ is the - immortal Spirit,--and the two are forever striving to escape from - the other. Horrible! And yet there are men who believe in neither - one thing nor the other, and reject the Redemption that does away - with both! God forgive us all our sins--and especially the sins of - pride and presumption!” - -Other of the Doctor’s thoughtful utterances are well worth quoting. “To -the wise student of things there is no time and no distance. All history -from the very beginning is like a wonderful chain in which no link is -ever really broken, and in which every part fits closely to the other -part,--though why the chain should exist at all is a mystery we cannot -solve. Yet, I am quite certain that even our late friend Araxes has his -connection with the present, if only for the reason that he lived in the -past.” - -Armand asks him how he argues out that theory, and the Doctor replies: - - “The question is, how can you argue at all about anything that is - so plain and demonstrated a fact? The doctrine of evolution proves - it. Everything that we were once has its part in us now. Suppose, - if you like, that we were originally no more than shells on the - shore,--some remnant of the nature of the shell must be in us at - this moment. Nothing is lost,--nothing is wasted,--not even a - thought. I carry my theories very far indeed, especially in regard - to matters of love. I maintain that if it is decreed that the soul - of a man and the soul of a woman must meet,--must rush - together,--not all the forces of the universe can hinder them; aye, - even if they were, for some conventional cause or circumstance, - themselves reluctant to consummate their destiny, it would, - nevertheless, despite them, be consummated. For mark you,--in some - form or other they have rushed together before! Whether as flames - in the air, or twining leaves on a tree, or flowers in a field, - they have felt the sweetness and fitness of each other’s being in - former lives,--and the craving sense of that sweetness and fitness - can never be done away with,--never! Not as long as this present - universe lasts! It is a terrible thing,” continued the Doctor in a - lower tone, “a terrible fatality,--the desire of love. In some - cases it is a curse; in others, a divine and priceless blessing. - The results depend entirely on the temperaments of the human - creatures possessed by its fever. When it kindles, rises, and burns - towards Heaven in a steady flame of ever-brightening purity and - faith, then it makes marriage the most perfect union on earth,--the - sweetest and most blessed companionship; but when it is a mere gust - of fire, bright and fierce as the sudden leaping light of a - volcano, then it withers everything at a touch,--faith, honor, - truth,--and dies into dull ashes in which no spark remains to warm - or inspire man’s higher nature. Better death than such a - love,--for it works misery on earth; but who can tell what horrors - it may not create Hereafter!” - -When the Princess Ziska betakes herself to the Mena House Hotel, near -the Pyramids, Dr. Dean, Gervase Armand, and Denzil Murray follow her. -She entertains them at dinner, and after dinner, while the Doctor and -Armand are strolling without, Murray puts his fate to the touch, with -results as might have been expected, for the Princess has displayed -little emotion in respect to anybody save Armand, and in his case it is -clear that her interest has a malignant foundation. - -Armand comes after him, and, in a passionate scene, audaciously proposes -to “play the part of Araxes over again.” Ziska promises to give him her -answer on the morrow, and on the morrow Armand receives it. - -The last scene of this “Problem of a Wicked Soul” takes place beneath -the Great Pyramid. Why and how the modern Araxes and the modern -Ziska-Charmazel come together in the end in this strangest of -meeting-places, we will leave the reader to discover for him or herself. - -But we may at least record our admiration for the feat of imagination of -which “Ziska” is the result, and indicate the lesson that is to be -learned from its pages. “Ziska” teaches that sin shall not escape -punishment, that a man shall not play fast and loose with women’s hearts -and yet go scotfree. “Ziska” shows how the mutilated soul of the -beautiful dancer arises after many centuries and exacts vengeance from -its enemy; and again “Ziska” shows how, when Araxes, in his modern -painter guise, cries for pardon, the eyes of his one-time victim soften -and flash with love and tenderness. - -Truly a fragrant passage is this, wherein the old story is once again -told of man’s repentance and woman’s sweet forgiveness. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN”--IF CHRIST CAME TO ROME! - - -There had been a considerable pause in the writings of Miss Corelli, for -reasons which have already been discussed, when, in August, 1900, “The -Master Christian” appeared. - -Miss Corelli commenced “The Master Christian” at Brighton on All Saints’ -Day, 1897, in the hope that she would get through it before the terrible -illness she had been suffering from for seven years reached an acute -stage. The novelist, however, was almost dying on Christmas Eve of the -same year, and on December 29th the surgeons took her in hand. She was -dangerously ill during January, February, and March, 1898. In April and -May Miss Corelli was just beginning to recover when the shock occasioned -by her stepbrother’s death on June 2d produced a relapse, and she very -nearly died from grief and weakness combined. She was ill all the rest -of the year, and, a long period of convalescence following, she did not -resume “The Master Christian” till the spring of 1899. - -“The Master Christian” is Marie Corelli’s longest work, containing, as -it does, over six hundred and thirty-four closely printed pages. While -occupied upon it, the novelist had also to fulfil a long-standing -engagement with Messrs. Hutchinson & Co. “Boy” and “The Master -Christian” were, therefore, claiming her attention practically at the -same time. - -The writing of the two books under the circumstances was a stupendous -undertaking. The effort required was so great that she often had to lay -down her pen and lean back in her chair almost fainting from nervous -exhaustion caused by the severity of the work and its effect upon her in -her still weak condition. - -It is a painfully interesting proceeding to read “The Master Christian” -and then a large number of the reviews of the book which appeared. The -conclusion is forced upon one that many of the critics had not taken the -trouble to perform the obvious duty of reading a book that was to be -“slated,” but had merely glanced at a page here, and quoted a passage, -without the context, there. Either this was what happened or there was -misconception of the book through ignorance or deliberate -misrepresentation. It is really astounding to realize the manner in -which Miss Corelli has been “criticised,” and one notable incident of -many within our experience will serve to indicate what is a too -frequent sin. - -It was at the dinner of a well-known literary club, and ladies had been -invited. One lady sat beside a gentleman who, years ago, was editor of a -great daily newspaper, whose name is familiar to all as a notable and -experienced journalist and critic, and who has arrived at an age when -discretion, if not fairness, should be practiced. The lady was a friend -of Marie Corelli’s, and upon the works of the novelist, who was also at -the dinner, the conversation turned. The critic expressed the utmost -contempt for her books, and used language so bitterly sarcastic and so -grossly unfair that the lady gently asked: “Have you really ever read -any of her works?” The question was natural. The answer was astonishing: -it was the bald admission, “No.” Surely comment is unnecessary. - -A somewhat similar incident may be quoted in connection with “Boy.” Sir -Francis (then Mr.) Burnand, as the “Baron de Bookworms,” in _Punch_, -said that he considered “Boy” “a work of genius.” Several critics took -his article up, and declared that he had never done anything better in -the way of _satire_. Miss Corelli thereupon wrote to Burnand and asked -him if he had really _meant_ his apparently generous praise. - -He wrote back: - - “I said it; I wrote it; I meant it, every word of it. ‘Press - cuttings’ be blowed! - - “Yours, F. C. BURNAND.” - - - -One writer in the _Sunday Sun_ observed that as Burnand had fallen so -low as to praise a work of Marie Corelli’s, he had “no other remedy but -to take a bag of stones and break Mr. Punch’s windows!” He added that -“he had not read ‘Boy’ and _didn’t intend to_.” Again, comment would be -superfluous. The facts speak for themselves and show our contention to -be correct, _i.e._, that condemnatory criticisms of Marie Corelli’s -books are written at times by those who do not even read them. - -One of the critics who does read what he comments upon in the way of -books, but who, though a deep thinker, is sometimes trivial, -superficial, and even frivolous in his treatment of a subject, is Mr. W. -T. Stead. He is as amazing to others as others very often are to him. He -must, we think, have been smiling pretty broadly when he wrote: “If any -one wants to know what ‘The Master Christian’ is like, _without reading -its six hundred and thirty pages_, he will not have much difficulty if -he takes Sheldon’s ‘In His Steps,’ Zola’s ‘Rome,’ and any of Marie -Corelli’s previous novels in equal proportion.” A strange suggestion, -that! “In His Steps,” Zola’s “Rome,” and an equal proportion of, say, -_either_ “Vendetta” or “The Sorrows of Satan!” Reading the book itself -seems to be so much more simple--and just. - -Again, Mr. Stead referred to “The Master Christian” and to Mrs. Humphrey -Ward’s “Robert Elsmere,” and speaking of their great success, he wrote: -“The phenomenal sale of such works is perhaps much more worthy of -consideration than anything that is to be found within the covers of the -books themselves.” Now the matter for consideration raised in “The -Master Christian” is whether Christians, and more especially the Pope of -Rome and the priests of the Romish Church, obey the commands and attempt -to fulfil the behests of Jesus Christ. We should have thought Mr. Stead -would have regarded that question, at any rate, as more important than -the mere numerical sale of a book. Mr. Stead also said that as a book -the chief fault of “The Master Christian” was its lack of sympathy. Yet -the whole teaching of the work is a Divine charity. “If any man hear my -words and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the -world, but to save the world.” The chief figure in the book is Manuel, -Christ once more in the world in the form of a child, and if his -utterances show a “lack of sympathy,”--with lies and superstitious -idolatry,--yet he speaks largely from the words of Christ and the -Apostles. Well may it be doubted, with the author, whether, if Christ -came once more to earth, He would be welcome. - -It is said again that “The Master Christian” is a bitter attack upon the -Roman Catholic Faith. It is nothing of the kind. After Manuel, the -child-Christ, the chief character is that of Cardinal Bonpré, who is -devoted to the Church of Rome but who also believes in Christ, and the -two things, unhappily, are not always akin. If the man-made portion of -the Roman Catholic dogma has hidden the teachings of Christ on which -that Church was founded, that is the fault and the misfortune of the -Church of Rome, and not of Marie Corelli, who is bold enough to speak -the truth about the matter. That faith in God which is her standby is -what she would wish to see in the ministry of the Roman Catholic Church, -instead of, as she fears, a mere degenerate, priest-built, superstitious -reliance upon symbolic shams. - -Marie Corelli’s personal views may be taken to be those to which one of -her characters, Aubrey Leigh, gives expression: “I never denied the -beauty, romance, or mysticism of the Roman Catholic Faith. If it were -purified from the accumulated superstition of ages, and freed from -intolerance and bigotry, it would perhaps be the grandest form of -Christianity in the world. But the rats are in the house, and the rooms -want cleaning.” She attacks neither the Roman Catholic Faith nor even -the Church. She makes a terrible onslaught upon the rats. - -“The Master Christian” is both a novel and a sermon. The story of the -book is intensely interesting, in “plot” clever and original. It is one -of the refreshing features of Miss Corelli’s books that the plots always -are original. She does not go to the British Museum or to the -productions of Continental novelists to find her themes. Wherever, in -“The Master Christian,” the mission of the book can best be emphasized, -even though what critics call the “art of the story”--as to which we -should like something in the nature of a clear definition--gives way to -it, she pursues the mission. After all, we have an idea that if -literature possesses merit, it is rather because it is followed as a -means of influencing men’s minds than as an attempt to write a story, -the lines of which fall together as harmoniously as do the notes of a -perfect string band. Such a book if produced - -[Illustration: "HALL’S CROFT” WHERE MARIE CORELLI WROTE HALF OF “THE -MASTER CHRISTIAN"] - -would, we fancy, be so harmonious that it would have no influence to -raise men and women to think. - -With “The Master Christian” the reader has to think all the time. It is -a sermon of great power, and the text of it is supplied, as it should -be, by the fair preacher. It will be remembered that in the year 1900 -the late Dr. St. George Mivart, a priest of the Church of Rome, was -inhibited by His Eminence Cardinal Vaughan, on account of certain -scientific works which were displeasing to the Church. Shortly -afterwards Dr. Mivart died and the Romish Church even denied him -religious rites of burial. In an “In Memoriam” note appended to her -“Open letter to Cardinal Vaughan” on this subject, Marie Corelli wrote: -“In the name of the all-loving and merciful Christ, whose teachings we, -as Christians, profess to follow, it is necessary to enter a strong -protest against this barbarous act in a civilized age, and to set it -down beside the blind stupidity which arraigned glorious Galileo, and -the fiendish cruelty which supported Torquemada. For the words of the -Divine Master are a command to Churches as well as to individuals: ‘If -ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive -you your trespasses!’” - -We wonder if that saying of Christ’s was remembered when the ban of -excommunication was pronounced by the Greek Church against Count Leo -Tolstoy! We wonder if that saying of Christ’s is remembered at Rome when -any ban of excommunication is passed, when religious rites of burial are -denied to any man! And if the reply be that the words do not apply -because the Pope and his priests commit no trespasses, we can only -wonder what Christ would say if He came to Rome; and, further, we -believe that He would say much that the child-Christ Manuel utters in -“The Master Christian.” - -The text of the book is that charity and forgiveness--the carrying out -of Christ’s commands in the spirit of the Saviour--should guide mankind -to-day, that they apply to-day as they did in the days of Christ’s -sojourn on earth, and that the conditions of the world to-day are such -as render it possible for Christians to walk in His steps. In the “open -letter” to Cardinal Vaughan, already referred to, we find in some of the -passages a true insight into the spirit of and the aims with which “The -Master Christian” was written. - - “My Lord Cardinal,” she says, “there are certain of us in the world - who, overwhelmed by the desperate difficulties of life and the - confusion arising from numerous doctrines, forms, and ceremonies - instituted by divers Churches and Sects, are fain to fall back from - the general hurly-burly, and turn for help and refuge to the - original Founder of the Christian Faith. He, with that grand - simplicity which expresses Divinity, expounded ‘the Way, the Truth, - and the Life,’ in words of such plain and uninvolved meaning, that - the poorest and least educated of us all cannot but understand Him. - Gracious, tender, and always patient and pardoning, was every - utterance of the God amongst us; and among all His wise and - consoling sayings, none are, perhaps, more widely tolerant than - this: ‘If any man hear My words and believe not, I judge him not; - for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.’ My Lord - Cardinal, there are many at this time of day who have so gained in - a reasonable conception of faith, that when they hear the words of - Christ delivered to them simply as first uttered, they are willing - to believe, but hearing the edicts of the Church contrasted with - those words, they ‘believe not.’ The teachings of Christ--Christ - only--are so true that they cannot be denied; so beautiful that - they command our reverence; and the Creed of Christ, if honestly - followed, would make a fair and happy world for us all.” - -And again, - - “We are somewhat bewildered when we discover, by reference to the - Gospel, that the Church commands us frequently to do precisely what - the founder of our Faith commanded us _not_ to do. And what, we may - ask, is the Will of this great Father which is in Heaven? Is it to - swear to what our own conscience and reason declare to be false? Is - it to look in the face of Science, the great Heaven-sent Teacher - of our time, and say, ‘You who have taught me, mere pigmy man, to - press the lightning into my service, to take the weight and - measurement of stars, to send my trifling messages of weal or woe - on the eternal currents of electric force--You, who daily unfold - for me the mysteries of God’s glorious creation--You who teach me - that the soul of man, immortal and progressive, is capable of - infinite enlightenment and increasing power--You, who expound the - majesty, the beneficence, the care, the love, the supporting - influence of the Creator, and bring me to my knees in devout - adoration--am I to say to You who teach me all this that You are a - Lie? Am I rather to believe that a statue made by hands, and set in - a grotto at Lourdes or elsewhere, is a worthier object for my - prayer and my praise? Am I doing God’s will by believing that my - base coin, paid for sundry masses in churches, will sway the - Creator of the Universe to give peace to the departed spirits of my - dead?’” - -Marie Corelli, by the words of Manuel, as we think it is recognized, -gives a truer interpretation of the Divine Will. Even the title page -contains a quotation from St. Luke that is a protest against many of the -practices of the Romish and other Churches: “Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, -and do not the things which I say?” - - * * * * * - -The story of “The Master Christian” opens in Rouen, where a Roman -Catholic prelate, Cardinal Felix Bonpré, is seen in the Cathedral of -Notre Dame. This Cardinal is a pious and true man who has for many -years contented himself with the administration of his diocese and the -performance of good work. His Rouen visit is a portion of a tour of -several months taken for purposes of health, and with the object of -judging for himself how the great world, of which he has seen little, is -faring, “whether on the downward road to destruction and death, or up to -the high ascents of progress and life.” The farther he travels the more -depressed he becomes by the results of his observations. Within Rouen -Cathedral Cardinal Bonpré hears singularly soothing music, though whence -it comes he is unable to perceive. He is impressed with a peculiar sense -of some divine declaration of God’s absolute omniscience, and a question -seems to be whispered in his ears: - -“When the Son of Man cometh, think ye He shall find faith on earth?” - -With his growing experience of the confusion and trouble of the world, -the Cardinal is forced to the conclusion that there is an increasing -lack of faith in God and a Hereafter; and of the reason for it he -thinks: “We have failed to follow the Master’s teaching in its true -perfection. We have planted in ourselves a seed of corruption, and we -have permitted--nay, some of us have encouraged--its poisonous growth -till it now threatens to contaminate the whole field of labor.” - -Cast down by these reflections, the good Cardinal proceeds to the Hotel -Poitiers, a modest hostelry preferred by him to the Palace of the -Archbishop of Rouen, another “Prince of the Church,” a term which -Cardinal Bonpré--like Miss Corelli--finds particularly detestable, -especially when used in connection with a Christian Church wherein she -thinks distinctive ranks are a mistake and even Anti-Christian. - -At the inn a striking picture is drawn by the novelist of the evil -effect upon the children of France brought about by the removal of -religious instruction from the schools. The two charmingly precocious -children of Jean and Madame Patoux are quite old in agnostic views and -doubts. There also Bonpré has his first serious religious argument with -the Archbishop of Rouen, whom he astonishes by declaring that the Church -herself is responsible for the increase of ungodliness. - - “If our Divine faith were lived Divinely there would be no room for - heresy or atheism. The Church itself supplies the loophole for - apostasy.... In the leading points of creed I am very steadfastly - convinced;--namely, that Christ was Divine, and that the following - of His Gospel is the saving of the immortal soul. But if you ask - me whether I think that we (the Church of Rome) do truly follow - that Gospel, I must own that I have doubts upon the matter.” - -We are informed here, also, through Cardinal Bonpré, of what Marie -Corelli means by Paulism. Ministers of religion, he declares, should -literally obey all Christ’s commands: - - “The Church is a system,--but whether it is as much founded on the - teaching of our Lord, who was Divine, as on the teaching of St. - Paul, who was not divine, is a question to me of much - perplexity.... I do not decry St. Paul. He was a gifted and clever - man, but he was a Man--he was not God-in-Man. Christ’s doctrine - leaves no place for differing sects; St. Paul’s method of applying - that doctrine serves as authority for the establishment of any and - every quarrelsome sect ever known.... I do not think we fit the - Church system to the needs of modern civilization ... we only offer - vague hopes and dubious promises to those who thirst for the living - waters of salvation and immortality.” - -Cardinal Bonpré that night has a vision of the end of the world, and in -his agony at the spectacle he cries: “Have patience yet, Thou outraged -and blasphemed Creator! Break once again Thy silence as of old, and -speak to us! Pity us once again, ere Thou slay us utterly! Come to us -even as Thou camest in Judea, and surely we will receive Thee and obey -Thee, and reject Thy love no more.” And a divine voice replies: “Thy -prayer is heard, and once again the silence shall be broken. -Nevertheless, remember that the light shineth in Darkness, and the -Darkness comprehendeth it not.” At this juncture a plaintive cry falls -on his ears, and he goes out into the night to discover the cause. He -proceeds to the Cathedral, and there, in the deeply hollowed portal, -discovers the slight shrinking figure of a child-- - - “A boy’s desolate little figure,--with uplifted hands clasped - appealingly and laid against the shut cathedral door, and face - hidden and pressed hard upon those hands, as though in mute and - inconsolable despair.... - - ‘My poor child, what troubles you? Why are you here all alone, and - weeping at this late hour? Have you no home?--no parents?’ - - “Slowly the boy turned round, still resting his small delicate - hands against the oaken door of the Cathedral, and with the tears - yet wet upon his cheeks, smiled. What a sad face he had!--worn and - weary, yet beautiful!--what eyes, heavy with the dews of sorrow, - yet tender even in pain! Startled by the mingled purity and grief - on so young a countenance, the Cardinal retreated for a moment in - amaze,--then, approaching more closely, he repeated his former - question with increased interest and tenderness-- - - ‘Why are you weeping here alone?’ - - ‘Because I am left alone to weep!’ said the boy, answering in a - soft voice of vibrating and musical melancholy. ‘For me, the world - is empty!... I should have rested here within,--but it is closed - against me!’ - - ‘The doors are always locked at night, my child,’ returned the - Cardinal, ‘but I can give you shelter. Will you come with me?’ - - ‘Will I come with you? Nay, but I see you are a Cardinal of the - Church, and it is I should ask ‘will you receive me?’ You do not - know who I am--nor where I came from, and I, alas! may not tell - you! I am alone; all--all alone,--for no one knows me in the - world;--I am quite poor and friendless, and have nothing wherewith - to pay you for your kindly shelter--I can only bless you!’” - -Thus the second coming of Christ, according to Marie Corelli. - -Manuel is then taken entirely under the protection of Cardinal Bonpré, -and the two become inseparable. At all times the lad talks with -wonderful eloquence and power--as Marie Corelli thinks Christ would talk -if He were a child amongst us, and as He did talk when astonishing the -learned doctors of law in Jerusalem. Before he and the Cardinal leave -the Hotel Poitiers a miracle is performed. In Rouen there is a lad, -Fabien Doucet, who has a bent spine and a useless leg. The unbelieving -Patoux youngsters bring little Fabien to the Cardinal, and ask him to -cure the lad. Beside the Cardinal stands Manuel. The incident is -introduced by Marie Corelli in order to emphasize her own belief in the -power of prayer--prayer that is sincere, the expression of faith that -is true. The story of the miracle is very beautiful, especially for the -spirit in which the good Cardinal performs the duty that the children -ask of him. He addresses Fabien: - - “My poor child, I want you to understand quite clearly how sorry I - am for you, and how willingly I would do anything in the world to - make you a strong, well, and happy boy. But you must not fancy that - I can cure you. I told your little friends yesterday that I was not - a saint, such as you read about in story-books,--and that I could - not work miracles, because I am not worthy to be so filled with the - Divine Spirit as to heal with a touch like the better servants of - our Blessed Lord. Nevertheless I firmly believe that if God saw - that it was good for you to be strong and well, He would find ways - to make you so. Sometimes sickness and sorrow are sent to us for - our advantage,--sometimes even death comes to us for our larger - benefit, though we may not understand how it is so till afterwards. - But in heaven everything will be made clear; and even our griefs - will be turned into joys,--do you understand?” - - “Yes,” murmured Fabien gravely, but two large tears welled up in - his plaintive eyes as the faint glimmer of hope he had encouraged - as to the possibility of his being miraculously cured by the touch - of a saintly Cardinal, expired in the lonely darkness of his little - afflicted soul. - - “That is well,” continued the Cardinal kindly--“And now, since it - is so difficult for you to kneel, you shall stay where you are in - my arms,--so!--” and he set him on his knee in a position of even - greater comfort than before. “You shall simply shut your eyes, and - clasp your little hands together, as I put them here,”--and as he - spoke he crossed the child’s hands on his silver crucifix--“And I - will ask our Lord to come and make you well,--for of myself I can - do nothing.” - - At these words Henri and Babette glanced at each other - questioningly, and then, as if simultaneously moved by some - inexplicable emotion, dropped on their knees,--their mother, too - stout and unwieldy to do this with either noiselessness or - satisfaction to herself, was contented to bend her head as low as - she could get it. Manuel remained standing. Leaning against the - Cardinal’s chair, his eyes fixed on the crippled Fabien, he had the - aspect of a young angel of compassion, whose sole immortal desire - was to lift the burden of sorrow and pain from the lives of - suffering humanity. And after a minute or two passed in silent - meditation, the Cardinal laid his hands tenderly on Fabien’s fair - curly head and prayed aloud. - - “Oh merciful Christ! Most pitying and gentle Redeemer!--to Whom in - the days of Thy sacred life on earth, the sick and suffering and - lame and blind were brought, and never sent away unhealed or - uncomforted; consider, we beseech Thee, the sufferings of this Thy - little child, deprived of all the joys which Thou hast made so - sweet for those who are strong and straight in their youth, and who - have no ailment to depress their courage or to quench the ardor of - their aspiring souls. Look compassionately upon him, oh gentle King - and Master of all such children!--and even as Thou wert a child - Thyself, be pleased to heal him of his sad infirmity. For, if Thou - wilt, Thou canst make this bent body straight and these withered - muscles strong,--from death itself Thou canst ordain life, and - nothing is impossible to Thee! But above all things, gracious - Saviour, we do pray Thee so to lift and strengthen this child’s - soul, that if it is destined he should still be called upon to - bear his present pain and trouble, grant to him such perfection in - his inward spirit that he may prove worthy to be counted among Thy - angels in the bright Hereafter. To Thy care, and to Thy comfort, - and to Thy healing, great Master, we commend him, trusting him - entirely to Thy mercy, with perfect resignation to Thy Divine Will. - For the sake and memory of Thy most holy childhood, mercifully help - and bless this child! Amen!” - -As Fabien Doucet hobbles away at the conclusion of this prayer, the -Cardinal, speaking from his heart, declares that if the giving of his -own life could make the lad strong he would willingly sacrifice it. Then -Manuel moves from his place near the Cardinal’s chair, approaches the -little cripple, and, putting his arms round him, kisses him on the -forehead. - - “Good-bye, dear little brother!” he said, smiling--“Do not be sad! - Have patience! In all the universe, among all the millions and - millions of worlds, there is never a pure and unselfish prayer that - the great good God does not answer! Be sure of that! Take courage, - dear little brother! You will soon be well!” - -Sweet assurance, truly, for the afflicted one. Shortly afterwards the -Cardinal and Manuel depart from Rouen. They have not been long gone when -there comes the startling announcement from Fabien Doucet’s mother that -the boy is cured, and, to prove it, little Fabien, the former cripple, -speeds gaily to the home of the Patoux family, strong and well. - -Unconscious of the remarkable cure that has awed and amazed the -townsfolk of Rouen, the Cardinal, accompanied by Manuel, proceeds to -Paris and to the residence of his niece, Angela Sovrani, an artist -famous throughout Europe. In Paris many interesting persons are brought -together, mainly in Angela Sovrani’s studio. One remarkable character is -the Abbé Vergniaud, a brilliant preacher, witty, eloquent, and -sarcastic, but an atheist for all that. In his conversations with Angela -he endeavors to justify his position, but the girl insists upon the -depressing and wretched nature of his soulless creed. Vergniaud frankly -admits his unbelief to Cardinal Bonpré. He also makes a confession and a -declaration. In his early days, twenty-five years before, he had -betrayed and deserted a woman, long since dead. Her son, however, has -grown to manhood with the determination to avenge the mother’s wrong, -and the Abbé goes in daily fear of assassination at his hands. Yet the -Abbé Vergniaud shows that he is far from being a wholly evil man. He -declares his determination to retrieve the past so far as he can and to -clear his son’s soul from the thirst for vengeance that is consuming it. - -On one occasion Vergniaud declares that Paris is hopelessly pagan, that -Christ is there made the subject of public caricature, that His reign is -over--in Paris at least. - - “If these things be true,” Cardinal Bonpré indignantly cries, “then - shame upon you and upon all the clergy of this unhappy city to - stand by and let such disgrace to yourselves, and blasphemy to our - Master, exist without protest.” - -The Abbé is inclined to resent the rebuke, but only for a moment. The -next, abashed, he admits its justice, and craves pardon. The incident is -the turning point in Vergniaud’s life. He shortly afterwards writes to -the Cardinal that he is moved to say things that he has never said -before, and that it is possible he may astonish and perchance scandalize -Paris. - - “What inspires me I do not know,--perhaps your well-deserved - reproach of the other day,--perhaps the beautiful smile of the - angel that dwells in Donna Sovrani’s eyes,--perhaps the chance - meeting with your Rouen foundling on the stairs as I was flying - away from your just wrath.” - -He concludes by requesting the Cardinal to come two days later to hear -him preach at Notre Dame de Lorette. - -In his letter to the Cardinal, the Abbé Vergniaud mentions that Manuel -has given him a rose, and the mention of this to the child-Christ gives -us a charming fancy as to the floral beauties of Heaven. - - “Flowers,” said the Cardinal, commenting on the gift, “are like - visible messages from God. Messages written in all the brightest - and loveliest colors! I never gather one without finding out that - it has something to say to me.” - - “There is a legend,” said Manuel, “that tells how a poor girl who - has lost every human creature she loved on earth, had a rose-tree - she was fond of, and every day she found upon it just one bloom. - And though she longed to gather the flower for herself she would - not do so, but always placed it before the picture of the Christ. - And God saw her do this, as He sees everything. At last, quite - suddenly, she died, and when she found herself in heaven, there - were such crowds and crowds of angels about her that she was - bewildered, and could not find her way. All at once she saw a - pathway edged with roses before her, and one of the angels said, - ‘there are all the roses you gave to our Lord on earth, and He has - made them into a pathway for you which will lead you straight to - those you love!’ And so with great joy she followed the windings of - the path, seeing her roses blossoming all the way, and she found - all those whom she had loved and lost on earth waiting to welcome - her at the end!” - -Here is another sweet thought which Marie Corelli gives us in the words -of Manuel: - - “You know now,” he tells Angela Sovrani, “because your wise men - are beginning to prove it, that you can in very truth send a - message to heaven. Heaven is composed of millions of worlds. ‘In My - Father’s house are many mansions!’ And from all worlds to all - worlds, and from mansion to mansion, the messages flash! And there - are those who receive them, with such directness as can admit of no - error! And your wise men might have known this long ago if they had - believed their Master’s word, ‘Whatsoever is whispered in secret - shall be proclaimed on the housetops.’ But you will all find out - soon that it is true, and that everything you say, and that every - prayer you utter, God hears.” - - “My mother is in Heaven,” said Angela wistfully, “I wish I could - send her a message!” - - “Your very wish has reached her now!” said Manuel. “How is it - possible that you, in the spirit, could wish to communicate with - one so beloved and she not know it? Love would be no use then, and - there would be a grave flaw in God’s perfect creation.” - - “Then you think we never lose those we love? And that they see us - and hear us always?” - - “They must do so,” said Manuel, “otherwise there would be cruelty - in creating the grace of love at all. But God Himself is Love. - Those who love truly can never be parted--death has no power over - their souls. If one is on earth and one in heaven, what does it - matter? If they were in separate countries of the world they could - hear news of each other from time to time,--and so they can when - apparent death has divided them.” - - “How?” asked Angela with quick interest. - - “Your wise men must tell you,” said Manuel, with a grave little - smile, “I know no more than what Christ has said,--and He told us - plainly that not even a sparrow shall fall to the ground without - our Father’s knowledge. ‘Fear not,’ He said, ‘Ye are more than - many sparrows.’ So, as there is nothing which is useless, and - nothing which is wasted, it is very certain that love, which is the - greatest of all things, cannot lose what it loves!” - -It is worthy of note that, on account of “The Master Christian,” in -spite of the teachings in it such as we have quoted, the author has been -labeled an “atheist.” - - - - -CHAPTER. XIII - -“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN”--(_Continued_) - - -Of many interesting incidents which mark the Cardinal’s stay in Paris, -the most sensational is the sermon of the Abbé Vergniaud and the -extraordinary scene at its close. - -Marie Corelli gives a wonderfully realistic word-picture of the scene in -the famous church on a notable occasion. The Abbé’s sermon, which -appears in its entirety, is scathingly sarcastic. In it he bitterly -denounces the hypocrisy alike of people and of churches, especially the -Roman Catholic Church, which he attacks for the ban it places upon many -things, even discussion; he declares that all the intellectual force of -the country is arrayed against priestcraft, and that the spirit of an -insolent, witty, domineering atheism and materialism rules us all. “But -what I specially wish to advise you--taking myself as an example--is, -that none of you, whether inclined to virtue or to vice, should remain -such arrant fools as to imagine that your sins will not find you out.” - -And then the Abbé makes open confession, before the congregation, of his -past life. - - “I was a priest of the Romish Church as I am now; it would never - have done for a priest to be a social sinner! I therefore took - every precaution to hide my fault;--but out of my lie springs a - living condemnation; from my carefully concealed hypocrisy comes a - blazonry of truth, and from my secret sin comes an open - vengeance....” - -The report of a pistol shot sounds through the church as the last words -are uttered. A young man has fired at the preacher. It is the son -seeking his vengeance at last. Manuel prevents the bullet from reaching -Vergniaud, who immediately announces to the astonished congregation that -he will not make a charge: “I decline to prosecute my own flesh and -blood. I will be answerable for his future conduct,--I am entirely -answerable for his past! He is my son!” - -It is upon the persecution of Cardinal Bonpré in consequence of the -attitude he adopts towards the Abbé Vergniaud after this sensational -incident that Marie Corelli builds her chief indictment of the Vatican -executive. An agent of the Vatican, then in Paris, is Monsignor Moretti. -He calls at the Sovrani Palace. There he has an interview with the -Cardinal, the Abbé, and the latter’s son Cyrillon. Moretti upbraids -Vergniaud for his conduct, correctly describing him as a faithless son -of the church, and meets with the retort, “The attack on the Church I -admit. I am not the only preacher in the world who has so attacked it. -Christ Himself would attack it if He were to visit this earth again!” -The remark is characterized as blasphemy, but, on the Cardinal being -appealed to, the good Bonpré states his failure to perceive the alleged -blasphemy of “our unhappy and repentant brother.” - - “In his address to his congregation to-day he denounced social - hypocrisy, and also pointed out certain failings in the Church - which may possibly need consideration and reform; but against the - Gospel of Christ or against the Founder of our Faith I heard no - word that could be judged ill-fitting. As for the conclusion which - so very nearly ended in disaster and crime, there is nothing to be - said beyond the fact that both the persons concerned are profoundly - sorry for their sins.... Surely we must believe the words of our - Blessed Lord, ‘There is more joy in Heaven over one sinner that - repenteth, than over ninety-and-nine just persons which have no - need of repentance.’” - -This forgiveness of sin which Christ preached and which Marie Corelli -claims that the Romish Church does not practice, is the basis of the -differences of Cardinal Bonpré with Moretti, and afterwards with the -Pope. Vergniaud, still unrebuked by Cardinal Bonpré, declares to Moretti -that there is a movement in the world which all the powers of Rome are -unable to cope with, the movement of an ever-advancing and resistless -force called Truth, and that God will shake down Rome rather than that -the voice of Truth should be silenced. - -The Abbé’s declarations, as the Vatican emissary points out, mean his -expulsion from the Church. Before the interview closes there comes the -declaration by Cyrillon Vergniaud, the son of the Abbé, that he is “Gys -Grandit,” a powerful writer of essays that are the creed of a “Christian -Democratic” party--that advocate of Truth to which the Abbé had -referred. The announcement is startling to all three clerics, the more -so as the young man proceeds to utter his views, a stern denunciation of -the Church’s practices, with such rebukes as: “Does not the glittering -of the world’s wealth piled into the Vatican,--useless wealth lying idle -in the midst of hideous beggary and starvation,--proclaim with no -uncertain voice, ‘_I know not the Man_’?” with the added declaration -that there is no true representative of Christ in this world--either -within or without the Romish Church--though even sceptics, while denying -Christ’s Divinity, are forced to own that His life and His actions were -more Divine than those of any other creature in human shape that has -ever walked the earth! - -In the further argumentative passes between Moretti and Gys Grandit, -the former holds that the Church of Rome is a system of moral -government, and that it is proper to thrust out of salvation heretics -who are excommunicate, and that if our Lord’s commands were to be obeyed -to the letter it would be necessary to find another world to live in. -These propositions the Christian Democrat absolutely denies, and urges, -on the other hand, that it may be possible that we may be forced to obey -Christ’s commands _to the letter_ or perish for refusing to do so. For -permitting such remarks to go unreproved, Moretti, as the interview -closes, intimates that, in reporting the matter to the Pope, the -attitude of Cardinal Bonpré will be explained. Further offense is given -by the appearance of Manuel upon the scene, and by some remarks the lad -makes upon the subject under discussion. - -Clouds are gathering heavily over the horizon of the saintly Bonpré, -who, accompanied by Manuel, proceeds to Rome after this most -unpropitious preliminary to an audience at the Vatican. He is further -troubled, immediately after his arrival at the palace of his -brother-in-law, Prince Sovrani, by being informed of the “miracle” of -Rouen--the recovery of Fabien Doucet, of which he now hears for the -first time, though all Rome has been talking loudly of it. Bonpré is -decidedly in bad repute at the Vatican, and it is determined that he -shall be made to suffer for his defense of Vergniaud. He adds to his -offenses by denying all knowledge of the Rouen lad’s cure. - -Manuel and Bonpré visit St. Peter’s, which does not please them, and at -last they are received by the Pope. Here all Marie Corelli’s criticism -of the Romish Church is concentrated in the appeal which is made by the -child-Christ to His Holiness. He asks him why he stops at the Vatican -all alone. - - “You must be very unhappy!... To be here all alone, and a whole - world outside waiting to be comforted! To have vast wealth lying - about you unused, with millions and millions of poor, starving, - struggling dying creatures, near at hand, cursing the God whom they - have never been taught to know or to bless!... - - “Come out with me!” continued Manuel, his accents vibrating with a - strange compelling sweetness, “come out and see the poor lying at - the great gates of St. Peter’s--the lame, the halt, the blind--come - and heal them by a touch, a prayer! You can, you must, you shall - heal them!--if you will! Pour money into the thin hands of the - starving!--come with me into the miserable places of the - world--come and give comfort! Come freely into the courts of kings, - and see how the brows ache under the crowns!--how the hearts break - beneath the folds of velvet and ermine! Why stand in the way of - happiness, or deny even emperors peace when they crave it? Your - mission is to comfort, not to condemn! You need no throne! You want - no kingdom!--no settled place--no temporal power! Enough for you - to work and live as the poorest of all Christ’s ministers,--without - pomp, without ostentation or public ceremonial, but simply clothed - in pure holiness! So shall God love you more! So shall you pass - unscathed through the thick of battle, and command Brotherhood in - place of Murder! Go out and welcome Progress!--take Science by the - hand!--encourage Intellect!--for all these things are of God, and - are God’s gifts divine! Live as Christ lived, teaching the people - personally and openly;--loving them, pitying them, sharing their - joys and sorrows, blessing their little children! Deny yourself to - no man;--and make of this cold temple in which you now dwell - self-imprisoned, a home and refuge for the friendless and the poor! - Come out with me! - - “Come out with me and minister with your own hands to the aged and - the dying!” pursued Manuel, “and so shall you grow young! Command - that the great pictures, the tapestries, the jewels, the world’s - trash of St. Peter’s, be sold to the rich, who can afford to place - them in free and open galleries where all the poorest may possess - them! But do not You retain them! You do not need them--your - treasure must be sympathy for all the world! Not one section of the - world,--not one form of creed,--but for all!--if you are truly the - Dispenser of Christ’s Message to the earth! Come--unprotected, save - by the Cross! Come with no weapon of defense--‘heal the sick, - cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils! Freely ye have - received, freely give! Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in - your purse,’--come, and by your patience--your gentleness--your - pardon--your love to all men, show that ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is - at hand!’ Walk fearless in the thick of battles, and your very - presence shall engender peace! For the Holy Spirit shall surround - and encompass you; the fiercest warriors shall bend before you, as - they never would if you assumed a world’s throne or a world’s - sovereignty! Come, uncrowned, defenseless;--but strong in the - Spirit of God! Think of all the evil which has served as the - foundation for this palace in which you dwell! Can you not hear in - the silence of the night, the shrieks of the tortured and dying of - the Inquisition? Do you never think of the dark days, ten and - twelve hundred years after Christ, when no virtue seemed left upon - the earth?--when the way to this very throne was paved by poison - and cold steel?--when those who then reigned here, and occupied - Your place, led such infamous lives that the very dogs might have - been ashamed to follow in their footsteps!--when they professed to - be able to sell the Power of the Holy Ghost for so much gold and - silver? Remember the words, ‘Whoso shall blaspheme against the Holy - Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the - world to come.’ Look back upon the Past--and look out upon the - Present! Try to understand the suffering of the forsaken - people!--the pain--the bewilderment--the groping for life in - death!--and come out with me! Come and preach Christ as He lived - and died, and _was_, and _is_! - - “Come out with me ... for there are wonderful things in the world - to-day!--wonderful, beautiful, and terrible! Take your share in - them, and find God in every glory! For with all the wisdom and the - splendor,--with all the flashing light of Heaven poured out upon - the darkness of the Sorrowful Star, its people are weary,--they are - lost in the confusion and clamor of their own desires--they would - fain serve God, but know not where to find Him, because a thousand, - ay a million churches stand in the way! Churches, which are like a - forest of dark trees, blocking out the radiance of the Sun! God, - who manifests His power and tenderness in the making of the - simplest leaf, the smallest bird, is lost to the understanding and - affection of humanity in the multitude of Creeds! Come out with - me,--simple and pure, gentle and strong! Tell all the lost and the - wandering that there never was, and never will be but one God - supreme and perfect, whose name is Love, whose work is Love!--and - whose Messenger, Christ, pronounced the New Commandment Love, - instead of Hate! Come out with me while it is yet day, for the - night cometh when no man can work! Come and lift up the world by - your very coming! Stretch out your hands in benediction over kings - and beggars alike!--there are other roses to give than Golden ones - to Queens! There are poor women who share half they earn with those - still poorer--there are obscure lives which in their very - obscurity, are forming the angel-nature, and weaving the angel’s - crown,--look for these in the world--give _them_ your Golden Roses! - Leave rulers and governments alone, for you should be above and - beyond all rulers and governments! You should be the Herald of - peace, the Pardoner of sin, the Rescuer of the fallen, and the - Refuge of the distressed! Come out with me, and be all this to the - world, so that when the Master comes He may truly find you working - in His vineyard! - - “Come out with me ... or if you will not come,--then beware!... - beware of the evil days which are at hand! The people are wandering - to and fro, crossing all lands, struggling one against the other, - hoarding up useless gold, and fighting for supremacy!--but ‘the day - of the Lord shall come like a thief in the night, and blessed is he - who shall be found watching!’ Watch! The hour is growing dark and - full of menace!--the nations are as frightened children, losing - faith, losing hope, losing strength! Put away,--put away from you - the toys of time!--quench in your soul the thirst for gold, for of - this shall come nothing but corruption! Why trifle with the Spirit - of holy things? Why let your servants use the Name of the Most High - to cover hypocrisy? Why crave for the power of temporal things, - which passes away in the dust of destroyed kingdoms? For the Power - of the Spirit is greater than all! And so it shall be proved! The - Spirit shall work in ways where it has never been found before!--it - shall depart from the Churches which are unworthy of its Divine - inspiration!--it shall invest the paths of science!--it shall open - the doors of the locked stars! It shall display the worlds - invisible;--the secrets of men’s hearts, and of closed - graves!--there will be terror and loss and confusion and shame to - mankind,--and this world shall keep nothing of all its treasures - but the Cross of Christ! Rome, like Babylon, shall fall!--and the - Powers of the Church shall be judged as the Powers of Darkness - rather than of Light, because they have rejected the Word of their - Master, and ‘teach for doctrine the commandments of men’! Disaster - shall follow swift upon disaster, and the cup of trembling shall be - drained again to its last dregs, as in the olden days, - unless,--unless perchance--You will come out with Me!” - -This address has such an effect on the Pope that at its conclusion he -falls senseless. Bonpré and Manuel, the former now without a friend left -at the Vatican, take their departure, and shortly afterwards it is -deemed expedient for them to leave Rome for shelter in England, the idea -being intimated that the authorities of the Church were determined to -make a prisoner of the Cardinal, and inflict upon him some undefined -evil. - -So far as the book is concerned apart from its central theme, the -interest is held by the light touches of the loves of some charming -people, and also of a very frivolous roué, the Marquis Fontenelle. This -very “up-to-date” French nobleman is ultimately, to the relief of every -one and the regret of few, killed in a duel with his own brother, the -great actor Miraudin. To make this melodramatic incident as striking as -possible the author kills both the brothers. The Marquis is a character -who says and does what would seem to be impossible things. -Notwithstanding his immoral propensities he has a certain pleasing -fascination that almost inclines one to regard his faults with -tolerance. His faults are many, but let it be said to his credit at -least that he recognizes them. His views of men and women and love are -extraordinarily callous and cynical, yet it is an absolute fact that the -prototype of the Marquis Fontenelle exists, and holds and openly -expresses the views to which in this book he is made to give utterance. -And, evil as he is, he also is conquered at the last by the true -character of a sweet, pure, womanly woman. It is such who conquer all -evil. - -The Comtesse Sylvie Hermenstein, an altogether delightful lady, marries -Aubrey Leigh and leaves the Church of Rome. The story of her doing so, -of the struggles of the Romish priesthood to retain her and her wealth, -and of the methods by which they endeavored to attain that end, is in -itself a stirring narrative. - -Marie Corelli is altogether pleasing, not only to those who approve the -mission of her book, but to many of her most severe critics, in her -account of the life which Leigh in younger days had led in a Cornish -fishing village, working as one of themselves amongst the rugged, -true-hearted, brave men who with all their roughness of character are -perhaps stauncher in a simple faith in God than many of those who -ostentatiously worship in fine churches. She pens, too, many delightful, -humorous, and pathetic pictures of the French peasantry. - -Quite another story is the love, or, rather, two loves, of Angela -Sovrani. When we first make her acquaintance--a woman, yet one of the -finest artists in the world--she is betrothed to Florian Varillo, a man -with a character of almost impossible evil. We wish we could regard the -character as _absolutely_ impossible. Varillo is also an artist, -handsome, unprincipled, egotistical to the worst degree, believing -himself great and holding the view--once generally held, but now to a -large extent exploded--that woman’s work cannot be equal to masculine -effort. Angela has for years been engaged upon a picture which she hopes -will be a masterpiece. No person--not even father or lover--has been -permitted to gaze upon the canvas. A date for the uncovering and -inspection of the picture is fixed. Alone in her studio the evening -before, Florian begs admittance in order that he may inspect the picture -that night, owing to a journey which he must take early on the morrow. -Angela consents. “Come and see.” The concealing curtain is removed and -Florian recoils with an involuntary cry, and then remains motionless and -silent, stricken dumb and stupid by the magnificent creation which -confronts him. - -“The central glory of the whole picture was a figure of Christ.... -Kingly and commanding.” Near by are seen the faces of many pre-eminent -in the history of the time. The Pope is shown fastening fetters of iron -round a beautiful youth called Science. The leader of the Jesuits is -counting gold. The forms of men representing every description of -Church-doctrine are beheld trampling underneath them other human -creatures. - - “And over all this blackness and chaos the supernal figure of the - glorious Christ was aerially poised,--one Hand was extended, and to - this a Woman clung--a woman with a beautiful face made piteous in - its beauty by long grief and patient endurance. In her other arm - she held a sleeping child--and mother and child were linked - together by a garland of flowers partially broken and faded. Her - entreating attitude,--the sleeping child’s helplessness--her worn - face,--the perishing roses of earth’s hope and joy,--all expressed - their meaning simply yet tragically; and as the Divine Hand - supported and drew her up out of the universal chaos below, the - hope of a new world, a better world, a wiser world, a holier world, - seemed to be distantly conveyed. But the eyes of the Christ were - full of reproach, and were bent on the Representative of St. Peter - binding the laurel-crowned youth, and dragging him into - darkness,--and the words written across the golden mount of the - picture, in clear black letters, seemed to be actually spoken aloud - from the vivid color and movement of the painting. ‘Many in that - day will call upon Me and say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied - in Thy name, and in Thy name cast out devils, and done many - wonderful works?’ - - “‘Then will I say to them, I never knew you! Depart from Me all ye - that work iniquity!’” - -And what of Angela and Florian? Painter and sweetheart regard the work. -Varillo’s first remark is, “Did you do it all yourself?” That is the -first verbal stab. Others follow, killing the joy of Angela. And the -verbal stabs are but the prelude to one with steel; for Varillo, -maddened by jealousy, determines to kill Angela and then to persuade -the world that _he_ has painted the picture. Angela, happily, is not -killed. Varillo, who escapes, enters into a conspiracy to declare and -maintain that the great picture is his. He is got out of the world and -out of the book by perishing in a fire at a monastery to which he had -been taken. Such treachery it is almost impossible to conceive. Yet -those who condemn the incident should remember some of Marie Corelli’s -own personal experiences, with which the world has now to some extent -become acquainted. Angela subsequently marries Gys Grandit. - -Throughout the book there are a good many discourses by Aubrey Leigh and -Gys Grandit on the subject of Christian Democracy. What seems to be the -main desire of this party is “a purified Church--a House of Praise to -God, without any superstition or Dogma.” We must confess, however, that -we recognize the truth of the remark made by Gherardi--one of the Roman -prelates--“You must have Dogma. You must formulate something out of a -chaos of opinion”; and neither through Manuel, Aubrey Leigh, nor Gys -Grandit does Marie Corelli tell us how she would build up this simple -universal church of which she speaks so much. We may, however, expect in -a further book to have Miss Corelli’s constructive conceptions on the -subject. The basis of it all is, at any rate, that the main feature of -all worship should be praise of the Almighty and His Divine Son; and, as -a true believer and an artist, she would have the churches not only -essentially houses of Praise, but buildings worthy of the high purpose -for which they are erected. In “The Master Christian” she gives us her -stepfather’s poem as indicating Aubrey Leigh’s ideal on the subject: - - If thou’rt a Christian in deed and thought, - Loving thy neighbor as Jesus taught,-- - Living all days in the sight of Heaven, - And not _one_ only out of seven,-- - Sharing thy wealth with the suffering poor, - Helping all sorrow that Hope can cure,-- - Making religion a truth in the heart, - And not a cloak to be wore in the mart, - Or in high cathedrals and chapels and fanes, - Where priests are traders and count the gains,-- - All God’s angels will say, “Well done!” - Whenever thy mortal race is run. - White and forgiven, - Thou’lt enter heaven, - And pass, unchallenged, the Golden Gate, - Where welcoming spirits watch and wait - To hail thy coming with sweet accord - To the Holy City of God the Lord! - - If Peace is thy prompter, and Love is thy guide, - And white-robed Charity walks by thy side,-- - If thou tellest the truth without oath to bind, - Doing thy duty to all mankind,-- - Raising the lowly, cheering the sad, - Finding some goodness e’en in the bad, - And owning with sadness if badness there be, - There might have been badness in thine and in thee, - If Conscience the warder that keeps thee whole - Had uttered no voice to thy slumbering soul,-- - All God’s angels will say, “Well done!” - Whenever thy mortal race is run. - White and forgiven, - Thou’lt enter heaven, - And pass, unchallenged, the Golden Gate, - Where welcoming spirits watch and wait - To hail thy coming with sweet accord - To the Holy City of God the Lord! - - If thou art humble and wilt not scorn, - However wretched, a brother forlorn,-- - If thy purse is open to misery’s call, - And the God thou lovest is God of all, - Whatever their color, clime or creed, - Blood of thy blood, in their sorest need,-- - If every cause that is good and true, - And needs assistance to dare and do, - Thou helpest on through good and ill, - With trust in heaven, and God’s good-will,-- - All God’s angels will say, “Well done!” - Whenever thy mortal race is run. - White and forgiven, - Thou’lt enter heaven, - And pass, unchallenged, the Golden Gate, - Where welcoming spirits watch and wait - To hail thy coming with sweet accord - To the Holy City of God the Lord! - -In the closing of the story we find Cardinal Bonpré threatened by the -Pope with severe punishment unless he parts with Manuel, and the -Cardinal’s dignified and argumentative reply. The two part, but it is -not at the bidding of the Pope. There is a beautiful description of the -last night on earth of the Cardinal and of a vision beheld by him--a -Dream of Angels, “Of thousands of dazzling faces, that shone like stars -or were fair as flowers!” - - * * * * * - -So the Cardinal passes away to his eternal rest: - - “And when the morning sun shone through the windows ... its wintry - beams encircled the peaceful form of the dead Cardinal with a pale - halo of gold,--and when they came and found him there, and turned - his face to the light--it was as the face of a glorified saint, - whom God had greatly loved!” - - * * * * * - - And of the “Cardinal’s foundling”--what of Him? Many wondered and - sought to trace Him, but no one ever heard where he had gone.... - Some say He has never disappeared,--but that in some form or - manifestation of wisdom, He is ever with us, watching to see - whether His work is well or ill done,--whether His flocks are fed, - or led astray to be devoured by wolves--whether His straight and - simple commands are fulfilled or disobeyed. And the days grow dark - and threatening--and life is more and more beset with difficulty - and disaster--and the world is moving more and more swiftly on to - its predestined end--and the Churches are as stagnant pools, from - whence Death is far more often born than Life. And may we not ask - ourselves often in these days the question,-- - - “When the Son of Man cometh, think ye He shall find faith on - earth?” - -That is the question that Marie Corelli asks the world through “The -Master Christian.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -“TEMPORAL POWER” - - -This, Marie Corelli’s latest work, appeared on August 28th, 1902, the -first edition totalling up to the unprecedented number of 120,000 -copies. We understand that, since the primary issue, a further 30,000 -copies have been printed. Thus it comes about that in spite of all the -newspaper invective of which she has been the victim and the verbal -floodgates that have been opened upon her, Marie Corelli has with her -latest production broken the bookselling record for a six-shilling -volume on its first appearance. - -“Temporal Power” is not an inviting name. As a schoolmiss would say, “It -sounds dry.” It has not the mystery-suggesting flavor of “The House on -the Marsh” or the thrilling and adventuresome qualities of a title like -“Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea”; yet “Temporal Power,” despite -its appellation, is, at the time of writing, the most-talked-about book -in the world. - -“For,” to quote Marie Corelli, “it must be borne in mind that ‘Temporal -Power’ are the two dazzling words which forever fascinate the Pope, and -are the key-notes of every attempt at supremacy. ‘Temporal Power’ is the -desire of kings, as of commoners. There is nothing really prosaic about -such a title, unless the thing itself be deemed prosaic, which, if this -were proved, would make out that all the work of the world was useless -and that nothing whatever need be done except fold one’s hands and sit -down in unambitious contentment.” - -“Temporal Power” was not issued to the Press for review, but no less -than three hundred and fifty journals--big and little--paid Miss Corelli -the compliment of purchasing the book in order to comment on its plot -and characteristics. Conning the mass of critical matter which is the -outcome of this action on the part of the newspapers, it would seem that -the attitude of the Press towards the authoress is growing less hostile -than of yore, for quite a number of the reviews are couched in -distinctly favorable language. - -From _Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper_, September 21st, 1902, we cull the -following notice, which will serve as a brief _resumé_ of the plot--no -doubt already familiar to the majority of our readers--and at the same -time as an example of how an entire stranger to the novelist--as the -author of this article was--can disregard the prejudice which has arisen -with respect to our subject, and write as he thinks, combining, as it -appears to us, a happy knack of lucid expression with a calm and -temperate judgment. - - A text from St. Paul as follows, “For we wrestle not against flesh - and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the - rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness - in high places,” prefaces and in a measure explains this very - remarkable book. The hero of the story is a king reigning in these - latter days over a Christian country that never once throughout the - book receives a name. The omission, however, is not likely to be - very early noticed by the reader, so intense is the interest - aroused by the narrative, so rapid and sustained is its action. The - king, married to a beautiful but cold consort who has borne him - three sons, suddenly awakes to the fact that he is not doing his - duty to his people, and resolves to go amongst them to see things - for himself. He accordingly does so in disguise, and actually joins - a society of Socialists. Hearing what is said about his Ministers - he tests them and vetoes a declaration of war which is being - brought about in the interests of certain capitalists and through - the agency of a corrupt Press. Another conspiracy he contends with - and defeats is a Jesuit one, during which an attempt is made upon - his life, an attempt foiled by a beautiful woman of the people, who - receives the knife-thrust in his place. One of the main themes of - the book is the love of the king’s eldest son Humphry for Gloria, a - poor but beautiful girl. He has secretly wedded her, and the fact - coming to the king’s knowledge he upbraids his son and tells him - that, the marriage with Gloria being of necessity morganatic, he - must make a speedy alliance with a princess of a neighboring state. - Then ensues a fine scene in which the young prince firmly refuses - to abandon Gloria, or to commit bigamy by another marriage. It is - one of those scenes in which Miss Corelli is seen at her best. - There is deep scorn in the prince’s utterance when he declines the - other marriage: “Three or four Royal sinners of this class I know - of who for all their pains have not succeeded in winning the - attachment of their people, either for themselves or their heirs.” - He further emphatically assures his royal father that he will, if - needful, “make it a test case, and appeal to the law of the realm. - If that law tolerates a crime in princes which it would punish in - commoners, then I shall ask the People to judge me!” The whole book - throughout is so arranged that Miss Corelli is everywhere enabled - to give utterance to the views of life she holds, and to attack the - things she considers wrong. This she does in every instance with - eloquent vehemence, and there will be many who must feel that she - usually has right on her side. “Of things temporal there shall be - no duration--neither Sovereignty nor Supremacy, nor Power; only - Love, which makes weak the strongest, and governs the proudest.” - The end of the book is the abdication and death of the king, his - son and Gloria sailing to happier climes, rejoicing in a pure love. - In its scope and imagination this is one of the most striking - volumes Miss Corelli has given us. - -From this exceedingly able summing-up of the work we will now turn to -the article on “Temporal Power” which was published in _The Review of -Reviews_. - -To begin with, it needs to be explained that Mr. Stead first of all -wrote a private letter to Miss Corelli telling her that it was “by far -the strongest book she had yet written.” He then went on to suggest that -she meant her characters for certain living Royalties and celebrities. -Miss Corelli wrote back to him at once, stating that he was entirely in -error. He having made the suggestion that she had described Queen -Alexandra as the cold and irresponsive Queen of “Temporal Power,” Miss -Corelli referred him to her “Christmas Greeting,” published at the end -of the previous year, for the description of the Queen as seen in “The -Soul of Queen Alexandra.” The general tone of Mr. Stead’s review was to -accuse Miss Corelli of “disloyalty” (though he himself, Miss Corelli -complains, had long expressed views that were distinctly Pro-Boer), and -to inquire sarcastically how it happened that she was invited to the -Coronation? It may be stated that she was invited to the Coronation -because the King knows her personally, and, knowing her, is perfectly -aware that he has no more loyal subject--a conviction that is not likely -to be disturbed by the casual statement even of an experienced reviewer -like Mr. Stead. From certain letters and messages Miss Marie Corelli has -received from both the King and Queen (if she cared to make them -public), it is very evident that she is thoroughly appreciated by the -Royal Family, and that they are the last people in the world to believe -the numerous adverse statements circulated about her merely on account -of her brilliant success. - -It was in the September (1902) _Review of Reviews_ that Mr. Stead -devoted four pages to his criticism of “Temporal Power,” which was -described as “a tract for the guidance of the King.” - -“The fact” (continued Mr. Stead) “that her pages reflect as in a glass -darkly, in an exaggerated and somewhat distorted shape, the leading -personages in the English Court, and in contemporary politics, _may_ be -one of those extraordinary coincidences which occur without any -intention on the part of the authoress of the book.” - -The King and the Queen are then described, and attention is drawn to the -position of the Heir Apparent after he has contracted what is known as a -morganatic marriage. - - The King and Queen (proceeds the review) insist upon ignoring the - marriage, and try to compel their son to commit bigamy by marrying - a woman of the royal caste. The Prince, however--and in this Marie - Corelli departs from the old legend which appears to have suggested - this episode--has an unconquerable repugnance to the demand that he - should commit bigamy for the good of the State. - - The King, at the time when the story opens, has as his Prime - Minister an aged Marquis, who is a dark, heavy man of intellectual - aspect, whose manner is profoundly discouraging to all who seek to - win his sympathy, and whose ascendancy in his own Cabinet is - overshadowed by that of a Secretary of State, who bears an - extraordinary resemblance to a certain Secretary of State who shall - be nameless. This “honorable statesman” is hand-in-glove with an - alien journalist, who is described here and there in terms which - fit more or less loosely to one or two proprietors of journals of - very large circulations in London town. With the aid of this - supreme embodiment of the mercenary journalism of our latter day, - the Secretary of State conceives the idea of working up a war for - the annexation of a small State, whose conquest was certain to - increase the value of various shares in which the Secretary and his - friends had largely speculated, and further, to extricate them from - various political difficulties in which they had found themselves - involved. - -We have Miss Corelli’s authority for stating, with all possible -emphasis, that “Temporal Power” was written without the least intention -on the part of the author to introduce living personalities under a -romantic disguise. As touching the character of the defaulting Secretary -of State, Carl Perousse, with which a large number of writers (including -Mr. Stead) have sought to identify Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, it may be -pointed out that if the author had any prominent European statesman at -all in view, it was a well-known Italian minister, now deceased, as any -one with judgment and knowledge of Italian affairs could -testify--though Perousse is made tall and thin in the book, with the -express object that he shall escape association with the said Italian -minister, who was short and fat. Nothing has astonished the novelist -more than the numerous letters she has received from members of Mr. -Chamberlain’s party in which it is stated that the villainous Perousse -is “exactly like” their leader. We have only to refer such -correspondents to Miss Corelli’s public speeches in Edinburgh and -Glasgow to prove that she has always spoken in high praise of the -Colonial Secretary. - -The King of the book is no more intended to be a suggested picture of -Edward the Seventh than of Haroun Alraschid. The performances of the -latter potentate are certainly “impossible” and “outrageous”--to quote -press diatribes on “Temporal Power”--but they _live_, and their -forgotten writer is not branded with _lèse-majestè_. This romance of -Marie Corelli’s was written to show how a King, in spite of modern -surroundings, can still be a hero. Marie Corelli’s king is the best man -in the whole story, and is represented as winning the love of all his -people. - -The authoress readily admits that an attack on Jesuitism is contained in -the book, nor is she the only one who has waylaid that persuasion. She -is strenuously opposed to the political and educational system of -Jesuitry, and believes that the whole civilized world is with her. - -The much-discussed question of “royal bigamy” as condemned by the action -of Miss Corelli’s young Prince Humphry and his love for “Gloria,” is a -matter that has nothing to do with one Royal Family more than another. -Our author’s ideas are, that if any crime is a crime in commoners, it -should not be excused in persons of Royal birth; moreover, she thinks -that many a Royal Prince has been made hopelessly miserable, and the -springs of his life poisoned at their very fount, by his being forced to -wed where he does not love, merely for “Reasons of State.” The Pope has -quite recently condemned Royal alliances between cousins; and as all -Royal Families are at the present day very closely allied, Miss Corelli -thinks it will soon be necessary for heirs to thrones to enjoy the same -honest freedom of purpose in their loves and marriages as the simplest -gentlemen in the land. - -The novelist has been told that she has made enemies among the -“extra-loyal” and “Imperialistic” party. She presumes the “extra-loyal” -means the “extra-toadies.” If the “Imperialistic” party is a party which -seeks to curtail and restrict the rights of the People, then she goes -with the People against all political parties whatsoever. But she takes -no side in party politics: she is a stickler for Justice and Right for -the great majority. - -Two apparent attempts in journals catering specially for the book trade, -were made to quash the success of the novel. One of these journals -plainly stated that “Temporal Power” had not obtained the triumph -claimed for it. The publishers, Messrs. Methuen and Co., instantly taxed -the paper in question with having misstated the case, with the result -that the following retractation was published: “With reference to our -statement last month, regarding the sales of ‘Temporal Power,’ we learn -that, so far from the repeat orders not comparing favorably with those -of ‘The Master Christian,’ they have established a record even in the -gigantic sales of Marie Corelli’s novels. Up to the present, during the -same period, the sales of ‘Temporal Power’ have exceeded those of ‘The -Master Christian,’ by over twenty thousand, and some idea of the demand -for the book, even after the first rush, may be obtained from the fact -that all the retail book-sellers, with one exception, in Brighton, sent -large repeat orders within a few weeks of publication, while a single -repeat order from one retail bookseller alone in another part of the -country was for seven hundred and twenty-eight copies.” - -The other periodical, after making one or two attempts to stem the great -wave of “Temporal Power,” printed the following somewhat halfhearted -comment: “Although few reviewers have spoken kindly of this novel, its -sale has reached a figure which it is unnecessary to repeat here; -whether its merits deserve such popularity we must refrain from -discussing.” - -In some quarters it has been boldly alleged that “Temporal Power” is -like “The Eternal City.” There are absolutely no points of resemblance. -Miss Corelli has never read “The Eternal City” or any of Mr. Hall -Caine’s books except “The Christian.” She declares, however, that she -searched in vain for a real follower of Christ in that work. It is -interesting to note, by the way, that although the two novelists met -years ago at a social function, they are practically strangers to one -another, and are probably content to remain so. - -From a book containing scores of powerful passages which would well bear -reproduction independently of the context, we only propose to make a -single quotation. The following extract concerns one of the most -touching events of the story, _i. e._, the rejection of the King’s -offered love by “Lotys,” woman of the people: - - “Lotys!” he said; “Are you so cold, so frozen in an icewall of - conventionality that you cannot warm to passion--not even to that - passion which every pulse of you is ready to return? What do you - want of me? Lover’s oaths? Vows of constancy? Oh, beloved woman as - you are, do you not understand that you have entered into my very - heart of hearts--that you hold my whole life in your possession? - You--not I--are the ruling power of this country! What you say, - that I will do! What you command, that will I obey! While you live, - I will live--when you die, I will die! Through you I have learned - the value of sovereignty,--the good that can be done to a country - by honest work in kingship,--through you I have won back my - disaffected subjects to loyalty;--it is all you--only you! And if - you blamed me once as a worthless king, you shall never have cause - to so blame me again! But you must help me,--you must help me with - your love!” - - She strove to control the beating of her heart, as she looked upon - him and listened to his pleading. She resolutely shut her soul to - the persuasive music of his voice, the light of his eyes, the - tenderness of his smile. - - “What of the Queen?” she said. - - He started back, as though he had been stung. - - “The Queen!” he repeated mechanically--“The Queen!” - - “Ay, the Queen!” said Lotys. “She is your wife--the mother of your - sons! She has never loved you, you would say,--you have never loved - her. But you are her husband! Would you make me your mistress?” - - Her voice was calm. She put the plain question point-blank, - without a note of hesitation. His face paled suddenly. - - “Lotys!” he said, and stretched out his hands towards her; “Lotys, - I love you!” - - A change passed over her,--rapid and transfiguring as a sudden - radiance from heaven. With an impulsive gesture, beautiful in its - wild abandonment, she cast herself at his feet. - - “And I love you!” she said. “I love you with every breath of my - body, every pulse of my heart! I love you with the entire passion - of my life! I love you with all the love pent up in my poor starved - soul since childhood until now!--I love you more than woman ever - loved either lover or husband! I love you, my lord and King!--but - even as I love you, I honor you! No selfish thought of mine shall - ever tarnish the smallest jewel in your Crown! Oh, my beloved! My - Royal soul of courage! What do you take me for? Should I be worthy - of your thought if I dragged you down? Should I be Lotys,--if, like - some light woman who can be bought for a few jewels,--I gave myself - to you in that fever of desire which men mistake for love? Ah, - no!--ten thousand times no! I love you! Look at me,--can you not - see how my soul cries out for you? How my lips hunger for your - kisses--how I long, ah, God! for all the tenderness which I know is - in your heart for me,--I, so lonely, weary, and robbed of all the - dearest joys of life!--but I will not shame you by my love, my best - and dearest! I will not set you one degree lower in the thoughts of - the People, who now idolize you and know you as the brave, true man - you are! My love for you would be poor indeed, if I could not - sacrifice myself altogether for your sake,--you, who are my King!” - - He heard her,--his whole soul was shaken by the passion of her - words. - - “Lotys!” he said,--and again--“Lotys!” - - He drew her up from her kneeling attitude, and gathering her close - in his arms, kissed her tenderly, reverently--as a man might kiss - the lips of the dead. - - “Must it be so, Lotys?” he whispered; “Must we dwell always apart?” - - Her eyes, beautiful with a passion of the highest and holiest love, - looked full into his. - - “Always apart, yet always together, my beloved!” she answered; - “Together in thought, in soul, in aspiration!--in the hope and - confidence that God sees us, and knows that we seek to live purely - in His sight! Oh, my King, you would not have it otherwise! You - would not have our love defiled! How common and easy it would be - for me to give myself to you!--as other women are only too ready to - give themselves,--to take your tenderness, your care, your - admiration,--to demand your constant attendance on my lightest - humor!--to bring you shame by my persistent companionship!--to - cause an open slander, and allow the finger of scorn to be pointed - at you!--to see your honor made a mockery of, by base persons who - would judge you as one, who, notwithstanding his brave espousal of - the People’s Cause, was yet a slave to the caprice of a woman! - Think something more of me than this! Do not put me on the level of - such women as once brought your name into contempt! They did not - love you!--they loved themselves. But I--I love you! Oh, my dearest - lord, if self were concerned at all in this great love of my heart, - I would not suffer your arms to rest about me now!--I would not let - your lips touch mine!--but it is for the last time, beloved!--the - last time! And so I put my hands here on your heart--I kiss your - lips--I say with all my soul in the prayer--God bless you!--God - keep you!--God save you, my King! Though I shall live apart from - you all my days, my spirit is one with yours! God will know that - truth when we meet--on the other side of Death!” - - Her tears fell fast, and he bent over her, torn by a tempest of - conflicting emotions, and kissing the soft hair that lay loosely - ruffled against his breast. - - “Then it shall be so, Lotys!” he murmured at last. “Your wish is my - law!--it shall be as you command! I will fulfil such duties as I - must in this world,--and the knowledge of your love for me,--your - trust in me, shall keep me high in the People’s honor! Old follies - shall be swept away--old sins atoned for;--and when we meet, as you - say, on the other side of Death, God will perchance give us all - that we have longed for in this world--all that we have lost!” - - His voice shook,--he could not further rely on his self-control. - - “I will not tempt you, Lotys!” he whispered--“I dare not tempt - myself! God bless you!” - - He put her gently from him, and stood for a moment irresolute. All - the hope he had indulged in of a sweeter joy than any he had ever - known, was lost,--and yet--he knew he had no right to press upon - her a love which, to her, could only mean dishonor. - - “Good-bye, Lotys!” he said huskily; “My one love in this world and - the next! Good-bye!” - - She gazed at him with her whole soul in her eyes,--then suddenly, - and with the tenderest grace in the world, dropped on her knees and - kissed his hand. - - “God save your Majesty!” she said, with a poor little effort at - smiling through her tears; “For many and many a long and happy - year, when Lotys is no more!” - -This beautiful passage alone is a literary _tour-de-force_. “Temporal -Power,” in short, shows no abatement of Marie Corelli’s energetic and -varied genius, and the public will await her next work with all possible -interest. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -SPEECHES AND LECTURES - - -Miss Marie Corelli’s career as a public speaker has been a short one, -but, so far as it has gone, full of promise. She has a good enunciation -and a sweet, penetrating voice; she takes the platform with the whole of -her address clearly mapped out in her mind, her only aids to memory -being a few notes scribbled on slips of paper, which at first glance -look like a number of broad spills. Consulting these occasionally by way -of mental refreshment, she says what she has to say with easy -self-possession, never hesitating for lack of a suitable word or phrase. - -The novelist’s first speech in public was made in connection with a -bazaar at Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, in July, 1899. The announcement -that Miss Corelli was to open the proceedings attracted a large number -of people to this picturesque little town, which is situated some eight -miles from Stratford-on-Avon, on the high road to Birmingham. - -When Miss Corelli had mounted the improvised platform, she first thanked -the organizers of the bazaar for the compliment that had been paid her -in their invitation, and then proceeded as follows: - - “I think we all know very well what a bazaar is. It is peculiar and - distinctive; it is a way of charming the money out of our pockets. - We wish it to be charmed to-day, because we always know when such - money is obtained it is for a good purpose. Sometimes it is for a - hospital, frequently it is for the restoration of a parish church. - That is our object this afternoon. Now, there are some people who - say that a parish church does not always require repair, but in - this special case you cannot possibly offer that as an excuse for - not spending your money. The parish church of Henley-in-Arden is in - a very sad state; indeed, there are holes in the wooden floor - through which rats and mice, quite uninvited, may come to prayers. - Also the pavement of the central aisle is so broken up that it has - literally risen in wrath, and become divided against itself. I hope - this day you will come forward with your money and make the parish - church a thing of beauty and a joy forever. It is a very old - building. It is, I believe, five or six hundred years old, and all - that time it has been a place of prayer and praise. I am sure you - will not allow it to suffer, or fall into neglect and ruin at your - hands. Now, I want you to set your hearts to the tune of generosity - this afternoon, and I want you to spend regardless of expense; I - want you to be absolutely extravagant and reckless. The bazaar is - full of very pretty things, some useful, some not useful, but all - ornamental; and I can only recommend you to buy everything in the - place. In the words of the Immortal Bard, whose very spirit - permeates the whole of your beautiful county, - - Leave not a wrack behind! - - Set your hearts to the task, your wills to the deed, spend your - money, and make the whole thing a great and triumphant success. - Ladies and gentlemen, may your purses to-day be like this bazaar, - which I have now the honor to declare open!” - -An excellent example of what an address to workingmen should be, was -delivered by Miss Corelli, at Stratford-on-Avon on January 6th, 1901. -The lecture was entitled, “The Secret of Happiness.” After some -preliminary observations on the birth of the New Century, Miss Corelli -said: - - “The twentieth century finds us all on the same old search, asking - the same old question: How to be happy? Some of the distinguished - persons who have written in the newspapers on this subject declare - we have lost the art of being happy in the old simple ways, and - that all the brightness and mirth which used to make our England - ‘Merry England’ have gone forever. I think there is some little - truth in these statements, and the reason is not very far distant. - We think too much of ourselves and too little of our neighbors. - There is nothing so depressing as a constant contemplation of one’s - self, and the greatest moral cowardice in the world’s opinion comes - from consulting one’s own personal convenience. It is just as if a - man were asked to look at a beautiful garden full of flowers, and, - instead of accepting the invitation, sat down with the Röntgen rays - to look at his own bones. His bones concern no one but himself, and - are a dull entertainment at best. To be truly happy we must set - ourselves on one side, and think of all the good we can do, all the - love we can show to our neighbors. This is our work and our - business, and, by performing that work thoroughly well, we shall - not lose the secret of happiness; we shall find it. The harming, - the slandering, the over-reaching, the plucking down of our - neighbors is not our business, and if we indulge in that kind of - thing we shall never be happy. It is to a great extent true, as - some of the newspapers tell us, that the twentieth century still - finds us very far from the best ideals and hopes. War still hangs - like a cloud across the country. Drink is still a curse, and large - sections of trade are being taken from us by American and foreign - rivals. This, if it goes on, will mean much ruin and misery and - want to many of our English artisans and workmen, and this brings - me to another point in the secret of happiness, which is Work. Not - what we call scamp work; not work which drops its tools at the - first sound of the dinner bell and runs across to the public-house, - but good, conscientious, thorough work, of which the workman - himself may be justly proud. Why should Americans take work which - Englishmen, if they like, can do infinitely better? Simply because - they are smart, cute, up to time, and take less early closing and - fewer bank holidays. I am a very hard worker myself, and I am not - speaking without knowing what I am talking about, and I say from my - own experience--and I have worked ever since I reached my sixteenth - year--that work is happiness. No one can take my work from me and - therefore no one can take my happiness from me. I defy any one to - upset, worry, or put me out in the least so long as I have my work - to do. Take away my work, and I am lost. Show me a lazy, loafing - person, man or woman, and I will show you a discontented grumbler, - who is a misery in his or her home, and a misery to him or her - self. Nothing is idle in God’s universe; the smallest observation - will prove that. If there were early closing up there (_pointing - upwards_) there would soon be an end to us all. The flower works, - as it pushes its way through the soil to bud and blossom; the tree - works as it breaks into beautiful foliage; the whole earth works - incessantly to produce its fruits. The sun works; it never rests; - it rises and sets with perfect regularity. In fact, everything we - see about us in nature is in constant, steady, splendid, perfect - work. The idle person is, therefore, out of tune with the plan of - God’s creation and action. A great millionaire whom I know said to - his son: ‘If you can’t find anything to do I will disinherit you, - so that you may work as hard as I did. That will make a man of - you.’ In this beautiful world, with a thousand opportunities of - doing good every day and all day, and with the light of the - Christian faith spread about us like perpetual sunshine, no one - should be really unhappy. To your society, which has done so much - good already, which is doing so much good, and will continue to do - so much good, I would say, if I may be permitted to offer any - advice: Cultivate among yourselves a spirit of cheerfulness, - light-heartedness, and content, which shall spread the influence of - moral and mental sunshine all through this dear little town in - which you dwell. Let those who don’t belong to your society see - that you can be merry and wise without needing any other stimulant - than your own cheery natures, and that the Christian faith is to - you a healthy and active working daily principle, the heart, life, - and soul. Show all your friends--and enemies too--that you have the - secret of happiness by holding up a firm faith in the goodness of - God; by keeping the welfare of others always in sight, and loving - your neighbor not only as yourself, but even more than yourself; - and by carrying out whatever you have to do, no matter how trivial - it be, so thoroughly and so perfectly that you can feel proud of - it. Such pride is true pride, and thoroughly justifiable, and the - independence that comes from work thoroughly well done is a noble - independence. I would not change such independence as that to be a - king and be waited on by courtiers all day long. To me the honest - workman is a thousand times better than the king. The king can do - no work. It is all done for him,--poor king! He can hardly call his - soul his own. He is not allowed to put his own coat on, and do you - call him an independent man! I call him a slave! I would rather - have a man here in Stratford, who could do something of his own - accord, turn out a piece of work, perfect--carving, finishing, or - anything of that sort--and say, ‘That is mine! The king can’t do - that, but I can!’ Money is nothing; pride, independence, and - self-respect are everything; and money gained by bad work is bad - money. You can’t make it anything else. Good work always commands - good money, and good money brings a blessing with it. We are told - that the danger of the twentieth century is greed of gold. Our - upper classes are all craving for yet still more money, and as much - money is spent in a single night on a dinner in London as would - keep nearly all Stratford. We are told that England will lose her - prestige through the money-craving mania of her people. More than - one great empire has fallen from an excessive love of luxury and - self-indulgence, but we will hope that no such mischief will come - to our beloved England. At any rate, in this little corner of - it--Shakespeare’s greenwood--where the greatest of thinkers, - philosophers, and poets was born, and to which he was content to - return, when he had made sufficient means, and die among his own - people--here, I say, let us try and keep up high ideals of mutual - help, love, and labor. Let us keep them up to their highest spirit. - The secret of happiness is to hold fast to such simple, - old-fashioned virtues as love of home, a life of simplicity, and - appreciation of all the beautiful things of Nature, which are so - richly strewn about us in Warwickshire, and never to lose sight of - the best of all things--the great lesson of the pure Christian - faith, the lesson which teaches us how the Divine sacrifice of self - for the sake of others was sufficient to redeem the world! A happy - New Year and a century of hope and good to all of you.” - -In November, 1901, Miss Corelli delivered her first lecture in Scotland. -It was called “The Vanishing Gift: an address on the Decay of the -Imagination,” and was listened to with the greatest appreciation by a -crowded audience of the members of the Edinburgh Philosophical -Institution, and their friends, numbering some four thousand persons. - -Scotland has ever been a more literary country than England. A novel -that fails in England often sells well in Scotland. Scotch people are -very loyal to the magazines they like, and they always display a keen -interest in literary ventures. Thackeray was a great favorite up there. -“I have had three per cent. of the whole population here,” he wrote from -Edinburgh in November, 1856, “If I could but get three per cent. of -London!” Both Dickens and Thackeray received tangible tokens of regard -from Edinburgh people, Thackeray’s taking the form of a silver -statuette of “Mr. Punch,” designed as an inkstand. - -It would seem that to-day, as then, Edinburgh is anxious to give -substantial proof of its appreciation, for, a few days after Miss -Corelli delivered her lecture, whilst ill-health detained her at the -Royal Hotel, a deputation from the Philosophical Institution called and -presented her with a massive silver rose-bowl. - -The Chairman of the deputation, in asking her to accept the gift, made a -very eloquent little speech, in which he laid emphasis on the fact that -the last time a similar token of appreciation had been presented by the -Philosophical Institution to any novelist had been in the case of -Charles Dickens. Since then, no one, save Miss Corelli, had received the -unanimous vote of the Committee as meriting such a tribute. The -rose-bowl bears the following inscription:-- - - “_Presented to Miss Marie Corelli by the Edinburgh Philosophical - Institution, in grateful recognition of the Brilliant Address - delivered by her on 19th November, 1901._” - -It is worthy of note that the leading journal of Edinburgh, _The -Scotsman_, made no allusion whatever to this presentation. The omission -caused considerable annoyance to the Committee of the Philosophical -Institution, and the Secretary made inquiry as to why their special -compliment to Miss Marie Corelli had been passed over. The reply was -that they “did not think it was necessary to mention it”; a particularly -lame and inadequate answer, seeing that if such a handsome presentation -on the part of a great Institution had been made to any well-known male -author, the probabilities are that considerable importance would have -been attached to the incident. As it was, _The Scotsman_ was judged to -have committed itself to a singular error of prejudice in the omission, -as also by stating that Miss Corelli’s crowded audience at the Queen’s -Hall were “mostly women,” a perfectly erroneous statement, as by far the -larger half of the assembly was composed of the sterner sex. - -Miss Corelli, in the course of the lecture referred to, attributed the -gradual dwindling of Imagination to the feverish unrest and agitation of -the age in which we live. The hurry-skurry of modern life, the morbid -craving for incessant excitement, breed a disinclination to think. Where -there is no time to think, there is less time to imagine; and when there -is neither thought nor imagination, creative work of a high and lasting -quality is not possible. In the world’s earlier days, conceptions of -art were of the loftiest and purest order. - - “The thoughts of the ‘old world’ period are written in well-nigh - indelible characters. The colossal architecture of the temples of - ancient Egypt, and that marvelous imaginative creation, the Sphinx, - with its immutable face of mingled scorn and pity; the beautiful - classic forms of old Greece and Rome,--these are all visible - evidences of spiritual aspiration and endeavor; moreover, they are - the expression of a broad, reposeful strength--a dignified - consciousness of power. The glorious poetry of the Hebrew - Scriptures, the swing and rush of Homer’s ‘Iliad,’ the stately - simplicity and profundity of Plato--these also belong to what we - know of the youth of the world. And they are still a part of the - world’s most precious possessions. We, in our day, can do nothing - so great. We have neither the imagination to conceive such work, - nor the calm force necessary to execute it. The artists of a former - time labored with sustained and passionate, yet tranquil, energy; - we can only produce imitations of the greater models with a vast - amount of spasmodic hurry and clamor. So, perchance, we shall leave - to future generations little more than an echo of ‘much ado about - nothing.’ For truly we live at present under a veritable scourge of - mere noise. No king, no statesman, no general, no thinker, no - writer is allowed to follow the course of his duty or work without - the shrieking comment of all sorts and conditions of uninstructed - and misguided persons....” - -Imagination is an artist’s first necessary. The poet, the painter, the -sculptor, or the musician must be able to make a world of his own, and -live in it, before he can make one for others. When he has evolved such -a world out of his individual consciousness, and has peopled it with the -creations of his fancy, he can turn its “airy substance” into reality -for all time. - - “Shakespeare’s world is real; so real that there are not wanting - certain literary impostors who grudge him its reality, and strive - to dispossess him of his own. Walter Scott’s world is real; so real - that you have built him a shrine here in Edinburgh, crowded with - sculptured figures of men and women, most of whom never existed - save in his teeming fancy. What a tribute to the power of - Imagination is that beautiful monument in the centre of Princes - Street, with all the forms evoked from one great mind, lifted high - above us, who consider ourselves ‘real’ people!” - -The lecturer proceeded to deplore acts of vandalism such as that which -caused “the pitiful ruin of Loch Katrine” in supplying Glasgow with -water. Further on she lamented the gradual disappearance of “that -idealistic and romantic spirit” which has helped to make Scotland’s -history such a brilliant chronicle of heroism and honor. - -In her powerful peroration the novelist graphically told of modern -wonders which were imagined when the world was young. - - “What, after all, is Imagination? It is a great many things. It is - a sense of beauty and harmony; it is an instinct of poetry and - prophecy. A Persian poet describes it as an immortal sense of - memory which is always striving to recall the beautiful things the - soul has lost. Another fancy, also from the East, is that it is ‘an - instructive premonition of beautiful things to come.’ Another, - which is perhaps the most accurate description of all, is that it - is ‘the sundial of the soul, on which God flashes the true time of - day.’ This is true, if we bear in mind that Imagination is always - ahead of science, pointing out in advance the great discovery to - come. Shakespeare foretold the whole science of geology in three - words--‘sermons in stones’; and the whole business of the electric - telegram in one line--‘I’ll put a girdle round the earth in forty - minutes.’ One of the Hebrew prophets ‘imagined’ the phonograph when - he wrote, ‘Declare unto me the image of a voice.’ As we all know, - the marks on the wax cylinder in a phonograph are ‘the image of a - voice.’ The airship may prove a very marvelous invention, but the - imagination which saw Aladdin’s palace flying from one country to - another was long before it. All the genii in the ‘Arabian Nights’ - stories were only the symbols of the elements which man might - control if he but rubbed the lamp of his intelligence smartly - enough. Every fairy-tale has a meaning; every legend a lesson. The - submarine boat in perfection has been ‘imagined’ by Jules Verne. - Wireless telegraphy appears to have been known in the very remote - days of Egypt, for in a very old book called ‘The History of the - Pyramids,’ translated from the Arabic, and published in France in - 1672, we find an account of a certain high priest of Memphis, named - Saurid, who, so says the ancient Arabian chronicler, ‘prepared for - himself a casket, wherein he put magic fire, and, shutting himself - up with the casket, he sent messages with the fire day and night, - over land and sea to all those priests over whom he had command, so - that all the people should be made subject to his will. And he - received answers to his messages without stop or stay, and none - could hold or see the running fire, so that all the land was in - fear by reason of the knowledge of Saurid.’ In the same volume we - find that a priestess, named Borsa, evidently used the telephone; - for, according to her history, ‘she applied her mouth and ears unto - pipes in the wall of her dwelling, and so heard and answered the - requests of the people in the distant city.’ - - “Thus it would seem that there is nothing new under the sun to that - ‘dainty Ariel’ of the mind--Imagination.” - -Early in 1902 Miss Corelli again gave an address in Scotland--this time -at Glasgow, where one of the largest audiences ever known in that city -assembled to hear her lecture on “Signs of the Times.” Every seat was -occupied, and up to the last moment numbers were clamoring for only -standing room. All reserved seats had been booked for nearly three weeks -beforehand, and the extraordinary number of applications received proved -that double the accommodation available could have been taken up. - -The Address was undeniably daring and spirited, touching on various -social aspects of the hour. The apathy of Parliament on certain pressing -matters of home interest, the new rules of Procedure in the House, the -inrush of undesirable aliens, the traitorous attitude of the pro-Boers, -the crowding out of British industries by an excess of foreign -competition, the German slanders upon our army, the change in the -British uniform to the German model, and the flattering attentions of -Germany towards America, were all touched upon by the novelist with a -force and satire that were entirely new and unexpected. One of her best -points was made in alluding to the words uttered by the Prince of Wales, -on his return from his Colonial tour, in the course of his famous speech -at the Mansion House, _i. e._, “The old country must wake up if she -intends to maintain her old position of pre-eminence in her Colonial -trade against foreign competition.” - -She continued: - - “I believe it is the first time in all the annals of English - History that any Prince of Wales has deemed it necessary to tell - the old country, which gave him his birth and heir-apparency, to - ‘wake up’! It has been called a ‘statesmanlike utterance’ in many - quarters of our own always courteous Press, but by our Continental - neighbors it has been simply taken as a royal and official - statement of British incompetency. It has even been said that no - Prince of Wales should ever have admitted any possible likelihood - of weakness in his own country. We must remember, however, that the - warning of his Royal Highness was directed against foreign - competition, and may have been intended to prepare British trade - for the impending commercial designs of Germany upon South - Africa.... If the British Lion is indeed sleeping, it is time to - wake, but to some of us the Great Creature seems never to have - slept, but to have been caught unsuspectingly in a trap of - restrictive legislation and vested interests, and so bound hand and - foot unawares. The Lion is a generous animal, but in certain old - fables he is represented as being no match for the Fox. If, as the - Prince of Wales says, the old country is to maintain her position - of pre-eminence against foreign competition, she has some right to - demand that she be not swamped and throttled by it under the very - shelter of her own sea wall.” - -Referring to what she satirically termed the evidence of our “love” for -Germany, she pointed out that though Germans were guilty of one of the -grossest insults ever recorded in history against our brave army, we, -nevertheless, had clothed that army in the German uniform, and had made -free and independent Tommy Atkins turn himself into a copy of his Teuton -conscript brother. Not only that, we have accepted a German design for -the new postage stamps. She also alluded to the rumor that the -Coronation medal was to be struck from a German design. - -Miss Corelli concluded with the following words:-- - - “The greatest, strongest, most splendid and hopeful ‘sign of the - times’ is the advancing and resistless tide of Truth, which is - approaching steadily--which cannot be kept back, and which in the - first breaking of its great wave shall engulf a whole shore of - weedy shams. A desire for Truth is in the hearts of the people: - Truth in religion, Truth in Life, Truth in work. We are all aiming - for it, pushing towards it, and breaking down obstacles on the way. - And, because God is on the side of Truth, we shall obtain it; more - speedily, perhaps, than we think--especially if we are not too - weakly ready to be led away by the first Anti-Christ of religious, - political, or social example. - - “‘Truth, like the sun in the morning skies, - Shall clear the clouds from the days to be; - “Each for himself” is a Gospel of Lies, - That never was issued by God’s decree.’” - -Such are a few examples of Miss Corelli’s utterances in public. It is -hardly necessary to add that these speeches were liberally punctuated -with applause by those who had the privilege of listening to them. - -If those who condemn the novelist so readily will only take the trouble -to study what she has said, they cannot, if they wish to be regarded as -honest men, deny her possession of many of the qualities that make for -greatness. There are people who fear and dislike this lady because the -attitude she takes up, on many questions, is significant of Battle. She -hits very hard; her enemies wince beneath her blows, and revile her in -wholesale terms because they cannot overcome her in fair combat. But -newspaper sneers will do little to affect the judgment of the Public, -which is, after all, the critic whose opinion is abiding and final. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -MARIE CORELLI’S VIEWS ON MARRIAGE - - -Marie Corelli seems to think that the present generation is one in which -hypocrisy cumbers the face of the globe. “Never,” she says, “was the -earth so oppressed with the weight of polite lying, never were there -such crowds of evil masqueraders, cultured tricksters, and social -humbugs, who, though admirable as tricksters and humbugs, are wholly -contemptible as men and women. Truth is at a discount, and if one should -utter it the reproachful faces of one’s so-called ‘friends’ show how -shocked they are at meeting with anything honest.” That is a very -sweeping assertion for which Marie Corelli has been abused. If the world -had in it more sincerity than sham, the truth of her condemnation of -present systems and practices would have been frankly admitted. Because -what she says is true to an unhappy degree. The authoress is severe in -her criticisms of the marriage “bargains” which are, we think, mainly -the possession of what she would call “smart” society. The Divorce -Court record is certainly a proof that a good many of the weddings that -are “arranged” are certainly not made in Heaven. Marie Corelli thinks, -indeed, that many women have forgotten what marriage is, and she -declares it to be an absolute grim fact that in England many women of -the upper classes are not to-day married, but merely bought for a price. - - “Marriage is not the church, the ritual, the blessing of clergymen, - or the ratifying and approving presence of one’s friends and - relations at the ceremony; still less is it a matter of settlements - and expensive millinery. It is the taking of a solemn vow before - the throne of the Eternal--a vow which declares that the man and - woman concerned have discovered in each other his or her true mate; - that they feel life is alone valuable and worth living in each - other’s company; that they are prepared to endure trouble, poverty, - pain, sickness, death itself, provided that they may only be - together; and that all the world is a mere grain of dust in worth - as compared to the exalted passion which fills their souls and - moves them to become one in flesh as well as in spirit. Nothing can - make marriage an absolutely sacred thing except the great love, - combined with the pure and faithful intention of the vow involved.” - -Amongst all classes a very large number of marriages mean all that. -Amongst the poorer classes--not the lowest classes--the proportion is -probably the largest, and amongst the middle and higher classes it is -so to a large though diminishing degree. Nevertheless, Marie Corelli -states, and we agree, that it is the cash-box that governs the actions -of far too many in entering upon the most serious duty of life; and if -the man and wife do not realize the importance and sacredness of the -tie, the result must be, as the novelist says, that the man and wife -will drag down rather than uplift each other. - -In a magazine article which Marie Corelli wrote some time ago, she drew -a delightful picture of an artist and his wife in Capri who live on £100 -a year in perfect bliss. When one views the picture she draws of their -life it is easy to think one has found something like the lost paradise. -Still, if we all tried love on £100 a year in Capri the housing problem -would soon become as serious a matter there as it is to-day in our great -cities. Love on £100 a year, or less or more, must be tried by most of -us under less favorable geographical circumstances; but under whatever -circumstances true it is, as Miss Corelli insists, that God’s law of -love will make of marriage a successful and happy undertaking. - -Marriage on very moderate means is not attractive. And why? According to -Marie Corelli, because Love is not sufficient for the average girl; -because in the rush of our time we are trampling sweet emotions and true -passion under foot, marriages being too seldom the result of affection -nowadays. They are too often merely the carrying out of a settled scheme -of business. Mothers teach their daughters to marry for a “suitable -establishment”; fathers, rendered desperate as to what they are to do -with their sons in the increasing struggle for life and the incessant -demand for luxuries which are not by any means actually necessary to -that life, say: “Look out for a woman with money.” The heir to a great -name and title sells his birthright for a mess of American -dollar-pottage;--and it is a very common, every-day business to see some -Christian virgin sacrificed on the altar of matrimony to a -money-lending, money-grubbing son of Israel. Bargain and sale,--sale and -bargain,--it is the whole _raison d’être_ of the “season,”--the balls, -the dinners, the suppers, the parties to Hurlingham and Ascot,--even on -the dear old Thames, with its delicious nooks fitted for pure romance -and heart betrothal, the clatter of Gunter’s luncheon-dishes and the -popping of Benoist’s champagne-corks remind the hungry gypsies who -linger near such scenes of river revelry that there is not much -sentiment about,--only plenty of money being wasted. Marie Corelli well -says that there can be nothing more hideous--more like a foretaste of -hell itself--than the life position of a man and woman who have been -hustled into matrimony, and who, when the wedding fuss is over and the -feminine pictorial papers have done gushing about the millinery of the -occasion, find themselves alone together, without a single sympathy in -common, with nothing but the chink of gold and the rustle of the -bank-notes for their heart music, and with a barrier of steadily -increasing repulsion and disgust rising between them every day. - -We have seen something of such a picture in Marie Corelli’s character of -“Sybil Elton”; that it is no more nor less than a crime to enter upon -marriage without that mutual supreme attraction and deep love which -makes the union sacred, may be, in fact, allowed. The question is, how -to avoid such evils? Marie Corelli gives the answer in this advice: “In -a woman’s life _one_ love should suffice. She cannot, constituted as she -is, honestly give herself to more than one man. And she should be -certain--absolutely, sacredly, solemnly certain, that one man is indeed -her preelected lover, her chosen mate; that never could she care for any -other hand than his to caress her beauty, never for any other kiss than -his to rest upon her lips, and that without him life is but a -half-circle waiting completion.... Love is the last of all the mythical -gods to be tempted or cajolled by lawyers and settlements, wedding-cake, -and perishable millinery. His domain is nature and the heart of -humanity,--and the gifts he can bestow on those who meet him in the true -spirit are marvelous and priceless indeed. The exquisite joys he can -teach,--the fine sympathies,--the delicate emotions,--the singular -method in which he will play upon two lives like separate harps, and -bring them into resounding tune and harmony, so that all the world shall -seem full of luscious song,--this is one way of Love’s system of -education. But this is not all--he can so mould the character, temper -the will, and strengthen the heart, as to make his elected disciples -endure the bitterest sorrows bravely,--perform acts of heroic -self-sacrifice and attain the most glorious heights of ambition,--for, -as the venerable Thomas à Kempis tells us,--‘Love is a great thing, yes, -a great and thorough good; by itself it makes everything that is heavy, -light--and it bears evenly all that is uneven. For it carries a burden -which is no burden, and makes everything that is bitter sweet and -tasteful. Though weary it is not tired,--though pressed it is not -straightened,--though alarmed it is not confounded, but as a lively -flame and burning torch it forces its way upward and securely passes -through all. Is not such divine happiness well worth attaining?’” - -The answer to that rests with the women mainly, and to them Marie -Corelli says: - - “I want you to refuse to make your bodies and souls the - traffickable material of vulgar huckstering,--I want you to _give_ - yourselves, ungrudgingly, fearlessly, without a price or any - condition whatsoever, to the men you truly love, and abide by the - results. If love is love indeed, no regret can be possible. But be - sure it _is_ love,--the real passion, that elevates you above all - sordid and mean considerations of self,--that exalts you to noble - thoughts and nobler deeds,--that keeps you faithful to the one vow, - and moves you to take a glorious pride in preserving that vow’s - immaculate purity,--be sure it is all this,--for if it is not all - this you are making a mistake and you are ignorant of the very - beginnings of love. Try to fathom your own hearts on this vital - question--try to feel, to comprehend, to learn the responsibilities - invested in womanhood, and never stand before God’s altar to accept - a blessing on your marriage if you know in your inmost soul that it - is no marriage at all in the true sense of the word, but merely a - question of convenience and sale. To do such a deed is the vilest - blasphemy,--a blasphemy in which you involve the very priest who - pronounces the futile benediction. The saying ‘God will not be - mocked’ is a true one; and least of all will He consent to listen - to or ratify such a mockery as a marriage-vow sworn before Him in - utter falsification and misprisal of His chiefest - commandment,--Love. It is a wicked and wilful breaking of the - law,--and is never by any chance suffered to remain unpunished.” - -Marie Corelli is a great friend of children, loving them and beloved of -them. It may be regarded as probable that the children of those who form -the ideal unions which the novelist so eloquently describes will be sure -to train their own offspring on good and intelligent lines. But there -are others--so many of them. There is much in the writings of Marie -Corelli that bears upon the question, and her text is the dedication of -the “Mighty Atom”--“To those self-styled ‘Progressivists’ who by precept -and example assist the infamous cause of education without religion, and -who, by promoting the idea, borrowed from French atheism, of denying to -the children in Board schools and elsewhere, the knowledge and love of -God, as the true foundation of noble living, are guilty of a worse crime -than murder.” That is her view. She regards the teaching of simple -Christian truths--the love of God, and the instruction which is the -basis of all Christian creeds, _i. e._, to do unto others as you would -be done by--as an essential element in the education of children. She -would regard it as the most heinous of crimes to take from our English -elementary schools that religious instruction which was agreed to in the -1870 Compromise, the Compromise which happily has survived a violent -attack made upon it not long since in the elementary educational -Parliament of London, the Metropolitan School Board. - -Whatever be the general scheme of elementary, secondary, higher, and -technical education and training, Marie Corelli would have the people -insist, as for life itself, upon the children being taught “the -knowledge and love of God.” - -She would have that knowledge imparted in the spirit of which Queen -Victoria wrote: “I am quite clear,” said the Queen, speaking of her -eldest daughter, then a child, “that she should be taught to have great -reverence for God and for religion, and that she should have the feeling -of devotion and love which our Heavenly Father encourages His earthly -children to have for Him, and not one of fear and trembling.” In “The -Master Christian” we see incidentally brought out the evil results of -the unhappy law of France which excludes religious education from the -schools, the consequence of which is the enormous increase of agnostic -thought in that country, and, built upon it, the views and practices -which are eating into the heart of that great nation like a foul -disease, weakening its numerical strength and its moral and intellectual -force. For the guidance of parents in this matter we would commend them -to those two most interesting books, “The Mighty Atom” and “Boy.” They -are volumes which all parents should read and study. They have already -given pause to many callous men and women who were neglecting to bestow -that thought on the children’s training which the subject demands. There -are many Christian parents who for want of thought neglect this matter -and sometimes have only themselves to thank for dissolute sons and -impure daughters. On the other hand, to their credit it is the fact that -many who are not Christians, who are careless and neglectful of -religion, or are even agnostics, insist upon their children receiving -that religious education which they themselves once received, with the -just and broad-minded idea that, though they have become careless, -cynical, or entirely agnostic, the children shall start as they did with -the same training and have the same opportunity of forming their own -judgment on these matters. - -Parents will think deeply over “The Mighty Atom” and “Boy.” Different as -the two stories are, they deal essentially with this great question. -They both teach serious lessons to the fathers and the mothers of -English boyhood. The stories, as such, have been already dealt with. -Here we will just give a few of those lessons which it is the object of -the works in question to teach. - -The author would have children’s bodies educated as well as their minds. -She regards the former as the more important for the reason that a -healthy body is the most suitable habitation for a healthy mind, and -that a keen intellect developed by ruining the physical strength is not -calculated to benefit either the individual, or the community to which -the individual belongs. Lionel Valliscourt, the little hero of “The -Mighty Atom,” has a father and also a tutor, one Montrose. The father is -an atheist and anxious to educate the son on a system, part of which is -the exclusion of religion from the curriculum. Montrose, a level-headed, -clear-brained Scotchman,--no “preacher,” but possessing a simple belief -in God--is dismissed from his position because he does not approve the -father’s system. This he describes as child-murder; and in the remarks -he addresses to the father at their last interview Marie Corelli’s -opinions about child-training are indicated: - - “I will have no part in child-murder” (says Montrose), ... - “Child-murder! Take the phrase and think it over! You have only one - child,--a boy of a most lovable and intelligent - disposition,--quick-brained, too quick-brained by half!--You are - killing him with your hard and fast rules, and your pernicious - ‘system’ of intellectual training. You deprive him of such pastimes - as are necessary to his health and growth,--you surround him with - petty tyrannies which make his young life a martyrdom,--you give - him no companions of his own age, and you are, as I say, murdering - him,--slowly perhaps, but none the less surely.” - -Marie Corelli is absolutely opposed to “cram.” That was what was killing -little Lionel. At ten he was well advanced in mathematics, Latin and -Greek, history, and even science. No wonder he was often “tired,” or -that he felt as if, to use his own words, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to -belong to the hybernating species and go to sleep all the winter. Miss -Corelli detests cram--the regarding of the young human brain as a sort -of expanding bag or hold-all, to be filled with various bulky articles -of knowledge, useful or otherwise, till it shows signs of bursting. That -was the plan of little Lionel’s new coach, who, after the operation of -cramming a youngster’s brain, would then lock up the brain-bag and trust -to its carrying the owner through life. If the lock broke and the whole -bag gave way, so much the worse for the bag, that was all. That was what -happened with poor little Lionel, who hanged himself, tired of the -“cram,” and worried into insanity by the loss of his mother, the death -of his playmate, and the trouble of considering whether, if there be no -God, and death is mere negation, it was really worth while living at -all. - -Healthy physical exercise, reasonable study, and religion as the basis -of that study: so Miss Corelli would train the children. - -“Boy” teaches equally healthy lessons, though the story and the -circumstances are totally different. “Boy” might have been a fine -fellow. He had good qualities. That he became a thief and a forger was -the fault of the home circumstances and example. The father of “Boy” was -a drunkard and a blackguard, though a man of good family. The lad’s -mother was a silly-minded slattern. There was too much discipline -brought to bear upon Lionel Valliscourt; far too little was ever tried -on “Boy.” The latter, in his early childhood left to himself, or to mix -only with street lads, and with parents who, for a foolish “pride,” -refused him better training at the hands of others, developed by neglect -into a young ruffian, though he turned out well in the end. - -Again, in conclusion, we commend these books to parents, and, indeed, to -all interested in or engaged in the education and upbringing of -children. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -SOME PERSONAL ITEMS - - -It is pretty generally known that when Sir Theodore Martin desired, in -honor of Lady Martin’s memory, to place a Helen Faucit memorial in the -chancel of Trinity Church, Stratford-on-Avon, it was Miss Marie Corelli -who undertook a successful campaign against the project. Sir Theodore -Martin most ardently wished to execute his intention, and he had -progressed so far with the negotiations that his desires were on the -point of being carried out; and they would have been but for the active -intervention of Miss Corelli, who roused the whole town of Stratford -into energetic protest against the proposed invasion of Shakespeare’s -own particular shrine. It was Sir Theodore’s idea to place a bas-relief -of Helen Faucit immediately opposite the historical bust of the Poet, on -the other side of the chancel, but in an equally if not more prominent -position. - -Miss Corelli began her campaign with a letter to the _Morning Post_ -calling public attention to Sir Theodore’s plan, and the whole Press -backed up her efforts with hearty unanimity. The late Sir Arthur -Hodgson had taken the chief responsibility of supporting Sir Theodore -Martin, but in his haste and zeal had forgotten to ascertain whether he -could legally remove from the wall of the chancel two mural tablets -which occupied the intended site of the proposed Helen Faucit effigy. -The then Bishop of Worcester, Dr. Perowne, a great personal friend of -Sir Arthur’s, was persuaded to grant a “faculty” for their removal, -without due inquiry. Miss Corelli, however, discovered the descendants -of the very family those mural tablets belonged to, and found that their -permission had not been sought, or their existence considered. Whereupon -the law promptly stepped in, and Sir Theodore Martin was compelled to -withdraw. Otherwise the modern stone-mason would have gone to work in -the hallowed precincts of Shakespeare’s grave, and a piece of wholly -unecclesiastical sculpture would have overlooked the Poet’s place of -family sepulture, a place which Shakespeare himself purchased for his -own interment, and which all the world of literature rightly considers -should be left to his remains, uninvaded. - -The bas-relief of Lady Martin, had it been put up, would have shown her -figure turned with its _back to the altar_, the medallion of -Shakespeare lying at her feet! The whole thing was out of place, and -out of tune with the national sentiment, as though Helen Faucit -was an eminent actress in her day, she had no connection with -Stratford-on-Avon; moreover, she was not British-born. Miss Corelli’s -fight was a hard one, for though Mr. Sidney Lee, who was entirely on her -side, wrote to Sir Theodore Martin himself to expostulate with him on -the mistaken idea he had taken up, nothing would have had any effect had -not Miss Corelli fortunately discovered the descendants of the family -whose mural tablets were about to be displaced without their permission. -When she at last won the day, the whole Press broke out unanimously in a -chorus of praise and congratulation, which must have been a singular -experience for her, so long inured to disparagement. She was bombarded -by telegrams from almost every quarter of the globe, particularly from -America, expressing the thanks of all lovers of Shakespeare. - -It is a pity some one like Marie Corelli was not in Stratford-on-Avon at -the time Shakespeare’s own house, “New Place,” was demolished. Had there -been such an one, the chances are that the house would be still standing -as one of the world’s priceless treasures. Many precious shrines are -defaced, and many valuable mementoes lost for lack of some one to speak -out who is not afraid to give an opinion. Shakespeare’s townspeople are -grateful to the novelist who fought their Poet’s cause single-handed, -and won it in the face of powerful opposition. - - * * * * * - -Concerning the portraits of Miss Corelli, her experiences have not been -particularly pleasing. It will be remembered that a large oil painting -of the novelist was exhibited at Messrs. Graves’ Art Gallery, Pall Mall. -This portrait was painted for two reasons: first, because Miss Corelli -knew at the time of its execution that she was the victim of a serious -malady which might, it was then feared, shortly end her life; and -secondly, because she wished to leave some resemblance of herself to her -dearest friend, Miss Vyver. - -Miss Donald-Smith painted the picture and also executed two “pastel” -portraits. Miss Corelli gave several sittings to the artist at a time -when her illness was causing her the acutest agony, and when the hours -thus spent in the studio were to her a perfect martyrdom. At Miss -Donald-Smith’s request she permitted her to send the large picture to -the Academy, where it was rejected. It was then exhibited by Messrs. -Graves, and was at once made the subject of personal and abusive -attacks, not on the artist, but on Marie Corelli herself for being -painted at all! Some journalists went so far as to accuse her of “taking -the gate-money” and “speculating in her own portrait.” As a matter of -fact, Miss Corelli received none of the percentage allowed on the -photogravures of the picture, and it may be added that she withdrew the -picture altogether from public view before it had been long on -exhibition. - -Another portrait was painted by Mr. Ellis Roberts for himself. He asked -Marie Corelli to sit for him, having always been one of her greatest -admirers. He did not, of course, know that she consented to sit for the -same primary reason as for the other--namely, that she did not then -expect to live more than a few months--and that she wished to bequeathe -some “presentment” of herself to those who might care for it. Mr. -Roberts is probably not aware to this day that she was often almost -fainting when she left his studio after a prolonged “sitting.” He has -never seen her since she recovered her health and good spirits: if he -had, it is probable he would wish to make another sketch of her. - -We may add that Miss Corelli still declines to allow a portrait of -herself to be published--a decision which we regret. For many are the -“surprises” that have been given to those expectant of meeting in the -novelist a severe literary woman with spectacles and a bilious -complexion. It may be truly said that Marie Corelli is very -light-hearted, always high-spirited, and full of fun; people who -represent her as morbid, brooding on her own “sorrows,” or grumbling at -the world in general, have never seen her, and can form no idea of her -disposition. - -She is really a most charming lady, a most hospitable hostess, a -delightful _raconteur_, a brilliant musician, a woman of broad views and -large sympathies, a true and staunch friend, always glad to do a kindly -action. - - * * * * * - -After the record-breaking success of “The Master Christian” and the -world-wide discussions following the publication of that famous book, -the editor of a magazine addressed the following communication to Miss -Marie Corelli: - -INDD -“DEAR MADAM,-- - - “I venture to ask whether you would kindly undertake for us a - review of Mr. Hall Caine’s new book, ‘The Eternal City’? - - “Your own novel on a somewhat similar theme leads us to believe - that a criticism of Mr. Caine’s book from your pen would be of - great interest and of singular literary value. I suggest that it - might run to three or four thousand words, for which we would be - ready to pay an _honorarium_ of fifty guineas.” - -Vastly entertained by this proposition, and seeing very clearly through -the evident “hole in a millstone,” the novelist replied promptly: - -INDD -“DEAR SIR,-- - - “I cannot but admire the astute and businesslike character of your - request; but I do not write ‘reviews.’ Nothing would ever persuade - me to criticise the work of my contemporaries. Moreover, my book, - ‘The Master Christian,’ is not at all on the same theme as ‘The - Eternal City.’ Mr. Hall Caine treats of Rome,--I, of the Christ. - The two are direct opposites. - - “‘The Eternal City’ is recognizably inspired by and founded on - Zola’s ‘Rome,’ in which great work the ‘religious message’ of Mr. - Caine’s novel is fully set forth. The idea of a democratic Rome - under a democratic Pope is Zola’s ‘own original’ and belongs to - Zola alone. Wherefore, let me suggest that you should ask M. Zola - to review the work of his English _confrère_!” - - * * * * * - -When Sir Henry Drummond Wolff made Miss Corelli’s acquaintance he was -rather struck by the somewhat lonely and incessantly hard-working life -of the young novelist at the time of “Ardath"‘s publication. Her beloved -stepfather was dying by inches--failing gradually every day, and her -hours were consumed by anxiety, work, and watching. He asked her if he -could introduce her to any one in London she would like to know. After a -few moments’ reflection, of all people in the world she chose Henry -Labouchere! “I don’t want anything from him,” she said; “I’m not after a -notice in _Truth_. I want to know _him_, because I’m sure he is unlike -anybody else.” - -The introduction was given, and the result of it was that she became -very intimate with the editor of _Truth_, with Mrs. Labouchere, and with -Miss Dora Labouchere. They were among those good friends who, with Miss -Vyver, helped to rouse her from the shock and nervous prostration -following on the sudden death of her stepbrother, George Eric Mackay. -Mr. Labouchere has never been known to try the satiric edge of his -tongue against his “little friend,” as he calls her; and she is always a -most welcome visitor to his house in Old Palace Yard. - - * * * * * - -Quite lately there has been a singular journalistic incident which must -be considered as particularly unfortunate, having regard to some of -Miss Marie Corelli’s previous experiences of newspapers. A “private and -confidential” letter, written by her to the editor of a ladies’ paper, -was published by that editor in his journal with the appendage of a very -discourteous reply. The incident arose out of the Highland gathering at -Braemar, at which place Miss Corelli had been staying for some weeks. -This gathering, which was honored by the presence of his Majesty, was -attended by Miss Corelli and a party of friends. Miss Corelli, as her -thousands of readers have no need to be told, did not require, or seek -for, a “mention in the papers” in consequence of her attendance at the -function. Had she done so she could easily have paid for it in the -“fashionable announcements.” She attends many gatherings in connection -with which her name is never mentioned, but she does not write -complaints--confidential or otherwise--on that score. Some people like -to suggest that Marie Corelli, whose circle of distinguished personal -friends is remarkably large, is more or less friendless and without -social surroundings, a suggestion that, pitiful as it is, is somewhat -amusing to those who are favored with her close acquaintance. - -On the occasion in question Miss Corelli wrote a note marked “private -and confidential,” asking the editor of the ladies’ paper not “why her -name was not mentioned,” but “why it was omitted”--a distinction with a -difference in this case--for she happened to be the hostess of a party -whose names were included in the newspaper notice, and who were -surprised and indignant at the fact that, whilst their names were -mentioned, that of their notable hostess was left out. It was at the -suggestion of one of these that Miss Corelli wrote the “private and -confidential” letter which the editor, without consulting her, rushed -into print. The result of her harmless inquiry is well-known. The -publication of the communication brought a shoal of letters to the -famous author from men and women of “light and leading,” assuring her of -their sympathy in this outrage. Amongst the writers of these letters -were several very distinguished journalists, a fact which lends emphasis -to Miss Corelli’s knowledge that, notwithstanding her tilts with the -Press, the bulk of the journalists of the country do honor to their -profession and totally disapprove of such an act as the publication of a -“private and confidential” communication. We hear that printed slips -containing her letter to the editor in question, and the latter’s reply, -were sent by some one for circulation through the town of -Stratford-on-Avon. Such a proceeding, whoever - -[Illustration: WINTER AT “MASON CROFT"] - -was responsible, could have been followed with only the one object of -endeavoring to make Miss Corelli appear in an unfavorable light before -the neighbors and friends among whom she resides. - -It is pleasant to learn that this precious campaign entirely failed. The -editor of the local journal, the _Stratford-on-Avon Herald_, duly -received his slips of this correspondence, the hope probably being that -he would reproduce them in his journal. He however took no notice of -these “hand-bills”; and the good citizens of Shakespeare’s town -generally are far too conscious of Miss Corelli’s affection for them and -unfailing sympathy in all their interests, to feel anything but -unmeasured contempt for any effort to injure her in their esteem. People -hastened to call at Mason Croft and express their indignation at the -treatment she had received, and they found her, as usual, busily -working, happy and unconcerned. To one friend, an M.P., who expressed -his views on the subject with considerable expletive, she said quietly, -“Oh, well, it really doesn’t matter! The editor has condemned himself by -his own action. My letter, asking merely why my name was omitted, was -quite a harmless epistle, surely? It scarcely merits an imprisonment in -the Tower!” - -_The Daily Express_ acted somewhat curiously on this occasion. Having -copied the whole of the “private correspondence,” it was suggested that -this paper might possibly be laying itself open to penalties of the law -for “breach of copyright.” Whereupon haste was made to send the -following telegram to Miss Corelli: “Have asked our correspondent to -call upon you. We will print with pleasure any statement. Sorry our -article did not please you. Would like to make amends.--_Daily Express._ - -The desire, however, to “make amends” does not appear to have been very -hearty, because soon afterwards a second article on the subject appeared -in _The Daily Express_, stating that there was “no law to prevent the -publication of a private and confidential letter,” unless it bore a -legal “confidential stamp.” And at the same time Mr. Pearson wrote to -Miss Corelli to say that he thought the editor who had published her -“private and confidential” note was “perfectly justified” in his action! -But there can be no possible justification for publishing a letter of -confidence. Business would be impossible under such circumstances. The -mistake Miss Corelli has made in the past has been to condemn the Press -and pressmen for the shortcomings of individuals who represent only -themselves and not a profession. She has been misunderstood on the -matter, but her hearty good-will to journalists is well-known to many of -the craft who are proud to be within the pleasant circle of her intimate -friends. - - * * * * * - -A section of the Press finds pleasure in accusing Miss Corelli of -“self-advertisement.” If it were at all true that she has any -proclivities that way, she would surely accept the frequent and urgent -offers made to her to lecture in the United States, on almost fabulous -terms. - -Again, a chance for “self-advertisement” offered itself to Miss Corelli -in the invitation of Edinburgh, last year, to open the Home Industries -Exhibition, in Waverley Market. People hoped for her coming, and urgent -letters were sent to her assuring her that she would receive a splendid -welcome. Miss Corelli, however, declined the tempting proposal, which, -if the “advertising” accusations were in any way well-founded, seems a -short-sighted waste of opportunity on her part. As a matter of fact, she -seldom takes the chances of notoriety that are so frequently offered to -her; but it would be easy to name a dozen or more periodicals which are -glad to make advertisements for themselves out of some specially -contrived attack upon her. The public, however, sees through this, and, -understanding the motives of action, are all the more loyal to Marie -Corelli and her work. Britishers are famed for their love of “fair -play,” and the spectacle of several able-bodied men engaged in steadily -“hounding” a woman who has made her way without their assistance by the -fuel of her own brain and energy, does not appeal to the majority. They -see no fun in it, but only an exhibition of cowardice. - -While on this subject, it may be mentioned that as soon as certain -sections of the Press discovered that Marie Corelli was among the -favored few who had received an invitation from the King to be present -in the Abbey at the Coronation on August 9th, she was bombarded with -letters and telegrams from several newspapers entreating her to write -for them her “impressions” of the great ceremony. To all these -applications she gave no answer. Her silence on such an occasion rather -discounts her supposed “love of notoriety”! Truth to tell, her presence -at the Abbey, as a guest of the King, created in some quarters quite a -riot of fury. - -“We hear,” said one paper, “that Miss Marie Corelli was among the King’s -guests in the Abbey! Marvelous! No doubt she wore a gown as gorgeous as -her love of self-advertisement could make it!” Poor Miss Corelli! In the -very simplest attire of white chiffon and lace, she was one of the most -unobtrusively dressed ladies present, as she wore no jewels, and had -nothing indeed about her costume that could attract the slightest -attention, though she was the “observed of all observers” at the -luncheon held in the House of Peers after the Abbey ceremonial, not for -her dress, but for her fame. - -Another incident may be aptly quoted here. When the King was attacked by -his serious illness, the enterprising manager of a newspaper press -agency made haste to write to Miss Corelli saying that it was necessary -to “prepare for the worst,” and would she therefore write her -“impressions” of the King,--which meant, of course, an obituary notice! -To which the novelist replied with considerable warmth that she had too -much immediate concern for the dangerous condition of her Sovereign, as -well as too much honor for him, to “make trade” for the newspapers by -writing “obituary notices” of his life before he was dead! By the grace -of God, she said, he would be spared to the Throne for many good and -happy years to come. Such is the real spirit of the woman whom her more -than malicious enemies accuse of “disloyalty” and “desire for -advertisement.” It is a satisfaction to give a few truths of her real -disposition as opposed to the unfounded falsehoods that are circulated -about her. As a single example of her womanliness and womanly -sympathies, it may be mentioned that no one has yet written a tenderer -tribute to the virtues of the Queen than Marie Corelli in “The Soul of -Queen Alexandra,” published last year in her “Christmas Greeting.” - - * * * * * - -Two letters which were addressed to Miss Corelli by eminent preachers -who have since passed away are of interest. In explanation of their -inclusion it should be mentioned that Dr. Campbell, the successor of Dr. -Parker at the City Temple, was exceedingly anxious to persuade Miss -Corelli to open a great Nonconformist bazaar in the Dome during the -early part of last November. She would have been perfectly willing to do -so had there not been a great agitation just then in the press -concerning the Education Bill, for she judged that had she performed any -special ceremony in any prominent way for the Nonconformist cause, she -would again have been singled out for unfair attack. - -For several days she hesitated, her whole inclination being to help the -charity so urgently and eloquently pleaded for by the Rev. Dr. Campbell. -During this time of indecision, however, she was made the subject of a -violent discourse from the pulpit of a Nonconformist minister in another -part of the country. This appears to have formulated her final resolve, -for she wrote to Dr. Campbell, regretting her inability to comply with -his request, and enclosing the “sermon” on herself from one of his own -persuasion, concerning which she said that under such circumstances her -opening of the Bazaar might do the cause more harm than good. - -Dr. Campbell, disappointed, but not dismayed, renewed his persuasions -and prevailed upon several of his distinguished personal friends to -write to the novelist and urge her to alter her decision. Among those -who did so were Dr. Joseph Parker and the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, to -both of whom the sermon against the novelist had been sent for perusal. -Dr. Parker wrote to Miss Corelli as follows:-- - - HAMPSTEAD, -_October 6th, 1902_. - - DEAR MISS CORELLI,-- - - I have just received a letter from my friend Campbell, and though I - have to rise from my bed to write this note, I gladly make a very - great sacrifice. I do not know the preacher whose sermon you send. - I never even heard of him. Campbell I do know--refined, cultured, - high-minded. Let me entreat you to serve my true and good friend. - What need you care for such an attack? You do not live on the same - plane as that nameless man. I read your book[D] with inexpressible - delight; why not pay more attention to my praise than to another - man’s slander? Now do send me a wire or a card or a letter, and say - that you will open the Bazaar at Brighton. - - Very tired, - Very dispirited, - Ever sincerely and hopefully yours, - JOSEPH PARKER. - - - -The note from the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes ran thus:-- - - MEMORIAL HALL, - FARRINGDON STREET, - - LONDON, E. C. -_October 6th, 1902_. - - DEAR MADAM,-- - - I find that my friend, Mr. R. J. Campbell, of Brighton, has asked - you to open a Bazaar in the Dome. I take the liberty of expressing - a very earnest hope that you will be able to comply with Mr. - Campbell’s request. Mr. Campbell occupies a quite unique position - among us, and any kindness shown to him will be a kindness to us - all. - - I am, dear Madam, - Yours sincerely, - HUGH PRICE HUGHES. - - MISS MARIE CORELLI. - -Miss Corelli, however, who was just at that time being made the subject -of some particularly venomous attacks concerning her romance, “Temporal -Power,” felt compelled to maintain her refusal, though much to her own -great disinclination and regret--a regret that we share, for we should -like to be able to record that she opened the bazaar after all. - - * * * * * - -The following letter, which deals with a critique on “Temporal Power,” -is most interesting from the point of view that it was written by one -lady-novelist in defense of another; it possesses all the more weight -seeing that Mrs. Rentoul Esler is an entire stranger to Miss Corelli. - - THE ETHICS OF CRITICISM - - _To the Editor of the “Sunday Sun"_ - - Sir,--When a new book appears there are only two points on which - the reading public requires enlightenment. These are the subject of - the book and the manner in which that subject is handled. All else - is apart from the best interests of literature, and the literary - life. When a book from Miss Marie Corelli is issued it seems the - fashion in press circles to discourse largely and loosely of the - writer and to say little or nothing of her work. - - The abuse poured on this lady seems to do the sale of her books no - harm--it may even increase it--and the supposition is - suggestive--but as books and the making of them have an interest - apart from the commercial one, it seems time that a protest be made - against the unworthy treatment to which one individual is - habitually subjected. I have no personal acquaintance with Miss - Corelli, and her books give me no more pleasure and no less than do - those of Mr. George Meredith, whom your critic seems to place in - antithesis to her, this also being the fashion of the moment; it is - not in defense of a favorite writer that I wish to express an - opinion, but in defense of those qualities that render criticism an - honorable calling. - - The heading of the critique in your issue of August 31st, and the - introductory section, were alike unworthy of a literary paper and - of the pen of a gentleman. The charges of self-advertisement are - insulting and untrue. There are few writers who owe as little to - the paragraphist as Miss Corelli, while the flouts and jibes flung - at her because her books sell extensively are merely stupid. The - size of an edition of any book depends on the publisher’s knowledge - of the demand that awaits it. It might be better, in the interests - of literature, to keep commerce and literary merit in separate - compartments, but as long as such critical organs as _The Bookman_ - make a regular feature of tables of sales from Provincial and - Metropolitan book-sellers, it is neither logical nor brave to pour - vials of scorn on one writer because her publisher announces that - the first edition of her book will be large. - - The subject of Miss Corelli’s book seems a legitimate one; “If I - were King” has appealed to the moralist, the fictionist, and the - dramatist time out of mind. When a biography of this popular writer - is called for, the critic may then be personal and impertinent if - it seem good to him, but in connection with the discussion of a - book personalities regarding its author are unfair and in the worst - possible taste. - - As an interested reader of the critical opinions in the _Sunday - Sun_ since the first issue of that paper, I consider myself - entitled to protest when a journal of such eminence descends to - methods that are neither amusing, informative, nor well-bred. Even - a popular writer is entitled to fair treatment, and it is of the - utmost importance to every branch of literature that those who - undertake to form public opinion should remember that the rostrum - has obligations as well as privileges. - - E. RENTOUL ESLER. - - THE HEATH, DARTFORD. - -Mrs. Rentoul Esler is herself a writer of distinction and power, and is -thus able to express herself with the vigor and lucidity which carry -conviction. Her letter is a clear call for that “Fair Play” which Marie -Corelli has been demanding for so long. - - * * * * * - -That the novelist is well able to retort upon unfriendly critics is -shown by a few verses addressed by her to _The Quarterly_ in her -“Christmas Greeting” (1901). A lacerating article concerning Miss -Corelli and her work had appeared in _The Quarterly_, and it drew from -her the following little epigram:-- - - TO THE QUARTERLY - - WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON - - Greeting, old friend! A merry Christmas time - To you, who nothing merry ever see;-- - Great Murderer of poets in their prime,-- - Why have you struck at _me_? - - With vengeful hooks of sharpened critic-steel - You tortured giants in the days gone by,-- - And now upon your creaking, rusty wheel, - You’d break a Butterfly! - - Alas! you’re far too cumbrous for such things! - Your heavy, clanking axle drags i’ the chase;-- - The happy Insect has the use of wings, - And keeps its Sunshine-place! - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -AT STRATFORD-ON-AVON - - -A review of Marie Corelli’s life from the time she left her -convent-school to the present day, shapes as a record of intellectual -activity rather than one of movement or incident of an anecdotal nature. -But although the novelist has never actually gone out of her way to -study local color, she has traveled all over Europe; as, during her -stepfather’s long illness and the constant strain of anxiety entailed -upon her by his condition, it was necessary for her to take at least one -month’s rest and change of air in the course of each year. These annual -holidays were spent in various parts of Europe--in France, Italy, -Holland, Switzerland, and Germany--and during her travels she was never -idle, but always at work recording notes of scenes, seasons, and events. -The _locale_ of Combmartin was carefully studied by her before she ever -wrote “The Mighty Atom”; and, as the many tourists who have visited the -neighborhood since on account of the story can testify, both that -village and Clovelly have been faithfully represented. But some of the -scenery in her other books, though correct in detail, has never been -visited by the novelist at all. “Thelma,” which is a frequent -companion-volume to travelers in Norway, has certain scenes depicted -which are now shown by local guides as associated with the novel, but -the writer herself has never visited Norway. - -It may be remembered that in “Anne of Geirstein” Walter Scott gives an -exact description of Switzerland; but at the time he wrote the novel he -had never seen that country. We have already told how Sir Henry Drummond -Wolff, a great authority on Persia, called on Miss Corelli shortly after -the publication of “Ardath” to inquire personally where she had resided -in the East, to be so familiar with Eastern color and surroundings; and -he was very much surprised to learn that she had never visited the East -at all, nor had any idea of going there. In the same way, though -“Vendetta!” is an essentially Neapolitan story, she has never seen -Naples. Nor does she “read up” for her local color. When asked to -explain how she manages to convey herself in spirit to countries with -which she is entirely unacquainted, she replies: “I _imagine_ it must be -so, and I find it generally _is_ so.” As she stated in her lecture at -Edinburgh on “The Vanishing Gift,” she thinks Imagination is a decaying -faculty in the present day. “People seem unable to project themselves -into either the past or the future,” she says, “and yet that is the only -way to gauge the events of the present.” - -Marie Corelli is a fair linguist, having a thorough knowledge of French -and Italian. She can read Balzac and Dante as readily as she can read -Walter Scott--these three, by the way, being particular favorites of -hers. - -Marlowe describes a library as containing “infinite riches in a little -room.” Though no millionaire in her possession of this kind of wealth, -Marie Corelli has gathered about her a set of volumes which is -representative without being cumbersome. Her books are not stored in a -stately room that is held sacred to them and them alone, but they are -here, there, and everywhere, in drawing-room, working-den, and bedroom. -She is not a bookish woman--in the reading sense--but she reads -discreetly, and has many widely different friends between covers. Nor is -she a miser in this respect, for she gives and lends as readily as she -buys or borrows. - -Many of those interested in the novelist’s movements have wondered what -attraction drew Miss Marie Corelli to Stratford-on-Avon so greatly as -to persuade her to settle there. The cause is a very simple one. From -her earliest childhood she had been encouraged by her adopted father, -Dr. Charles Mackay, to entertain a great adoration for the name and the -works of Shakespeare, and before she was nine years old she used to -recite, at his request, whole passages from the plays of the great -Master. When she returned from school, he promised to take her for a -“pilgrimage,” as he termed it, to all the places made notable by -Shakespeare’s association with them, and to this pilgrimage she had -looked forward with the greatest expectation. But it was never to be, -for Dr. Mackay’s illness came on and prevented all such plans of -pleasure from being fulfilled. - -When the aged poet died, and his adopted child, broken-hearted at his -loss, and feeling herself utterly alone in the world, knew not how to -endure the weary days following immediately on his death, she suddenly -bethought herself of the “pilgrimage” she and the dear one she had loved -so well had arranged to make together. She determined to carry out the -plan, and her friend Miss Vyver (who lost her mother in the same year as -that of Dr. Mackay’s death) accompanied her, as did her stepbrother, Mr. -Eric Mackay. With sorrow as well as interest, she went over every scene -her early teaching had made her familiar with, and was so charmed with -Warwickshire, and Stratford in particular, that she was anxious to leave -London then at once, and take up her residence in Shakespeare’s town. -This was in 1890, when only four of her books had been published. - -Her wishes in this respect, however, she subordinated to those of her -stepbrother, who preferred London; but from that time she always -cherished the memory of Stratford-on-Avon, and hoped she would be able -to return thither. Finally, in 1898, when Eric Mackay’s death deprived -her of her last remaining link with her childhood, save her -ever-faithful friend Miss Vyver, and when she was extremely ill from the -effects of long sickness, followed by the nervous shock of Eric’s sudden -end, she turned her thoughts to the old town again, and decided to take -a furnished house there, to see if the place agreed with her health. She -rented “Hall’s Croft” for a few months, then “Avon Croft” (where the -“Master-Christian” and “Boy” were finished), and, finding that the soft, -mild air did wonders for her, and gradually reestablished her strength, -she decided to remain. - -The only house available in the town for a permanency was “Mason Croft,” -a very old place - -[Illustration: THE ELIZABETHAN WATCH TOWER, MASON CROFT] - -in a sad state of disrepair, its last “restoration” bearing the date of -1745, but, as it was all there was to be had, she risked taking it on -trial. Gradually improving and restoring it, she has now brought it back -to look something like it must have been in the fifteenth century, when -it was quite an important house, requiring a “watch-tower,” wherein a -watchman was set to guard the property, and which still stands in the -garden, having been transformed into a cozy summer “study” for the -novelist. Every month sees some new addition to the charming -oak-panelled rooms, which are essentially home-like, and Miss Corelli’s -love of flowers, which amounts to a passion, shows itself in the mass of -blossom which in winter, equally as in the summer, adorns her -“winter-garden,” leading out from the drawing-room. - -She is very fond of the home she has made, and fond of the town in which -it stands, and her reason for living in Stratford arises simply out of -the old cherished sentiment of her childhood’s days when she was taught -to consider the little town as the real “Heart of England,” where the -greatest of poets had birth, and where her idolized stepfather had -promised to “pass many happy days with her.” She takes the keenest -interest in all the joys and sorrows of Stratford’s townspeople, and -grudges neither trouble nor expense in anything that may bring them -pleasure or good. - -It is well-known that she thinks it regrettable that the Memorial -Theatre should be so little used, owing to the high fees asked for it, -and that good actors should find it impossible to risk going down to -perform there, unless their expenses are guaranteed, particularly as it -is the only “self-endowed” theatre in England! She possesses an -interesting letter from the late Charles Flower, who gave the largest -share of the money required to build the place, in which it is plainly -set forth that his idea of the theatre was to let it at a merely -“nominal fee,” in order that the best actors might go to Stratford and -play Shakespeare’s works, in the best manner, to the Stratford -townspeople, who were only to be asked “popular” prices for admission. -But, since that estimable benefactor’s death, things have not been -exactly on the footing he thus suggested, and for more than half the -year the theatre is empty and useless, which seems a pity. “How much -better,” says Miss Corelli, “it would be to see the theatre full, and -the public-houses empty!” In which most people will agree with her. But -though her opinions are very strong on these and other points concerning -some matters at Stratford, she never interferes or puts forward any -suggestions that she considers might be resented. The only time she did -put her foot down was when Sir Theodore Martin wanted to break into the -antique sanctity of Shakespeare’s resting-place in the Church of the -Holy Trinity, and in that campaign all the world was with her, as well -as Stratford itself. She does all the good she can in the neighborhood; -she has quite revivified the Choral Society; she gives short, simple -addresses to workmen and schoolchildren; she opens bazaars and sales of -work, and by her presence at such functions brings much-needed pecuniary -help to institutions which always feel, to a greater or less extent, the -pinch of poverty. - -The desire to do good to one’s fellow-creatures must animate every -writer whose work is not solely the product of intellect. When there is -“heart” in a book, there must be a heart that can throb for others in -the author of it. Pass the lives of eminent authors before you in rapid -mental review, and you will find that most of these authors were -constantly performing kindly actions. The great souls of Dickens and -Thackeray--of the latter especially--prompted them to do many generous -things. It is said that when, as an editor, Thackeray found a letter -with a manuscript telling a tale of pathetic circumstances, he would -sometimes (when obliged to return the manuscript) scribble out a check -on his own account and send it back with the rejected story. Turning to -women writers, has not Mrs. Gaskell, in her touching life of Charlotte -Brontë, told us how she and the poor Yorkshire clergyman’s daughter paid -sundry afternoon calls in the Haworth district, and how welcome was the -novelist’s “quiet presence” in many humble homes? Ruskin’s kindness and -open-handed charity, as one who visited him has told us, were proverbial -in the Brantwood neighborhood. The history of Dr. Johnson’s home life -proves amply the tenderness which lay behind his pompous and dictatorial -manner. Poor Goldsmith’s generosity amounted almost to a vice, for he -would borrow a guinea to give to a friend in need and empty his pockets -for a whining mendicant. His philanthropy was wholesale, and quite -lacked any sense of proportion. Scott worked himself to death to pay off -the debts of the publishing firm in which he was concerned;--turn where -you will, you find that the men and women whose work in life has been -the making of songs and dramas and novels, have ever been keenly alive -to the distress prevalent among their fellow-creatures, and have seldom -been guilty of anything approaching selfishness. - -It would not be meet in the present work to touch in any but the most -passing way on Miss Corelli’s practical philanthropy. But it is only -due to her, in a biographical work published mainly to explain what she -_is_--as opposed to what so many malicious paragraphists have declared -her to be--to pay a tribute to her consideration for others, and her -desire to make the best use of such worldly possessions as the extensive -sale of her works has naturally brought her. - -Those, however, who accuse her of “self-advertisement” will do well to -remember that by such an absolutely false clamor they are depriving many -in need from assistance which they might obtain were the novelist -certain that her actions would not be misrepresented and misconstrued. -For nothing makes her happier than to see others happy. She has helped -many strugglers in the literary profession, too, and literary men and -women who disparage her may be surprised to hear that she has herself -never been known to say an injurious word with regard to any one of her -fellow-authors. - -It may be asked--what is Marie Corelli’s life-programme? Most writers -have a definite object in view--this one to achieve immortality; that -one to make money. What is Marie Corelli’s? - -Briefly, she writes,--has always written,--to reach the hearts and minds -of those thinking people of to-day who are striving to combat the -subtleties of the Agnostic and Atheist; to strengthen their faith in -the truth, the reality, the goodness of God and Christianity; the people -who have hearts that throb with tenderness, hope, love and sincerity. -She would purify society. She would exalt everything that is noble and -good. She would destroy the rule of unbelief and insincerity, and raise -in its place ideal characters and conditions strongly built upon a -foundation of faith and truth. Such is Marie Corelli’s programme. - -The interest taken by the novelist in social questions has led her to -correspond with workingmen’s clubs in America and the colonies, and not -a few papers have been written by her to serve as subjects for -discussion in such institutions. - -But what of that self of which so much has been heard? It is a -personality striking in its simplicity and in its power. Marie Corelli -is a woman of women, simple in her tastes, strong in her faiths and her -aims, with a heart full of sympathy for others, living a busy life that -from its productiveness in the world of literature is a constant -influence for good in the hearts and homes of thousands the world over, -and, in its private relationships, a source of help, inspiration, and -benefit to those with whom she comes in contact. - -That she is not merely a lover of Shakespeare, but a Shakespeare -enthusiast, is known to all her friends; she would see the day come, if -possible, and help to speed its coming, when the whole town of -Stratford-on-Avon shall be a Shakespeare memorial. She would exclude -steam-launches and all similar misplaced modernities from the peaceful -Avon; she would have every new building that is erected in the -birthplace of Shakespeare constructed in accordance with the -architecture of the Master’s day; she would sacredly and lovingly guard -every old building and the form of all Stratford’s old streets; she -would have the storehouse, that exists there, of never explored -sixteenth-century records, thoroughly ransacked and reported upon, as it -should be, by competent and national authorities, and given an adequate -place and publicity. We should hear little more then, we venture to -assert, of Baconian theories. Miss Corelli would have, moreover (and -perhaps the statement may help to further the object), a great -development of the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford. She would like it -to be the Bayreuth of Literature. She would establish a central -Shakespearean Society, with branches all over the world, which would -circulate notes of interest among all Shakespeare lovers, and hold -annual conferences in connection with the April Shakespearean -celebrations. - -Now, as to Marie Corelli’s “public.” The great sale of her works proves -it to be a vast one, and the fact that her publishers have not found it -advisable to issue her in sixpenny form is clear proof that she commands -the purses of those who are able to afford six shillings. And although -the possession of money is no guarantee of literary taste, yet it stands -to reason that the upper and middle classes, taken in the mass, are the -chief supporters of literature, and afford the best criterion of worth -in their selection of books owing to the fact that their education is -superior to that of people who are commonly designated as “poor.” But -for the latter there are the free libraries, and the Corelli novels are -in as constant demand wherever books are to be obtained for nothing, as -at railway bookstalls, where there is not a halfpenny abatement of the -full published price. Miss Corelli, then, being read by people of all -classes, may certainly be said to have won over a considerable majority -of the bookreading portion of the British race. - -And it must not be forgotten that she is perhaps the most extensively -read of living novelists in Holland, Russia, Germany and Austria, where -translations of her books are always to be obtained, or that her -“Barabbas” and “A Romance of Two Worlds,” in their Hindustani -renderings, command a wide following among the native peoples of India. -She is extremely popular in Norway and Sweden, and “Vendetta!” in its -Italian translation is always the vogue in Italy, as is the French -version of “Absinthe” (“Wormwood”) in France. There is no country where -her name is unknown, and no European city, where, if she chances to pass -through, she is not besieged with visitors and waylaid with offerings of -flowers. Were she to visit Australia or New Zealand she would receive an -almost “royal” welcome, so great is the enthusiasm in the “New World” -for anything that comes from her pen. - -Marie Corelli’s acquaintances are many in number, but her circle of -friends is a small and carefully selected one. Shakespeare’s “He that is -thy friend indeed” can be applied, even in the case of a popular -novelist, to but few persons. Where Miss Corelli is, there always is her -devoted friend Miss Vyver. Between these two there is perfect -understanding and absolute sympathy. It goes without saying that, until -the day of his death, Dr. Mackay held chief place in his adopted -daughter’s heart, and, though dead, holds it still. The kind old -publisher, George Bentley, was, perhaps, owing to his unceasing sympathy -and delicate appreciation of her nature, the best friend Marie Corelli -ever had outside her own family circle. - -But many of the social and artistic world’s great personages are among -her most frequent guests and correspondents. The numerous letters she -has from famous men and women would almost make a journal of -contemporary history. Many eminent persons appear to set considerable -value on her opinions, judging from the questions they ask of her, and -the urgency with which they press for an answer. - -During the South African War, representatives of all ranks at the front -kept her informed of all that was going on, batches of letters reaching -her from “fighting men” who were personally utter strangers to her, and -whose names she had never heard. The gallant Lord Dundonald, who has -long been a friend of hers, found time to write her one of the first -letters that left his pen after he entered Ladysmith. And this kind of -general confidence in her friendship runs all along the line. No one who -has known her once seems inclined to forget her, while those who have -really read her books become her friends without any personal knowledge -of her. - -At Stratford this celebrated novelist lives a very quiet life. Of course -she cannot escape the attentions of the curious, for Fame has its -penalties; the Stratford cabmen, taking visitors round the old town, -often pull up opposite Mason Croft to allow - -[Illustration: MISS CORELLI’S BOATMAN AND PUNT] - -their fares to gaze upon the residence of the popular writer. Sometimes -her admirers, although absolute strangers, venture to call upon her; but -there is an astute and diplomatic butler at Mason Croft who takes very -good care that his mistress is not unnecessarily disturbed when she is -working. - -It is this resolute working of hers that--coupled with her extraordinary -gifts--has made the name of Marie Corelli one to conjure with. Week in, -week out, she toils at her desk for several hours every morning, and it -is by such methods of regularity and application that she has succeeded -in writing such long, as well as such successful, novels. - -The following sketch, contributed to the _Manchester Chronicle_ last -summer by the editor, Mr. J. Cuming Walters, affords a very complete -picture of Marie Corelli as she is to-day:-- - - In the old-world town of Stratford-on-Avon stands an Elizabethan - red-brick house, its windowsills brightened with flowers which hang - down in profusion and impart gaiety of aspect to the ancient and - time-worn edifice. Here, near the Guild Church and the school that - Shakespeare knew, in the quietest part of the town, dwells, with - her loyal companion and friend, Miss Marie Corelli. - - What manner of woman is this most popular novelist of the hour, who - has the reading world at her feet, and who has conquered the hearts - of millions? Until lately she was thought to be a mystery. One has - only to know her to marvel why. For Marie Corelli does not shroud - herself in obscurity, does not affect the life of the recluse, does - not pretend to be other than she is--a winsome, warm-hearted, - sunny-natured woman, who enjoys life to the full, and would have - others enjoy theirs, who has ideals and tries to live up to them, - and who asks only to be freed from vulgar intrusion and the - slanderous shafts of unseen enemies. In her delightful Stratford - home she lives in a serene atmosphere; she regards the spot as - hallowed; she has the artist’s love of the beautiful Warwickshire - scenery, and the woman’s tenderness for all around her; the - cottagers know her charity, and all good causes enjoy her aid and - patronage. Here she dwells in a happy environment, and works with - ardor, for her day’s labor begins at sunrise; yet she has always a - spare hour for a friend, or a spare afternoon in which to act the - gracious hostess towards visitors. - - What first strikes one on meeting Miss Corelli is her intensely - sympathetic nature. She will be found in all probability amid her - choice flowers in the spacious Winter Garden, and her face - irradiates as she advances to meet you with outstretched hands and - smiling lips. A small creature, with a mass of waving golden - hair--“pale gold such as the Tuscan’s early art prefers”--with - dimpled cheeks and expressive eyes, almost childlike at first - glance but with immense reserves of energy--that is Marie Corelli; - but her chief charm is perhaps the liquid softness of her voice. - She began life as a singer and musician, and as one hears her speak - it is easy to understand that had she not been a force in - literature she might have been a controlling influence in the world - of song. In the hall her harp still stands, but more often her - fingers stray over the notes of a piano, perchance making the - instrument give forth a melody of her own composing. - - A visitor is soon quite at ease. Formality is dispensed with. The - keynote in Miss Corelli’s house is Sincerity. She is a brilliant - conversationalist, but a good listener too. She talks freely and - without conscious effort, and one’s faith in her is speedily - inspired. What does she talk about? Just enough about herself to - make her auditor wish for more; yet, with a condescension that is - all grace, she is eager to hear all that her visitor has to say on - the subjects nearest his own heart. Particularly does she like the - theme to be the old loved authors, and whatever one has to tell of - Dickens, or Thackeray, or Tennyson--and even if one should have a - theory about Shakespeare--in Miss Corelli he will find not only the - ardent listener but a woman whose quick and well-stored mind - enables her to take up readily a debatable point, to help to - resolve some doubt or mystery, or to add profitably to one’s own - stock of knowledge. No one can converse with her for an hour and - come away unenriched. - - Yes, she not only writes enchantingly, but she herself enchants. In - her presence you are under a spell. “There’s witchcraft in it.” Her - youth and her artlessness disarm you--you are left wondering how - this fair young creature could have fought her way alone in the - world (her life has been a battle), how she could have conquered - opposition, and how she could have attained to her present - supremacy. It may verge upon extravagance to say it, but there is - something to marvel at in the fact that at an age long before that - at which George Eliot had written her first story Miss Corelli had - given us a dozen remarkable and original romances of world-wide - fame, and there is no guessing what achievements yet lie before her - and what position she may gain. Her powers are waxing rather than - waning, and a month or two ago when the last two chapters of - “Temporal Power” were in her hand, we heard her say she hoped that - in this book she had reached a higher stage than in any she had - previously written. - - But it is not only as a writer, as a necromancer with a magic pen, - that one may admire Marie Corelli. She is a very woman, too, with a - woman’s likes and dislikes, a woman’s feelings, a woman’s impulses, - a woman’s preferences and prejudices--and she is quite frank - concerning all. You like her the better for being so purely human. - She is never happier than when arranging a maypole dance for the - children or organizing Christmas festivities for the poor and - helpless. Look round her charming rooms, and behold the evidence of - the feminine hand there. Observe the taste of her dress--dress, by - the way, which, with all its elegance, does not come from France, - is not the “creation” or the “confection” of a Paris costumer, but - is English in every detail. For there is no truer, more loyal, more - patriotic soul than Marie Corelli, and she will tell you, with a - touch of quiet pride, that every servant she has about her is - English, that the cloth she wears is English, that the furniture of - her rooms is English, and that she will endure none but an English - workingman about her house. “England for the English” is her motto, - and she lives up to it herself, and loses no opportunity of trying - to get others to adopt it. - - There are some who imagine that Miss Corelli is nothing if not - caustic and critical, and they imagine that she is always running - atilt against some person or other. Never was a greater delusion. - Her chief fault is that she is too generous and her good nature too - easily imposed upon. She will spend an afternoon in writing her - name for the autograph-hunters; she will gladly address a gathering - at a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon service; she will distribute prizes - to children and make a felicitous speech; she will open a Flower - Show; or she will lecture a huge throng in a public building on - questions of the day. Yet she does these things at some sacrifice, - too, for wondrously calm as she may be at the critical moment of - action, her nerves are sorely shaken both before and afterwards. - She taxes her memory greatly also. It may perhaps scarcely be - credited that the address she delivered at Glasgow, which occupied - an hour and a half, was learned off by heart and spoken without a - slip. - - But it is not our intention to reveal further of her private life; - we know full well it would be displeasing to herself if we did so, - and an unwarrantable breach of confidence. She is no - notoriety-hunter. She does not cultivate the personal paragraph, - and would no more tolerate the prying busybody than she does the - camera-fiend who waylays her in the hope of obtaining snapshots. - Why, she asks, should the veil be lifted merely to satisfy a vulgar - and idle curiosity? Her private life is as sacred as that of any - other person, and it is merely pandering to a depraved modern taste - to lay bare “the poet’s house,” as Browning put it. - - Outside should suffice for evidence: - And whoso desires to penetrate - Deeper, must dive by the spirit-sense. - - One remark only need be added: Miss Corelli has been the victim of - much misunderstanding in the past, of some injustice, and--alas, - that it should have to be said--of deliberate malevolence. Those - who are privileged to enjoy her friendship best know her admirable - qualities, and entertain none but the kindest sentiments towards - her and the best wishes for her continued triumphs. Her influence - is vast and far-reaching. She writes with a purpose, she has used - her gifts as she best knows how, and her fiery crusade, stern and - determined as that of John Knox, against social evils and human - follies, must make for lasting good. May this valiant woman, - standing alone, battling for the right, yet add to her conquests! - -Here, then, let us leave her, with the parting benediction which fell -from the lips of Mr. Gladstone: “It is a wonderful gift you have, and I -do not think you will abuse it. There is a magnetism in your pen which -will influence many. Take care always to do your best. As a woman, you -are pretty and good; as a writer, be brave and true. God bless you, my -dear child! Be brave! You’ve got a great future before you. Don’t lose -heart on the way!” - - - THE END - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[A] Meaning, what terms for a new edition. - -[B] As this was obvious the remark was unnecessary. - -[C] The former of these works is published by Mr. Arrowsmith, and the -latter by Messrs. Skeffington. - -[D] “Temporal Power.” - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARIE CORELLI *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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F. G. Coates</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Marie Corelli</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0;'>The Writer and the Woman</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: T. F. G. Coates and Robert Stanley Warren Bell</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: August 7, 2021 [eBook #66004]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Tim Lindell, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARIE CORELLI ***</div> -<hr class="full" /> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border: 2px black solid;margin:auto auto;max-width:50%; -padding:1%;"> -<tr><td> - -<p class="c"><a href="#CONTENTS">Contents.</a></p> - -<p class="c"><a href="#ILLUSTRATIONS">List of Illustrations</a><br /> <span class="nonvis">(In certain versions of this etext [in certain browsers] -clicking on the image will bring up a larger version.)</span></p> - -<p class="c">(etext transcriber's note)</p></td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" height="500" alt="[Image -of the book's cover is unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_001" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_frontispiece.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_frontispiece.jpg" width="600" height="379" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">"Mason Croft" Miss Corelli’s Present Residence</span></p> - -<p>(A Corner Glimpse in Winter)</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">{1}</a></span></p> - -<div class="bbox1"> -<div class="bbox2"> -<h1> -<span class="redd">MARIE CORELLI</span><br /> -<br /> -<small>The Writer and The Woman</small></h1> -</div> - -<div class="bbox3"> -<p class="c">By<br /> -<span class="redd"><big>T. F. G. COATES</big></span><br /> -Author of “The Life of Lord Rosebery”<br /> -<br /> -and<br /> -<br /> -<span class="redd"><big>R. S. WARREN BELL</big></span><br /> -Author of “Bachelorland,” etc.<br /> -<br /> -<img src="images/colophon.png" -width="80" -alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -<br /> -<br /> -WITH 16 FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS</p> -</div> - -<div class="bbox4"> -<p class="c">PHILADELPHIA<br /> -<span class="redd">GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO.</span><br /> -PUBLISHERS</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">{2}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="c"> -Copyright, 1903, by<br /> -George W. Jacobs & Company,<br /> -Published June, 1903<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">{3}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="Preface" id="Preface"></a>Preface</h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">Miss Marie Corelli’s</span> unique personality has aroused interest and -curiosity among all classes of society, and we are aware that the -present work will be diligently searched for intimate information -regarding the subject of these pages. It behooves us, therefore, to -remind those who peruse this volume that the writing of contemporary -biography is a most delicate literary performance; so, while it has been -our aim to set before the public as many particulars as possible -concerning Marie Corelli the Woman—as distinct from Marie Corelli the -Writer—it will be apparent to the least intelligent of our patrons -that, in common courtesy to Miss Corelli, it is possible for us to -publish only a limited number of personal minutiæ concerning the -novelist during her lifetime.</p> - -<p>In making a general survey of Miss Corelli’s various books, we have -endeavored, in each case, to quote such passages as may be read with -interest independently of the context, or such as tend to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">{4}</a></span> explain the -spirit animating the novelist whilst engaged upon the volume under -treatment.</p> - -<p>It has been our endeavor to keep this biographical study free from -offense to any living person, or to the memory of any who have passed -away. In cases where we have found it necessary to refer in vigorous -terms to the words or conduct of certain individuals, we have been -actuated solely by a desire to have justice done to Miss Corelli. And in -this respect we prefer not to be regarded as her champions so much as -“counsel” briefed for the defense of a woman who has had, and still has, -to contend with a very great number of adversaries, not all of whom are -in the habit of conducting their warfare in the open.</p> - -<p>In conclusion, we beg to offer Miss Corelli our grateful thanks for -permitting us to have access to letters, papers, and other documents -necessary to authenticate our facts, as without such permission we could -not have undertaken our task.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Thomas F. G. Coates,<br /> -R. S. Warren Bell.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><i>March, 1903.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">{5}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>Contents</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="deprecated" -style="margin:1em auto;max-width:60em;"> -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /><br />THE HEROINE OF THE STORY</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">A Bentley Letter—The Effect of a Publisher’s Advice on a -Writer’s Career—The Success of “A Romance of Two -Worlds” without help from the Press—The Unfairness of -appointing Novelists to Criticise Novels or act as Publishers’ -“Readers”—Marie Corelli’s Universality, and the -Reason for it—Her Endeavors to Promote Holy Living—Her -Unequaled Boldness—Which is her Best Book?—“Thelma” -most Popular as a Love-story—Her Short -Works—The Difficulty of awarding her a Definite Place -in Letters</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_13">13</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /><br />MARIE CORELLI’S CHILDHOOD, ETC.</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Marie Corelli, Adopted as an Infant, by Dr. Charles Mackay—Description -of Mackay’s Career—The “Rosebud” and -her Fancies—Absence of Child Playmates—Marie Corelli -at the Convent School—Her Musical Studies—Dr. -Mackay’s Illness, and her Return Home for Good—Miss -Bertha Vyver—George Eric Mackay: his Chequered -Career—“Love-Letters of a Violinist”: their Publication -and Reception</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_26">26</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /><br />“A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Its Original Title—The MS. Accepted by Bentleys—Its -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">{6}</a></span>Name Suggested by Dr. Mackay—The Press and the -“Romance”—Its Reception by the Public, and its Effect -on Readers—Marie Corelli and the Supernatural—Synopsis -of Plot—Heliobas and his “Electric Creed”—X-Rays -and Wireless Telegraphy foretold in this Book</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_48">48</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /><br />“VENDETTA” AND “THELMA”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Mr. Bentley’s Opinion of “Vendetta”—Practically a True -Story of Naples during the Cholera Epidemic of 1884—The -Remarkable Ingenuity of its Construction—The -Novelist’s Habit of Creating a Pretty Picture only to -Destroy it, as Exemplified by the Opening Chapters of -“Vendetta” and After Events—The Appalling Ferocity -of Count Fabio and the Culminating Scene of his -Vengeance. - -Mr. Bentley’s Enthusiastic Comments on “Thelma”—The -Story Compared with “She,” to the Latter’s Disadvantage—A -Romantic Setting—The Main Theme of the Book—Thelma’s -Bewilderment at the Hollowness of Society—Her -Husband’s Alleged Unfaithfulness—Her Flight to -Norway and the Sequel—Miss Corelli’s “Unsparing -Brush”—The Weak Spot in the Book—Thelma’s Winning -Personality</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_64">64</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /><br />“ARDATH”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Its Theme—Congratulations from Lord Tennyson—A suggested -Corelli City in Colorado—An Example of the -Novelist’s Descriptive Powers—Theos Alwyn, Agnostic—His -Interview with Heliobas—The Dream and the Poem—The -Field of Ardath—The City of Al-Kyris—Sah-Lûma, -the Poet Laureate—The Religion of Al-Kyris—Lysia, -High Priestess of the God-Serpent—The Prophet Khosrûl -and his Predictions—The Fall of Al-Kyris—The Awakening -of Alwyn and his Return to London—The Converted -Poet—“Ardath” a Book for all who Doubt—Six Tests -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">{7}</a></span>for Spiritualists</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_79">79</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /><br />“WORMWOOD” AND “THE SOUL OF LILITH”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Pauline de Charmilles: a Character Sketch—Her Engagement -to Beauvais and the Arrival of Silvion Guidèl—“First -Impressions”—Pauline’s Confession and Beauvais’ First -Bout of Absinthe-drinking—The Exposure on the Wedding-Day—More -Absinthe, and the Murder of Guidèl—The -Meeting between Beauvais and Pauline, and the -Suicide of the Latter—Pauline’s Corpse at the Morgue—A -Denunciation of Absinthe—A Suggestion to Marie -Corelli Concerning the Drink Question in this Country. - -“The Soul of Lilith” an Attempt to Prove the Apparently -Unprovable—A Reason for Marie Corelli’s Immense -Popularity—El-Râmi and the Dead Egyptian Girl—His -Experiment—Heliobas again—“The Two Governing -Forces of the Universe”—“Poets are often the Best -Scientists”—“The Why, Why, Why of Everything”—A -Solution of Life’s Problems</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_112">112</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /><br />MR. BENTLEY’S ENCOURAGEMENT</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Thorny Path of the Literary Pilgrim—Old Publishers and -New—Mr. George Bentley an Honorable Example of the -Former Type—The Happy Relations that existed between -Miss Corelli and her Publisher—A List of the Novelist’s -Works Published by Bentleys—Mr. Bentley’s Appreciation -of “Ardath”—His Refusal to make Overtures to the -Press—A Reference to Miss Rhoda Broughton and the -Treatment dealt out to her by Critics—Mr. Gladstone’s -Visit—Concerning “Wormwood”—Maarten Maartens -and his Opinion of “Ardath”—Press Attacks on “The -Soul of Lilith”—The Late Queen Victoria and Marie -Corelli’s Books—A Comment on the Chivalry of the Press—A -Carlyle Anecdote—Mr. Bentley as Author—His -Book: “After Business”—The Inestimable Value of Mr. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">{8}</a></span>Bentley’s Advice to the Young Novelist</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_134">134</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /><br />“BARABBAS”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Charles Kingsley and “Women’s Writings”—Marie Corelli’s -Idea in Penning “Barabbas”—The Character of -“Judith”—St. Peter’s Definition of a Lie—The Character -of Jesus of Nazareth—Melchior’s Speeches—The Treacherous -Caiaphas—The Magdalen—The Scene of The -Resurrection—The Tragedy of Love and Genius</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_152">152</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /><br />“THE SORROWS OF SATAN”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">As a Book—How the Critics Missed the Allegorical Idea -of the Story—The Opinion of Father Ignatius: “Tens -of Thousands will Bless the Author”—A Plea for more -Womanliness among modern Women—Geoffrey Tempest—£5,000,000 -from Satan—Prince Lucio Rimânez and -his Associations with Tempest—Lady Sibyl Elton—The -Effect of Perfect Beauty on a Man—The Modern -Gambling Mania—Viscount Lynton’s Last Wager—The -Character of Mavis Clare,—Lady Sibyl’s Bitter Description -of Herself—Her Marriage with Tempest, and -the Disillusionment—Her Passion for Prince Rimânez -and Subsequent Suicide—The Conception of Satan, -and an Explanation of his Position: “Satan becomes -on Terms of Intimacy with Man only if Man shows -that he wishes to Travel an Evil Course”—The Yachting -Cruise and Tempest’s return to Christian Ways—Opinion -of the Late Rev. H. R. Haweis. - -“The Sorrows of Satan” as a Play—How Miss Corelli has -Suffered from the Defective Law of Literary Copyright—The -Play Written, and Read at the Shaftesbury Theatre—Miss -Corelli’s Opinion of it—Miss Evelyn Millard’s Attitude -with Regard to the part of “Lady Sibyl”—“The -Grosvenor Syndicate”—The Play Produced—Other Versions—How -the Dramatic Rights of Novels have to be -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span>Protected</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_164">164</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /><br />“THE MIGHTY ATOM” AND “BOY”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Novels with a Purpose—The Criminally Mistaken Up-bringing -of Children—Lionel Valliscourt an Eleven-year-old -Atheist—The Cramming Process and its Effect on him—His -Breakdown and Holiday—His Return to find that -Little Jessamine is Dead—His Grief and Pathetic End—The -Power of a Book like “The Mighty Atom” to -<i>Teach</i>. - -“Boy”—A somewhat Similar Work—The Responsibilities of -Parents—“Boy’s” Childhood—His Neglected Condition—Miss -Letty and the Major—“Boy” goes to School—The -Change Wrought in him—His Entirely <i>blasé</i> Demeanor -at sixteen—“Boy” Guilty of Drunkenness and Fraud—His -Final Reformation and Death</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_192">192</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /><br />“THE MURDER OF DELICIA” AND “ZISKA”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">Modern Husbands—The Money Marriage—The Average Man -and his Attitude in this Respect—Delicia Vaughan, -Novelist and Beauty—Her foolish Infatuation for Lord -Carlyon and Consequent Misery—“The Rare and Beautiful -Blindness of Perfect Love”—The Penalty Paid by -Delicia. - -“Ziska”: A Cairean Romance—Ziska the Flesh-clad Ghost -of a Long-ago Dancer—“The Mighty Araxes,” her -Former Lover, Presented in Modern Shape as Armand -Gervase, a French Painter—The Renewal of his Passion -for Ziska—His Rival—“The Attraction we Call Love” -a Preordained Destiny—Dr. Dean, <i>savant</i>, and his Interesting -Theories—Beneath the Great Pyramid—Ziska’s -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span>Terrible Revenge</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_207">207</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /><br />“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">How it was Commenced and Interrupted—The Novelist’s -Severe Illness—Death of George Eric Mackay—The -Literary Dinner and the Critic—Sir Francis Burnand -Describes “Boy” as “a Work of Genius”—Mr. Stead -and “The Master-Christian”—The Novelist’s Views on -Roman Catholicism—Miss Corelli’s Open Letter to -Cardinal Vaughan—The Story of the “Master-Christian”—Cardinal -Bonpré at Rouen—Paulism—The Discovery -of the Boy Manuel—The Miraculous Healing of the -Lame Fabien—The Cardinal and Manuel at Paris—Angela -Sovrani—The Abbé Vergniaud, Atheist—A -Flower Legend—Manuel and Angela</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_222">222</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /><br />“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN” (<i>continued</i>)</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Abbé Vergniaud’s Sermon and the Attempt on his Life—He -Confesses that his Assailant is his Son—The -Cardinal’s Leniency towards the Abbé and his Persecution -by the Vatican—Monsignor Moretti—Manuel and the -Cardinal at Rome—Manuel’s Extraordinary Address to -the Pope—“Come and Preach Christ as He Lived and -Died”—The Effect of the Boy’s Exhortation on the Pope—Other -Characters—Angela’s Picture—A Poem by Dr. -Charles Mackay—The Death of Cardinal Bonpré</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_246">246</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /><br />“TEMPORAL POWER”</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">An Unprecedented Sale—A Note on its Title—Reviewed by -Three Hundred and Fifty Journals, although not sent out -to the Press—Criticisms from <i>Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper</i> -and the <i>Review of Reviews</i>—A Reply to Mr. Stead’s -Suggestion that Certain Royal and other Characters in the -Book have Living Counterparts—The Novelist’s Emphatic -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span>Denial in this Respect—“Carl Perousse, Secretary of -State”—The European Statesman Miss Corelli had in her -Mind when Drawing this Character—The “King” of -“Temporal Power”—Morganatic Marriages: the -Novelist’s Denunciation—Attempts on the Part of Book -Trade Journals to Quash the Success of the Novel, and -their Retractations—The Rejection of the King’s Love -by Lotys, Woman of the People: a Quotation</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_265">265</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /><br />SPEECHES AND LECTURES</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Novelist’s First Public Speech: an Appeal for a Warwickshire -Church—An Address Delivered to Stratford -Working-men on “The Secret of Happiness”—Hard -Work the Best Tonic in the World—The Novelist at -the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution—“The Vanishing -Gift”: an Address on the Decay of the Imagination—Art -in the “Old World” Period and Art now—Imagination -an Artist’s First Necessary—Modern Wonders -Imagined when the World was Young—The Novelist at -Glasgow—An Address on “Signs of the Times” Delivered -before a Huge Audience—An Allusion to the Prince of -Wales and his Famous Speech at the Mansion House—“The -Old Country must Wake up”—“The Advancing -and Resistless Tide of Truth”—A Notable Peroration</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_281">281</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /><br />MARIE CORELLI’S VIEWS ON MARRIAGE</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Novelist’s Definition of Marriage—The Modern “Market”—“One -Woman, One Man”—Marie Corelli’s Exhortation -to Women—“God will not be Mocked”—The Religious -Instruction of Children—The Abolition of Religious -Education in French Schools and its Unhappy Effect on -the Country—Lionel Valliscourt: a Pathetic Example of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span>“Cram”—And “Boy”: of Parental Neglect</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_298">298</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /><br />SOME PERSONAL ITEMS</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The Helen Faucit Memorial—Marie Corelli’s Successful Campaign -in Behalf of Shakespeare’s Burial Place—Portraits -of the Novelist—Marie Corelli Declines to Review “The -Eternal City”—An Introduction to Mr. Labouchere—Use -made of a “Private and Confidential” Letter—“Self-advertisement”: -Some Comments on Accusations of this -Character brought against Marie Corelli by certain Sections -of the Press—The Invitation to the Abbey on the Occasion -of the King’s Coronation—An Invitation to open a Nonconformist -Bazaar at Brighton, and why it was Declined—Letters -from Dr. Parker and the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes—“The -Ethics of Criticism”: a letter by E. Rentoul Esler—“To -the Quarterly”: Some Verses by Marie Corelli</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_311">311</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /><br />AT STRATFORD-ON-AVON</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd">The “Local Color” in Marie Corelli’s Books—“I <i>Imagine</i> -it must be so, and I find it generally <i>is</i> so”—Why the -Novelist went to live at Stratford—“Hall’s Croft,” “Avon -Croft,” and “Mason Croft”: her Successive Residences—Her -Affection for Stratford and her Regret that the -Memorial Theatre is so little used—Her Benefactions—Instances -of Kind-heartedness in Other Writers—Marie -Corelli’s “Life-Programme”—Her Personality “Striking -in its Simplicity and in its Power”—The Novelist as a -Shakespeare Enthusiast—Her Desire to see Stratford -become the “Bayreuth of Literature”—The Novelist’s -“Public”: the Vastness of her Constituency—Her Friends—A -Character Sketch of Marie Corelli by Mr. J. Cuming -Walters—Mr. Gladstone’s Parting Benediction</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_332">332</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><i>Of the above Chapters, II, V, VIII, IX, XII, XIII, XVI, and XVII are by -Thomas F. G. Coates; and Chapters I, III, IV, VI, VII, X, XI, XIV, XV -and XVIII by R. S. Warren Bell.</i></p> - -<h2><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>Illustrations</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_001">“Mason Croft,” Miss Corelli’s Present Residence</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#ill_001"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_002">A Boating Place on the Avon</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><i>Facing page</i> <a href="#page_80">80</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_003">A Favorite Reach on the Avon</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_80">80</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_004">What Becomes of the Press Cuttings</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_146">146</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_005">Marie Corelli’s Pet Yorkshire Terrier “Czar”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_146">146</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_006">“Killiecrankie Cottage” where “Ziska” was Finished</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_212">212</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_007">“Avon Croft” where “The Master Christian” was Finished</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_212">212</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_008">“Hall’s Croft” where Marie Corelli Wrote Half of “The Master Christian”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_228">228</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_009">Winter at “Mason Croft”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_320">320</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_010">The Elizabethan Watch Tower, “Mason Croft”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_336">336</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ill_011">Miss Corelli’s Boatman and Punt</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><span class="ditto">"</span> <span class="ditto">"</span> <a href="#page_346">346</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span></p> - -<h1>MARIE CORELLI<br /><br /> -<small>The Writer and the Woman</small></h1> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I<br /><br /> -<small>THE HEROINE OF THE STORY</small></h2> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Keep</span> a brave heart. You are steadily rising. People recognize that you -are an artist working with love, not a machine producing novels against -bank-notes, with no interest in its work. But keep a good heart, little -lady. It is the way with people of imagination and keen sensibility to -have their moments of depression.... I believe you will emerge out of -all this with your brave little spirit, and I shall rejoice to see you -successful, because I believe you will not be spoilt by success.”</p> - -<p>Thus wrote George Bentley, the publisher, to Marie Corelli on November -15th, 1888. At that time only three of her books had appeared—“A -Romance of Two Worlds,” “Vendetta,” and “Thelma”—and she was engaged -upon the latter<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span> portion of “Ardath.” She was in the spring of her -career, probing the Unknown and the Unseen, the Long Ago and the Future, -with daring flights of fancy that had already set the world wondering.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Mr. Bentley watched over his <i>protégée</i> with a care that was -almost parental. A number of extracts from his wise and helpful letters -will be given in the course of this work; and the reader will not fail -to observe that there was very much more in Mr. Bentley’s attitude than -a mere desire to coin pretty expressions for the benefit of a charming -young woman possessed of undeniable genius. He could be very candid in -his criticisms, when occasion demanded, but his tact was unfailing, and -his sympathy boundless. He was one of an old school of which but few -examples now remain. He was a personal friend as well as a publisher, -one who could regard an author as something more than a creature with a -money-producing imagination. He was of the school that produced -Blackwood, Murray, Smith—the famous scions of those houses—and others -whose names have ever been uttered with affection by those men and women -of the pen who had dealings with them. One has only to peruse the -correspondence which passed between John Blackwood, on the one side, and -G. H. Lewes and George Eliot, on the other, to appre<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span>ciate in full the -power of encouragement and the influence a publisher possesses in his -negotiations with a writer of promise.</p> - -<p>Of a truth, Marie Corelli had need of such a friend, for her early -career, as everybody knows, was thorny and troublous. A publisher greedy -for a golden harvest might have prevailed upon her to write quickly, -and, as a natural consequence, not at her best, for the certain gains -which such work would produce in abundance. Mr. Bentley deprecated undue -hurry. “You are now a person,” he says in one of his characteristic -letters, “of sufficient importance not to have to depend on appearance -or non-appearance. You have shown not only talent, but versatility, and -that you are not a mere mannerist with one idea repeating itself in each -book; consequently, when you next come, there will be expectation.”</p> - -<p>In advising one possessed of so seemingly inexhaustible a fund of mental -riches, Mr. Bentley was undertaking no light task. Moreover, he was -offering counsel to a writer, who, to many people, was an absolute -enigma.</p> - -<p>For when Marie Corelli appeared as a novelist she was altogether new. -She was something entirely fresh, and, to a certain extent, -incomprehensible; as a result, she was reviled, she was told that she<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span> -was impossible, she was treated as a pretending upstart: the critics -would have none of her.</p> - -<p>But her success with her first book, “A Romance of Two Worlds,” was due -to itself, and not to either the praise or the censure of the press. -Only four reviews of this romance appeared, each about ten lines long, -and none of the four would have helped to sell a single copy. But the -public got hold of it. People began to talk about it and discuss it. -Then it was judged worth attacking, and the more continuous its sale the -more it was jeered at by the critical fault-finders.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli did not invite adverse criticism. She was quite a girl, -untried and inexperienced, and had, apparently, from her letters to her -friends, a most touching faith in the chivalry of the press. “I hope,” -she wrote to Mr. Bentley, “the clever men on the Press will be kind to -me, as it is a first book [the ‘Romance’]; because if they are I shall -be able to do so much better another time.”</p> - -<p>But, much to her surprise, the clever men of the press bullied her as -though she had been a practiced hand at literature, and abused her with -quite unnecessary violence. She did not retort upon them, however. -“Vendetta,” “Thelma,” “Ardath,” and other works were produced patiently -in rotation, and still the abuse continued—and so did her suc<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span>cess. It -was only with the publication of “Barabbas” and the distinctly unfair -comments that book received, that she at last threw down the gauntlet, -and forbade her publishers to send out any more of her books for review.</p> - -<p>This action practically put an end to the discussion of her works in the -literary journals by critics with warped ideas of fair play. For they -failed to remember that, though his draftsmanship may here and there -display a flaw, an artist should be judged by the conception of his -design—by his coloring—by the intention of his work as a whole.</p> - -<p>Five years have elapsed since the one-sided truce was called; those -critics, wandering by the bookshops, see people issuing therefrom -bearing in their hands the hated volumes—the brain-children of the -woman who had met them in unequal combat. They read in the papers of the -gigantic sales of these works; they lift their hands in horror, and sigh -for the gone days of authors who appealed but to the cultured few. So -waggeth the world of letters; so arriveth that person to be trampled -on—offend he or she the critics by ever so little—the New Writer.</p> - -<p>It is manifestly unfair that a novelist should criticise novels; yet -this is frequently done. It goes without saying that the novelist who -devotes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span> valuable time to reading and criticising the works of his -brethren in art cannot be in very great demand, as fiction is paid for -at a much higher rate than reviewing. That Miss Corelli’s earlier works -were submitted for valuation to those engaged—if we may use a -commercial phrase—in the same line of business, may account for the -bitterness that characterized many of the notices. Let the critic -criticise, and the novelist write novels; then, each attending to his -trade, the new writer will receive fairer play.</p> - -<p>The rough-and-tumble journey through the now defunct house of Bentley -which “A Romance of Two Worlds” experienced, prompts us to question the -advisability of appointing novelists to act as publishers’ “readers.” -Quantities of manuscript pass through the hands of a publisher’s -literary adviser, and in six weeks he may imbibe—he cannot help -imbibing—enough ideas to set him up for six years. A novelist who -spends a considerable portion of his lifetime weighing and sorting the -raw material of other novelists, must find it a matter of great -difficulty to reconcile his conscience with the performance of such -duties.</p> - -<p>It must often have occurred to the men who have so harshly criticised -Miss Corelli’s works to demand of themselves a logical reason for her -boundless<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span> popularity—a popularity that extends to every corner of the -earth. “The Mighty Atom” has been published under the auspices of the -Holy Synod in Russia, and “Barabbas” has been translated into Persian, -Greek, and Hindustani. And these are but two instances of her -universality. Why is Marie Corelli read the world over, while the -authors upon whom many responsible judges of literature shower encomiums -can claim but an Anglo-Saxon public, and not a tremendous one then?</p> - -<p>It is because, primarily, her chief mission is to exploit, with -knowledge, with conviction, and with limitless zeal, the most vital -question of this or any age—man’s religion. Since the world was created -this has been the chief motive of humanity’s actions. The Israelites, -for taking to themselves false gods, were sold into bondage; thousands -of years later, because the tomb of Christ was threatened, Christian -Europe, putting aside international differences, arose in pious wrath -and sent forth its men of the Red Cross to do battle with the infidels. -In misguided zeal, and prompted by a morbid fanaticism, “bloody” Mary -destroyed the peace of our own fair land, and earned for her memory -undying execration by burning at the stake the unfortunates who<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span> -differed from her in their religious views. The impiety of its rulers -was the root of the evil which plunged France into the throes of a -ghastly Revolution. Even on every coin of the realm at the present -day,—on every sovereign that changes hands at race meetings, on every -penny that the street arabs play pitch and toss with, we are reminded -that the reigning monarch is the Defender of our “Faith.”</p> - -<p>A simple belief in God pervades everything that Marie Corelli has -written, and from this devout standpoint she views all those other -things which constitute mundane existence—Love, Marriage, buying and -selling, social intercourse, art, science, and education.</p> - -<p>Her books abound in passages which bewail the fact that—to extract a -phrase from the “Master-Christian”—“the world is not with Christ -to-day.” Her sole weapons pen and paper, the author of that remarkable -book is making a strenuous effort to dispel the torpor to which -Christianity is gradually succumbing. The keynote of her work is sounded -by Cardinal Bonpré, when he deplores the decay of holy living. “For -myself, I think there is not much time left us! I feel a premonition of -Divine wrath threatening the world, and when I study the aspect of the -times and see the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span> pride, licentiousness, and wealth-worship of man, I -cannot but think the days are drawing near when our Master will demand -of us account of our service. It is just the same as in the case of the -individual wrong-doer; when it seems as if punishment were again and -again retarded, and mercy shown,—yet if all benefits, blessings, and -warnings are unheeded, then at last the bolt falls suddenly and with -terrific effect. So with nations—so with churches—so with the world!”</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli is bold; perhaps she is the boldest writer that has ever -lived. What she believes she says, with a brilliant fearlessness that -sweeps aside petty argument in its giant’s stride towards the goal for -which she aims. She will have no half-measures. Her works, gathered -together under one vast cover, might fitly be printed and published as -an amplified edition of the Decalogue.</p> - -<p>It is small wonder, then, that she has not earned the approbation of -those critics who are unable to grasp the stupendous nature of her -programme; they, having always held by certain canons, and finding those -canons brusquely disregarded, retort with wholesale condemnation of -matters that they deem literary heterodoxy, but whose sterling -simplicity is in reality altogether beyond their ken. Fortunately, their -words have failed to frighten off<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span> the public, which, ever loyal to one -fighting for the right, has supported and befriended Marie Corelli in -her dauntless crusade against vice and unbelief.</p> - -<p>Other writers have doubtless written in a somewhat similar strain, and -it has not been their fault that the woman who forms the subject of this -biography has eclipsed all the worthy makers of such books who have -preceded her. Power has been given her, and she has not proved false to -her trust. Genius is Heaven-sent, to be used or abused according to the -will of its possessor; let those so gifted beware lest they cast the -pearls of their brain before swine, for of a surety there will come a -day of reckoning when every genius, as well as every other man, shall be -called upon to give an account of his stewardship.</p> - -<p>Unlike the majority of her contemporaries, Marie Corelli does not -subsist on a single “big hit.” She is a twelve-book rather than a -one-book woman. It is a fortunate circumstance for a writer when people -disagree in regard to his or her <i>chef-d’œuvre</i>. There are those—and -their name is legion—who regard “Thelma” as Miss Corelli’s best book, -while others—and their name, too, is legion—account “The Sorrows of -Satan” the worthiest of her productions. The overwhelming success of the -“Mas<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span>ter-Christian” served somewhat to bedim the lustre of her former -writings, but in many hearts the moving history of the sweet and -unsophisticated Norwegian maid will always cause “Thelma” to hold chief -sway.</p> - -<p>“Barabbas,” at once the most scriptural and devotional of its author’s -long list of publications, has won almost as great a popularity as “The -Sorrows of Satan,” being now in its thirty-seventh edition. “The Mighty -Atom,” of which nearly a hundred thousand copies have been sold, is -regarded by the public with singular affection, many children, as Mr. -Arthur Lawrence has told us in <i>The Strand Magazine</i>, sending Miss -Corelli “all sorts of loving and kindly greetings” as a token of their -sympathy with little Lionel and Jessamine. The turbulent and stormy -progress of “A Romance of Two Worlds” through the sea of criticism has -made this book more familiar to the ear than some of its successors, -though its sale has not equaled that of half a dozen of its -fellow-works.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli’s average book is about as long as two novels of the -ordinary six-shilling size put together; but she has published some -comparatively short stories—notably “Boy,” “Ziska,” and “The Mighty -Atom,” as well as some brochures; to wit, “Jane,” a society sketch; -“Cameos;” and her<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span> tribute to the virtues of “Victoria the Good.” “Boy,” -though published about the time that the “Master-Christian” appeared, -was accorded the heartiest of welcomes, being now in its forty-sixth -thousand.</p> - -<p>In days to come the “Master-Christian” and “The Sorrows of Satan” will, -we venture to predict, be sufficient alone to preserve their author’s -fame; and, for those who delight in a love-story, “Thelma” will -constitute a perpetual monument to its creator’s memory.</p> - -<p>Owing to the unique and unclassifiable nature of her productions, it is -impossible to award Miss Corelli a definite place in the world of -letters. It is under any circumstances a thankless task to arrange -writers as one would arrange boys in a class—according to merit. There -are the poets, the historians, the novelists, the humorists, and—the -critics. Marie Corelli occupies a peculiarly isolated position. A -novelist she is, in the main, and yet hardly a novelist according to -cut-and-dried formulas; she is, unquestionably, a poet, for there is -many a song in her books not a whit less sweet because it is not set in -measured verse and line. So we may safely leave her place in the Temple -of Fame to be chosen by the votes of posterity, for there is one critic -who is ever just, who goeth on his “ever<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span>lasting journey” with gentle -but continuous step; who condemns most books, with their writers, to -oblivion, but who saves a certain few.</p> - -<p>And his name is <span class="smcap">Time</span>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II<br /><br /> -<small>MARIE CORELLI’S CHILDHOOD—EARLY INFLUENCES—LITERARY BEGINNINGS—THE -MACKAYS—FATHER AND SON</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> explanation of an unannounced and unexpected afternoon visit in 1890, -Mr. W. E. Gladstone said: “I came because I was curious to see for -myself the personality of a young woman who could write so courageously -and well, and in whose work I recognize a power working for good, and -eminently calculated to sway the thoughts of the people.”</p> - -<p>Such were the veteran statesman’s words—well remembered by a friend of -the novelist’s who was present at that eventful meeting.</p> - -<p>This young woman was Marie Corelli, the novelist, whom so many lesser -men have abused, because, unlike Gladstone, they have not studied her -work, or have done so only with the determination to find fault.</p> - -<p>The baby girl for whom so distinguished a career was destined, was -adopted, when but three months old, by Dr. Charles Mackay, that -excellent journalist, poet, song writer, and author. The love be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span>tween -Dr. Mackay and his adopted daughter was one of the closest and most -sweet of domestic experiences. When reverses and suffering came to the -man of letters, his joy and consolation was in the careful training of -the much-loved little girl; and in his closing years he had the -satisfaction of knowing that she had fulfilled his hopes and achieved -success.</p> - -<p>To the high character of Dr. Charles Mackay must be attributed the chief -influence in the formation of the child’s ideas; a glance, therefore, at -the career of that gentleman cannot fail to be of interest. A native of -Perth, Charles Mackay was born March 27th, 1814. His father, George -Mackay, was the second son of Captain Hugh Mackay, of the Strathnavar -branch of the Mackay clan of which Lord Reay is the chief. Charles -Mackay received his earlier education in London, and, subsequently -proceeding to a school at Brussels, made a special study of European -languages. He early commenced writing for Belgian newspapers, and, also -whilst a youngster, sent poems to English newspapers, which readily -published them. A volume of “Songs and Poems” followed; and then, -returning to England, Mr. Mackay became a contributor to <i>The Sun</i>, -assistant sub-editor of <i>The Morning Chronicle</i>, and editor of <i>The -Glasgow<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span> Argus</i>. He was married in 1831, and by his first wife had three -sons—Charles, Robert, and George Eric, and also a daughter, who died -when she was twenty-two years of age. Of the sons, Charles is still -living, being resident in America with his wife and family. Robert is -dead, but is survived by a son and a daughter. Of George Eric Mackay, -the second of the three sons, more will be told anon.</p> - -<p>During Charles Dickens’s brief editorship of the London <i>Daily News</i>, a -number of verses by Mackay were published in that newspaper, and -attracted much notice and praise. They were subsequently republished in -a volume as “Voices from the Crowd.” A selection of these verses was set -to music, and quickly caught the ear of the people, “The Good Time -Coming” reaching a circulation of well-nigh half a million.</p> - -<p>In 1848 Mr. Mackay became a member of the staff of <i>The Illustrated -London News</i>, and in 1852 was appointed editor of that journal. Here, -through the enterprise of Mr. Ingram, the song-writing capacities of Mr. -Mackay were put to good use, and a number of musical supplements of <i>The -Illustrated London News</i> were produced. “Songs for Music” afterwards -appeared as a volume in 1856. The pieces included such prime favorites -as “Cheer, Boys, Cheer!” “To the West! To the West!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span>” “Tubal Cain,” -“There’s a Land, a dear Land,” and “England over All.” Set to the taking -melodies of Henry Russell and others, these songs, it may truly be said, -have been sung the world over, wherever the English language is spoken.</p> - -<p>Mackay severed his connection with <i>The Illustrated London News</i> in -1859, and in the following year started <i>The London Review</i>, which did -not succeed. Failure was the fate, too, of another periodical, <i>Robin -Goodfellow</i>, founded by him in 1861. During the American Civil War, -Mackay was the special correspondent of the New York <i>Times</i>. Dr. -Mackay’s efforts in prose were as numerous and as interesting as his -verses. His “Forty Years’ Recollections of Life, Literature, and Public -Affairs from 1830 to 1870,” is a classic and a literary treat to every -one who reads it; for herein is set forth a graphic picture of the life -and times of that most interesting period, not only in England, but in -the United States. His relations with Greeley and with President Lincoln -were of altogether exceptional interest. Few men had experiences so -varied and interesting as those of Charles Mackay—his degree, by the -way, was that of LL. D. of Glasgow University—and few men were so -capable as was he of vividly describing what he did, and saw, and -heard.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span></p> - -<p>In addition to writing many volumes of songs and ballads himself, it -should be mentioned that Mackay compiled the well-known “A Thousand and -One Gems of English Poetry.”</p> - -<p>From the year 1870 he engaged in little regular work, though he -undertook interesting and valuable researches into Celtic philology. His -closing years were—through ill-health and age—a period of financial -reverses, but the gloom was brightened by the presence of the pet child -of his adoption. He worked on till the last, being engaged during the -very week of his death in writing two articles, one for <i>Blackwood’s -Magazine</i>, the other for <i>The Nineteenth Century</i>.</p> - -<p>When his adopted daughter’s somewhat brief school-days were over, she -returned home well fitted to assist Dr. Mackay in his literary work. She -was already on familiar terms with his study and his books. A good many -of the baby days were spent in the Doctor’s study, and as an infant -there were evidences that the mind of the little one was of a thoughtful -and inquiring bent. She was considered almost too inquiring by those -governesses who guided her earliest lessons, religious subjects always -having a peculiar attraction for her. “Little girls must be good and try -to please God,” one governess impressed upon her; and the chil<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span>d’s -wondering reply was: “Why of course; everybody and everything must try -to please God, else where would be the use of living at all?”</p> - -<p>Babies—when they are good—always seem somewhat akin to angels, and the -“Rosebud”—as Mackay called his adopted girl—always had a perfect -belief not only in their existence, but in their near presence. The poet -especially encouraged her faith in them. The “Rosebud” always believed -angels were in her bedroom at night, and on her once saying that she -could not see the angel (whom she fully expected) in her room, the -Doctor answered: “Never mind, dearie! It is there, you may be sure; and -if you will behave just as if you saw it, you will certainly see it some -day.”</p> - -<p>Passed chiefly in the country and abroad, the first ten years of Marie -Corelli’s life went by pleasantly enough. Some hours daily were devoted -to lessons; others to play, and most of these amongst the flowers that -she has always loved. And as much time was spent, not over lesson books, -but over those works of a nature to be understood by a child which she -found in the Doctor’s library, and listening to stories, witty and wise, -of Dr. Mackay’s former friends and literary associates. Many, indeed, -had been these friends—Dickens and Thackeray, Sir Edwin Landseer and -Douglas Jerrold, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span> name but a few. He had known many men of light and -leading in his day, and to the little girl who played in his study he -delighted to recount reminiscences of them. Through him she learned to -love some of his old friends as if she had known them personally.</p> - -<p>Those were days that had much to do with the moulding of the character -of the future novelist. There were no child playmates for little Marie, -and the naturally studious bent of her mind was greatly affected by her -environment. It gave her thought and wisdom beyond her years. This -absence of child companions may or may not be advantageous; it all -depends upon the circumstances. Victoria, who became Queen of England, -had no child companions, and often in later years dwelt upon the fact -with regret. Yet who would say they would have had any alteration in the -character and doings of our late sovereign? The loss to a child of that -child-companionship which most enjoy may be very great; but there are -compensations.</p> - -<p>Those who have studied the productions of Marie Corelli with -understanding of the spirit which has animated her work would not, we -think, wish that anything should have been different. As to the reading -of her early years, it was quite exceptional, as reading with children -goes. She not only<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span> heard of the sayings and doings of Dickens, -Thackeray, Jerrold, and such, but had read many of their works before -she was ten; had not only read, but understood a great deal of them, -having a loving tutor to make matters easy for her. She took great -interest in histories of times and peoples, and learned to sympathize -with the workers. Dr. Mackay’s poems were all familiar to her. So were -the works of Shakespeare and Scott and Keats. Poetry was one of her -chief delights, while instrumental music appealed to her as did the -rhythm of song. The Bible, and especially the New Testament, was always -her greatest friend in the world of books. And so, when it was deemed -well to send her away for more systematic educational training than that -of the sweet home-life, it was a little maiden of unusual knowledge who -went to a convent in France to receive further tuition.</p> - -<p>Peculiarly did the convent school-life commend itself to the studious -mind of the child. The quietude and peacefulness of this holy retreat -appealed very greatly to her contemplative and imaginative mind. The -Doctor had instilled into her a strict regard for truth and sincerity, a -reverence for sacred things, and a desire to follow in spirit and in -truth the teachings of Christ. Meditating on New Testament matters, she -at one time had a curious<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span> idea of founding some new kind of religious -order of Christian workers, but this never subsequently took definite -shape.</p> - -<p>A great happiness which the convent provided was a grand organ in the -chapel. At this, when schoolfellows were indulging in croquet, tennis, -and other games, the young girl would sit, sometimes for hours at a -time, playing religious songs and improvising harmonies. In several of -the novels that were written in after years there are references to the -organ and its soothing influences. Miss Corelli possesses remarkable -musical talents, this power of improvisation amongst them, and her -intimate friends to-day often have the pleasure of listening to her -performances. Dr. Mackay had recognized that her musical ability was of -exceptional order, and, as his financial losses had been such that he -was aware he would not be able to provide for his adopted daughter, he -determined that she should endeavor to win her way in the musical -profession.</p> - -<p>With this object in view the convent training was specially devoted to -the development of her music, and with such thorough care were her -studies conducted, that she still retains the skill then acquired upon -organ, piano, and mandolin, and her voice is both sweet and powerful.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span></p> - -<p>Both as instrumentalist and vocalist Miss Corelli could have been sure -of a large measure of success. Principally she loves the old English and -Scotch ballads; listening to her as she sings such songs to her own -accompaniment in her dainty drawing-room at Mason Croft, it is pleasant -to observe how very feminine she is, how paramount is the Woman in her -nature.</p> - -<p>That the young girl was ambitious goes without saying. During her -holidays from school, she wrote the score of an opera, which was called -<i>Ginevra Da Siena</i>. About the same time she produced numerous verses and -short poems which brought high praise from that competent judge, Dr. -Mackay. Moreover, she wrote in her very young days three sonnets on -Shakespearean plays, these being approved, praised, and published by Mr. -Clement Scott in <i>The Theatre</i>.</p> - -<p>It soon appeared, however, that the little convent maid had done too -much for her strength. Athletic exercises would have been better in -those early days than the excess of brain-work to which she set herself, -absolutely from inclination and of her own free will. Under the great -strain her health broke down, and she was compelled to return from -school for a spell of rest, carrying with her, however, impressions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span> of -the convent life which had a great effect upon her subsequent thoughts -and aims.</p> - -<p>Her health being restored, and Dr. Mackay growing more feeble, he was -glad to keep her at home with him. Musical studies were persistently -pursued. Half the day she would spend with the Doctor, reading, playing, -or singing to him, conversing with him, and cheering him in the illness -that was upon him. The other half of the day was passed at her desk, and -literature finally claimed all her working hours. The first story she -wrote was returned to her. It seemed she was to traverse no path of -roses to fame and fortune. Though occupied with minor literary matters -she was turning over in her mind the outlines of a singular story -suggested by the thoughts or fancies or dreams of that period when her -health broke down, and during which, whilst health was being restored, -there was little to do save keep quiet and meditate. The result was the -formation of the plot of “A Romance of Two Worlds.” These early years, -by the way, up to 1885, were spent in a country cottage; then Dr. Mackay -removed to London, and took a house in Kensington. “A Romance of Two -Worlds” was published in 1886.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli’s sole companion after her convent school-life, with the -exception of Dr. Charles<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span> Mackay, was her devoted friend, Miss Bertha -Vyver, daughter of the Countess Vyver, a not unimportant personage at -the court of Napoleon III. The friendship between Miss Vyver and Miss -Corelli has always been of the closest description. Since Dr. Charles -Mackay welcomed Miss Vyver as his “second daughter,” they have never -been separated. In all her daily life, not least the nursing of Dr. -Mackay through his long illness, Miss Vyver has been by her side, -helping her in home difficulties and trials as help can only be given by -one with whom there is perfect sympathy. Miss Vyver has seen every -detail of all the work the novelist has done, and to-day the friendship -between the two is closer and dearer than ever for the years that have -passed, and the sorrows and joys that have been borne in company.</p> - -<p>George Eric Mackay, Dr. Mackay’s second son, had been a wanderer on the -Continent for many years. Born in London in 1835, and educated chiefly -at the Academy of Inverness, he had first been put into a business -house. Trade was, however, entirely opposed to his tastes and -temperament, and consequently he left the commercial establishment and -began to think of another career. With such a father there was naturally -a desire that the son should enter the field of literature. George<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span> -Eric, however, did not seem, at first, disposed to do this. He preferred -the stage, and made efforts to secure a footing on it. He was tried by -Charles Kean, and there were evidences of talent. Eric did, indeed, -possess very considerable powers of portraying character. The stage, -however, was in those days, as it probably will be for all time, a -thankless profession for the embryo actor, and Eric found the work too -severe. The plodding labors of the beginner by no means suited one who -was not fitted by nature for drudgery or slow progress.</p> - -<p>He had a good voice, and the next profession to which he turned his -attention was operatic singing. For this again he had a not unpromising -equipment, and his father determined to send him to Italy for the -purpose of studying music there under good masters. No progress, -however, was made with the musical studies, though the people and the -conditions of existence in Italy appealed strongly to him, and he made -Italy his home for many years.</p> - -<p>During the first portion of his sojourn abroad he received a liberal -allowance from his father, and was at other times indebted to him for -considerable financial help. He was, like the Doctor, a master of -European languages, and this knowledge enabled him to earn a precarious -livelihood as a teacher of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span> French and English. The income thus derived -was added to by correspondence for newspapers.</p> - -<p>Dr. Mackay gave his son many valuable introductions, and he thus became -acquainted with Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton (to whom he subsequently -dedicated a book of poems); Sir Richard Burton; and Sir William Perry, -the British Consul at Venice. All three became interested in him, and -were frequently of assistance to him.</p> - -<p>He found it impossible, however, to settle down. He stayed nowhere very -long. Rome and Venice saw more of him than other cities. He wrote -verses, and some were, under the title of “Songs of Love and Death,” -collected in a volume and published by Messrs. Chapman & Hall in 1864. -This was the volume which was dedicated to Sir E. Bulwer Lytton. He was -not encouraged by the financial results of his work. Poetry, in fact, -does not pay, and the public at the time gave his verses but a chilly -greeting. His poetic ardor somewhat damped by this treatment, he left -the lyrical muse alone for a time and commenced the publication in Rome -of <i>The Roman Times</i>. This journal, unfortunately, like most newspaper -enterprises that do not “go,” was a costly failure. <i>Il Poliglotta</i>, -another journalistic venture, was published in Venice. It was a -disastrous undertaking, absorbing all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span> money which its editor had -been able to raise, and leaving a heavy deficit.</p> - -<p>The failure was the more serious because of other debts—personal, and -in connection with two volumes which he had published. One, a collection -of his newspaper articles, was called “Days and Nights in Italy”; the -other, “Lord Byron at the Armenian Convent,” this being practically a -handy guide-book to Venice. Nothing paid. The result was that he left -Italy, after living there for twenty years, poorer than he went, which -literally meant that he came back penniless. Broken financially, and in -spirit, he returned to his father.</p> - -<p>To the young girl Marie, whose life had hitherto been so exceptionally -quiet, there was almost a romantic interest in this sudden arrival of -the middle-aged man who, she was informed, was her stepbrother, and she -made much of him. Moreover, Dr. Mackay was seriously disappointed at the -failure of his son to make a career, and at his position—without income -or apparent hope of earning one; and it was evident to Marie that it -would afford her stepfather the keenest pleasure if George Eric should, -after all, achieve success.</p> - -<p>The circumstances of her untiring efforts to bring him into notice are -known only to a few, though misunderstood by many.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span></p> - -<p>In the first place, her principal aim was to relieve her stepfather from -the burden of his son’s maintenance. In the second, she sought to rouse -and inspire that son to obtain for himself a high position in -literature. She spared no pains to attain these two objects, and all her -first small earnings went in assisting him. She was at this time still -continuing her musical studies, and very often went to hear Sarasate. -The large sums of money earned by this eminent artist first suggested an -idea to George Eric of learning the violin, and, though late in life to -begin, he resolved to study the instrument. His musical training in -Italy must have been very ineffectual, as he had to learn his notes. He -wished, however, for a good instrument, and his stepsister secured a -“Guarnerius” model from Chappell, which she paid for by instalments and -presented to him. It may be added that he never made anything of it, but -it was useful in providing the title of his best-known work.</p> - -<p>He had produced a volume, “Pygmalion in Cyprus,” published at the -expense of friends, but the result was again disheartening. Some plays -that he wrote were rejected by the managers to whom they were sent. -About the same time Miss Corelli had returned to her the first story she -had written. The editor of the magazine to whom it had been sub<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span>mitted -was of opinion that the writing of novels was not her <i>forte</i>. She took -the opinion seriously, and decided to write no more, but to complete her -musical training and look to the concert platform as the means of -livelihood. She had already composed quite a large number of poems, some -of which were subsequently torn up, some remain unpublished, and some -have found a place in her books. A strong poetical tendency is evident -throughout all her books, and is particularly prominent in “Ardath,” a -great portion of which is almost as much poetry as prose. Two letters, -written by Eric Mackay at this time, and now preserved in Miss Corelli’s -autograph album, are particularly interesting. One ran:</p> - -<p>“I am happier than I have been since boyhood, for I have a little sister -again, and that little sister—the best and brightest in the world—does -everything for me. But how far short of your ambition for me must I -fall!—for you have already done so much in your short life—you, a -child, and I, alas! a man growing old.”</p> - -<p>And in another he said:</p> - -<p>“I must thank you for sending me the little Keats volume. Curiously -enough, I never read his poems at all before. Browning I can’t stand, -but if you like him I must read him. You seem to live in an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span> atmosphere -of poetry, but pray be careful and do not study too hard.”</p> - -<p>“Love-Letters of a Violinist” at last made Eric Mackay famous. The book -was published in 1885, and it was Marie Corelli who arranged for its -production. She had fully convinced herself of the beauty of the poems, -and she determined that they should be published as became what she -regarded as their great value. She corrected the proofs of the poems, -selected the binding, and saw to every detail of the book. The poems -were published anonymously, and at once became the talk not only of -England, but of America. There was much speculation as to the -authorship. Eric Mackay entered fully into the humor of the thing, and -made numerous suggestions to his acquaintances as to the probable -writer, even putting forth the hint that the late Duke of Edinburgh, an -able violinist, might have written them. He must have chuckled hugely at -the discussions about this anonymous author; and the whole story was -often talked about among his friends. Miss Corelli wrote an introductory -notice to a subsequent edition of the “Love-Letters,” the introductory -note and the initials “G. D.”—which she had adopted—causing almost as -much discussion as the publication of the “Love-Letters” themselves. “G. -D.” was meant by her to signify<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span> <i>Gratia Dei</i>. Probably few books have -ever emerged from the press in more attractive form. It was a quaint, -vellum-bound, antique-looking volume tied up on all sides with strings -of golden silk ribbon, and illustrated throughout with fanciful -wood-cuts.</p> - -<p>But the poems are beautiful and deserving of the fame they attained. It -is curious how very different in quality they are to the author’s -earlier published works, issued in 1864, 1871, and 1880. Each -“Love-Letter” (and there are twelve of them) is in twenty stanzas—each -stanza contains six lines. Antonio Gallenga of <i>The Times</i> declared the -poems to be as regular and symmetrical as Dante’s “Comedy,” with as -stately and solemn, ay, and as arduous a measure!... “There are -marvelous powers in this poet-violinist. Petrarch himself has not so -many changes for his conjugation of the verb ‘to love.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> The latter is -what may be called, to quote a phrase recently used in a well-known -newspaper, a “quotation from an hitherto unpublished review,” because -the late Antonio Gallenga wrote a review of the “Love-Letters” at the -request of Miss Corelli (whom he had known since her childhood); but -<i>The Times</i> refused it, and he sent Miss Corelli the original -manuscript, from which she quoted excerpts in her “Introduction” to the -“Love-Letters.”</p> - -<p>A lengthy review entitled “A New Love-Poet<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span>” appeared in <i>London -Society</i> under the name of “W. Stanislas Leslie,” no other than Marie -Corelli herself. For the rest, all the critics fell foul of the book and -“slated” the author unmercifully.</p> - -<p>Some of the reviewers, notwithstanding the mystery they made of it, knew -all about the authorship. Miss Corelli gave the news to the world in an -anonymous letter to the <i>New York Independent</i>, which was the first -journal to reveal the identity of the writer of the poems. It published -a brief statement to the effect that the author was simply a gentleman -of good position, the descendant of a distinguished and very ancient -family, George Eric Mackay.... “He will undoubtedly,” it was added, “be -numbered with the choice few whose names are destined to live by the -side of poets such as Keats, whom, as far as careful work, delicate -feeling, and fiery tenderness go, Eric Mackay may be said to resemble.”</p> - -<p>Swinburne, about whom Marie Corelli was to write so strongly in “The -Sorrows of Satan,” the poet-violinist thus addressed:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Thou art a bee, a bright, a golden thing<br /></span> -<span class="i3">With too much honey; and the taste thereof<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Is sometimes rough, and somewhat of a sting<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Dwells in the music that we hear thee sing.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">Again, there are such pretty fancies as:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">“Phœbus loosens all his golden hair<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Right down the sky—and daisies turn and stare<br /></span> -<span class="i0">At things we see not with our human wit,”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">and</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">“A tuneful noise<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Broke from the copse where late a breeze was slain,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And nightingales in ecstasy of pain<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Did break their hearts with singing the old joys.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>There are scores of passages like these. The great gifts displayed in -the volume certainly afforded some justification a few years afterwards -for the strenuous efforts which Marie Corelli made to get her -stepbrother made Poet Laureate.</p> - -<p>The “Love-Letters of a Violinist,” great as was their success as poems, -did not prove lucrative. Miss Corelli had provided for the first issue; -afterwards Mr. Eric Mackay made a free gift of the book to the -publishers of the Canterbury Poets series. The sales have since been -considerable, but the arrangement made by Mr. Mackay was one which, of -course, did not benefit him financially.</p> - -<p>Shortly after the publication of “The Love-Letters of a Violinist,” -there were serious developments in Dr. Charles Mackay’s illness. He was -stricken down with paralysis, and the pinch of poverty was being felt, -for there was very little<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span> coming into the home. Marie Corelli had now a -great responsibility upon her young shoulders. The completion of her -musical training it was impossible to afford. What should she do? She -determined to try to write a novel. More articles and essays were -contributed anonymously to newspapers and magazines; and, meanwhile, the -plan of “A Romance of Two Worlds” had been prepared and the book was -being written. Finally it was submitted to and accepted by a great -publisher, who came to see Miss Corelli, and stared with amazement to -find that the young lady to whom he was introduced as the author was a -personal friend of his. Yet so it was, and the story of the publication -and reception of the book is instructive.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III<br /><br /> -<small>“A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS”</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> ninety-nine cases out of a hundred an author’s first long manuscript -is a poor and immature thing, which, owing to its inflammatory nature, -were best devoted to fire-lighting purposes. But the aspiring scribbler, -not being—from this point of view, at any rate—a utilitarian in his -views, would as lief lose his right hand as behold his precious pages -being put to the base wooing of wood and coals. Instead, he spends -several pounds on having it typewritten, and then sends it forth upon -its travels round the publishing houses. It comes back to him with -exasperating regularity, until the author, at last realizing that his -book does not appeal to publishers’ readers quite as vividly as it does -to its creator, either (if he be wise) consigns it to the dust-bin, or -(if he be unwise) pays one of the shark publishing firms to bring it -out. Did he know that the wily fellows to whom he entrusts his work -simply print enough copies for review purposes and a few more to put on -their shelves, charging him the while for a whole edition, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span> would not -part with his good money so readily! As it is, he has the satisfaction -of seeing his story between covers, of sending it to his friends, of -beholding his name in the “Books Received” corner of the daily papers, -of knowing for certain that a copy, wherever else it may not be found, -will always be supplied to students of fiction at the British Museum; -and that is all.</p> - -<p>It is needless to say this was not the course of procedure adopted by -Miss Marie Corelli. She wrote voluminously in her school-days, and was -as successful as most young girls are when they are serving their -literary apprenticeship. She scribbled poetry, and was no doubt -happy—as every youthful scribe should be—when she was rewarded for her -labors by the mere honor of print.</p> - -<p>But the time came—as come it always does to those who have the real -gift of literary creativeness—when the young artist set a large canvas -upon her easel and sturdily went about the task of filling it.</p> - -<p>Of ideas, at such an age, there is an abundant flow. Meals are irksome -and many hours are stolen from slumber; it is late to bed and early to -rise; it is a hatred of social duties, and a period when everything else -but the dream of fame is forgotten. Although we may take the foregoing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span> -to be fairly applicable to the average girl-author, Miss Corelli denies -that the writing of “A Romance of Two Worlds” ever caused <i>her</i> to -become “æsthetically cadaverous.” Her methodical habits may account for -the fact that, in spite of much desk toil and hard thinking, she has -always managed to keep a well-balanced mind <i>in corpore sano</i>.</p> - -<p>“I write every day from ten in the morning till two in the afternoon, -alone and undisturbed.... I generally scribble off the first rough draft -of a story very rapidly in pencil; then I copy it out in pen and ink, -chapter by chapter, with fastidious care, not only because I like a neat -manuscript, but because I think everything that is worth doing at all is -worth doing well.... I find, too, that in the gradual process of copying -by hand, the original draft, like a painter’s first sketch, gets -improved and enlarged.”</p> - -<p>The “Romance,” then, according to this salubrious programme, entered -quietly into a state of being. Miss Corelli was doubtful whether it -would ever find a publisher: her first notion was to offer it to -Arrowsmith, as a railway-stall novelette. Possibly the success of -“Called Back” suggested the Bristol publisher, the title she first fixed -upon, “Lifted Up,” being eminently suggestive of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span> shilling series. -However, the manuscript never went westwards—a matter which good Mr. -Arrowsmith has excellent cause to regret—for, in the interim, as a kind -of test of its merit or demerit, Miss Corelli sent it to Bentley’s. The -“readers” attached to that house advised its summary rejection. Moved by -curiosity to inspect a work which his several advisers took the trouble -to condemn in such singularly adverse terms, Mr. George Bentley decided -to read the manuscript himself, and the consequence of his unprejudiced -and impartial inspection was approval and acceptance.</p> - -<p>Letters were exchanged, terms proposed and agreed upon. “I am glad that -all is arranged,” wrote Mr. Bentley; “nothing now remains but to try to -make a success of your first venture. The work has the merit of -originality, and its style writing will, I think, commend it.”</p> - -<p>A later letter from him says: “I expect our rather ‘thick’ public will -be slow in appreciating the ‘Romance,’ but if it once takes, it may go -off well.”</p> - -<p>These extracts are interesting as showing the view taken by a veteran -publisher—one who had been dealing with books and authors since early -manhood—of a work by an absolutely unknown writer. His opinion of Miss -Corelli’s powers is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span> represented by a further letter dispatched to her -in February, 1886: “I shall be perfectly ready to give full -consideration to anything which proceeds from your pen, all the more -readily, too, because I see you love wholesome thought, and will not -lend yourself to corrupt and debase the English mind.... I have no -greater pleasure than to bring to light a bright writer like yourself. -After all, the Brightness must be in the author, and so the sole praise -is to her.”</p> - -<p>After his first visit to Miss Corelli, in July of that year, Mr. Bentley -wrote as follows: “The afternoon remains with me as a pleasant memory. I -am so glad to have seen you. I little expected to see so young a person -as the authoress of works involving in their creation faculties which at -your age are mostly not sufficiently developed for such works.”</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli was allowed to retain her copyright, a fact which, though -regarded by her as of slight import at the time, has since proved of -some pecuniary advantage, seeing that the “Romance” is now in its -twentieth edition.</p> - -<p>The wise old publisher saw nothing attractive, explanatory, or salable -in such a name as “Lifted Up,” so a new title was asked for. Scott once -said there was nothing in a name, and certainly it did not matter what -such a magician as he was, called a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span> book, any more than it matters what -name any firmly established author fixes upon; but a new writer can -seldom afford to despise the gentle art of alliteration or the -appellation which appeals to the eye, ear, and imagination.</p> - -<p>Both Dr. Charles Mackay and his son George Eric were appealed to by the -young beginner in that literary career to which they were both -accustomed. Both demanded a reading of the manuscript that they might be -guided by its contents as to the title. But Marie refused to show her -manuscript to any one. She told her stepfather that he would only “laugh -at her silly fancies.” She would not let George Eric read it, because -she wanted to surprise him by quoting some of his poetry in the book -from the “Love-Letters of a Violinist,” which title she, by-the-bye, had -suggested. She said her story was “about this world and the next,” -whereupon Dr. Mackay, who happened to be reading Lewis Morris’s “Songs -of Two Worlds” at the time, suggested “A Romance of Two Worlds.”</p> - -<p>So, as “A Romance of Two Worlds,” the book appeared. Up to this time -Miss Corelli had naturally had no experience with reviewers. She had -heard of them, of course, being a member of a literary household, and -she had every reason to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span> suppose that they would, in the ordinary course -of events, write criticisms upon the “Romance.” In this expectation, -however, she was doomed to disappointment. It received only four -reviews, all brief and distinctly unfavorable. It may not be -uninteresting, at this distance of time, to quote the criticism which -appeared in a leading journal, as it is a very fair sample of the rest:</p> - -<p>“Miss Corelli would have been better advised had she embodied her -ridiculous ideas in a sixpenny pamphlet. The names of Heliobas and Zara -are alone sufficient indications of the dulness of this book.”</p> - -<p>Less could hardly have been said. Had the paper been a provincial -weekly, and the writer a junior reporter to whom the book had been flung -with a curt editorial order to “write a par about that,” the review -could not have been more innocent of any attempt at criticism. It is -highly apparent that the critic in question was not employed on the -elbow-jogging terms known as “on space.”</p> - -<p>As for the names, it would have been equally absurd to call a -Chaldæan—descended directly from one of the “wise men of the East”—and -his sister, by the Anglo-Saxon Jack and Jill; or, indeed, to apply to -them European nomenclature of any description. The “Romance,” to quote -its write<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span>r’s own description, was meant to be “the simply-worded -narration of a singular psychical experience, and included certain -theories on religion which I, personally speaking, accept and believe.”</p> - -<p>What name, then, would this reviewer have chosen for the electric healer -who is the principal male character in the work? Although he lived in -Paris, it would hardly have been fair to christen him Alphonse, a name, -by the way, strongly suggestive of a French valet. Clearly the critic -here was unreasonable as well as idle.</p> - -<p>With regard to the allegation as to dulness, we imagine that Miss -Corelli’s most bitter detractors have never accused her of this most -unpardonable crime in a maker of books. Her imagination may take flights -exasperating in their audacity to the stay-at-home mind of Wellington -Street; she may occasionally state her opinions a thought too -didactically for people who are themselves opinionated; when she cries -shame on vice and humbug, her pen may coin denunciations somewhat too -hot-and-strong for the easy-going and the worldly; but, whatever she is, -or whatever she does, she is never <i>dull</i>.</p> - -<p>In spite of the meagre allowances in the review way dealt out by the -press to “A Romance of Two Worlds,” the book prospered exceedingly. It -is absurd to deny the power of the press—either for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span> well or for -ill—and Miss Corelli’s career is a striking proof of the soundness of -this statement. The public recognized the power of the new writer, and -the “Romance” sold by thousands; the press went out of its way to -condemn the works that followed it, and thereby advertised them. “If you -can’t praise me, <i>slate</i> me,” said an author once to an editor; and he -spoke sagely. Luke-warm reviews are the worst enemies a writer can have; -favorable reviews impress a certain number of book-buyers, book-sellers, -and librarians; but bitingly hostile criticisms—tinged, if possible, -with personal spite—are frequently quite as helpful as columns of -eulogy.</p> - -<p>In the case of “A Romance of Two Worlds,” the press did not help one way -or the other, however. The public discovered the book for themselves, -and letters concerning its theories began to pour in from strangers in -all parts of the United Kingdom. At the end of its first twelve months’ -run, Mr. Bentley brought it out in one volume in his “Favorite” series. -Then it started off round the world at full gallop.</p> - -<p>It was, as Miss Corelli has already related in a very frank magazine -article, a most undoubted success from the moment Bentleys laid it on -their counter. It was “pirated” in America; chosen out and liberally -paid for by Baron Tauchnitz for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span> popular and convenient little -Tauchnitz series; and translated into various Continental languages. A -gigantic amount of correspondence flowed in upon the authoress from -India, Africa, Australia, and America; and it may be added that the more -recent editions of the “Romance” have contained very representative -excerpts from this epistolary bombardment. One man wrote saying that the -book had saved him from committing suicide; another that it had called a -halt on his previous driftings towards Agnosticism; others that the book -had exercised a comforting and generally beneficent influence over them. -To quote only one correspondent: “I felt a better woman for the reading -of it twice; and I know others, too, who are higher and better women for -such noble thoughts and teaching.”</p> - -<p>Now, if a book—however one may object to the writer’s convictions or -disagree with them—has an undoubted influence for good; if it drives -from some minds the black spectre of Doubt, makes good men better, bad -men less bad, and all men <i>think</i>, then has not that book won a brave -excuse for its existence? may it not be considered, as a work of art, -infinitely the superior of a picture or a play or another book that -leaves beholders or readers exactly where it found them?</p> - -<p>Many people condemn Marie Corelli without<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span> reading her, on the old -Woolly West principle of “First hang, then try!”</p> - -<p>She has a big public, but it would be a thousand times bigger if only -scoffers and doubters would really <i>read</i> these books by the authoress -whom they hang without trial. Let them take a course of Marie Corelli -during the long winter evenings, passing on from book to book—from the -“Romance” to “Vendetta,” thence to “Thelma,” “Ardath,” “Wormwood,” “The -Soul of Lilith,” and so on—in the order in which they were written. For -the idle and listless, for the frivolous, for the irreligious, for the -purse-proud, for the down-hearted and distressed, she will prove a -veritable “cure,” for she is at once a moralist and a tonic. And whereas -she is a literary sermon in herself to those who listen to other -preachers without profit, so will she prove a profitable and restorative -change of air to the busy, the honestly prosperous, the “godly, -righteous, and sober” of her students. She is for all, and, where funds -are scarce and shillings consequently precious, Free Libraries bring her -within reach of everybody.</p> - -<p>At a time when our leading dramatists and novelists drag their art in -the mud for the sake of the lucre that may be found down there in -plenty, it is refreshing and hope-inspiring to find that the writer<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span> -with the largest public in the world, whose work has penetrated to every -country and is thus not restricted to Anglo-Saxondom any more than a new -type of rifle is, has ranged herself on the side of <i>Right</i>! Thus, owing -to the wide-spread interest in her work, she is enabled to preach the -gospel of her beliefs in all corners of the globe;—this, too, in spite -of the fact that she is comparatively a newcomer in literature.</p> - -<p>“My appeal for a hearing,” wrote Miss Corelli, when describing, in the -pages of the <i>Idler</i>, the appearance of her first book, “was first made -to the great public, and the public responded; moreover, they do still -respond with so much heartiness and good-will, that I should be the most -ungrateful scribbler that ever scribbled if I did not” (despite press -“drubbings” and the amusing total ignoring of my very existence by -certain cliquey literary magazines) “take up my courage in both hands, -as the French say, and march steadily onward to such generous cheering -and encouragement. I am told by an eminent literary authority that -critics are ‘down upon me’ because I write about the supernatural. -Neither ‘Vendetta,’ nor ‘Thelma,’ nor ‘Wormwood’ is supernatural. But, -says the eminent literary authority, why write at all, at any time, -about the supernatural? Why? Because I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span> feel the existence of the -supernatural, and, feeling it, I must speak of it. I understand that the -religion we profess to follow emanates from the supernatural. And I -presume that churches exist for the solemn worship of the supernatural. -Wherefore, if the supernatural be thus universally acknowledged as a -guide for thought and morals, I fail to see why I, and as many others as -choose to do so, should not write on the subject.... But I distinctly -wish it to be understood that I am neither a ‘Spiritualist’ nor a -‘Theosophist’.... I have no other supernatural belief than that which is -taught by the Founder of our Faith....”</p> - -<p>The plot of the story with which Miss Corelli won her spurs is simple in -the extreme. The plot indeed, is a secondary matter, the main strength -of the book being the Physical Electricity utilized by Heliobas—the -medicine man of Chaldæan descent who has neither diploma nor license—in -his cure of the young improvisatrice whose nerves have been shattered by -over-devotion to musical study and whose vitality has been reduced to an -alarmingly low ebb by her inability to recuperate, even in the soothing -climate of the Riviera. An artist who has been saved from -self-destruction and restored to absolute health by Heliobas, advises -her to seek out this “Dr. Casimir” (as Heliobas is called in Paris)<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span> and -put herself in his hands. This she does, with astounding results; for, -from a miserable, woe-begone creature, all “palpitations and headaches -and stupors,” Casimir’s potions and electrical remedies change her into -an absolutely healthy woman, “plump and pink as a peach.” In Casimir’s -house lives the physician’s sister, Zara, who, by means of the same -medical and electrical properties, retains, at thirty-eight, the -complexion and supple health of a girl of seventeen, being ever “as -fresh and lovely as a summer morning.” During her stay with him, -Heliobas expounds his “Electric Creed” to the young musician, and by her -own wish, and by means of his extraordinary hypnotic powers—combined -with a fluid preparation which he causes her to take—throws her into a -trance, in the course of which “strange departure,” her soul is -temporarily separated from her body and floats from the earth to other -spheres. Guided by the spirit Azùl, it wanders to the “Centre of the -Universe,” and, after being permitted to gaze upon the wonders and -glories of the supernatural, returns to earth and once more takes its -place in the work-a-day body from which it had been temporarily -released. After Casimir has afforded the girl further explanations of -his theories, she is admitted to the small circle of adherents to the -Electric Creed. As a result of Casi<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span>mir’s treatment she eventually finds -herself not only in possession of complete health, but also equally -perfected in her work; so much so, indeed, that while her improved looks -are a delight to her friends, her playing fills them with wonder and -delight.</p> - -<p>The story ends pathetically. Just as the heroine is about to go forth -into the world again, armed with new bodily vigor and tenfold her -previous talent, her friend, the ever-youthful Zara, is killed by a -flash of lightning. After attending the burial of his sister in -Père-la-Chaise, Heliobas takes leave of his patient, and proceeds to -Egypt to accustom himself to the solitude to which his sister’s death -has condemned him. The reader is given to understand, however, that -Heliobas and the young musician meet again later on under more cheerful -conditions.</p> - -<p>Such is a mere outline of this popular story, which is told throughout -with admirable restraint and dignity, the language being moderate, and -the arguments pithily expressed. The half-dozen minor characters are -touched in with all the skill of an experienced novelist; and yet, when -Miss Corelli set to work on this “Romance,” she was younger than her -heroine is represented to be.</p> - -<p>The actual penmanship occasioned by the writing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span> of the book must have -been as nothing compared with the very arduous thought and study -connected with the mental generation of the views held by Heliobas and -his fellow-believers. That the theories here exploited are well worth -the consideration of all thoughtful persons, is proved by the intense -interest the book has aroused in so many widely different and widely -separated areas of civilization.</p> - -<p>It ought to be remembered, too, that, at the time the “Romance” was -published, the wonders of the X-rays had not been demonstrated, nor had -wireless telegraphy become a <i>fait accompli</i>. Yet these were distinctly -foretold in Marie Corelli’s first book, as also the possible wonders yet -to be proved in certain new scientific theories of Sound and Color. It -may instruct many to know that the theory of God’s “Central World” with -which all the universe moves, is a part of the authoress’s own implicit -belief in a future state of being.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">{64}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV<br /><br /> -<small>“VENDETTA” AND “THELMA”</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">To</span> Miss Corelli’s host of admirers the story of “Vendetta” must be so -familiar as to render a lengthy repetition of it unnecessary. “Vendetta” -is, briefly, an exposition—in the form of a novel—on marital -infidelity.</p> - -<p>In August, 1886, before the book was published, Mr. Bentley wrote: “May -I tell you that I have been again looking into ‘Vendetta,’ and I venture -to prophesy a success? It is a powerful story, and a great stride -forward on the first book ... it marches on to its awful finale with the -grimness of a Greek play.”</p> - -<p>That Mr. Bentley’s prophecy was fulfilled is clearly indicated in a -letter addressed by him to the authoress on October 22d of the same -year: “I have very great pleasure in sending the enclosed, because I -should have been mortified beyond expression if the public had not -responded to the marked power of your story. I believe you will come now -steadily to the front, and I am very <span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span>curious to read your new story".... “I shall yield to no reader of your works,” he again wrote, some -time afterwards, “in a very high opinion of such scenes as the supper -scene in ‘Vendetta’—as good as if Bulwer had written it....”</p> - -<p>As the preface to “Vendetta” tells us, the book’s chief incidents are -founded on an actual and fatal blunder which was committed in Naples -during the cholera visitation of 1884. “Nothing,” says the authoress, -“is more strange than truth;—nothing, at times, more terrible!” -“Vendetta” is, then, practically, a true story, and certainly a very -terrible one, of a Neapolitan nobleman who, being suddenly attacked by -the scourge that was decimating this fair southern city, fell into a -coma-like state so closely resembling death that he was hurried into a -flimsy coffin, and deposited in his family vault as one deceased. -Awaking from his deep swoon, the frenzied strength which would naturally -come to a man finding himself in such an appalling situation, enabled -him to break the frail boards of his narrow prison and escape from the -vault. In the course of his wanderings, ere he found an outlet, he -became acquainted with the fact that a band of brigands had utilized the -mausoleum as a store-house for their ill-gotten valuables. Having helped -himself liberally to a portion of the plunder, the count—with hair -turned white by his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span> harrowing experiences—retraced his steps to his -house, only to find his most familiar friend consoling his supposed -widow for the loss of her husband in a manner which plainly gave -evidence that the amours of the guilty couple were by no means of recent -origin. Fired by a desire for revenge, and materially assisted by the -bandits’ secret hoard, the wronged nobleman, instead of making known his -resurrection to his wife or anybody else, quitted Naples for a while. On -his reappearance, six months later—well disguised by his white hair and -a pair of smoked spectacles—he represented himself to be an elderly and -wealthy Italian noble, lately returned from a long but voluntary exile -from his native land. Playing his <i>rôle</i> to perfection, he soon -succeeded in striking up a friendship with his wife and her lover, his -ire increasing as he found that they were both supremely indifferent to -the memory of the man whom they imagined to be lying in the tomb of his -ancestors.</p> - -<p>From this point the reader is compelled to pass rapidly from chapter to -chapter in following out the injured husband’s scheme of retaliation. -With remarkable ingenuity the novelist depicts the manner in which the -elderly nobleman, making free use of his abundant means, wormed himself -into the confidence of his supposed widow as well as his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span> traitorous -friend, and how he finally manœuvred the latter into a duel which proved -fatal to the doer of evil, and the former into a second marriage with -himself. The curtain falls on a midnight adventure which proved fatal to -the twice-wed wife.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli appears to be thoroughly at home at Naples and among the -Neapolitans. Her descriptions of the place and its people are admirable. -She is well-versed in the art of painting a pretty picture, only, for -the purposes of her plot, to destroy it with a great ugly dab across the -smiling canvas. For the story opens as daintily as you please. Left, -while still a youth, an ample fortune, Count Fabio Romani dwelt “in a -miniature palace of white marble, situated on a wooded height -overlooking the Bay of Naples.” His pleasure grounds “were fringed with -fragrant groves of orange and myrtle, where hundreds of full-voiced -nightingales warbled their love-melodies to the golden moon.”</p> - -<p>One can imagine that a young nobleman, who, though athletic and fond of -the open air, was at the same time of a bookish and dreamy disposition, -might, in such a pleasant retreat, have lingered on, a bachelor, until -the discretion of the thirties would have befriended him in selecting a -suitable mate. As it was, he saw but few women, and did not seek their -society; but, when only a few years had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span> passed since his accession to -the title, Fate cast in his way a face “of rose-tinted, childlike -loveliness,” it dazzled him. And “of course I married her.”</p> - -<p>The fair canvas is not blurred over too soon, for following the marriage -come several years of bliss undimmed by any cloud. The false friend’s -infidelity remains unexposed and all is peace at the Villa Romani, the -husband doting and believing himself to be doted upon, and a girl-babe, -“fair as one of the white anemones” which abounded in the woods -surrounding the home, arriving to add pride to his love. Then the bolt -falls. The cholera descends upon Naples, and with inexorable clutch -claims victim after victim.</p> - -<p>Count Fabio, strolling down to the harbor one hot early morn, comes upon -a lad stricken by the dread malady, and tends him. Within an hour he is -himself convulsed with excruciating agony, and, whilst stretched on a -bench in a humble restaurant, loses consciousness—to awake in his -coffin.</p> - -<p>The horrors of such a restoration to life are depicted with -extraordinary force, and with equal power is described the revulsion of -feeling—the intoxicating delight—experienced by the unfortunate man -as, having regained his liberty, he stands rejoicing in the morning -light and listens to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span> song of a boatman who is plying his oars on -the smooth surface of the Bay. It was a happy fancy to set down the -words of the sailor’s carol—a gentle touch of human gladness ere the -demon of vengeance whispers “Vendetta!”</p> - -<p>With astonishing cleverness the outraged husband maps out his plan of -requital; his patience, his self-control, his constant alertness are -described by himself—the story is told in the first person—with a -deliberation that is almost diabolical in its cold-blooded intensity.</p> - -<p>Count Fabio scorns the idea of divorce or even an ordinary duel; his -revenge must partake of nothing so prosaic as an action at law or ten -minutes’ rapier play. The matter does, indeed, come to a fight at last, -but even here the injured nobleman gives his rival no chance; for, by -removing his smoked spectacles, and disclosing his eyes for the first -time to his one-time friend, he so unnerves his opponent that the latter -fires wildly and merely grazes the count’s shoulder, while Fabio’s -bullet finds a vital spot in the breast of the man who in a mere prosaic -action for divorce would be referred to as the co-respondent.</p> - -<p>The count intended to kill his man, and, if his action were -unsportsmanlike, he would doubtless have excused it on the ground that a -<i>vendetta</i> wots<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span> not of fair play, the idea being that one person has to -bring about the death of another, by means fair or foul. The count found -it necessary to his programme to make the duel appear a perfectly fair -one; but as a matter of fact he never for a moment, owing to the -precautions he took, had any misgivings as to which combatant would -prove successful.</p> - -<p>In the event of this book being dramatized, the most thrilling situation -will undoubtedly be pronounced the scene in the vault when Fabio, having -remarried his wife, takes her to what he describes as the house where he -keeps his treasure. When retreat is impossible the guilty woman -discovers that he has lured her into the Romani mausoleum. In this -noisome place of sepulture, amidst the bones of bygone Counts Romani, he -discloses his identity, and points to his own coffin, broken asunder—a -ghastly proof of the fact that his story is true. This is his night of -triumph: here ends his revenge. “Trick for trick, comedy for comedy.” -His once familiar friend lies dead in a grave distant but a few yards -from the vault in which, held fast in a ruthless snare, stands the wife -whose love had strayed from her husband to the silent one yonder.</p> - -<p>Her first fright over, she shows resource even in these dire straits: -she flees, but a locked gate<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span> bars her exit, and then she almost -succeeds in stabbing her jailer. But nothing avails against his -vigilance and iron strength, and her terrible surroundings turn her -brain. Mad, she breaks into song—an old melody that at last, when too -late, touches the heart of her husband, and he resolves to remove her -from the charnel-house. But ere his new-found compassion can take -action, while she is crooning over the bandits’ hoard of jewels and -decking her fair arms and neck with blazing gems, a sudden upheaval of -Nature, not uncommon in those parts, shakes a ponderous stone out of the -vault’s roof and silences her song forever.</p> - -<p>The conclusion is fittingly brief. The once proud noble flees from -Naples to the wild woodlands of South America, where, with other -settlers, he ekes out a bare existence by the rough and unremitting toil -inseparable from such surroundings.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>It is a relief to turn from these scenes of black and tempestuous -passion to the gracious and winning personality of the Norwegian girl -Thelma, whose name adorns the title-page of Miss Corelli’s third novel. -Here is no pestilence, for the opening chapters seem to breathe health -and strength and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span> well-being, so redolent is the setting of all that is -good and sweet.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli’s publisher was delighted with the manuscript. “I have read -all,” wrote Mr. Bentley, on March 22d, 1887; “what a nuisance space is! -Here are three hundred miles separating us, and I feel I could say what -I have to say fifty times better by word of mouth than with this pen.... -‘Thelma,’ as long as it is Norwegian, is a lovely dream—a romance full -of poetry and color. ‘Thelma’ in London (I speak of the book) I cannot -like. Of course the contrast, if not too deep, is effective.... How glad -I was to get back to Norway! The death of Olaf is very picturesquely -painted, and little Britta is a charming little brick.” In a previous -letter, written when he had perused up to “page 1017,” he said: “The -character of Sigurd I consider a most beautiful creation. I hardly like -to write what I really think of it, since either it is of the very -highest order, or I have no claim to critical ability of any sort. His -whole career, his half-thought-out, half-uttered exclamations, the -poetry of his thoughts, his passion so noble and so pitiful, the grand -and highly dramatic close of his life, must give you a position which -might be denied for ‘Vendetta’ as melodrama. Here there is nothing of -that sort of life—here one<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73">{73}</a></span> is in the world which held Ariel. The Bonde -I like much, and Lorimer. How necessary are some defects to a perfect -liking! How we are in touch with poor Humanity through its weak side! -This is, I suppose, why we do not sympathize as we ought with Christ. We -feel sad for ourselves, and I can only truly pity those who need -it,—the sort of cry in our hearts for the lost perfection.... I could -write several sheets about the novel, but I forbear. Don’t write too -fast. <i>One who can write as well</i> as you can, can write better, and in -the long run will stand better on financial grounds.”</p> - -<p>Here is advice from one possessing great experience and much worldly -wisdom. How helpful such sound and friendly counsel proved to the young -novelist can readily be imagined.</p> - -<p>“The death of Sigurd, and that also of Olaf,” wrote Mr. Bentley, on -March 28th, 1887, “are far ahead in literary excellence and truth of -anything in ‘She’".... “I confess I hate perfect people,” he remarks in -a subsequent letter, “and that is why, on the contrary, I love Thelma’s -father, have a strong sympathy with poor Sigurd as well as with many of -the other characters in the story, and with that pretty little side -picture of the plucky little waiting maid. I congratulate you on your -next idea. It is in the Spirit of the age to pierce into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_74" id="page_74">{74}</a></span> mysteries -of the unseen world, and I look forward to some interesting speculations -from your enquiring mind.”</p> - -<p>Various passages in other letters testify to Mr. Bentley’s genuine -appreciation of the book. “A clever lady, a great friend of mine whose -opinion I value, is charmed with ‘Thelma.’ This lady was a friend of -Guizot, is a keen critic, and hates our modern novels.” And again: -“There is a rich imagery in ‘Thelma,’ which makes me believe you capable -of becoming our first novelist, and there is a versatility which bodes -well.... But God sends what is best for His children—may His best be -for you!”</p> - -<p>“Thelma” is, in truth, for some considerable way through its numerous -pages, a very pretty story: by many readers, as has been said, it is -counted Miss Corelli’s best achievement, albeit the authoress, in her -heart of hearts, sets “Ardath” above everything that has come from her -pen.</p> - -<p>“Thelma” is quaintly unorthodox from its very start, for the two -principal characters meet each other in the unconventional manner so -dear to the heart of the romance-lover. A wave-lapped beach, at -midnight, in the Land of the Midnight Sun—a handsome English -aristocrat—a wonderful maid, who can claim direct descent from the old -Vikings<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_75" id="page_75">{75}</a></span>—some slight assistance required in the launching of a -boat—are not these particulars sufficient to whet the appetite for what -is bound to follow? Favored by circumstances, this chance meeting ripens -into a full-fledged friendship, whence to a wooing and a wedding is no -far cry in the hands of a skilful novelist.</p> - -<p>The main theme of the story, of course, is English society as viewed by -a girl who, though naturally refined and carefully educated, is, as -regards the world and its ways, a child. Thelma, having become Lady -Bruce-Errington, is gradually introduced to her husband’s social equals, -the result being as diverting as it is pathetic; for she has to go -through a process of disillusionment whereby she learns with no little -pain that an invitation to dinner is not necessarily a genuine -expression of regard any more than a woman’s kiss betokens the slightest -affection or even liking for the woman upon whom it is bestowed.</p> - -<p>Having imbibed all the accomplishments of the schoolroom, Thelma finds -that the vanity of the world is a study which brings much bitterness of -soul in the mastering. At first the young bride’s astonishing frankness -is taken for a supreme effort of art; then, when the truth dawns upon -her associates, her success in society advances by leaps and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_76" id="page_76">{76}</a></span> bounds, -and she becomes what is called “the rage.” Naturally her large nature -soon sickens of such adulation, and induces a strange weariness which -gives place to blank despair and unutterable misery when the -machinations of certain evily-disposed persons lead her to believe that -her husband has bestowed his affections upon a burlesque actress. So -great is her selflessness that the poor girl makes excuses for her -husband’s (alleged) infidelity, and actually blames herself for not -having proved sufficiently fascinating to keep him by her side. In -bitter weather she quietly leaves London—bound for home. She crosses -the rough seas in a cargo-boat, and arrives in Norway to find that her -father is just dead. Her husband follows her by a perilous route, and, -surviving the many dangers of the journey, gains her bedside in time to -save her life and reason. And thereafter all is well.</p> - -<p>In a book containing six hundred and fifteen closely-printed pages, -there must of necessity be a long roll of characters. It is often the -case that characters, increasing in number as a book progresses in the -writing, demand more and more space for their exploitation. Hence such -voluminous works as “Thelma.” In the first part of the novel the persons -introduced are mainly of the bachelor kind, and, though useful in -filling chairs at the literary re<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_77" id="page_77">{77}</a></span>past, are not absolutely necessary to -the plot’s working. In Book II.—“The Land of Mockery”—a new set of -people is introduced, society people mostly, and their servants. In Book -III.—“The Land of the Long Shadow”—the reader is taken to Norway in -the winter, the novelist appropriately and strikingly making Nature’s -moods harmonize with those of her pen-and-ink creations.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli lays on her colors with an unsparing brush—there is -nothing half-and-half in her characterization. There are four -“principals” in this play. Lady Winsleigh, as opposed to Thelma, fills a -<i>rôle</i> full of wrongful possibilities in that she portrays “a woman -scorned,” than whom, as we are asked to believe, Hell hath no fury whose -malevolence is of a worse description. Sir Francis Lennox is, in -wrong-doing, her masculine counterpart; and to balance him we have -Thelma’s husband, an excellent fellow who makes a fool of himself in a -truly bewildering manner. His behavior in endeavoring to bring about a -reconciliation between his secretary and his secretary’s wife—the -actress already referred to—is the weak spot in the book.</p> - -<p>Much, however, that displeases the critical sense—which is fortunately -not the predominating mental attribute of the novel-reading public—is -obliterated by Thelma’s womanliness and attractively gentle<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_78" id="page_78">{78}</a></span> nature. She -is born to love and to suffer, and still to love, without murmur or -reproach, “for better for worse, for richer for poorer,” the husband of -her heart’s choice. She is a human flower, well pictured by the lines -from Rossetti quoted by the authoress:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Sweet hands, sweet hair, sweet cheeks, sweet eyes, sweet mouth<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Each singly wooed and won!”<br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_79" id="page_79">{79}</a></span></div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V<br /><br /> -<small>“ARDATH”—THE STORY OF A DEAD SELF—THE WONDERFUL CITY OF AL-KYRIS—THE -MISSION OF THE BOOK</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> no work produced by her busy pen has Miss Corelli given such range to -her imagination, to her love of the beautiful and fantastic, as in -“Ardath.” This, her fourth book, abounds in wonderful accounts of a -strange people in a strange place. When she sets a scene of barbaric -splendor in the city of Al-Kyris, she reaches great descriptive heights; -she tells, indeed, a tale of beauty, of horror, and of extraordinary -amours, whose like can nowhere be found, look where you will. “Ardath” -stands alone—a prose poem and a startlingly vivid narrative in one. “I -have read it,” wrote Mr. Bentley (referring to the work in manuscript -form), “with wonder that one small head could hold it all.”</p> - -<p>That the authoress has a quick and appreciative eye for the picturesque, -her most bitter detractor will not care to deny; she loves to write of -birds and flowers, field and forest, golden sunshine and blue waters. -She exhibits a passion for the bygone<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_80" id="page_80">{80}</a></span>—in architecture and in man. In -her interesting miscellany, “A Christmas Greeting,” she reproves those -who would take from the charming old-worldliness of Shakespeare’s -birthplace by erecting in Stratford-on-Avon ugly villas and shops -suggestive of Clapham or Peckham Rye. She would—as we all would—have -Stratford kept as much as possible like Stratford was when Shakespeare -wandered by Avon’s banks or brooded over the fire in his home near to -the old Guild Church.</p> - -<p>“Ardath” was written in a hot glow of inspiration. Its theme is drawn -from the Book of Esdras, one of the apocryphal Jewish writings which, -while not used for “establishment of doctrine,” are held to be of value -for historical purposes and for “instruction of manners.” Like a -constantly recurring refrain in a musical composition, the passage in -Esdras chosen by the authoress for her text greets the reader ever and -anon as he turns the pages: “<i>So I went my way into the Field which is -called ‘Ardath,’ and sat among the flowers.</i>”</p> - -<p>On this passage Miss Corelli built her romance, and so successfully did -she work out her ideas that “Ardath” drew letters from all sorts and -conditions of men—letters discussing the theories propounded in her -writings, and asking for information and advice of encyclopædic -character. Amongst the</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_002" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_080fp-a.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_080fp-a.jpg" width="600" height="395" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">A Boating Place on the Avon</span></p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_003" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_080fp-b.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_080fp-b.jpg" width="600" height="398" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">A Favorite Reach on the Avon</span></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_81" id="page_81">{81}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">correspondence were many flattering letters from men and women of light -and leading, not only in England, but abroad. The novel under notice, -which was issued in 1889, brought Miss Corelli a letter of praise from -Lord Tennyson. The work was indeed so remarkable a piece of imaginative -conception and picturesque writing that it appealed peculiarly to the -Laureate’s sense of the poetic and artistic.</p> - -<p>Of the mission of the book, which was of serious character, we shall -speak anon. “Ardath” is one of the author’s finest efforts to further -the cause of true religion. A strange outcome of the book was the -proposed building, by some enthusiastic Americans, of a Corelli city in -Fremont County, Colorado, U. S. A., on the Arkansas River, and a -prospectus was actually issued explaining the project.</p> - -<p>“Ardath” is divided into three parts. In the first is introduced a -sceptic poet, Theos Alwyn. In the Second Book, Theos is transplanted -into the city of Al-Kyris, in a bygone world, where he is supposed to -have led a previous existence five thousand years before Christ’s -advent. In the Third Book, Alwyn is back in London, amongst old -associates, with the knowledge of all these strange experiences within -him. The book has a sub-title, “The Story of a Dead Self,” and it is in -the city of Al-Kyris that the peculiar “Dead Self” experience comes to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_82" id="page_82">{82}</a></span> -Theos Alwyn, through whom Miss Corelli expounds lessons to all men—and -women.</p> - -<p>The story opens in the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, where a wild -storm is gathering, and there is an early example of the descriptive -delights with which the book is adorned. Miss Corelli is unique, not -alone in her imaginings and in her treatment of them, but, too, in her -powerful pictures of scenery. Here,</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“in the lonely Caucasus heights, drear shadows drooped and -thickened above the Pass of Dariel—that terrific gorge which like -a mere thread seems to hang between the toppling frost-bound -heights above, and black abysmal depths below. Clouds, fringed -ominously with lurid green and white, drifted heavily yet swiftly -across the jagged peaks where, looming largely out of the mist, the -snow-capped crest of Mount Kazbek rose coldly white against the -darkness of the threatening sky.... Night was approaching, though -away to the west a broad gash of crimson, a seeming wound in the -breast of heaven, showed where the sun had set an hour since. Now -and again the rising wind moaned sobbingly through the tall and -spectral pines that, with knotted roots fast clenched in the -reluctant earth, clung tenaciously to their stony vantage ground; -and mingling with its wailing murmur, there came a distant hoarse -roaring as of tumbling torrents, while at far-off intervals could -be heard the sweeping thud of an avalanche slipping from point to -point on its disastrous downward way. Through the wreathing vapors -the steep, bare sides of the near mountains were pallidly visible, -their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_83" id="page_83">{83}</a></span> icy pinnacles, like uplifted daggers, piercing with sharp -glitter the density of the low-hanging haze, from which large drops -of moisture began presently to ooze rather than fall. Gradually the -wind increased, and soon with sudden fierce gusts shook the -pine-trees into shuddering anxiety,—the red slit in the sky -closed, and a gleam of forked lightning leaped athwart the driving -darkness. An appalling crash of thunder followed almost -instantaneously, its deep boom vibrating in sullenly grand echoes -on all sides of the Pass; and then—with a swirling, hissing rush -of rain—the unbound hurricane burst forth alive and furious. On, -on!—splitting huge boughs and flinging them aside like straws, -swelling the rivers into riotous floods that swept hither and -thither, carrying with them masses of rock and stone and tons of -loosened snow—on, on! with pitiless force and destructive haste, -the tempest rolled, thundered, and shrieked its way through -Dariel.”</p></div> - -<p>It was such fine writing as this, doubtless, which caught Tennyson’s -fancy on casually opening the book to inspect and arrive at conclusions -concerning its contents for himself, regardless of anything reviewers -might have said previously in its disfavor. It was a sympathetic perusal -of its many pages that drew from him a letter of commendation which he -duly dispatched to its writer. It was the poetic conception of the city -of Al-Kyris which appealed to the lonely Man of Wight, pondering, in his -long island walks, on the strange romance of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_84" id="page_84">{84}</a></span> pre-Babylonian times set -down by a woman who had won the whole-hearted approval of his great -contemporary, William Gladstone.</p> - -<p>Not unlike this majestic opening of “Ardath” are many of the poet’s own -sublime pen-pictures. A master of verse, standing high above all others -of his time as well as above most who had preceded him, the warm -encomiums that he deliberately awarded to Marie Corelli should surely -silence the snarls of envious Grub Street.</p> - -<p>But to our story. Within the Monastery of Lars, “far up among the crags -crowning the ravine,” are seen a group of monks whose intonations -strangely stir a listener,—an Englishman,—Alwyn, whose musings on the -reverential exercises of the monks indicate the religious purpose that -underlies the story which follows. For Alwyn at the time is not only a -poet, but an egoist and an agnostic. What sort of fellows are these -monks, he muses,—fools or knaves? They must be one or the other, thinks -he, else they would not thus chant praises “to a Deity of whose -existence there is, and can be, no proof.” He is none the less conscious -that the ending of faith and the prevalence of what he regards as Truth, -would be a dreary result, destroying the beauty of the Universe. With -cold and almost contemptuous feelings he watches the proceedings of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_85" id="page_85">{85}</a></span> -these monks, and listens to the recital of their seven <i>Glorias</i>:</p> - -<p>“Glory to God, the Most High, the Supreme and Eternal!” And with one -harmonious murmur of accord the brethren respond:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Glory forever and ever! Amen!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Vespers over, the monks leave their chapel, and immediately the agnostic -poet is face to face with one who is presumably chief of the Order—the -monk who had recited the <i>Glorias</i>. And who, indeed, is he? None other -than the mystic scientist, the Heliobas of “A Romance of Two Worlds,” -who has now adopted this secluded monastic life. To him Theos Alwyn -explains that he is miserable, and that, though an agnostic and searcher -after absolute and positive proof, he desires for a time to be deluded -into a state of happiness. So, the Parisian fame of Heliobas having -reached him, this modern poet does not hesitate to seek from him a peace -and happiness which neither his world of success nor his agnostic -opinions can give him. From Heliobas he learns that this strange monk -possesses a certain spiritual force which can overpower and subdue -material force—that he can release the poet’s soul—“that is, the Inner -Intelligent Spirit which is the actual You”—from its house of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_86" id="page_86">{86}</a></span> clay and -allow it an interval of freedom. Alwyn pleads—even demands—that -Heliobas will exercise this power at once; but the monk, amazed and -reproachful, declines.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“To-night!—without faith, preparation, or prayer,—you are willing -to be tossed through the realms of space like a grain of dust in a -whirling tempest? Beyond the glittering gyration of unnumbered -stars—through the sword-like flash of streaming comets—through -darkness—through light—through depths of profoundest -silence—over heights of vibrating sound—you—<i>you</i> will dare to -wander in these God-invested regions—you, a blasphemer and a -doubter of God!”</p></div> - -<p>Stranger than many of the marvels of the book is the scene that follows. -It is a contest of Will between Alwyn and Heliobas. The former, -concentrating all the powers of his mind upon the effort, declares that -Heliobas <i>shall</i> release his soul:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He felt twice a man and more than half a God ... what—what was -that dazzling something in the air that flashed and whirled and -shone like glittering wheels of golden flame? His lips parted—he -stretched out his hands in the uncertain manner of a blind man -feeling his way. ‘Oh, God!—God!’ he muttered, as though stricken -by some sudden amazement; then, with a smothered gasping cry he -staggered and fell heavily forward on the floor—insensible!...”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_87" id="page_87">{87}</a></span></p> - -<p>The soul of the poet had by a superhuman access of will managed to break -its bonds and escape elsewhere. “But whither? Into what vast realms of -translucent light or drear shadow?” Unable to answer the question, the -monk betakes himself to the monastery chapel, and prays in silence till -the heavy night had passed and the storm “had slain itself with the -sword of its own fury on the dark slopes of the Pass of Dariel.”</p> - -<p>Theos for a time lies as one dead. Anon he awakes, seats himself at a -table, and writes. Sometimes he murmurs “Ardath,” but he goes on writing -for hours. Then Heliobas rejoins him. “I have been dreaming,” Theos -says. The monk points to the written manuscript as proof that the dream -has been productive, at any rate. Alwyn reads from the manuscript and -recites:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“With thundering notes of song sublime<br /></span> -<span class="i2">I cast my sins away from me,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">On stairs of sound I mount—I climb!<br /></span> -<span class="i2">The angels wait and pray for me!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">But that, he remembers, is a stanza he had heard somewhere when he was a -boy. Why does he now think of it? “<i>She</i> has waited,—so she -said,—these many thousand days!” And there was the key to the dream. -There was a woman in it; and an angel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_88" id="page_88">{88}</a></span></p> - -<p>Theos explains his dream to Heliobas, tells how he had seemed to fly -into darkness, how in wild despair he cried “Oh, God, where art Thou?” -and heard a great rushing sound as of a strong wind beaten through with -wings, while a voice, grand and sweet as a golden trumpet blown suddenly -in the silence of night, answered, “<i>Here!—and Everywhere!</i>” And then -all was brightness, a slanting stream of opaline radiance cleft the -gloom, and Alwyn was uplifted by an invisible strength. And then he -hears some one call him by name, “Theos, my Beloved!” and a woman of -entrancing beauty appears, crowned with white flowers, and robed in a -garb that seems spun from midsummer moonbeams; ... a smiling -maiden-sweetness in a paradise of glad sights and sounds.</p> - -<p>And this being, bidding Alwyn return to his own star, further directs -him to seek out the Field of Ardath, where she will meet him. And so -they part.</p> - -<p>Theos Alwyn awakens from his dream madly in love with this vision of -loveliness, and determines, if a Field of Ardath there is, to go there -and keep the appointment. Heliobas shows him where the Field of Ardath -lies. It is mentioned in the Book of Esdras, in the Apocrypha, and is -described as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_89" id="page_89">{89}</a></span> situated four miles west of the Babylonian ruins. Alwyn -decides on journeying thither, first sending the poem he had written to -his London friend, Francis Villiers, with the request that as -“Nourhàlma; a Love Legend of the Past,” it shall be published in the -usual way.</p> - -<p>By the waters of Babylon we next find Theos Alwyn, who is soon housed in -the Hermitage, near Hillah, with one Elzear of Malyana, to whom Heliobas -has supplied the traveler with a letter of introduction. So impatient is -this lover to prove the truth or falsity of his mystic vision at Dariel, -that, on the first night of his arrival at the Hermitage, he proceeds -shortly before midnight to search for the Field of Ardath which was -known to the Prophet Esdras. He sets forth, and the wondrous story of -his experiences immediately commences. “Kyrie eleison! Christe eleison! -Kyrie eleison!” sung by full, fresh, youthful voices in clear and -harmonious unison, greets his ears; though whence comes the sound, and -from whom, there is nothing to show. “Was ever madman more mad than I,” -he murmurs. It is a sweet and fascinating madness none the less, for the -angel-lover is true to her promise. “Behold the field thou thoughtest -barren, how great a glory hath the moon unveiled!” quoth the Prophet -Esdras,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_90" id="page_90">{90}</a></span> and as Theos treads the Field of Ardath, which had appeared, -when first his eyes rested upon it, a dreary and desolate place, he -finds the turf covered with white blossoms, star-shaped and -glossy-leaved, with deep golden centres, wherein bright drops of dew -sparkled like brilliants, and whence puffs of perfume rose like incense -swung at unseen altars. And here he finds, moving sedately along through -the snow-white blossoms, a graceful girl. He no longer has eyes for the -flower-transfiguration of the lately barren land. “My name is Edris; I -came from a far, far country, Theos,—a land where no love is wasted and -no promise forgotten!” she tells him. More than that, she adds that she -has waited and prayed for him through long bright æons of endless glory, -and he recognizes in Edris at last the angel of his vision. She upbraids -him for his doubts and unhappiness, speaks slightingly of fame as a -perishable diadem; and crying “O fair King Christ, Thou shalt prevail!” -she leaves him, and as she goes Theos is told “prayers are heard, and -God’s great patience never tires;—learn therefore <i>from the perils of -the past, the perils of the future</i>.” Alwyn, falling senseless, drifts -into the dream wherein he is to learn the story of his new self.</p> - -<p>The description of Theos’s dream fills over fifteen<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_91" id="page_91">{91}</a></span> score of pages. The -reader is impelled on and on, finding in every step new subject for -wonder. The city of Al-Kyris is a feast of scenic splendors, the skill -of the writer providing fascinating word-pictures of incidents more -strange than were ever imagined in an Arabian Nights’ entertainment. And -through all runs a steady and strong undercurrent made up of the solid -lesson of the book, “<i>learn from the perils of the past, the perils of -the future</i>.”</p> - -<p>Theos Alwyn could not tell how long he slept on the Field of Ardath, for -his awakening was confusing. He had a consciousness of his previous -life, its conditions, his position, and opinions. All now was changed. -He was before a gate leading into a walled city, the entrance to which -consisted of huge massive portals apparently made of finely moulded -brass, and embellished on either side by thick round stone towers from -the summits of which red pennons drooped idly in the air. Through the -portals was seen a wide avenue paved entirely with mosaics, and along -this passed an endless stream of wayfarers. A strange city and a strange -people. Fruit-sellers, carrying their lovely luscious merchandise in -huge gilded baskets, stood at almost every corner; flower-girls, fair as -their own flowers, bore aloft in their gracefully upraised<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_92" id="page_92">{92}</a></span> arms wide -wicker trays overflowing with odorous blossoms tied into clusters and -wreaths. Theos understood the language spoken. It was perfectly familiar -to him—more so than his own native tongue. What was his native tongue? -Who was he? “Theos Alwyn” was all he could remember. Whence did he come? -The answer was direct and decisive. From Ardath. But what was Ardath? -Neither a country nor a city. And his dress!—he glanced at it, dismayed -and appalled—he had not noticed it till now. It bore some resemblance -to the costume of ancient Greece, and consisted of a white linen tunic -and loose upper vest, both garments being kept in place by a belt of -silver. From this belt depended a sheathed dagger. His feet were shod -with sandals, his arms were bare to the shoulder and clasped at the -upper part by two broad silver armlets richly chased. The men were for -the most part arrayed like himself, though here and there he met some -few whose garments were of soft silk, instead of linen, who wore gold -belts in place of silver, and who carried their daggers in sheaths that -were literally encrusted all over with flashing jewels.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The costume of the women was composed of a straight clinging gown, -slightly gathered at the throat and bound about the waist with a -twisted<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_93" id="page_93">{93}</a></span> girdle of silver, gold, and, in some cases, jewels; their -arms, like those of the men, were bare; and their small delicate -feet were protected by sandals fastened with crossed bands of -ribbon coquettishly knotted. The arrangement of their hair was -evidently a matter of personal taste, and not the slavish copying -of any set fashion. Some allowed it to hang in loosely flowing -abundance over their shoulders; others had it closely braided or -coiled carelessly in a thick, soft mass at the top of the head; but -all without exception wore white veils—veils long, transparent and -filmy as gossamer, which they flung back or draped about them at -their pleasure.”</p></div> - -<p>Dazed and bewildered, Theos Alwyn gazed about him. Then, following the -crowd, he was borne along to a large square which bordered on the banks -of a river that ran through the city. A strange gilded vessel was seen -approaching. Huge oars, like golden fins, projected from the sides of -the vessel and dipped lazily now and then into the water, wielded by the -hands of invisible rowers. The ship sparkled all over as though it were -carved out of one great burning jewel. Golden hangings, falling in rich, -loose folds, draped it gorgeously from stem to stern; gold cordage -looped the sails. On the deck a band of young girls, clad in white and -crowned with flowers, knelt, playing softly on quaintly shaped -instruments; and a cluster of tiny, semi-nude boys, fair as young -cupids, were grouped<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_94" id="page_94">{94}</a></span> in pretty, reposeful attitudes along the edge of -the gilded prow, holding garlands of red and yellow blossoms which -trailed down to the surface of the water.</p> - -<p>Theos, gazing dreamily and wonderingly upon the scene, was suddenly -roused to feverish excitement, and with a smothered cry of ecstasy fixed -his straining eager gaze on one supreme, fair figure—the central glory -of the marvelous picture.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“A woman or a Goddess?—a rainbow Flame in mortal shape?—a spirit -of earth, air, fire, water?—or a Thought of Beauty embodied into -human sweetness and made perfect? Clothed in gold attire, and -girded with gems, she stood, leaning indolently against the middle -mast of the vessel, her great sombre dusky eyes resting drowsily on -the swarming masses of people, whose frenzied roar of rapture and -admiration sounded like the breaking of billows.”</p></div> - -<p>Beauty-stricken, Theos was roughly brought back to a sense of his -position as a stranger in the city. Al-Kyris was given up to the worship -of a serpent, Nagâya. This woman who had passed was Nagâya’s High -Priestess, the chief power in the place. All the people worshiped her, -and Theos had not, with them, fallen down before her. Immediately he was -seized and roughly handled by the mob, who proclaimed him an infidel and -a spy. At this opportune moment the Poet Laureate of the Realm,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_95" id="page_95">{95}</a></span> one -Sah-Lûma, made his appearance. In Al-Kyris the Laureate was a great man, -next only indeed to Zephorânim, the King.</p> - -<p>Sah-Lûma rebuked the crowd for their ill-treatment of the stranger; and -then, hearing that Theos was a poet from a far country, took him to his -own palace.</p> - -<p>Probably no vainer person than Sah-Lûma ever existed, whether in a real -or imaginary world. They were very artistic in Al-Kyris. Nobody ever -seemed to work except the black slaves. Apparently there was no -necessity for that. The people, including the King, positively doted on -poets. No wonder Sah-Lûma was the Prince of Egoists, seeing that he was -the chief poet in Al-Kyris.</p> - -<p>The Laureate explained the religion of Al-Kyris to his guest:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We believe in no actual creed,—who does? We accept a certain -given definition of a supposititious Divinity, together with the -suitable maxims and code of morals accompanying that definition—we -call this Religion,—and we wear it as we wear our clothing, for -the sake of necessity and decency,—though truly we are not half so -concerned about it as about the far more interesting details of -taste in attire. Still, we have grown used to our doctrine, and -some of us will fight with each other for the difference of a word -respecting it,—and as it contains within itself many seeds of -discord and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_96" id="page_96">{96}</a></span> contradiction, such dissensions are frequent, -especially among the priests, who, were they but true to their -professed vocation, should be able to find ways of smoothing over -all apparent inconsistencies and maintaining peace and order. Of -course, we, in union with all civilized communities, worship the -Sun, even as thou must do,—in this one leading principle at least, -our faith is universal!</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>And yet,’ he went on thoughtfully, ‘the well-instructed know -through our scientists and astronomers (many of whom are now -languishing in prison for the boldness of their researches and -discoveries) that the Sun is no divinity at all, but simply a huge -Planet,—a dense body surrounded by a luminous flame-darting -atmosphere,—neither self-acting nor omnipotent, but only one of -many similar orbs moving in strict obedience to fixed mathematical -laws. Nevertheless, this knowledge is wisely kept back as much as -possible from the multitude;—for, were science to unveil her -marvels too openly to semi-educated and vulgarly constituted minds, -the result would be, first Atheism, next Republicanism, and, -finally, Anarchy and Ruin. If these evils—which, like birds of -prey, continually hover about all great kingdoms—are to be -averted, we must, for the welfare of the country and people, hold -fast to some stated form and outward observance of religious -belief.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>These views were strikingly similar to those held by Theos when he was -in the world, and he could thus endorse the further assertions of -Sah-Lûma, who deemed even a false religion better for the masses than -none at all, urging that men were closely allied to brutes. If the moral -sense ceased<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_97" id="page_97">{97}</a></span> to restrain them they at once leaped the boundary line and -gave as much rein to their desires and appetites as hyenas and tigers. -And in some natures the moral sense was only kept alive by fear—fear of -offending some despotic invisible force that pervaded the Universe, and -whose chief and most terrible attribute was not so much creative as -destructive power. Thus Sah-Lûma again on the theology of Al-Kyris:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“To propitiate and pacify an unseen Supreme Destroyer is the aim of -all religions,—and it is for this reason we add to our worship of -the Sun that of the White Serpent, Nagâya the Mediator. Nagâya is -the favorite object of the people’s adoration;—they may forget to -pay their vows to the Sun, but never to Nagâya, who is looked upon -as the emblem of Eternal Wisdom, the only pleader whose persuasions -avail to soften the tyrannic humor of the Invincible Devourer of -all things. We know how men hate Wisdom and cannot endure to be -instructed; yet they prostrate themselves in abject crowds before -Wisdom’s symbol every day in the Sacred Temple yonder,—though I -much doubt whether such constant devotional attendance is not more -for the sake of Lysia, than the Deified Worm!”</p></div> - -<p>Lysia, High Priestess of Nagâya, was the charmer of the God of Al-Kyris, -charmer of the serpent and of the hearts of men. “The hot passion of -love is to her a toy, clasped and unclasped so!—in the pink hollow of -her hand; and so long as she retains the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_98" id="page_98">{98}</a></span> magic of her beauty, so long -will Nagâya-worship hold Al-Kyris in check.” Otherwise,—who was to -know? Not Sah-Lûma and not Theos, though both were to learn later. -Already in Al-Kyris, it was explained to Theos by his new friend, there -were philosophers who were tired of the perpetual sacrifices and the -shedding of innocent blood that marked the worship of the city. There -was a Prophet Khosrûl who even denounced Lysia and Nagâya in the open -streets, and gave out the faith that was in him—that far away in a -circle of pure Light the true God existed,—a vast, all-glorious Being, -who, with exceeding marvelous love, controlled and guided Creation -towards some majestic end. Furthermore, Khosrûl held that thousands of -years thence (the times described in Al-Kyris are assumed to be 5000 -<small>B.C.</small>) this God would embody a portion of His own existence in human -form, “and will send hither a wondrous creature, half God, half man, to -live our life, die our death, and teach us by precept and example the -surest way to eternal happiness.”</p> - -<p>It is the prophet who gave out this faith against whom the King and the -people of Al-Kyris are mostly incensed. They prefer their worship of -Lysia, “The Virgin Priestess of the Sun and the Serpent,” who “receives -love as statues may receive<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_99" id="page_99">{99}</a></span> it—moving all others to frenzy she is -herself unmoved.” So ’tis said. There is, however, the threatening -legend:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“When the High Priestess<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Is the King’s mistress<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Then fall Al-Kyris!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">And the fall of Al-Kyris is imminent.</p> - -<p>To the splendors of the court of Zephorânim, King of Al-Kyris, Theos is -duly introduced by the Poet Laureate. He finds there that the poetic -muse is adored, and Sah-Lûma is scarcely less esteemed than the King, -who, indeed, his friend and devotee, would almost make the Poet supreme. -The government and religion of Al-Kyris is mainly humbug. They sin -freely and get absolution at an annual feast where a maiden is always -slaughtered and offered as a sacrifice to Nagâya.</p> - -<p>Theos has some quaint experiences. His great friend Sah-Lûma enchants -the court with a poem—one that Theos faintly remembers he himself had -written in days of old. The poet and his friend, after a court function, -proceed to a reception at the Palace of Lysia. There they witness and -take part in marvelous scenes; and the garden of the Palace gives the -novelist an opportunity for those beautiful word-pictures that her pen -evolves so brilliantly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100">{100}</a></span> The poets attend a midnight reception and there -witness an extraordinary ballet which follows a banquet even more -astounding in its incidents and in its revelations of the real character -of this so-called Virgin Priestess. One, Nir-jalis, who had received -favors from Lysia, and who, filled and flooded with wine, was indiscreet -in his utterances, is given by her a cup of poison—the Chalice of -Oblivion—which he drinks, and before a laughing, bacchanalian crowd -dies a horrible death with the jeering words of Lysia in his ears, her -contemptuous smile upon him. Nobody cares. In Al-Kyris, and certainly in -Lysia’s Palace, they enjoy such scenes.</p> - -<p>Theos, amazed, watches all. He, too, has another strange revelation -before the night is through. In the midst of the revelry he hears a -chime of bells, which reminds him of the village church of his earlier -years, and of odd suggestions of fair women who were wont to pray for -those they loved, and who believed their prayers would be answered. As -he meditates thereon he is suddenly seized and borne swiftly along till -in the moonlight he recognizes Lysia. Dramatic indeed is the scene that -follows. Theos makes a passionate declaration of love to her, and has -the promise from Lysia: “Thou shalt be honored above the noblest in the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101">{101}</a></span>land ... riches, power, fame, all shall be thine—<i>if thou wilt do my -bidding</i>.” The bidding is “<i>Kill Sah-Lûma</i>,” and it is Lysia who shows -Theos his sleeping friend and places in his hand the dagger with which -to strike. Horrified at the suggestion, Theos flings the weapon from -him, escapes from the Palace, and reaches the home of Sah-Lûma, where, -later, the Poet Laureate rejoins him.</p> - -<p>The sands of Al-Kyris were fast running out, and events crowded one upon -the other in rapid succession. Theos was terrorized when Sah-Lûma -recited “the latest offspring of my fertile genius—my lyrical romance -‘Nourhàlma.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> Then the full title was proclaimed—“Nourhàlma: A -Love-Legend of the Past”; and we are given the first line of this -mysterious poem:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>A central sorrow dwells in perfect joy.</i>”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>It was the poem written by Theos after the vision of Edris! He had to -hear Sah-Lûma proclaim it as his own; to praise it, too, as the work of -the other. Assuredly the cup of self-abnegation for Theos Alwyn was very -full. As they talked about the poem a great commotion was heard in the -streets. Theos and Sah-Lûma found themselves in the midst of a turbulent -crowd, who, for once, even disregarded the Poet Laureate. The Prophet -Khosrûl was predicting in the midst of excited multitudes the early<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102">{102}</a></span> -destruction of the city, and the coming of the Redeemer. Upon Theos was -again forced the knowledge which was his in the world whence he had been -transported to this pre-Christian age; and, suddenly roused to -excitement, he declared to these talented barbarians—“He <small>HAS</small> come! <i>He -died for us, and rose again from the dead more than eighteen hundred -years ago!</i>”</p> - -<p>From the astonishment caused by this declaration the people had scarcely -been roused by words from Sah-Lûma, when King Zephorânim appeared. -Khosrûl, having delivered his last dread warning, fell dead; and his -decease was immediately followed by the collapse of the great obelisk of -the city. The people’s final terrors had begun. The last words of the -Prophet Khosrûl had been a reiteration of the old forgotten warning -regarding the relations of the High Priestess and the King, and the fall -of the city was foretold for <i>that night</i>.</p> - -<p>Escaping the destruction caused by the fall of the obelisk, Sah-Lûma and -Theos returned to the Palace of the former, and there the Poet Laureate -for the first time showed real emotion on learning that his favorite -slave, Niphrâta, had left him forever. Soon Sah-Lûma and Theos were -summoned by Zèl, High Priest of the Sacrificial Altar, to take part in -the Great Sacrifice; for the people were terrified by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103">{103}</a></span> many strange -happenings and were about to join in solemn unison to implore the favor -of Nagâya and the gods. The Temple of Nagâya was magnificently decorated -for this New Year’s Festival. There Sah-Lûma found that the maiden to be -sacrificed was Niphrâta, and he made an impassioned demand, then an -appeal, for her life. Niphrâta was permitted her choice, but she -repudiated Sah-Lûma, appearing to be in love with some ghostly -representation of the Poet and to be unconscious of his material -existence. She had, she plaintively cried, waited for happiness so long; -and, the Sacrificial Priest calling for the victim, she rushed upon the -knife the Priest held ready for her. One second and she was seen -speeding towards the knife; the next—and the whole place was enveloped -in darkness. Fire broke out in every part of the Temple. A terrible -scene of destruction was enacted, and the terrified people rushed hither -and thither in the effort to save their lives;—efforts vain, because -the last day of the city had come,—Al-Kyris was doomed,—there was -rescue neither for people nor priests.</p> - -<p>Sah-Lûma, death being certain, desired to die with Lysia, but his claim -was contested by the King. Sovereign and Poet then learned that they had -been rivals in love. The prophecy of Khosrûl was being fulfilled. The -barbarous Lysia, even in these last<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104">{104}</a></span> moments, was fierce in her hate, -and demanded of the King that he should kill Sah-Lûma. Her last order -was obeyed. She could secure the death of the Poet, but she could not -save herself. Her own death was one of the most terrible and appalling -scenes ever conceived or described. Nagâya, the huge snake that the -people of Al-Kyris had worshiped, claimed its own. Frightened by the -flames, in its fear it turned upon its mistress Lysia, and, with the -King vainly striving to drag her from the coils of the python, the High -Priestess, chief of the city of lies, atheism, and humbug, died a death -which she had many times remorselessly and gleefully decreed for others.</p> - -<p>Theos, gazing at the funeral pyre, as it vaguely seemed to him, of a -wasted love and a dead passion, passed from the scene, taking with him -the dead body of his friend the Poet. And as he kept his steadfast gaze -on Sah-Lûma’s corpse, “the dead Poet’s eyes grew into semblance of his -own eyes, the dead Sah-Lûma’s face smiled spectrally back at him in the -image of his own face!—it was as though he beheld the Picture of -Himself, slain and ‘reflected in a magician’s mirror!’<span class="lftspc">”</span> Humbly he prayed -to God to pardon his sins and to teach him what he should know; and -again he heard soft, small voices singing <i>Kyrie Eleison</i>, and <small>AWOKE</small> to -find himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105">{105}</a></span> on the Field of Ardath, the dawn just breaking, and the -angel Edris near him. Then Edris told him that in the past he had been -Sah-Lûma, that in those days he would neither hear Christ nor believe in -Him, and that his talents had been misused; she also told Theos how his -future years should be spent. She promised that afterwards he should -meet her in the highest Heaven, but “not till then, <i>unless the longing -of thy love compels</i>.”</p> - -<p>It is in that portion of the work called “Poet and Angel” that the -serious aim of Marie Corelli in writing this romance is clearly and -emphatically brought out. Theos Alwyn is himself once again; but he is a -very different self. Returning to London he is received warmly by his -friend Villiers, and hears that “Nourhâlma” has brought him much of fame -and profit. He had ceased to care for one or the other. He tells -Villiers he has become a Christian, anxious, so far as he is able, to -follow a faith so grand, and pure, and true. In his declarations on the -subject we hear what our author again and again urges in many -books—that Christianity and Religion are not determined by one sect or -the other. In the words of Theos:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I am not a ‘convert’ to any particular set form of faith,—what I -care for is the faith itself. One can follow and serve Christ -without any church<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106">{106}</a></span> dogma. He has Himself told us plainly, in words -simple enough for a child to understand, what He would have us -do,—and though I, like many others, must regret the absence of a -true Universal Church where the servants of Christ may meet all -together without a shadow of difference in opinion, and worship Him -as He should be worshiped, still, that is no reason why I should -refrain from endeavoring to fulfil, as far as in me lies, my -personal duty towards Him. The fact is, Christianity has never yet -been rightly taught, grasped, or comprehended;—moreover, as long -as men seek through it their own worldly advantage, it never will -be,—so that the majority of people are really as yet ignorant of -its true spiritual meaning, thanks to the quarrels and differences -of sects and preachers. But, notwithstanding the unhappy position -of religion at the present day, I repeat I am a Christian, if love -for Christ and implicit belief in Him can make me so.”</p></div> - -<p>This is the text on which many of Alwyn’s powerful arguments are based, -in dealing, both in and out of society, with those opinions of sceptics -and agnostics which had formerly commended themselves to him but which -he now combats with convincing clearness and strength. To emphasize his -position he quotes that terse rebuke of Carlyle’s, in “Sartor Resartus,” -as to the uselessness of Voltaire’s work:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Cease, my much respected Herr von Voltaire,—shut thy sweet voice; -for the task appointed thee seems finished. Sufficiently hast thou -demonstrated<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107">{107}</a></span> this proposition, considerable or otherwise: That the -Mythus of the Christian Religion looks not in the eighteenth -century as it did in the eighth. Alas, were thy six-and-thirty -quartos and the six-and-thirty thousand other quartos and folios -and flying sheets of reams, printed before and since on the same -subject, all needed to convince us of so little! But what next? -Wilt thou help us to embody the Divine Spirit of that Religion in a -new Mythus, in a new vehicle and vesture, that our Souls, otherwise -too like perishing, may live? What! thou hast no faculty of that -kind? Only a torch for burning and no hammer for building?—Take -our thanks then—and thyself away!”</p></div> - -<p>The theologian and the lay thinker alike must follow with keen interest -the arguments of Theos Alwyn against atheism, materialism, and, what -Miss Corelli calls, Paulism. Uncompromisingly should those writers be -denounced who take immorality for their theme, and achieve considerable -sales thereby. The declarations of Alwyn are of particular interest -because in them expression is given to many of Marie Corelli’s own views -on sacred things. The man or woman who is bewildered by the quarrels of -the religious sects of these days, and whose bewilderment is increased -by the teachings of the cynics, may well exclaim with Alwyn what a -howling wilderness this world would be if given over entirely to -materialism, and conclude with him that, if it were, scarce a line of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108">{108}</a></span> -division could be drawn between man and the brute beasts of the field! -“I consider,” says the poet, “that if you take the hope of an after-joy -and blessedness away from the weary, perpetually toiling Million, you -destroy, at one wanton blow, their best, purest, and noblest -aspirations. As for the Christian Religion, I cannot believe that so -grand and holy a Symbol is perishing among us. We have a monarch whose -title is ‘Defender of the Faith,’—we live in the age of civilization -which is primarily the result of that faith,—and if, as it is said, -Christianity is exploded,—then certainly the greatness of this hitherto -great nation is exploding with it! But I do not think, that because a -few sceptics uplift their wailing ‘All is vanity’ from their -self-created desert of agnosticism, <i>therefore</i> the majority of men and -women are turning renegades from the simplest, most humane, most -unselfish Creed that ever the world has known. It may be so, but, at -present, I prefer to trust in the higher spiritual instinct of man at -his best, rather than accept the testimony of the lesser Unbelieving -against the greater Many, whose strength, comfort, patience and -endurance, if these virtues come not from God, come not at all.”</p> - -<p>To those who, through the atheistic views of some in the churches and of -the hosts outside, be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109">{109}</a></span>gin to feel doubt as to the truth of the Christian -faith, this book “Ardath” will be of enormous value. It will strengthen -their faith and aid greatly to carry conviction to those who pause, -unable to decide amid the chaotic teachings of conflicting theorists. We -praise this book more especially for its virtue as an antidote to the -pitiful writings of some female novelists whose vicious themes must do -much harm amongst the women of the day. “If women give up their faith,” -declares Alwyn to the Duchess de la Santoisie, “let the world prepare -for strange disaster! Good, God-loving women,—women who pray,—women -who hope,—women who inspire men to do the best that is in them,—these -are the safety and glory of nations! When women forget to kneel,—when -women cease to teach their children the ‘Our Father,’ by whose grandly -simple plea Humanity claims Divinity as its origin,—then shall we learn -what is meant by ‘men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking -after those things which are coming on the earth.’ A woman who denies -Christ repudiates Him, Who, above all others, made her sex as free and -honored as everywhere in Christendom it is. He never refused woman’s -prayers,—He had patience for her weakness,—pardon for her sins,—and -any book written by woman’s hand that does Him the small<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110">{110}</a></span>est shadow of -wrong is to me as gross an act as that of one who, loaded with benefits, -scruples not to murder his benefactor!”</p> - -<p>The reading of “Ardath” will help many to the conviction of Theos -Alwyn—“God Exists. I, of my own choice, prayer, and hope, voluntarily -believe in God, in Christ, in angels, and in all things beautiful, and -pure, and grand! Let the world and its ephemeral opinions wither; I will -not be shaken down from the first step of the ladder whereon one climbs -to Heaven!”</p> - -<p>Such is the teaching of this remarkable book “Ardath,” which inculcates -these lessons interwoven with a romantic story of fascinating interest.</p> - -<p>Towards its close there occurs, again in the person and in the words of -Heliobas, a scathing comment upon “spiritualists,” for whom six tests -are suggested:</p> - -<div class="blockquott"><p>“<i>Firstly.</i>—Do they serve themselves more than others?—If so, -they are entirely lacking in spiritual attributes.</p> - -<p>“<i>Secondly.</i>—Will they take money for their professed -knowledge?—If so, they condemn themselves as paid tricksters.</p> - -<p>“<i>Thirdly.</i>—Are the men and women of commonplace and thoroughly -material life?—Then, it is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111">{111}</a></span> plain they cannot influence others to -strive for a higher existence.</p> - -<p>“<i>Fourthly.</i>—Do they love notoriety?—If they do, the gates of the -unseen world are shut upon them.</p> - -<p>“<i>Fifthly.</i>—Do they disagree among themselves, and speak against -one another?—If so, they contradict by their own behavior all the -laws of spiritual force and harmony.</p> - -<p>“<i>Sixthly</i> and lastly.—Do they reject Christ?—If they do, they -know nothing whatever about Spiritualism, there being <i>none</i> -without Him.”</p></div> - -<p>There is a charming finale. Theos marries the angel Edris. An angel? -Yes; but an angel because <i>a woman, most purely womanly</i>. That is all, -and all women can be angels—“A Dream of Heaven made human!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112">{112}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI<br /><br /> -<small>“WORMWOOD” AND “THE SOUL OF LILITH”</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">Some</span> day a selection of extracts from “The Works of Marie Corelli” will -be published, and excellent reading it will prove. For, scattered about -the novelist’s goodly list of books, one may light on many interesting -little observations concerning human nature which will well bear -reproduction without the context. In the course of this biography a -modest choice of Miss Corelli’s thoughts on religion, men, women, -education, and such-like topics will be found; but it is impossible in -the narrow scope of the present publication to quote everything that one -would like to.</p> - -<p>Early in “Wormwood” there occurs a passage of the kind to which we -refer. It is a pretty description of the ill-fated heroine of the story, -and of her “soft and trifling chatter.” Pauline de Charmilles is -eighteen, newly home from school—“a child as innocent and fresh as a -flower just bursting into bloom, with no knowledge of the world into -which she was entering, and with certainly no idea of the power of her -own beauty to rouse the passions of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113">{113}</a></span> men.” Pauline, by mutual parental -head-nodding, is thrown much into the society of young Beauvais (who -tells the story), a wealthy banker’s son. His description of the girl -forms the passage alluded to above:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Pauline de Charmilles was not a shy girl, but by this I do not -mean it to be in the least imagined that she was bold. On the -contrary, she had merely that quick brightness and <i>esprit</i> which -is the happy heritage of so many Frenchwomen, none of whom think it -necessary to practice or assume the chilly touch-me-not diffidence -and unbecoming constraint which make the young English “mees” such -a tame and tiresome companion to men of sense and humor. She was -soon perfectly at her ease with me, and became prettily garrulous -and confidential, telling me stories of her life at Lausanne, -describing the loveliness of the scenery on Lake Leman, and drawing -word-portraits of her teachers and schoolmates with a facile -directness and point that brought them at once before the mind’s -eye as though they were actually present.”</p></div> - -<p>Pauline’s ingenuousness and alluring looks quickly enslave young -Beauvais. He cannot understand the reason of this fascination. He quite -realizes that she is a bread-and-butter schoolgirl, and “a mere baby in -thought,” but—she is beautiful. So, having granted that the net in -which he finds himself immeshed is purely a physical one, he thus -descants on the reasonableness of his fall:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114">{114}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Men never fall in love at first with a woman’s mind; only with her -body. They may learn to admire the mind afterwards, if it prove -worth admiration, but it is always a secondary thing. This may be -called a rough truth, but it is true, for all that. Who marries a -woman of intellect by choice? No one; and if some unhappy man does -it by accident, he generally regrets it. A stupid beauty is the -most comfortable sort of housekeeper going, believe me. She will be -strict with the children, scold the servants, and make herself look -as ornamental as she can, till age and fat render ornament -superfluous. But a woman of genius, with that strange subtle -attraction about her which is yet not actual beauty,—she is the -person to be avoided if you would have peace; if you would escape -reproach; if you would elude the fixed and melancholy watchfulness -of a pair of eyes haunting you in the night.”</p></div> - -<p>The love of Beauvais is apparently returned by Pauline, and all goes -merrily in the direction of marriage-bells, whose ringing seems a matter -of no great distance off when the two young people become betrothed; -although it is apparent to a great friend of Pauline’s, Heloïse St. Cyr, -that the schoolgirl is not so sure of herself in the matter of being in -love as she should be.</p> - -<p>Among the many charmingly French touches in this book is Pauline’s -reassuring speech to her lover. “Be satisfied, Gaston; I am thy very -good little <i>fiancée</i>, who is very, very fond of thee, and happy in thy -company, <i>voilà tout</i>!” And then, taking a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115">{115}</a></span> rose from her -<i>bouquet-de-corsage</i>, she fastens it in his button-hole, enchanting him -completely.</p> - -<p>Then comes Silvion Guidèl, nephew of M. Vaudron, Curé of the parish in -which live the De Charmilles. Guidèl is destined for the priesthood and -possesses considerable personal charms. Beauvais <i>père</i> comments on -them:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“A remarkably handsome fellow, that Guidèl!” he said. “Dangerously -so, for a priest! It is fortunate that his lady penitents will not -be able to see him very distinctly through the confessional -gratings, else who knows what might happen! He has a wonderful gift -of eloquence too. Dost thou like him, Gaston?”</p> - -<p>“No!” I replied frankly, and at once, “I cannot say I do!”</p> - -<p>My father looked surprised.</p> - -<p>“But why?”</p> - -<p>“Impossible to tell, <i>mon père</i>. He is fascinating, he is -agreeable, he is brilliant; but there is something in him that I -mistrust!”</p></div> - -<p>As events prove, Beauvais <i>fils</i> has only too good reason to distrust -the embryo priest. Soon after, Beauvais <i>père</i> is called away to London -for several weeks, and, as a consequence of the superintending of the -Paris banking house falling entirely to the son, Gaston sees but little -of his <i>fiancée</i>. But he is often in the company of Silvion Guidèl, to -whom he becomes much attached in spite of his previous feelings towards -M. Vaudron’s nephew. So, writ<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116">{116}</a></span>ing the history of those days long -afterwards, Beauvais acknowledges that he was mistaken in changing his -attitude towards Guidèl:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Though first impressions are sometimes erroneous, I believe there -is a balance in favor of their correctness. If a singular antipathy -seizes you for a particular person at first sight, no matter how -foolish it may seem, you may be almost sure that there is something -in your two natures that is destined to remain in constant -opposition. You may conquer it for a time; it may even change, as -it did in my case, to profound affection; but, sooner or later, it -will spring up again, with tenfold strength and deadliness; the -reason of your first aversion will be made painfully manifest, and -the end of it all will be doubly bitter because of the love that -for a brief while sweetened it. I say I loved Silvion Guidèl!—and -in proportion to the sincerity of that love, I afterwards measured -the intensity of my hate!”</p></div> - -<p>The wedding day draws closer, and Beauvais remains blind to everything -save his own joy and the bliss which he fondly imagines will result from -the union. True, he sometimes notices a certain lack of enthusiasm in -Pauline’s view of the approaching ceremony, but he attributes this and -her wistfulness of expression to “the nervous excitement a young girl -would naturally feel at the swift approach of her wedding day.” -Strangely enough, Guidèl, too, shows signs of physical and mental<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117">{117}</a></span> -distress, but when Beauvais rallies him on his manner and appearance, he -puts the young banker off with light speeches in which, however, there -is a certain bitterness which puzzles the latter considerably. However, -Beauvais still suspects nothing. At length Pauline shatters all his -dreams of the future, and makes him a miserable wretch for life, by -confessing that she loves Silvion Guidèl, that her love is returned, and -that, in consequence of this mutual passion, the worst of possible fates -has befallen her.</p> - -<p>Then Beauvais flies to absinthe drinking, which is the keynote of the -story. From that time on it is all absinthe. A broken-down painter, -André Gessonex, lures him on to this disastrous form of begetting -forgetfulness; and this is the first step down the short steep hill -which leads to the young banker’s utter ruin. Having once tasted the -potent and fascinating mixture, he returns to it again and again, and -gradually it warps him, physically and mentally, finally transforming -him into one of the meanest scoundrels in Paris.</p> - -<p>But this is after many days. On the morning after his first bout of -absinthe drinking, Beauvais decides to challenge Silvion, but discovers -that the betrayer of Pauline has disappeared from Paris. Thereupon, -though sore at heart, he determines<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118">{118}</a></span> to save Pauline’s family an -infinity of shame by marrying the girl; and so the preparations -continue.</p> - -<p>But in the interval that elapses between this decision and the date -fixed for the nuptials, the absinthe works a terrible change in -Beauvais’ attitude towards Pauline, with the result that, when the day -of the ceremony arrives, he denounces her before her parents and the -large assembly of guests as the cast-off mistress of Guidèl, and harshly -refuses to make her his wife.</p> - -<p>The awful effect of this speech may be imagined; poor Pauline’s looks -confirm the truth of his statement; the guests quietly leave the -broken-hearted parents with their daughter; there is no marriage. Take -the decorations down; fling the wedding feast to the mendicants who -whine round the house; there is no marriage!</p> - -<p>Even Beauvais <i>père</i> turns on his miscreant of a son as they quit the -desolate girl’s abode:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Gaston, you have behaved like a villain! I would not have believed -that my son could have been capable of such a coward’s vengeance!”</p> - -<p>I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders.</p> - -<p>“You are excited, <i>mon père</i>! What have I done save speak the -truth, and, as the brave English say, shame the devil?”</p> - -<p>“The truth—the truth!” said my father passionately. “Is it the -truth? and if it is, could it not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119">{119}</a></span> have been told in a less brutal -fashion? You have acted like a fiend!—not like a man! If Silvion -Guidèl be a vile seducer, and that poor child Pauline his -credulous, ruined victim, could you not have dealt with <i>him</i> and -have spared <i>her</i>? God! I would as soon wring the neck of a bird -that trusted me, as add any extra weight to the sorrows of an -already broken-hearted woman!”</p></div> - -<p>More than this, the indignant old man gives his son a substantial sum of -money, and turns him out of his house.</p> - -<p>Pauline, too, leaves her home in a mysterious and sudden fashion, -without telling any one where she is going. The death of her father, M. -de Charmilles, quickly follows. Beauvais drinks himself stupid every -night, and spends his days doggedly hunting for Pauline, who, he feels -sure, has hidden herself in the loathsome slums in which Paris abounds. -And in time he does meet her, but long before this he encounters her -seducer, Silvion Guidèl, and, after a mad struggle, throttles him, and -casts the corpse into the Seine.</p> - -<p>The murder is not traced home to Beauvais, who drinks more deeply than -ever of the deadly absinthe, and becomes more surely its slave with -every draught. Gessonex, the disreputable artist who introduced him to -this form of vice, ends his failure of a career by shooting himself on -the pave<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120">{120}</a></span>ment outside of a <i>café</i> after one of these carousals, and it -is while Beauvais is visiting the artist’s grave that he at last sets -eyes on Pauline, kneeling by the tomb of the De Charmilles. For he -cannot mistake the figure crouching by that closed door: “She was -slight, and clad in poorest garments—the evening wind blew her thin -shawl about her like a gossamer sail,—but the glimmer of the late -sunlight glistened on a tress of nut-brown hair that had escaped from -its coils and fell loosely over her shoulders,—and my heart beat -thickly as I looked,—I knew—I felt that woman was Pauline!”</p> - -<p>When he endeavors to track her to her lodgings, however, she -unconsciously eludes him, and he obtains no clue as to where she may be -found.</p> - -<p>Weeks go by, and Beauvais swallows more and more absinthe by way of -deadening thought and feeling. The insidious poison is beginning to tell -on his brain. At times he is seized by the notion that everything about -him is of absurdly abnormal proportions, or the reverse. “Men and women -would, as I looked at them, suddenly assume the appearance of monsters -both in height and breadth, and again, would reduce themselves in the -twinkling of an eye to the merest pigmies.” So, while the <i>absintheur’s</i> -brain and body decline, the summer fades into autumn, and he is still -looking<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121">{121}</a></span> for Pauline. At length, one dismal November evening, whilst -wandering home in his usual heavily drugged condition, he hears a woman -singing in one of the by-streets. She is singing a well-known convent -chant, the “Guardian Angel”:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>Viens sur ton aile, Ange fidèle</i><br /></span> -<span class="i4"><i>Prendre mon cœur!</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>C’est le plus ardent de mes vœux;—</i><br /></span> -<span class="i4"><i>Près de Marie</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Place-moi bientôt dans les cieux!</i><br /></span> -<span class="i3"><i>O guide aimable, sois favorable</i><br /></span> -<span class="i6"><i>A mon désir</i><br /></span> -<span class="i6"><i>Et viens finir</i><br /></span> -<span class="i6"><i>Ma triste vie</i><br /></span> -<span class="i6"><i>Avec Marie!"</i><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>It is Pauline at last! Then the absinthe tells its tale, and Beauvais -completes his scheme of vengeance. With cold-blooded ferocity he -confesses that he has slain her lover, whereupon the desolate girl, the -hopes she had fostered of meeting Silvion again being forever shattered, -buries her woes in the dark bosom of the river of sighs.</p> - -<p>Beauvais haunts the Morgue for two days, and his patience is rewarded. -Here is a piece of description which, in its way, is perfect:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“An afternoon came when I saw the stretcher carried in from the -river’s bank with more than<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122">{122}</a></span> usual pity and reverence,—and I, -pressing in with the rest of the morbid spectators, saw the fair, -soft, white body of the woman I had loved and hated and maddened -and driven to her death, laid out on the dull hard slab of stone -like a beautiful figure of frozen snow. The river had used her -tenderly—poor little Pauline!—it had caressed her gently and had -not disfigured her delicate limbs or spoilt her pretty face;—she -looked so wise, so sweet and calm, that I fancied the cold and -muddy Seine must have warmed and brightened to the touch of her -drowned beauty!</p> - -<p>“Yes!—the river had fondled her!—had stroked her cheeks and left -them pale and pure,—had kissed her lips and closed them in a -childlike, happy smile,—had swept all her soft hair back from the -smooth white brow just to show how prettily the blue veins were -penciled under the soft transparent skin,—had closed the gentle -eyes and deftly pointed the long dark lashes in a downward sleepy -fringe,—and had made of one little dead girl so wondrous and -piteous a picture, that otherwise hard-hearted women sobbed at -sight of it, and strong men turned away with hushed footsteps and -moistened eyes.”</p></div> - -<p>And that, practically, is the end of the story, for Gaston Beauvais, -having revenged himself on his sweetheart and her betrayer, has nought -to do now save drink absinthe. <i>Delirium tremens</i> ensues, Beauvais is -laid up for a month, and at the end of that period the doctor speaks -plain words of wisdom and warning to him:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123">{123}</a></span></p><div class="blockquot"><p>“You must give it up,” he said decisively, “at once,—and forever. -It is a detestable habit,—a horrible craze of the Parisians, who -are positively deteriorating in blood and brain by reason of their -passion for this poison. What the next generation will be, I dread -to think! I know it is a difficult business to break off anything -to which the system has grown accustomed,—but you are still a -young man, and you cannot be too strongly warned against the danger -of continuing in your present course of life. Moral force is -necessary,—and you must exert it. I have a large medical practice, -and cases like yours are alarmingly common, and as much on the -increase as morphinomania amongst women; but I tell you frankly, no -medicine can do good where the patient refuses to employ his own -power of resistance. I must ask you, therefore, for your own sake, -to bring all your will to bear on the effort to overcome this fatal -habit of yours, as a matter of duty and conscience.”</p></div> - -<p>But the physician’s admonition falls on heedless ears. Beauvais returns -to the alluring glass, and the book ends with the confession that he is -a confirmed <i>absintheur</i>—“a thing more abject than the lowest beggar -that crawls through Paris whining for a sou!—a slinking, shuffling -beast, half monkey, half man, whose aspect is so vile, whose body is so -shaken with delirium, whose eyes are so murderous, that if you met me by -chance in the daytime, you would probably shriek for sheer alarm!”</p> - -<p>Such is the graphic and terrible picture drawn by Marie Corelli of the -effects of this iniquitous draught. If Beauvais had not been tempted by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124">{124}</a></span> -Gessonex to taste it, it is not probable that Pauline’s piteous -confession would have resulted in such wholesale tragedy; for Heloïse -St. Cyr, the sweet woman-friend of the bride-elect’s, dies, too, and so -an entire happy household is destroyed by reason of one man’s -uncontrollable savagery.</p> - -<p>Had Beauvais never put his lips to the fatal glass, he would in all -probability, on hearing what had befallen his sweetheart, have quietly -broken off the match. For, it must be remembered, he was a respectable -young banker, of sober mien and quiet ways, not a Bohemian and -frequenter of all-night <i>cafés</i>. But he tasted absinthe, and so brought -about his undoing, as many another young Parisian is bringing it about -at the present day. Here is the novelist’s fierce denunciation of the -vice:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Paris, steeped in vice and drowned in luxury, feeds her brain on -such loathsome literature as might make even coarse-mouthed -Rabelais and Swift recoil. Day after day, night after night, the -absinthe-drinkers crowd the <i>cafés</i>, and swill the pernicious drug -that of all accursed spirits ever brewed to make of man a beast, -does most swiftly fly to the seat of reason to there attack and -dethrone it;—and yet, the rulers do nothing to check the spreading -evil,—the world looks on, purblind as ever and selfishly -indifferent,—and the hateful cancer eats on into the breast of -France, bringing death closer every day!”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125">{125}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Wormwood” is undoubtedly a work of genius—a strange, horrible book, -yet fraught with a tremendous moral. The story of inhuman vengeance goes -swiftly on, without a stop or stay; one feels that the little bride-girl -is doomed, that the priest must die, that unutterable misery must be the -final lot of all the actors in the story.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli does not overstate the case when she declares that -absinthe has taken a grim and cancerous hold of Paris. It is called for -in the <i>cafés</i> as naturally as we, in London, order a “small” or “large” -Bass. But what a difference in the two beverages! A French writer of -authority says that fifteen per cent. of the French army are rendered -incapable by the use of absinthe.</p> - -<p>The bulk of the French populace drinks either <i>bock</i> or light wine, and -it takes a fairly large amount of either to produce intoxication. In -England the populace drinks draught ale or whiskey. Comparing the two -peoples and their behavior—for example—on public holidays, we must -allow that the French are by far the more sober nation. But in London we -have not—except in one or two West-End <i>cafés</i>—this dreadful absinthe, -and we may well be thankful that the drinking of it has not grown upon -us as it has grown upon the Parisians.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126">{126}</a></span></p> - -<p>Could not Marie Corelli turn the heavy guns of her genius on the drink -question <i>this</i> side of the Channel! The field is a very wide one. -Children under fourteen are now prevented by law from being served at -public-houses. It would be a good plan, too, if women could not order -intoxicants from grocers. Many a man, in discharging his grocer’s -account, does not trouble to inspect the items, or is not afforded the -chance of inspecting them; many a man, however, if he were to submit his -grocer’s book to a close scrutiny, would find that bottles of inferior -wines and spirits were being supplied along with the raisins and -baking-powder not for his own, the cook’s, or his family’s use, but for -the secret consumption of his wife.</p> - -<p>In suggesting new legislative measures with regard to the sale of -intoxicants in this country, Marie Corelli would be performing a public -service worthy of the Nation’s profoundest gratitude.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“The Soul of Lilith,” which was published about a year after “Wormwood,” -is a work of a very different character. This book treats of a subject -in which Marie Corelli revels. As a brief introductory note explains, -“The Soul of Lilith” does not assume to be what is generally understood -by a “novel,” being simply the account “of a strange<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127">{127}</a></span> and daring -experiment once actually attempted,” and offered to those who are -interested in the unseen possibilities of the Hereafter. It is the story -of a man “who voluntarily sacrificed his whole worldly career in a -supreme effort to prove the apparently Unprovable.”</p> - -<p>This persistent probing on Marie Corelli’s part of what most writers -shun and very few have ever attempted to solve, is one of the secrets of -her great sales. Turn to page 319 of “The Soul of Lilith,” and you will -find the matter put neatly in a nutshell:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“And so it happens that when wielders of the pen essay to tell us -of wars; of shipwrecks, of hairbreadth escapes from danger, of love -and politics and society, we read their pages with merely -transitory pleasure and frequent indifference, but when they touch -upon subjects beyond earthly experience—when they attempt, however -feebly, to lift our inspirations to the possibilities of the -Unseen, then we give them our eager attention and almost passionate -interest.”</p></div> - -<p>This passage may afford a little light to those people who are forever -declaring that they cannot understand what other people can see in Marie -Corelli. The fact is, Marie Corelli appeals to a tremendous section of -the public—a section in which, we are assured, the fair sex does not -pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128">{128}</a></span>dominate. Indeed, the majority of the novelist’s correspondents are -<i>men</i>. Marie Corelli is intensely in earnest, imaginative, and -passionate. She lets her reader know, before she has covered many pages, -precisely what her book is to be about, and in this way she spares one -the irritation excited by those old-fashioned writers who used to drone -on for chapter after chapter, making headway in an exasperatingly slow -and cumbrous fashion.</p> - -<p>Then it must be taken into consideration that there is a very big public -which has practically nothing to do except eat meals, sleep, take -exercise, and read novels. Such people are necessarily more -introspective than busy folk, and many of them are exceedingly anxious -as to what will become of them when it shall please Providence to put an -end to their aimless existence in this vale of smiles and tears. Marie -Corelli supplies them with ample food for thought and argument.</p> - -<p>Perhaps all these attempts to solve the Unsolvable have a morbid -tendency; a little simple faith is certainly more salutary. However that -may be, a very great public regards such attempts as more engrossing -reading-matter than tales “of love and politics and society”; and a -still stronger reason for Marie Corelli’s immense popularity is to be -found in the fact that she is the only female Richmond in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129">{129}</a></span> the field. -She sits on a splendidly isolated throne, a writer whose genius has -enabled her to soar to certain peculiar heights which no other literary -man or woman has succeeded in scaling.</p> - -<p>“The Soul of Lilith,” as we have inferred, displays its author in her -element. It is a work which, from its nature, may be classed with “A -Romance of Two Worlds” and “Ardath.” It possesses the same mystic -properties, the same speculative endeavors to obtain knowledge that is -denied to mortals.</p> - -<div class="blockquott"><p>“<i>I have kept one human creature alive and in perfect health for -six years on that vital fluid alone.</i>”</p></div> - -<p>This is the kernel of the story, which narrates how El-Râmi, a man of -Arabian origin, possessing many of the mysteriously occult powers -peculiar to the Indian <i>fakir</i>, injects a certain fluid into the still -warm veins of a dead Egyptian girl-child called Lilith. In this way he -preserves her body in a living condition, and the success of his -experiment is proved by the fact that Lilith passes from childhood to -womanhood whilst in this state, and answers questions put to her by -El-Râmi.</p> - -<p>It is the desire of El-Râmi, however, to make himself master of Lilith’s -soul as well as of her<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130">{130}</a></span> body, and this impious object leads to the -destruction of the fair form he has preserved and of his own reason. For -he falls in love with Lilith, and the declaration of his passion is -followed by her crumbling away to dust. The shock to his highly strung -organization results in his mental collapse, and from this he never -recovers.</p> - -<p>There are many passages of wild beauty and extraordinary power in this -story, which occupies many pages in the telling before the superbly -dramatic <i>dénouement</i> is reached. Heliobas, the wise physician of “A -Romance of Two Worlds,” but now turned monk, is introduced into the -story, and warns El-Râmi that his atheistic experiment will prove -fruitless:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“How it is that you have not foreseen this thing I cannot -imagine,”—continued the monk. “The body of Lilith has grown under -your very eyes from the child to the woman by the merest material -means,—the chemicals which Nature gives us, and the forces which -Nature allows us to employ. How then should you deem it possible -for the Soul to remain stationary? With every fresh experience its -form expands,—its desires increase,—its knowledge widens,—and -the everlasting necessity of Love compels its life to Love’s -primeval source. The Soul of Lilith is awakening to its fullest -immortal consciousness,—she realizes her connection with the great -angelic worlds—her kindredship with those worlds’ inhabitants, -and, as she gains this glorious knowledge more certainly, so she -gains strength. And<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131">{131}</a></span> this is the result I warn you of—her force -will soon baffle yours, and you will have no more influence over -her than you have over the highest Archangel in the realms of the -Supreme Creator.”</p></div> - -<p>El-Râmi reminds Heliobas that it is only a woman’s soul that he is -striving for—“how should it baffle mine? Of slighter character—of more -sensitive balance—and always prone to yield,—how should it prove so -strong? Though, of course, you will tell me that Souls, like Angels, are -sexless.”</p> - -<p>The monk repudiates such a suggestion. “All created things have sex,” he -declares, “even the angels. ‘Male and Female created He them’—recollect -that,—when it is said God made Man in ‘His Own Image.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“What! Is it possible you would endow God Himself with the Feminine -attributes as well as the Masculine?” cries El-Râmi, in astonishment.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There are two governing forces of the Universe,” replied the monk -deliberately; “one, the masculine, is Love,—the other, feminine, -is Beauty. These Two, reigning together, are <span class="smcap">God</span>;—just as man and -wife are One. From Love and Beauty proceed Law and Order. You -cannot away with it—it is so. Love and Beauty produce and -reproduce a million forms with more than a million variations, and -when God made Man in His Own Image it was as Male and Female. From -the very first growths of life in all worlds,—from the small, -almost im<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132">{132}</a></span>perceptible beginning of that marvelous evolution which -resulted in Humanity,—evolution which to us is calculated to have -taken thousands of years, whereas in the eternal countings it has -occupied but a few moments,—Sex was proclaimed in the lowliest -sea-plants, of which the only remains we have are in the Silurian -formations,—and was equally maintained in the humblest <i>lingula</i> -inhabiting its simple bivalve shell. Sex is proclaimed throughout -the Universe with an absolute and unswerving regularity through all -grades of nature. Nay, there are even male and female Atmospheres -which when combined produce forms of life.”</p></div> - -<p>The verbal duel between Heliobas, the man of God, and El-Râmi, the man -of Science, is exceedingly well-written. In the course of their -conversation El-Râmi opines that Heliobas is more of a poet than either -a devotee or a scientist. The monk’s rejoinder is worth quoting:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Perhaps I am! Yet poets are often the best scientists, because -they never <i>know</i> they are scientists. They arrive by a sudden -intuition at the facts which it takes several Professors -Dry-as-Dust years to discover. When once you feel you are a -scientist, it is all over with you. You are a clever biped who has -got hold of a crumb out of the universal loaf, and for all your -days afterwards you are turning that crumb over and over under your -analytical lens. But a poet takes up the whole loaf unconsciously, -and hands portions of it about at haphazard and with the abstracted -behavior of one in a dream.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133">{133}</a></span></p> - -<p>In spite, however, of Heliobas’ warning words, El-Râmi proceeds with his -experiment, which ends as recorded. The scientist is taken by his -brother Féraz—a poetically conceived character—to a monastery in -Cyprus, where he lives in placid contentment. Here he is visited by some -English friends, who sum up his condition and suggest a simple remedy -for others inclined to pursue similar researches in a way that strikes -one as singularly practical:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“He always went into things with such terrible closeness, did -El-Râmi,”—said Sir Frederick after a pause; “no wonder his brain -gave way at last. You know you can’t keep on asking the why, why, -why of everything without getting shut up in the long run.”</p> - -<p>“I think we were not meant to ask ‘why’ at all,” said Irene slowly; -“we are made to accept and believe that everything is for the -best.”</p></div> - -<p>And surely the gentle rejoinder of Irene is one that should silence -controversy, dissipate vain speculation, and bring peace and rest to -many thousands of minds which are wearied with attempts “to prove the -apparently Unprovable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134">{134}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII<br /><br /> -<small>MR. BENTLEY’S ENCOURAGEMENT—SOME LETTERS OF AN OLD PUBLISHER</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">When</span> Solomon was at the zenith of his glory the number of people who -could read must have been extremely limited, and yet that monarch—whose -methods of administering justice may compare, in point of brevity and -common sense, with those of the late Mr. Commissioner Kerr—is known to -have commented on the never-ceasing literary output of his generation.</p> - -<p>We may take it, then, that from the earliest times the supply of books -has always exceeded the demand—when Israel had kings there must have -been publishers, and from that era to the days of Byron (and, possibly, -in subsequent times) there must have been robbers among them.</p> - -<p>The young and aspiring writer has probably trodden a thorny path in his -pursuit of fame at all stages of literary history; for, dealing only -with the facts of yesterday and to-day, the scribe of tender years, -after successfully arranging for the publica<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135">{135}</a></span>tion of his work has still -had the vitriolic condemnation of the jealous critic to contend with.</p> - -<p>There have been occasional straightforward articles in the literary -journals on the ethics of criticism, and now and then a writer of note -and influence has come forward with a word in behalf of the literary -pilgrim, who, however, still goes on his way having no real weapon of -defense save his native ability—and in Marie Corelli’s case this has -proved to be a very sharp weapon indeed!</p> - -<p>How Mr. Bentley first became acquainted with Miss Corelli has already -been described in the chapter on “A Romance of Two Worlds.” When Mr. -Bentley paid his first call on her, he found her, to his astonishment, a -mere schoolgirl. It was altogether a novel experience to him to have -dealings with a writer who was at once so youthful and so gifted, and -the attitude he adopted towards her from that time onwards was benignly -paternal.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli has never employed a literary agent, and fails to see why -a writer should not manage his or her own business affairs without any -such extraneous assistance. In some respects we ourselves are of the -opinion that the agent is an undesirable “middleman,” he being far too -apt to hold out glittering awards which lure authors on to work above -their normal pace; but it must be borne in mind<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136">{136}</a></span> that there are many -authors who are poor hands at haggling over terms with publishers and -editors, and, in such cases, the literary agent proves of great service.</p> - -<p>No gentleman of this order, then, came between Miss Corelli and Mr. -Bentley after the successful appearance of the “Romance;” terms for -future work were arranged to the mutual satisfaction of author and -publisher; and book after book, under these genial auspices, was -steadily written, each new volume serving still more fully to -substantiate the high opinion Mr. Bentley formed of Miss Corelli’s -abilities after reading her first manuscript.</p> - -<p>Shortly after the publication of “The Soul of Lilith” Mr. George Bentley -retired from active participation in the business of his firm (which was -subsequently incorporated with the house of Macmillan), and Miss Corelli -transferred her books to Messrs. Methuen. Hereunder is a list of the -novelist’s works published by Messrs. Bentley:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td>“A Romance of Two Worlds,” </td><td class="c">Published </td><td class="c">1886.</td></tr> -<tr><td>“Vendetta,”</td><td class="c">“</td><td class="c">1887.</td></tr> -<tr><td>“Thelma,”</td><td class="c">“</td><td class="c">1888.</td></tr> -<tr><td>“Ardath,”</td><td class="c">“</td><td class="c">1889.</td></tr> -<tr><td>“Wormwood,”</td><td class="c">“</td><td class="c">1890.</td></tr> -<tr><td>“The Soul of Lilith,”</td><td class="c">“</td><td class="c">1892.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="nind">Portions of some of the many letters written to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137">{137}</a></span> the author of these -works by her publisher we have already quoted. We will now proceed to -give a selection of extracts from others. The reader will not fail to -observe how happily cordial—affectionate, almost—were the relations of -these two—the gray-headed publisher and the young lady novelist.</p> - -<p>The first of our selection has to do with “Ardath,” which Mr. Bentley -had been reading in manuscript form:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>March 3d, 1889.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“You have been very patient and considerate, and I think you -believed that I would not lose any time in reading your Romance, -for a Romance it is, and a most original one. <i>I have read it all</i>, -that is, to 964. I should like to see the conclusion.</p> - -<p>“The story of Al-Kyris is a magnificent dream, the product of a -rich imagination, the story rising towards the close to -considerable power. The design, the method, the treatment, all are -original, and the fancy has an Eastern richness, and, I presume, a -legitimate basis in fact.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“There is so much in the work that I could write yards upon yards -about it. The fine drawing of Sah-Lûma, its consistency, and the -moral taught by him; the character of Lysia, typifying Lust; that -of poor Niphrâta, of the King, and the finely conceived character -of Theos; the scenes, one after the other, in rapid succession, -ending in the fall of Al-Kyris, should give you a <i>status</i> as a -writer of no ordinary character.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138">{138}</a></span></p> - -<p>“There can be no doubt that it is a most unusual work, a daring and -sustained flight of the imagination. You will have to rest after -it, for some of your <i>life</i> has gone into it.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>March 14th, 1889.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“You must bear in mind that in giving an opinion I am bound to have -an eye upon what I deem defect, rightly or wrongly. I have no need -to call your attention to merits—if I had, I could write a quarto -letter on the merits of Al-Kyris, in which I include, by the way, -the beautiful scene on Ardath, and the first introduction of Edris. -So in the epilogue I quite agree with your critic in his high -admiration of the Cathedral scene, and the reappearance of Edris.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“Please do what you wish—you may be quite right and I wrong. I -shall be very glad to be wrong, as I sincerely desire your success, -because you have a worthy motive and an honorable ambition in -writing, and not any lower aim competing with your Art-Love.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“I enter into your feelings about being ‘passed over,’ but I -observe that reputations which grow gradually and always grow, come -to compel attention at some time or other.”</p></div> - -<p>It would appear from the next letter that the novelist had been throwing -out a hint that the doughty knights of Grub Street might be approached -with a preface of a nature to make them pause ere they ground her latest -work under heel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139">{139}</a></span> Mr. Bentley’s letter in reply, like that which follows -it, is redolent of his sturdy independence and sound common sense.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>April 21st, 1889.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“As to an appeal to critics, I never make one. No good book, that -is a really literary production, should require it, and any other -sort of book doesn’t deserve it.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>May 27th, 1889.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“The criticism will do no harm, though it may exercise some in -trying to understand how the blowing hot and cold can be -reconciled. For years almost the whole Press regularly attacked -Miss Broughton, and I have often said that in a long business life -I have never known any one so decried as she was by the Press, who -yet had the good fortune to see the public set aside the verdict of -the critics. May the public so deal with you, and leave the critics -to their isolation.”</p></div> - -<p>The following was written after Mr. Gladstone’s first visit to the -novelist. It should be explained that Mr. Gladstone, when he first -called, found Miss Corelli “out,” and was afterwards invited by her to -come to tea on a particular date:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>June 4th, 1889.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I do indeed congratulate you on bringing the man (Gladstone), who -is in all men’s mouths, to your feet, and that, too, simply by your -writings. I know you will be charmed with him, and he with you. -That is a safe prophecy. You will find him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140">{140}</a></span> delightfully eloquent, -various in knowledge, and highly appreciative.”</p></div> - -<p>And again, on the same topic:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">Upton, Slough, Bucks</span>,<br /> -“<i>June 6th, 1889</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“How very kind of you to write to me the very interesting account -of your interview with Mr. Gladstone!</p> - -<p>“It is an event of your life, an event of which you may well be -proud, because the interview arises from his interest in the -product of your brain and heart. It does him honor that he should -thus seek to form the acquaintance of one whom he believes to be -possibly moulding public opinion in religious matters.</p> - -<p>“I do most heartily congratulate you, because, in the history of -your life, such an interview henceforth becomes a bit of your -career, as Fox’s conversations with the poet Rogers forms an -interesting and valuable episode in Rogers’ life.”</p></div> - -<p>The following are characteristic of Mr. Bentley’s opinions and frame of -mind. The conclusion of the letter written in October is pleasantly -Johnsonian:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>June 11th, 1889.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“Genius recognizes genius; it is only mediocrity which is jealous. -Genius is too full of richness to want others’ laurels.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>October 14th, 1889.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I shall very gladly give the matter my best attention, as I need -not add that my literary associa<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141">{141}</a></span>tion with you is a source both of -pleasure and pride to me. At any rate I feel a pride and pleasure -in publishing for an author who loves her work, and does it not -primarily for money, but for fame, and because she can’t help the -bubbling over of her rich imagination. When I get to London, one of -my first visits will be to you. Real conversation is delightful and -refreshing, and the idle talk of the ‘crushes’ is weariness of the -flesh and death to the spirit. You, who aim at higher things, have -an ideal; you who, thank God, believe this world to be a -stepping-stone to one of immeasurable superiority, must often have -asked yourself, after one of the great assemblies to which you went -or where you received—<i>Cui bono?</i> Yes, if the weather keeps -decent, I will with the greatest pleasure refresh my mind with some -converse with you.”</p></div> - -<p>Now occurs an interval of ten months, and then the manuscript of -“Wormwood” evokes the following sentiments:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>August 5th, 1890.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear Thelma</span>,—Of the power in your latest work there can be no -doubt. The interest commences immediately, and is on the increase -throughout. The grip you have of the story is extraordinary, and -will react upon the reader, ensuring success.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>September 5th, 1890.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“The public, however, may forgive you for the extraordinary power -of some of the scenes, which haunt me now, though it is a month -since I read them.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142">{142}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">October 9th, 1890.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>“When you are on the eve of a remarkable success in the making or -marring of which a few days can have no part, it is a little -unreasonable that you should take so gloomy a view. I await with -confidence the happier feeling which I feel certain is to succeed -these darker moments, and am, as ever....”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>October 20th, 1890.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I feel very confident of a great run upon your book. Power is what -the public never refuses to recognize.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>October 24th, 1890.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“You so distrust yourself, that you believe your success hangs upon -arts which belonged to publishers who existed in the days of Lady -Charlotte Bury, whereas you have a right to presume that the public -need nothing more than to know a novel of yours is at the -libraries.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“Once more, believe a little more in yourself.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>November 3d, 1890.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I have just had a debate about ‘Wormwood’ with one of the leading -critics of the day, who was complaining of the gloom which -overspread the book.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well,’ said I, ‘you cannot deny that none but a person who had -genius could have written that work.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Genius is a big word, but yet I think you are right in this -case,’ replied the critic.</p> - -<p>“I know I am.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143">{143}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>November 17th, 1890.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“The <i>Athenæum</i> review, to dignify it with that name, is the barest -outline of the story. It points to what, I believe, is the real -cause,—a doubt in the writer’s mind whether an attack would not -stultify the attacker. He recognizes the power, I am certain, but -won’t give you the meed of praise for it.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>March 1st, 1891.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“The <i>Spectator</i> is very savage on ‘Wormwood’ this week, but speaks -of the force and power of your imagination.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>October 17th, 1891.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“But you must not complain; your recognition, though much slower, -is more and more a fact. Your reputation to-day is higher by a good -way than it was two years ago, as the demand for your works -indicates. Be true to yourself, and only write when the impulse is -irresistible, and all will be well with little Thelma.”</p></div> - -<p>The first part of the next letter has reference to “The Soul of Lilith.” -Following it are further remarks about “Ardath,” which, of all Marie -Corelli’s books, seems to have taken the greatest hold on Mr. Bentley.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>November 4th, 1891.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I am glad to hear of your successful progress with your new story. -I get quite curious as the time approaches. One cannot feel with -you as with most authors, that we know what is coming. Every new -story is a new departure.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144">{144}</a></span></p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“I had a charming letter from Herr Poorten Schwartz (Maarten -Maartens) in which he speaks in glowing terms of ‘Ardath,’ which he -had just been reading. He says the description of Al-Kyris is a -magnificent effort of the imagination, in which I entirely agree, -and I rank the description in richness of conception with -Beckford’s famous ‘Hall of Eblis.’ So far, I think it is your -greatest height of imaginative conception—just as in ‘Wormwood,’ -much as it repels me in parts, I cannot but recognize the -tremendous dramatic force of many of the scenes.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>January 3d, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I can say truthfully that I have not known any writer bear success -better than you do, and may you be put to the test for a long time -to come.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“I like much to hear you say, ‘As long as my brain under God’s -guidance will serve me.’ It is an age when such an observation is -by no means an ordinary one, yet I doubt whether the genius of any -writer attains its full scope unless it listen to His voice.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>January 29th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Good wine needs no bush,’ and I am averse to associating your -name or mine with a system of vulgar exploitation.</p> - -<p>“What do Dickens, Thackeray, George Eliot, Collins, or Besant owe -to exploitation, and how long do the reputations survive which are -built on this mushroom bed?”</p></div> - -<p>The following alludes to the publication of a new edition of the work -mentioned:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145">{145}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>March 16th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear impulsive, warm-hearted Thelma</span>,—</p> - -<p>“Tell me what I am to give you for <i>Thelma</i>.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> I should like to -gratify your wish. Your prosperity and success you know I rejoice -at, and I trust your belief of a short life is only the outcome of -one of those wistful sad moments, which come to all who are richly -endowed with imagination.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>April 11th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“So cheer up, little Thelma; you have youth and imagination, and -love your art, and have the will to work. So you have the world -before you, and ought to die a rich woman, if that is worth living -for.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>April 16th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear Little Lady</span>,—</p> - -<p>“It makes me feel uncomfortable to hear of brave little Thelma -being half killed, like Keats, for a review.</p> - -<p>“Pooh! stuff and nonsense! You are not to be snuffed out by any -notice. As to not writing again, you will live to write many a good -book yet.</p> - -<p>“Laugh at the review, and don’t notice it to any of your friends. -You have a good spirit of your own, and you don’t need to be -crushed, and neither will you be. You will be the first to laugh -this day six months for having been temporarily disquieted.</p> - -<p>“As to Law! Oh, lor! Wouldn’t your enemies, if you have any, -rejoice to see you at loggerheads with the Press? No, no, that -wouldn’t do.</p> - -<p>“You can <i>firmly</i> rely on your gifts to render<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146">{146}</a></span> nugatory all -attacks upon you of the nature of the present. Let me hear that -Thelma’s herself again.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Yours sincerely,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">George Bentley</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>May 4th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“The attacks do not daunt me, and it seems to me that three out of -the four are by one hand.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">Upton, Slough</span>,<br /> -“<i>May 17th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear Thelma</span>,—</p> - -<p>“I am right glad at the news in your letter. I am sure you will now -see that the late attacks on ‘Lilith’ will derive their importance -only when you notice them. Even from those who do not like highly -imaginative literature, I have heard the remark that the reviews in -question were entirely one-sided, and left one to suppose that the -English public was cracked in running after a writer without a -solitary merit.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“Put together the talents of all your critics, and ask them to -paint the city of Al-Kyris. That came out of a finely sustained -vision, your intense interest in your subject keeping it at a white -heat. I reckon two-thirds of ‘Ardath’ as one of the finest -contributions to imaginative literature which this country -possesses.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“Never write a line if the humor is not in you. It is that -impulsion to write because you can’t help it, which carries you -away, and, for that reason, carries away your reader.”</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_004" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_146fp-a.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_146fp-a.jpg" width="600" height="440" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">What Becomes of the Press Cuttings</span></p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_005" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_146fp-b.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_146fp-b.jpg" width="600" height="443" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">Marie Corelli’s Pet Yorkshire Terrier “Czar"</span></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147">{147}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>August 29th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“Mille felicitations! Thelma, I hope you will keep a diary, which, -though it will not be published in my day, and I shan’t read it, -will some day give interesting glimpses into the social life of -this last decade of the nineteenth century.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“That is a good trait in you that you love your work, and as long -as you do, take it from an old publisher, the public will like it. -Once write as a machine, and the decline is assured.</p> - -<p>“I hope and expect that you will like the Prince of Wales. Gambetta -thought highly of him, and your wit will draw out his.”</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>October 4th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I wish you were more assured on this point. Such a creation as -‘Ardath’ will not be again in our time. It assures your position -amongst all those whose opinion is worth having, as surely as -Beckford is remembered to this day by the ‘Hall of Eblis.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>The next (undated) was written just after Queen Victoria desired that -<i>all</i> Marie Corelli’s works should be sent to her:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Bravo! Bravissimo!! dear Thelma, as one used to cry out in my old -opera days, when the glorious Grisi denounced Pollio in <i>Norma</i>. I -rejoice at your being recognized all round by Scotch Duchess and -Australian wool merchant, and I hope it may be that Her Most -Gracious Majesty will enjoy a trip into the two worlds of her -bright little subject’s creation, wherein the subject is Queen and -the Queen her subject.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148">{148}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<i>October 28th, 1892.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>“I was unable to write and tell you how glad I am that you are once -more yourself again.</p> - -<p>“Bother the papers; don’t let them bother you. If I lived next door -to you, I should intercept them all.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“It seems a growing fashion to use strong language, and certainly -such language has been leveled at you. The fair sex in former days -were held to command a chivalrous respect, which seems to be almost -as much a thing of the past as the Crusades.”</p></div> - -<p>This of October 28th, 1892, forms the last of the batch of extracts -placed in our hands. Throughout his business associations with Miss -Corelli, it is apparent that Mr. Bentley was everything that was kindly, -tactful, and encouraging. The imaginative temperament is always a -difficult one to deal with, and Mr. Bentley excelled himself in this -respect. Even when he wished to bestow a mild rebuke he did so with an -old-fashioned courtesy that is truly delightful and only too rare in -these days of dictated, typewritten epistles.</p> - -<p>There are other letters, but from these it will be only necessary to -cull a sentence here and there. All the above-quoted communications, we -should add, were in Mr. Bentley’s own handwriting.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli has always been a neat workwoman, and here, in a letter -from her publisher, dated Au<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149">{149}</a></span>gust 28th, 1886, we find a tribute to the -perfection of her “copy:”—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The printers report that, owing to the fewness of the corrections -and the clearness with which they are made, revises will be -unnecessary, which will be a great gain in time, as well as a -saving of expense.”</p></div> - -<p><i>Vice versâ</i>, one calls to mind a tale of Miss Martineau’s about -Carlyle, who literally smothered his proof-sheets with corrections. One -day he went to the office to urge on the printer. “Why, sir,” said the -latter, “you really are so very hard upon us with your corrections. They -take so much time, you see!” Carlyle replied that he had been accustomed -to this sort of thing—he had got works printed in Scotland, -and —— “Yes, indeed, sir,” rejoined the printer, “we are aware of that. -We have a man here from Edinburgh, and when he took up a bit of your -copy, he dropped it as if it had burnt his fingers, and cried out, -‘Lord, have mercy! have you got that man to print for? Lord knows when -we shall get done with his corrections.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>It is evident that Mr. Bentley deemed his <i>protégée</i>—if we may so term -her—capable of turning her pen in many directions. “I am not sure that -you could not give us a fine historical novel,” he wrote in 1887, “if -you got hold of a character which fascinated your imagination.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150">{150}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>In a letter dated May 7th, 1888, he refers playfully to “the little blue -silk dress” which seems to have taken his fancy on a previous occasion; -nor did he forget the young novelist’s birthday, for in a previous -letter of the same year he declares that, if he were in London, he would -“be tempted to cast prudence to the wind, even to the perilous East -wind, to offer you my greeting on the first of May.”</p> - -<p>Besides being a keen judge of manuscript—as, indeed, he had need to -be—Mr. Bentley wrote very pleasant prose himself. His reading was -extensive and his comments thereon lucid and thoughtful. In 1883 he -printed for private circulation among his friends a little green covered -volume called “After Business.” A copy of this work, presented to Miss -Corelli a fortnight after Mr. Bentley first met her, lies before us. -There are seven chapters, whose nature can be divined from their titles: -I. An Evening with Erasmus. IV. How the World Wags. V. An Afternoon with -Odd Volumes—and so forth. A peaceful, soothing little book is this. -Here is the final passage of the “Odd Volumes” chapter. It affords a -happy example of the book’s literary flavor, of its truly “After -Business” characteristics:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Let us say good-bye to these dear old volumes, and step -down-stairs, that Lawrence’s sister may<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151">{151}</a></span> give us one of his -favorite melodies. God provides good things for men in music and -books and flowers, and when His fellow-men disappoint Him, or die -around Him, it is something to be able to enjoy the melody of -Mozart and to live with the grand old ghosts who, disembodied, flit -about the old library.”</p></div> - -<p>The influence of the kindly advice George Bentley dealt out to the young -novelist cannot be overestimated. Was she upset by a criticism, he came -to her aid with good humored <i>badinage</i> and sympathy; was she -despondent, he laughed away the mood and bade “Thelma” be herself again! -Always, indeed, he urged her to <i>be herself</i>—to embody in her books the -message so nobly delivered by a poet:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>Stand upright, speak thy thought, declare</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>The truth thou hast, that all may share;</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Be bold, proclaim it everywhere;</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>They only live who dare.</i>”<br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152">{152}</a></span></div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII<br /><br /> -<small>“BARABBAS”—A “PASSION PLAY” IN PROSE</small></h2> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Why</span> should women’s writings be in any respect inferior to that of men -if they are only willing to follow out <i>the same method of -self-education</i>?” asked Charles Kingsley. This was of the nature of a -prophecy, for had Kingsley lived until to-day he would have seen the -verification of his words. Women, as a rule, do not self-educate -themselves. They will not try to walk alone. They understand only just -the easy verse and rhyme of existence. Some few understand to-day a -higher phase by self-conviction. Marie Corelli is certainly one.</p> - -<p>To write prose, <i>perfect</i> prose; to stir the heart and move the soul, is -the highest phase of mental reasoning. It is the air and melody of -spiritual conception, the so-called “supernatural.” All our lives we can -talk prose, but to grasp tersely your brain’s creation, to fix upon your -different dream characters and embody them with life, with passion, and -with naturalness—the naturalness which has existed from creation—is -the highest<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153">{153}</a></span> prose, for it is poetry and prose hand-in-hand, an -achievement, a oneness of the two.</p> - -<p>This was Marie Corelli’s idea in penning “Barabbas.” Setting her mind -hard and fast to face creeds and defy criticism; true to the instincts -which permeated her mind throughout her pristine works, she went on -following her soul impression, her inspiration to see “good” in most -things, nobility in men and women who might be scourged by the world. -And thus “Barabbas,” though a robber, might have had some strong points, -and though of an evil nature must certainly, from scriptural evidence, -have had the sympathy of the populace. That sympathy gave the author the -keynote to produce the human drama, which is lived over and over again -to-day and forever,—and which is aptly called <i>A Dream of the World’s -Tragedy</i>.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli, true to her colors in this later work, still adheres to -poetic spirituality, the “ideal,” the sublime, the free, the -sympathetic, mingled with the rendering of a forcible and traitorous -character in that of “Judith” (the heroine of the book) in its full -strength of weakness and evil, and in its final magnificent revulsion -from <i>a past</i> to the glory of a holy repentance and in finding the King, -in the symbol of the cross. Take this scene,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154">{154}</a></span> where after madness and -despair, she meets her death:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The sun poured straightly down upon her,—she looked like a fair -startled sylph in the amber glow of the burning Eastern noonday. -Gradually an expression of surprise and then of rapture lighted her -pallid face,—she lifted her gaze slowly, and, with seeming wonder -and incredulity, fixed her eyes on the near grassy slope of the -Mount of Olives, where two ancient fig-trees twining their gnarled -boughs together made an arch of dark and soothing shade. Pointing -thither with one hand, she smiled,—and once more her matchless -beauty flashed up through form and face like a flame.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Lo there!’ she exclaimed joyously,—‘how is it that ye could not -find Him? There is the King!’</p> - -<p>“Throwing up her arms, she ran eagerly along a few steps, ... -tottered, ... then fell face forward in the dust, and there lay; -... motionless forever! She had prayed for the pardon of -Judas,—she had sought,—and found—the ‘King!’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>The conception of the character of “Judith” in “Barabbas” is fret with -strong and sympathetic points. She is the mainspring of the work. The -idea of the “Betrayal” emanates from her, yet the æsthetic treatment at -the finale with the symbol of the cross, while closing her eyes in -death, is poetry in itself.</p> - -<p>Listen to Peter’s definition of a lie:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155">{155}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The truth, the truth,” cried Peter, tossing his arms about; “lo -from henceforth I will clamor for it, rage for it, die for it! -Three times have I falsely sworn, and thus have I taken the full -measure of a Lie! Its breadth, its depth, its height, its worth, -its meaning, its results, its crushing suffocating weight upon the -soul! I know its nature,—’tis all hell in a word! ’tis a ‘yea’ or -‘nay,’ on which is balanced all eternity! I will no more of it,—I -will have truth, the truth of men, the truth of women,—no usurer -shall be called honest,—no wanton shall be called chaste,—to -please the humor of the passing hour! No—no, I will have none of -this, but only truth! The truth that is seen as a shining, naked -simitar in the hand of God, glistening horribly! I, Peter, will -declare it!—I who did swear a lie three times, will speak the -truth three thousand times in reprisal of my sin! Weep, rave, tear -thy reverend hairs, unreverent Jew! Thou who as stiff-necked, -righteous Pharisee, didst practice cautious virtue and self-seeking -sanctity, and now through unbelief art left most desolate!”</p></div> - -<p>The critics were as usual up in arms over “Barabbas,” but in spite of -them its sale has been immense. The book has made such headway since its -publication that it has been translated into more foreign tongues than -any other novel of either the past or present—the translations -comprising thirty to forty languages. As a matter of original -conception, tragical effect and clearness of diction, “Barabbas” is -considered by many the best of Marie Corelli’s works.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156">{156}</a></span></p> - -<p>In “Barabbas” there is no loitering by the way, as it were, to argue, -although the moral throughout is strong enough. The author’s sensibility -grasps the situation of that potent day in the World’s era with a subtle -reasoning of how to-day things are precisely the same, and would be -precisely the same at the advent of a new Christus, save possibly as -regards the execution. For our lunatic asylums afford an infinitely -better kind of torture than the cross.</p> - -<p>The character of Jesus of Nazareth, “the dreamy Young Philosopher” of -his short day, is the poem of the tragedy. Barabbas himself is a -character of much force, despite his weakness in the hands of Judith. -The soliloquies of Melchior throughout the first part of the book are -somewhat drastic, though the character bears out well its own mission.</p> - -<p>There is extreme spirituality in the sayings of this somewhat important -creation. He might be the Cicero of the work. One of his replies to -Barabbas, showing the vesture of his thoughts, occurs again thus:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“If thou dost wait till thou canst ‘comprehend’ the mysteries of -the Divine Will, thou wilt need to grope through æons upon æons of -eternal wonder, living a thinking life through all, and even then -not reach the inner secret. Comprehendest thou how<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157">{157}</a></span> the light finds -its sure way to the dry seed in the depths of earth and causes it -to fructify?—or how, imprisoning itself within drops of water and -grains of dust, it doth change these things of ordinary matter into -diamonds which queens covet? Thou art not able to ‘comprehend’ -these simplest facts of simple nature,—and nature being but the -outward reflex of God’s thought, how should’st thou understand the -workings of His interior Spirit which is Himself in all? Whether He -create a world, or breathe the living Essence of His own Divinity -into aerial atoms to be absorbed in flesh and blood, and born as -Man of virginal Woman, He hath the power supreme to do such things, -if such be His great pleasure. Talkest thou of miracles?—thou art -thyself a miracle,—thou livest in a miracle,—the whole world is a -miracle, and exists in spite of thee! Go thy ways, man; search out -truth in thine own fashion; but if it should elude thee, blame not -the truth which ever is, but thine own witlessness which cannot -grasp it!”</p></div> - -<p>A terse reasoning out of the living essence of the supreme, and an -almost matchless soliloquy.</p> - -<p>Here is another of Melchior’s speeches:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Men are pigmies,—they scuttle away in droves before a storm or -the tremor of an earthquake,—they are afraid of their lives. And -what are their lives? The lives of motes in a sunbeam, of gnats in -a mist of miasma,—nothing more. And they will never be anything -more, till they learn how to make them valuable. And that lesson -will never be mastered save by the few.”</p></div> - -<p>It was Marie Corelli’s idea in this particular<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158">{158}</a></span> work evidently to clothe -her characters in the real <i>human</i>, that which is changeless and -unchangeable as cycles in the world’s eye; and to show that the mind of -man in its essentials <i>does not change</i>, and that its perfection is -gained only by the spiritual side of things, overcapping the material -and the so-called animal. That God intends men and women to attain this -superiority over matter is one of the æsthetic treasures of Marie -Corelli’s literature, generally not particularly well received, still -less understood, but haply none the less welcome, as it is a conception -of its own peculiar originality by no means local. The fictional -character of Caiaphas in all his sycophancy and sacerdotal arrogancy -occupies a measure of the romance, furnishing a tone of treachery -throughout.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Once dead,” whispered Caiaphas, with a contemptuous side-glance at -the fair-faced enemy of his craft, the silent “Witness unto the -Truth,”—“and, moreover, slain with dishonor in the public sight, -he will soon sink out of remembrance. His few disciples will be -despised,—his fanatical foolish doctrine will be sneered down, and -we,—<i>we</i> will take heed that no chronicle of his birth or death or -teaching remains to be included in our annals. A stray street -preacher to the common folk!—how should his name endure?”</p></div> - -<p>Naturally the description of the Magdalen is full of extraordinary -beauty. It is the beauty of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159">{159}</a></span> regenerated soul, a soul of love and -greatness, emancipated from the material, yet bearing the same. The -death of the one Magdalen, and the rising therefrom of the new Mary, is -pathetically described in her own words to Barabbas:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Friend, I have died!”—she said.—“At my Lord’s feet I laid down -all my life. Men made me what I was; God makes me what I am!”</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>“Thou’rt man”—she answered.—“Therefore as man thou speakest! Lay -all the burden upon woman,—the burden of sin, of misery, of shame, -of tears; teach her to dream of perfect love, and then devour her -by selfish lust,—slay her by slow tortures innumerable,—cast her -away and trample on her even as a worm in the dust, and then when -she has perished, stand on her grave and curse her, saying—‘Thou -wert to blame!—thou fond, foolish, credulous trusting soul!—thou -wert to blame!—not I!’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>If Miss Corelli was bold in attacking so vast and so controversial a -subject as the tragedy of the Christ, she was none the less inspired in -her conception of the situation. The description of Jesus of Nazareth, -upon whom the story centres and concludes, is simplicity itself. It -teaches charity, love, brotherhood, and yet preaches humility; not -humility of a universal ignorance, but that “humility” which puts even -dignity in the shade,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160">{160}</a></span> since it is dignity in another name. The pathetic -touches are the cream of her story. It is not a long study, but what -there is, is strange and touching with the wholesomeness of real pathos, -not of one particular class, not mythical, but a tender theme as it were -from a woman’s tender heart, possessing the faculty of a noble sympathy -for the world’s greatest tale of inimitable love and sorrow therefrom. -The chapter on the resurrection is one of the highest aims of the work, -and has been read frequently as a “lesson” in the Churches on Easter -day. The peculiar and idealistic spirituality of the angels at the tomb -is told in a fashion distinctive of the writer. The scene of the -resurrection, indeed, is worth giving in its entirety:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“A deep silence reigned. All the soldiers of the watch lay -stretched on the ground unconscious, as though struck by lightning; -the previous mysterious singing of the birds had ceased; and only -the lambent quivering of the wing-like glory surrounding the two -angelic Messengers, seemed to make an expressed though unheard -sound as of music. Then, ... in the midst of the solemn hush, ... -the great stone that closed the tomb of the Crucified trembled, ... -and was suddenly thrust back like a door flung open in haste for -the exit of a King, ... and lo!... a Third great Angel joined the -other two! Sublimely beautiful He stood,—the Risen from the Dead! -gazing with loving eyes on all the swooning, sleeping world of men; -the same grand Countenance that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161">{161}</a></span> had made a glory of the Cross of -Death, now, with a smile of victory, gave poor Humanity the gift of -everlasting Life! The grateful skies brightened above Him,—earth -exhaled its choicest odors through every little pulsing leaf and -scented herb and tree; Nature exulted in the touch of things -eternal,—and the dim pearly light of the gradually breaking morn -fell on all things with a greater purity, a brighter blessedness -than ever had invested it before. The man Crucified and Risen, now -manifested in Himself the mystic mingling of God in humanity; and -taught that for the powers of the Soul set free from sin, there is -no limit, no vanquishment, no end! No more eternal partings for -those who on the earth should learn to love each other,—no more -the withering hopelessness of despair,—the only “death” now -possible to redeemed mortality being “the bondage of sin” -voluntarily entered into and preferred by the unbelieving. And from -this self-wrought, self-chosen doom not even a God can save!”</p></div> - -<p>This appeals fully to the poetic imagination, and it seems to quicken a -kind of personal interest as to the marvelous mystery of that stupendous -occasion.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli’s Christ embodies much of the human—the human that is -divinely magnetic, almost, if not quite, undefinable, yet not exclusive, -not idolatrous, but simply and gently <i>human</i>. The creation of the -character of Jesus of Nazareth possesses no atom of bigotry. It teaches -love and does not seek to embitter hate. The aura of the master<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162">{162}</a></span> -character permeates each living character throughout the work. It -preaches Love, Charity, and Brotherhood; it ignores the Church (<i>i.e.</i>, -sectarian misnomer), so it should have, as it has through so many -tongues, its mission.</p> - -<p>There is no new creed, no new passion, no new deed under the sun to-day. -There is only the same recapitulation in a fresh garb. Our Saints still -live to-day. It sounds drastic enough, but Miss Corelli feels this and -knows that midst the fair field of fairness there is also the thorn and -the poisonous flower any one may cull, or the simple field lily that -lifts its face to Heaven, and sees only Heaven in its purity.</p> - -<p>Kingsley said, “The history of England is the literature of England.” -Possibly so. The strong advance of women writers ever since that -excellent man’s passing has proved much of this. It is to the honor of -women to-day. It is proved in the fine grasp of subjects, the faculty of -dealing poetically with a theme, so widely known yet always fresh, under -new lens, and without which this world to many would be a finite and a -joyless place. There is just another quotation from “Barabbas,” quite at -the conclusion of this remarkable book, which weighs in with this and -also with the author’s idea,—just an exoneration of the Great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163">{163}</a></span> Tragedy, -a simplification of the whole story. It is the finale and in itself not -only teaches powerfully, but is an invitation, as it were, from a potent -mind to those to whom it sends its own message:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It is God’s symbolic teaching,’ he said, ‘which few of us may -understand. A language unlettered and vast as eternity itself! Upon -that hill of Calvary to which thou, Simon, turnest thy parting -looks of tenderness, has been mystically enacted the world’s one -Tragedy—the tragedy of Love and Genius slain to satisfy the malice -of mankind. But Love and Genius are immortal; and immortality must -evermore arise: wherefore in the dark days that are coming let us -not lose our courage or our hope. There will be many forms of -faith,—and many human creeds in which there is no touch of the -Divine. Keep we to the faithful following of Christ, and in the -midst of many bewilderments we shall not wander far astray. The -hour grows late,—come, thou first hermit of the Christian -world!—let us go on together!’</p> - -<p>“They descended the hill. Across the plains they passed slowly, -taking the way that led towards the mystic land of Egypt, where the -Pyramids lift their summits to the stars, and the Nile murmurs of -the false gods forgotten. They walked in a path of roseate radiance -left by a reflection of the vanished sun; and went onward steadily, -never once looking back till their figures gradually diminished and -disappeared. Swiftly the night gathered, and spread itself darkly -over Jerusalem like a threatening shadow of storm and swift -destruction; thunder was in the air, and only one pale star peeped -dimly forth in the dusk, shining placidly over the Place of Tombs, -where, in his quiet burial-cave, Barabbas slept beside the -withering palm.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164">{164}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX<br /><br /> -<small>“THE SORROWS OF SATAN,”—AS A BOOK AND AS A PLAY,—THE STORY OF THE -DRAMATIZATION</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> publication of “The Sorrows of Satan,” in 1895, caused a greater -sensation than had followed the appearance of any other work by Miss -Corelli. Many presumably competent judges of literature indulged in an -absolute orgie of denunciation. In the <i>Review of Reviews</i>, Mr. W. T. -Stead printed a column or so of sneers, though admitting that the -conception was magnificent, and that the author had an immense command -of language. Anxious, apparently, not to miss what would greatly -interest the public, a good twelve pages of his periodical were devoted -to extracts from the book. He knew, as all the critics knew, that all -the world would soon be reading it, and forming its own judgment. The -public must, in very truth, form an unflattering opinion of the fairness -of some of those who attempt to force their own opinions of a book upon -men and women who are not only fully capable of thinking for themselves, -but who, sometimes,—as in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165">{165}</a></span> case of Marie Corelli’s -publications,—insist upon doing so.</p> - -<p>Most of the critics entirely missed the point of “The Sorrows of Satan.” -There is a notable character in the book—Lady Sibyl Elton. Now the idea -of Lady Sibyl was an allegorical one. She represented, to Marie -Corelli’s mind, the brilliant, indifferent, selfish, vicious -impersonation of <i>Society offering itself body and soul to the devil</i>. -This was completely lost sight of by most of those who criticised the -book, and who had not the imagination to see <i>beyond</i> the mere <i>forms</i> -of <i>woman</i> and <i>fiend</i>. <i>All</i> the other characters are arranged to play -round this one central idea, so far as the “woman of the piece” was -concerned.</p> - -<p>It utterly surprised the author to find that people imagined that she -had taken some real woman to portray, and had contrasted her badness -with Mavis Clare to advertise her own excellent character against the -other’s blackness. Facts, however, are facts. Marie Corelli considers -that the evils of society are wrought by women; hence the impersonation -of Lady Sibyl as a woman, courting the devil. Secondly, she considers -that the reformation of society must be wrought by women; hence the -impersonation of Mavis Clare, as a woman <i>repelling</i> the devil.</p> - -<p>“The Sorrows of Satan” is now in its forty-third<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166">{166}</a></span> edition. The book has -not only been read by representatives of all classes in all countries, -but is valued and loved by many thousands who, by the wonderful power of -this single pen, have been forced to <i>think</i>; and, by meditating upon -the problems which make the book, have found themselves better men and -women for the exercise.</p> - -<p>“Thousands and tens of thousands throughout English-speaking -Christendom,” declared Father Ignatius, “will bless the author who has -dared to pen the pages of ‘The Sorrows of Satan’; they will bless Marie -Corelli’s pen, respecting its denunciation of the blasphemous verses of -a certain ‘popular British poet.’ Where did the courage come from that -made her pen so bold that the personality of God, the divinity of -Christ, the sanctity of marriage, the necessity of religious education -should thus crash upon you from the pen of a woman?”</p> - -<p>Courageous, indeed, is any author or speaker who attacks the -selfishness, the materialism, the insincerity of much of our social life -and of many of our social customs. And what made the attack so -successful, what caused such bitter resentment on the part of those who -hate Marie Corelli for her exposures of shams and impostures, and her -valiant upholding of virtue and of truth, is the fact that the author -has not only the courage which her convic<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167">{167}</a></span>tions give her, but that she -has the power that justifies her bravery! The book is a grand and -successful attempt to show how women who are good and true hold the -affection, the esteem, the devotion, the homage of men; it is an -incentive to women to be in men’s regard the Good Angels that men best -love to believe them; it is a lesson to women how to attain the noblest -heights of womanhood.</p> - -<p>As Marie Corelli, in discussing the “Modern Marriage Market,” has said, -“Follies, temptations, and hypocrisies surround, in a greater or less -degree, all women, whether in society or out of it; and we are none of -us angels, though, to their credit be it said, some men still think us -so. Some men still make ‘angels’ out of us, in spite of our cycling -mania, our foolish ‘clubs,’—where we do nothing at all,—our rough -games at football and cricket, our general throwing to the winds of all -dainty feminine reserve, delicacy, and modesty,—and we alone are to -blame if we shatter their ideals and sit down by choice in the mud when -they would have placed us on thrones.”</p> - -<p>The woman who reads and studies “The Sorrows of Satan” will desire to -attain the angel ideal; and the lesson will be the better learned by the -reading of this book because of the appalling picture of Lady Sibyl -Elton, whose callousness and whose <i>fin-de-<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168">{168}</a></span>siècle</i> masquerading, lying, -trickery, atheism, and vice, make up an abomination in the form of Venus -that is a painting of many society beauties of the day,—soulless -beauties whose bodies are as deliberately sold in the marriage mart as -the clothes and jewels with which their damning forms are adorned.</p> - -<p>And then in “The Sorrows of Satan” there is the unattractive personality -of Geoffrey Tempest, a man with five millions of money, one of whose -first declarations on the attainment of wealth is that he will give to -none and lend to none, and who pursues a life of vanity, selfishness, -and self-aggrandizement, until at last he repels the evil genius of the -story, Prince Lucio Rimânez—the devil.</p> - -<p>In the opening chapter of “The Sorrows of Satan” we are introduced to -Mr. Geoffrey Tempest, at the moment a writer and a man of brains, but -starving and sick at heart through a hopeless struggle against poverty, -and railing against fate and the good luck of a “worthless lounger with -his pockets full of gold by mere chance and heritage.” He is in the -lowest depths of despair, having just had a book of somewhat lofty -thoughts rejected with the advice that, to make a book “go,” it is -desirable, from the publisher’s point of view,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169">{169}</a></span> that it should be -somewhat <i>risqué</i>; in fact, the more indecent the better. It was pitiful -advice and wholly false, for the reason that the great majority of -publishers most carefully avoid works of the kind. Tempest’s case is bad -indeed. He must starve, because his ideas are “old-fashioned.” Moreover, -he cannot pay his landlady her bill. And just at this critical moment -two things happen. He receives £50 from an old chum and £5,000,000 from -Satan. But he is not aware of the real source from which proceeds the -latter sum. Presumably it comes from an unknown uncle whose solicitors -confide to the legatee that the old man had a strange idea “that he had -sold himself to the devil, and that his large fortune was one result of -the bargain.” But who, with five millions to his name, would worry about -an old man’s fancies? Certainly not Geoffrey Tempest. Probably no man.</p> - -<p>On the very night that the intimation of his good fortune reaches him, -the newly made millionaire receives a call from Prince Lucio Rimânez, -whose person is beautiful, whose conversation is witty to brilliance, -whose wealth is unlimited, and whose age is mysterious. The meeting -takes place very suitably in the dark, and the hands of the pair meet in -the gloom “quite blandly and without<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170">{170}</a></span> guidance”; and we soon hear from -the lips of the Prince that it is a most beautiful dispensation of -nature that “honest folk should be sacrified in order to provide for the -sustenance of knaves!” and that the devil not only drives the world whip -in hand, but that he manages his team very easily.</p> - -<p>Tempest and Rimânez forthwith become friends—even more, chums -inseparable; and soon we find Mr. Geoffrey Tempest very aptly playing -the part he had formerly rallied against—that of a worthless lounger -with his pockets full of gold, and gluttonously swallowing the evil and -corrupting maxims of his fascinating friend. He eats the best of food, -drinks the most expensive of wines, and rides in the most luxurious of -carriages; his book is published and advertised and boomed at his own -expense, and he has not a particle of sympathy for the poor or the -suffering. “It often happens that when bags of money fall to the lot of -aspiring genius, God departs and the devil walks in.” So asserts -Rimânez—who ought to know; and so it proves in the case of his rich and -ready disciple, Mr. Geoffrey Tempest. Nothing seems to disturb the -serenity of the multi-millionaire in the early days of his new-found -wealth and power—for the world bows before him—except a mysterious<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171">{171}</a></span> -servant of the Prince’s, a man named Amiel, who cooks mysterious meals -for his master and, imp of mischief, plays strange pranks upon his -fellow-servants.</p> - -<p>Soon Tempest, through the instrumentality of his princely friend, makes -the acquaintance of the beautiful Lady Sibyl Elton. “No man, I think, -ever forgets the first time he is brought face to face with perfect -beauty in woman. He may have caught fleeting glimpses of many fair faces -often,—bright eyes may have flashed on him like starbeams,—the hues of -a dazzling complexion may now and then have charmed him, or the -seductive outlines of a graceful figure;—all these are as mere peeps -into the infinite. But when such vague and passing impressions are -suddenly drawn together in one focus, when all his dreamy fancies of -form and color take visible and complete manifestation in one living -creature who looks down upon him, as it were, from an empyrean of -untouched maiden pride and purity, it is more to his honor than his -shame if his senses swoon at the ravishing vision, and he, despite his -rough masculinity and brutal strength, becomes nothing but the merest -slave to passion.” Thus Geoffrey Tempest when the violet eyes of Sibyl -Elton first rest upon him.</p> - -<p>The scene is a box at a theatre, the play of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172">{172}</a></span> questionable character -about a “woman with a past.” The picture is complete with the lady’s -father—the Earl of Elton—bending forward in the box and eagerly -gloating over every detail of the performance. There is assuredly no -exaggeration in this portraiture. Such scenes can be witnessed every -night during the season. Nor does Marie Corelli go beyond the unpleasing -truth in asserting that novels on similar themes are popular amongst -women and are a sure preparation for the toleration and applause by -women of such plays.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Elton is hard up, as his daughter knows, and she has been -trained to manœuvre for a rich husband. The idea of a marriage for love -is out of the question; she is too wary to brave “the hundred gloomy -consequences of the <i>res angusta domi</i>,” as old Thackeray puts it. She -is not the sort of girl who marries where her heart is, “with no other -trust but in heaven, health, and labor,”—to quote the same mighty -moralist.</p> - -<p>As Prince Rimânez has explained to Tempest, Lady Sibyl is “for sale” in -the matrimonial market, and Tempest determines to buy her; or, in other -words, decides that he wants to marry her and that his millions will -enable him to achieve that object. Poor Lady Sibyl! A victim of -circumstances, it is impossible not to pity her! Cold, callous, -heartless,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173">{173}</a></span> calculating, corrupt, she is what her mother has made -her—the mother herself being a victim of paralysis and sensuality, a -titled, worn-out <i>rouée</i>.</p> - -<p>“Madame, we want mothers!” Napoleon once said truly to one who sorrowed -over the decadence of French manhood; and to the Countess of Elton might -have been applied, with more justice than to the less sinful sisters -from whom society sweeps its skirts, the name of wanton.</p> - -<p>Tempest loses no time in pursuing what now becomes the main object of -his life—marriage with Lady Sibyl Elton, who is quite ready to be -wooed. Incidentally, the book contains stirring pictures of the times. -There is a visit of Tempest and Rimânez to an aristocratic -gambling-house, and Miss Corelli’s account of the scene there enacted is -but a true description of what is going on constantly “in the West.” How -often, when the Somerset House records of the wills of deceased men of -note are revealed, do people marvel that So-and-so, with his vast -income, was able to put by so little!</p> - -<p>Very often it is the gaming-table that supplies the reason. For the -gambling fever is raging in the world of to-day from peers, statesmen, -lawyers, aye, and ministers, to the street-boys who stake their trifles -on a race or a game of shove ha’penny. There are book-makers who, as the -police records<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174">{174}</a></span> show, do not hesitate to accept penny bets on horse -races from boys. There are “swell” boardinghouses, we know, in secluded -country retreats, where <i>roulette</i>, <i>rouge et noir</i>, and baccarat are -played nightly all the year round, not for pounds, but for hundreds of -pounds, and the police of the districts concerned never disturb the -accursed play. There are luxurious flats in London where similar play -goes on, equally undisturbed by the police. And there are the gaming -hells, such as Miss Corelli describes, where often may be seen men of -distinction, whose names are familiar to every ear, destroying their -peace, their prosperity, the happiness of themselves and their families, -for the luck of the cards.</p> - -<p>To such a place as this—where wealth and position were the only “open -sesames”—went Tempest and Prince Rimânez. Both, so rich that it -mattered not to them what resulted, play and win heavily, mainly from a -Viscount Lynton. Rimânez here stays one of the only good impulses that -came to Geoffrey Tempest after his accession to wealth. He would have -forgiven the Viscount his ruinous losses. And so the play goes on, and -then—a merry bet—Lynton plays with Rimânez at baccarat for a queer -stake—his soul. Of course he loses, and Rimânez has but a short time to -wait to collect<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175">{175}</a></span> the wager, for the mad young Viscount blows out his -brains that night. Such is the history—less only the last specific -bet—of many a young aristocrat’s suicide.</p> - -<p>In the furtherance of his marriage scheme, Tempest purchases Willowsmere -Court, in Warwickshire, a place which, in his palmy days, the Earl of -Elton had owned, but which had subsequently got into the hands of the -Jews. Near to Willowsmere lives Mavis Clare, the good angel of the -story. It has been said “in print,” and it is popularly believed even -now, notwithstanding positive denial, that Mavis Clare was intended to -portray Miss Marie Corelli. It was an unwarrantable and unfair -suggestion, because it implied to Miss Corelli that gross libel, often -falsely attributed to her, of vanity and self-advertisement. In very -truth, if she were vain it would be a sin easy to condone in one who has -achieved so much. Yet, happily, she is so true a woman that vanity has -no part in her character, and she is incapable of deliberately applying -to herself the Mavis Clare description.</p> - -<p>In the <i>Review of Reviews</i> it was stated: “A leading figure in ‘The -Sorrows of Satan’ is none other than the authoress herself, Marie -Corelli, who, like Lucifer, the Son of Morning, also appears under a -disguise. But it is a disguise so transparent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176">{176}</a></span> that the wayfaring man, -though a fool, could not fail in identifying it. Mavis Clare, whose -initials it may be remarked<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> are the same as those of the authoress, -represents Marie Corelli’s ideal of what she would like to be, but -isn’t; what in her more exalted moments she imagines herself to be. It -is somewhat touching to see this attempt at self-portraiture.” The -suggestion thus put forward, that Mavis Clare was a <i>deliberate</i> -portrait of Miss Marie Corelli, was at once accepted by the public—be -it said to the credit of the public, who, having read her books, must -have been instilled with the accurate idea that the talented author must -be good and true, like Mavis Clare. Color was naturally lent to the -suggestion of her deliberate self-portraiture by the similarity of the -initials, and also of the circumstances of Miss Corelli and the lady of -the story.</p> - -<p>Nothing, however, was further from Miss Corelli’s thoughts or intentions -than this, and the similarity of the initials was purely accidental. The -name was written in the manuscript and appeared in the proofs as “Mavis -Dare” and not Mavis Clare. Not only just before the book went to press, -but actually whilst it was in the press, the second name was suddenly -altered, because it was pointed out to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177">{177}</a></span> Miss Corelli that the name was -so very like the “Avice Dare” of another writer. When these facts were -brought to Mr. Stead’s notice he did Miss Corelli the justice to -apologize for the statement which had been made in the <i>Review of -Reviews</i>.</p> - -<p>It is Lady Sibyl who suddenly and violently breaks the thin wall between -Tempest’s desire to marry her and the formal request that she shall -become his wife. She, with just enough glimmering of honor to detest the -“marriage by arrangement,” informs him of her knowledge that her charms -are for sale and that he, Tempest, is to be the accepted purchaser. Her -language is plain enough in very truth to demonstrate the hideousness of -the bargain, for this is the picture of the bride-to-be that she herself -draws for the edification of her future husband:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I ask you, do you think a girl can read the books that are now -freely published, and that her silly society friends tell her to -read,—‘because it is so dreadfully <i>queer</i>!’—and yet remain -unspoilt and innocent? Books that go into the details of the lives -of outcasts?—that explain and analyze the secret vices of -men?—that advocate almost as a sacred duty ‘free love’ and -universal polygamy?—that see no shame in introducing into the -circles of good wives and pure-minded girls, a heroine who boldly -seeks out a man, <i>any</i> man, in order that she may have a child by -him, without the ‘degradation<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178">{178}</a></span>’ of marrying him? I have read all -those books, and what can you expect of me? Not innocence, surely! -I despise men,—I despise my own sex,—I loathe myself for being a -woman! You wonder at my fanaticism for Mavis Clare,—it is only -because for a time her books give me back my self-respect, and make -me see humanity in a nobler light,—because she restores to me, if -only for an hour, a kind of glimmering belief in God, so that my -mind feels refreshed and cleansed. All the same, you must not look -upon me as an innocent young girl, Geoffrey, a girl such as the -great poets idealized and sang of. I am a contaminated creature, -trained to perfection in the lax morals and prurient literature of -my day.”</p></div> - -<p>The unholy wedding of the selfish millionaire and Lady Sibyl Elton takes -place. Prince Rimânez acts as master of the ceremonies, and calls to his -aid a devil’s own army of imps who work marvelous musical and -picturesque effects—their identification as creatures of hell being, of -course, hidden. Even thunder and lightning are called down to add to the -remarkable scene. And so the marriage bargain is completed. -Disillusionment quickly follows, and we find the husband and wife -mutually disgusted with one another, and on the verge of hate. Lady -Sibyl, however, finds passion at last, passion for the husband’s friend, -Lucio Rimânez, Prince of Darkness.</p> - -<p>To such an extent does this fever of love possess<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179">{179}</a></span> her that she seeks -out Rimânez one night and declares her love, only to be scorned by him:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I know you love me,” (is his retort); “I have always known it! -Your vampire soul leaped to mine at the first glance I ever gave -you.” And he rejects her pleadings. “For you corrupt the -world,—you turn good to evil,—you deepen folly into crime,—with -the seduction of your nude limbs and lying eyes you make fools, -cowards, and beasts of men!” There is no limit to the degradation -of this evil wife. “Since you love me so well,” he said, “kneel -down and worship me!”</p></div> - -<p>She falls upon her knees. And the scene thus continues:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“With every pulse of my being I worship you!” she murmured -passionately. “My king! my god! The cruel things you say but deepen -my love for you; you can kill, but you can never change me! For one -kiss of your lips I would die,—for one embrace from you I would -give my soul!...”</p> - -<p>“Have you one to give?” he asked derisively. “Is it not already -disposed of? You should make sure of that first! Stay where you are -and let me look at you! So!—a woman, wearing a husband’s name, -holding a husband’s honor, clothed in the very garments purchased -with a husband’s money, and newly risen from a husband’s side, -steals forth thus in the night, seeking to disgrace him and pollute -herself by the vulgarest unchastity! And this is all that the -culture and training of nineteenth-century civilization can do for -you? Myself, I prefer the barbaric fashion of old times, when rough -savages fought for their women as they<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180">{180}</a></span> fought for their cattle, -treated them as cattle, and kept them in their place, never -dreaming of endowing them with such strong virtues as truth and -honor! If women were pure and true, then the lost happiness of the -world might return to it, but the majority of them are like -you—liars—ever pretending to be what they are not. I may do what -I choose with you, you say? torture you, kill you, brand you with -the name of outcast in the public sight, and curse you before -Heaven, if I will only love you! All this is melodramatic speech, -and I never cared for melodrama at any time. I shall neither kill -you, brand you, curse you, nor love you; I shall simply—call your -husband!”</p></div> - -<p>After further passages of this description, concluding with some passes -with a dagger, the scene ends, the hidden but listening husband coming -forth and blessing the friend for his upright conduct. The inevitable -follows. Lady Sibyl commits suicide; and the husband, finding the corpse -seated in a chair before a mirror, carries out a plan for an awful -midnight interview with the dead, turning on a blaze of lamps, and -sitting down there in the death-chamber to read a document left by his -wife, in which she gives a pitiful picture of the training that has made -her character so repellent. She describes, in a remarkable and appalling -letter, of which an extract follows, how the death-giving poison is -taken and the agonizing thoughts of the last moments.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181">{181}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Oh, God!... Let me write—write—while I can! Let me yet hold fast -the thread which fastens me to earth,—give me time—time before I -drift out, lost in yonder blackness and flame! Let me write for -others the awful Truth, as I see it,—there is No death! -None—none! <i>I cannot die!...</i> Let me write on,—write on with this -dead fleshly hand, ... one moment more time, dread God!... one -moment more to write the truth,—the terrible truth of Death whose -darkest secret, Life, is unknown to men!... To my despair and -terror,—to my remorse and agony, I live!—oh, the unspeakable -misery of this new life! And worst of all,—God whom I doubted, God -whom I was taught to deny, this wronged, blasphemed and outraged -God <small>EXISTS</small>! And I could have found Him had I chosen,—this -knowledge is forced upon me as I am torn from hence,—it is shouted -at me by a thousand wailing voices!... too late!—too late!—the -scarlet wings beat me downward,—these strange half-shapeless forms -close round and drive me onward ... to a further darkness, ... amid -wind and fire!... Serve me, dead hand, once more ere I depart, ... -my tortured spirit must seize and compel you to write down this -thing unnamable, that earthly eyes may read, and earthly souls take -timely warning!... I know at last <small>WHOM</small> I have loved!—whom I have -chosen, whom I have worshiped!... Oh, God, have mercy!... I know -who claims my worship now, and drags me into yonder rolling world -of flame!... his name is ——”</p></div> - -<p>Here the manuscript ends,—incomplete and broken off abruptly,—and -there is a blot on the last sentence as though the pen had been -violently<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182">{182}</a></span> wrenched from the dying fingers and flung hastily down.</p> - -<p>From this terrible incident the story hastens to its close, remarkable -alike for the discourses of the Prince of Darkness, for the experiences -of Tempest, for his final severance from the evil genius and his return -to honest work. And here it is necessary to consider the conception of -his Satanic Majesty with which the author presents us. She states that -the idea came to her in the first place from the New Testament: “There I -found that Christ was tempted by Satan with the offer of thrones, -principalities and powers, all of which the Saviour rejected. When the -temptation was over I read that Satan left Him, and that angels came and -ministered to Him. I thought this out in my own mind and I concluded -that if man, through Christ, would only reject Satan, Satan would leave -him, and that angels would minister to him in the same way that they -ministered to Christ. Out of this germ rose the wider idea that Satan -himself might be glad for men to so reject him, as he then might have -the chance of recovering his lost angelic position.” In fact, the writer -would have it that Satan becomes on terms of intimacy with man, and man -then becomes consequently evil, only if man shows that he wishes to -travel an evil course; that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183">{183}</a></span> man may never redeem the devil, but that -when man has become as perfect as, through Christ, he may, then the -devil may again become an angel—a Doctrine of universal salvation for -sinners and for Satan too. No other writer has given such a conception -of the devil’s character and position.</p> - -<p>The central conception of “The Sorrows of Satan,” Marie Corelli further -says, is that as the possession of an immortal spirit must needs breed -immortal longings, Satan, being an angel once, must of necessity long -for that state of perfection; and that God, being the perfection of -love, could not in His love deny all hope of final redemption even to -Satan. Truly she here gives a conception of the God of Love more -attractive than the pitiless readings of the Divine character which some -theologians would have us accept.</p> - -<p>There are the two conflicting influences in the novelist’s conception of -the devil—Satan endeavoring to corrupt and destroy man, yet knowing -that if man rejects him he is nearer to his own redemption. And so in -this book we find Prince Lucio Rimânez often giving utterance to -thoughts and principles which the man enslaved by him refuses to adopt -and practice, as if he longed for Tempest to repel him, though helping -forward all his selfish schemes. And we are given, too, the picture of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184">{184}</a></span> -this Prince of Darkness, finding that Mavis Clare could not be tempted, -begging for her prayers—“<i>you</i> believe God hears you.... Only a pure -woman can make faith possible to man. Pray for me, then, as one who has -fallen from his higher and better self; who strives, but who may not -attain; who labors under heavy punishment; who would fain reach Heaven, -but who by the cursed will of man, and man alone, is kept in hell! Pray -for me, Mavis Clare; promise it; and so shall you lift me a step nearer -the glory I have lost.”</p> - -<p>Rimânez and Tempest go on a long yachting cruise together,—to -Egypt,—and during this journey the discourses of the Prince are -numerous and of intense interest. In one he states that if men were true -to their immortal instincts and to the God that made them,—if they were -generous, honest, fearless, faithful, reverent, unselfish, ... if women -were pure, brave, tender, and loving,—then “Lucifer, Son of the -Morning,” lifted towards his Creator on the prayers of pure lives, would -wear again his Angel’s crown. There is for a brief period after this a -vision of the devil,—“one who, proud and rebellious, like you, errs -less, in that he owns God as his Master”—as an Angel. And then the -yacht, steered by the demon Amiel, crashes on through ice with a noise -like thunder, to the worl<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185">{185}</a></span>d’s end. Tempest catches a passing glimpse of -his dead wife, and feels remorse and pity at last. A few moments pass -and Tempest’s hour has come, an hour for a great decision:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Know from henceforth that the Supernatural Universe in and around -the Natural is no lie,—but the chief Reality, inasmuch as God -surroundeth all! Fate strikes thine hour,—and in this hour ’tis -given thee to choose thy Master. Now, by the will of God, thou -seest me as Angel;—but take heed thou forget not that among men I -am as Man! In human form I move with all humanity through endless -ages,—to kings and counselors, to priests and scientists, to -thinkers and teachers, to old and young, I come in the shape their -pride or vice demands, and am as one with all. Self finds in me -another Ego;—but from the pure in heart, the high in faith, the -perfect in intention, I do retreat with joy, offering naught save -reverence, demanding naught save prayer! So am I—so must I ever -be—till Man of his own will releases and redeems me. Mistake me -not, but know me!—and choose thy Future for truth’s sake and not -out of fear! Choose and change not in any time hereafter,—this -hour, this moment is thy last probation,—choose, I say! Wilt thou -serve Self and Me? or God only?”</p></div> - -<p>The choice is made. Tempest realizes with shame his miserable vices, his -puny scorn of God, his effronteries and blasphemies; and in the sudden -strong repulsion and repudiation of his own worthless existence, being, -and character, he finds both voice and speech. “God only! Annihilation -at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186">{186}</a></span> His hands, rather than life without Him! God only! I have chosen!” -From the brightening heaven there rings a silver voice, clear as a -clarion-call,—“Arise, Lucifer, Son of the Morning! One soul rejects -thee,—one hour of joy is granted thee! Hence, and arise!” And with a -vision of the man fiend rushing for a brief hour to celestial regions, -because of one soul that rejected Satan, Geoffrey Tempest finds himself -tied to a raft on the open sea, and remembers the promise, “Him who -cometh unto me will I in no wise cast out.”</p> - -<p>The late Rev. H. R. Haweis, preaching on this book, said: “<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Seek ye -first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things -shall be added unto you,’ is the grand moral carried out,” and that is -an opinion, notwithstanding the ban of the Romish Church, which is -entertained of the book by many Christian men, by a large number of -Christian clergy. It is a declaration of the Nemesis of everything that -opposes itself to the will of God. The book teaches the softening -influences upon mankind of good deeds done, of good words spoken. It -teaches, in brief, that there are two contending powers at work upon -mankind—the evil and the good; and the book is an eloquent, beautiful, -effective contribution to the victory of the Good. The sensuality, the -evil imagination, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187">{187}</a></span> prostitution of the marriage sacrament to -commercial bargains, the infidelity, in thought and intention, though -not in deed, of Lady Sibyl Elton, are stripped of their pretty dressings -and shown in their detestable reality. “The acts of selfishness in man,” -Mr. Haweis added, “are exhibited in the person of Geoffrey Tempest in a -garb that repels and with results that horrify; and the pure influence -of Mavis Clare is shown on the other side of the picture, bright and -attractive, the spirit of peace, contentment, and love in a glorious and -glorified conquest of the spirit of evil.”</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli has suffered in a peculiar way from the deficiencies of the -law of copyright which allows perfect protection to a mechanical patent, -but which gives an author no adequate protection over rights such as the -dramatization of a book. “The Sorrows of Satan,” as everybody knows, was -dramatized, and this is how it came about: In the year of the -publication of “The Sorrows of Satan,” 1895, Mr. George Eric Mackay -introduced to his stepsister a lady of his acquaintance, a sculptress, -who, so he said, was anxious to make a study of his head. This lady, in -her turn, introduced Captain Woodgate, who expressed his enthusiastic -admiration for “The Sorrows of Satan” to Miss Corelli, and said it would -make a very fine<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188">{188}</a></span> play, and followed up his praise by asking whether he -might try his hand at dramatizing it, as he had already had some -experience in the writing of plays. Miss Corelli replied that she had -not thought of it at all as a play, but that she had no objection to his -trying, on condition that nothing was produced without her authorization -and permission. Captain Woodgate readily consented to this, but the -whole subject was talked of so casually that (so Miss Corelli declares) -she did not think he really meant to undertake it.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli was very ill at the time, and went to Scotland for her -health. During her absence, Captain Woodgate went to work, and called in -the assistance of Mr. Paul Berton. Between them they wrote a play, and -“The Grosvenor Syndicate” was formed for the purposes of its production.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli was then invited to hear the play read in the Shaftesbury -Theatre green-room. Miss Evelyn Millard, selected to play the part of -“Lady Sibyl,” was present. After the first act had been read by Mr. Paul -Berton, Miss Corelli informs us that she very decidedly expressed her -objection to it, and said that it would never do. Mr. Eric Mackay, who -was also present, said that, on the contrary, he thought it “admirable.” -Miss Corelli, hearing this, remained silent while the second act<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189">{189}</a></span> was -proceeded with by Mr. Berton, to her increasing distaste. Her feelings -in the matter (so Miss Corelli declares) met with complete sympathy from -Miss Evelyn Millard, who, rising from her place, begged Miss Corelli to -give her a few words in private. Miss Corelli followed her out of the -room, and Miss Millard then said: “My dear Miss Corelli, I was ready and -glad to think of playing your character of ‘Lady Sibyl Elton’ in ‘The -Sorrows of Satan,’ but I cannot possibly consent to act in this.”</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli thanked Miss Millard very heartily for her plain speaking -and her decision, and then, informing the joint authors that she would -have nothing whatever to do with the play, the meeting at the -Shaftesbury broke up. Mr. Lewis Waller, who had been selected for the -part of “Lucio Rimânez,” wrote a letter to Miss Corelli in which he -cordially sympathized with her on the treatment her work had received.</p> - -<p>“The Grosvenor Syndicate” paid her five hundred pounds for the use of -her name, but this sum she offered to promptly return if they would as -promptly withdraw the play. Upon this the shareholders met together at -the office of Miss Corelli’s lawyer to discuss the matter, and Miss -Corelli again proposed to give them back at once the five hundred -pounds, and to write a play on her book herself. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190">{190}</a></span> may be added that, -if she had been allowed to do this, Mr. Beerbohm Tree would have been -ready and glad to consider the part of Prince Lucio. She said to those -who had invested their money in the syndicate: “Gentlemen, if you will -withdraw this work, I will guarantee to write you a play which shall be -a success.” They, however, after consideration, refused, saying that -shares were issued and they could not go back. Miss Corelli, therefore, -withdrew her “authorization” altogether, and only allowed the simple use -of her name on the programmes to this effect: “Dramatized from the novel -of that name by Marie Corelli.” The play was therefore produced for the -first time at the Shaftesbury Theatre on the evening of January 9th, -1897, in the presence of H. R. H. the Duke of Cambridge and suite, the -Duke, audibly expressing agreement with Miss Corelli’s views of the -work. She herself was not present. She was lying ill in bed, suffering -acute pain, having that very day gone through a trying ordeal of -surgical examination by Sir John Williams, who had bluntly informed her -that she had not, perhaps, six months to live unless she went through a -grave operation. It will be owned that this was a singular situation for -any author, as she herself says, “to have the work of her brain dealt -with in a way to which she took<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191">{191}</a></span> obvious exception, and herself -threatened with death both on the same day.”</p> - -<p>The play of <i>The Sorrows of Satan</i> was produced, Mr. Lewis Waller -playing the part of Lucio. Miss Millard remained staunch to her opinion, -and wrote to Miss Corelli, saying how sincerely sorry she was that the -play had been brought out, notwithstanding the protest. Since that time -several dramatic versions of the book have been played, including Mr. C. -W. Somerset’s version, which Miss Corelli has described as a combination -of her novel and the late George Augustus Sala’s “Margaret Foster.” Mr. -Somerset is himself the author of this production, and we are told that -he informed Miss Corelli that he put the two books together in this work -“to strengthen both!”</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli would much like to put a stop to the various stage -renderings of “The Sorrows of Satan” if the law would give her the power -to do so; and she would greatly like to see the law altered so as to -give her and other authors such power. As it is, she now, to secure her -titles, whenever she writes a book, has a play, bearing the title of her -book, produced before a paying audience.</p> - -<p>In order to secure such dramatic copyright, authors have to pay to have -their “sham” play performed before a “sham” audience with “sham” actors! -And the law compels it!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192">{192}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X<br /><br /> -<small>“THE MIGHTY ATOM” AND “BOY”</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">Marie Corelli</span> never writes without a purpose—never solely to excite or -entertain the reader who regards books as pleasant things provided for -his regalement just as ices, pantomimes, and balloon ascents are.</p> - -<p>The greatest of novelists have generally told their stories with an -object other than mere story-telling. Charles Reade brought about asylum -reform by publishing “Hard Cash,” while in “Foul Play” he made clear the -injustice of preventing a prisoner from giving evidence in his own -behalf—a state of things which has been only recently remedied; Dickens -showed up villainous schoolmasters, receivers of stolen goods, the -delays of the Law, Bumbledom, emigration frauds, and a hundred other -abuses; Thackeray preached against cant; Wilkie Collins broke a lance -with the vivisectionists; and Clark Russell, in “The Wreck of the -<i>Grosvenor</i>,” told a harrowing story of the rotten food provided for the -helpless merchant sailor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193">{193}</a></span></p> - -<p>Miss Corelli has grappled with human wrongs just as great, even though -they may not be amenable to jurisdiction.</p> - -<p>In the two books before us she deals, in hard-hitting, -thought-compelling terms, with the criminally mistaken up-bringing of -children. Her object in writing “The Mighty Atom” she tersely explains -in her dedicatory note to “those self-styled ‘progressivists’<span class="lftspc">”</span> who -support the cause of education without religion. The short and pathetic -history of Lionel Valliscourt is placed before us as typical of the fate -which so often befalls the overwrought child-brain: the horrible end to -the young life is depicted with the idea of manifesting in what the -absence of religion even from a boy’s mind may result. Had Lionel -learned to say his prayers at his mother’s knee; had he trotted off to -Church every Sunday morning, his hand within his father’s, and at -eventide listened to the sweet old Bible-stories which so appeal to a -child’s imagination, the Christian precepts thus implanted in his heart -would surely have stayed his hand when he conceived the idea of taking -his own life.</p> - -<p>This most sad story fully brings home to the reader the evils attendant -on the entirely godless teaching bestowed on a young and exceptionally -bright boy, who has an instinctive yearning for that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194">{194}</a></span> “knowledge and -love of God” of which our authoress is the strenuous champion.</p> - -<p>Lionel, the small centre of the picture, is introduced as a boy who -“might have been a bank clerk or an experienced accountant in a London -merchant’s office, from his serious old-fashioned manner, instead of a -child barely eleven years of age; indeed, as a matter of fact, there was -an almost appalling expression of premature wisdom on his pale wistful -features;—the ‘thinking furrow’ already marked his forehead,—and what -should still have been the babyish upper curve of his sensitive little -mouth was almost, though not quite, obliterated by a severe line of -constantly practiced self-restraint.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Valliscourt has hired tutor after tutor to assist him in forcing -Lionel’s intellect: by turns each tutor has thrown up his task in -disgust. At last comes William Montrose, B. A., a breezy Oxonian, who -refuses point-blank to go through the “schedule of tuition” which Mr. -Valliscourt “formulates” for his son’s holiday tasks. Montrose is -angrily dismissed, and Professor Cadman-Gore, “the dark-lantern of -learning and obscure glory of university <i>poseurs</i>,” is engaged in his -place to squeeze the juice out of poor little Lionel’s already wearied -brains.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195">{195}</a></span></p> - -<p>Very early in his holiday term of coaching the Professor has to submit -to some cross-examination from Lionel on the subject of the Atom. “Where -is it?—that wonderful little First Atom, which, without knowing in the -least what it was about, and with nobody to guide it, and having no -reason, judgment, sight, or sense of its own, produced such beautiful -creations? And then, if you are able to tell me where it is, will you -also tell me where it came from?”</p> - -<p>It appears that Lionel has imbibed atheistic principles not only from -his father, but from a former tutor, and he is determined to thrash the -matter out with the Professor, whom he takes to be the cleverest man in -the world. The Professor’s replies, however, are unsatisfactory, and -Lionel goes on wondering.</p> - -<p>The work continues, and he grows yet wearier. Manfully he struggles to -accomplish his allotted tasks, each effort sapping his strength still -further and adding to the pains which fill his head and drive sleep from -his tired eyes. The Professor, acting according to orders, continues to -grind the young brains to powder.</p> - -<p>At last the crisis arrives. Under dishonorable circumstances Lionel’s -mother leaves her husband: over-work, sorrow, too little exercise—all -these<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196">{196}</a></span> combined bring about Lionel’s collapse. The plain-spoken village -doctor orders him away for rest, and so the Professor and his young -charge go to Clovelly, where they spend some bewilderingly delightful -weeks of absolute idleness. The Professor’s eyes have been somewhat -opened by Lionel’s break-down to the real state of the child, whom -thereafter he treats with a certain rough kindness which wins him the -boy’s whole heart. Lionel cannot quite make it out—but he is grateful.</p> - -<p>“He used to show his gratitude,” we are told, “in odd little ways of his -own, which had a curious and softening effect on the mind of the learned -Cadman-Gore. He would carefully brush the ugly hat of the great man and -bring it to him,—he would pull out and smooth the large sticky fingers -of his loose leather gloves and lay them side by side on a table ready -for him to wear,—he would energetically polish the top of his big -silver-knobbed stick,—and he would invariably make a ‘buttonhole’ of -the prettiest flowers he could find for him to put in his coat at -dinner.”</p> - -<p>One can imagine the grim old gentleman being by turns astonished and -touched by such attentions: the Professor indeed warms to the lad, and, -when they return to Combmartin, bids him go and play instead of -returning to his investigation of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197">{197}</a></span> “The Advance of Positivism and Pure -Reason,” which formed part of that schedule of study which his father -had previously insisted upon.</p> - -<p>Before his illness Lionel had become close friends with the village -sexton, Reuben Dale, and that worthy’s little daughter, Jessamine. It -had been the boy’s keenest joy to romp and talk with Jessamine, and so, -on being afforded a holiday by the Professor’s thoughtfulness, he -proceeds with a light heart in search of his former playmate. He finds -Reuben at work in the churchyard, and “the significant hollow in the -ground was shaped slowly in a small dark square, to the length of a -little child.”</p> - -<p>The old man’s sobs betray the truth—during Lionel’s absence his baby -sweetheart has fallen a prey to diphtheria. The boy’s anguish is -terrible: the sexton’s simple faith in God’s way being the best way has -no comfort for the helpless little pagan who has been taught that such -faith as this is sheer nonsense. “No, no!” he cries; “there is no God; -you have not read,—you have not studied things, and you do not -know,—but you are all wrong. There is no God,—there is only the Atom -which does not care.”</p> - -<p>Distracted with grief, Lionel tears away into the woods, his bewildered -and weary head full of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198">{198}</a></span> strange thoughts. At last a firm resolve takes -possession of him. “I know!—I know the best way to discover the real -secret,—I <i>must</i> find it out!—and I will!”</p> - -<p>And he does. With the cool deliberation that is often a distinguishing -attribute of one bent on self-destruction, he goes to bed in the usual -way. When the house is quite still, and all its other inmates are -slumbering, he steals down to his schoolroom, where he carefully pens -some letters—one to his father, another to the Professor, and a third -to Mr. Montrose. This done, he falls upon his knees by the open window -and prays to that Being whom he feels “must be a God, really and truly,” -in spite of the many learned theories to the contrary by which his -child-mind has been distracted.</p> - -<p>A little later “there came a heavy stillness, ... and a sudden sense of -cold in the air, as of the swift passing of the Shadow of Death.”</p> - -<p>One may reasonably contend that such passages as these are unnecessarily -distressing, and certainly there are several of Miss Corelli’s works -which should not be left in the way of weak-minded persons. The -authoress, it is clear, wishes to drive home her arguments in a manner -that will be remembered. Chapter XIV. of “The Mighty<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199">{199}</a></span> Atom” is not one -that is ever likely to be forgotten by those who have read this book.</p> - -<p>People who object to such methods as Miss Corelli employs in “The Mighty -Atom” must bear in mind that the motive underlying each of her stories -is to show up a certain evil and suggest remedial measures, themselves -as powerful as the disease requiring their application.</p> - -<p>The lesson taught so startlingly in “The Mighty Atom” must have brought -home the truths of its straightforward doctrines to a multitude of -readers. Thus can a book drop seed which is destined to flourish -abundantly for a great length of time and in widely separated places. If -a book be good, it will have a long life: living, its effects will be -felt by more than one generation of readers. Such is the power of -literature—such the strength of a mere pen when wielded by one whose -principal stock-in-trade is knowledge combined with sincerity and a -determination to speak out for the general weal at all hazards, critics -notwithstanding.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“Boy,” a book about equal in length to “The Mighty Atom,” is less -picturesque in its setting than the latter, but, on the other hand, is -lightened by considerable humor and happy characterization. It is a -sermon to parents. The boy, as we know,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200">{200}</a></span> is father of the man; -consequently, if you bring a boy up badly, the complete growth of him -when he reaches man’s estate is hardly likely to be satisfactory.</p> - -<p>“It is a dangerous fallacy,” says the author of “Boy,” “to aver that -every man has the making of his destiny in his own hands: to a certain -extent he has, no doubt, and with education and firm resolve, he can do -much to keep down the Beast and develop the Angel; but a terrific -responsibility rests upon those often voluntarily reckless beings, his -parents, who, without taking thought, use God’s privilege of giving -life, while utterly failing to perceive the means offered to them for -developing and preserving that life under the wisest and most harmonious -conditions.”</p> - -<p>The career of the particular “boy” under notice is traced from the time -when, a crawling babe, he gravely surveys his father’s drunken antics -and ascribes them to attacks of illness. Hence his frequent references -to the “poo’ sing” whose too close attentions to the bottle have earned -him this mistaken infantile sympathy. “Boy’s” especial admirer is a -maiden lady of ample means, who has an ardent desire to adopt him, but -whose wishes are invariably thwarted by “Boy’s” mother, a “large, lazy, -and unintelligent” woman with lim<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201">{201}</a></span>ited and peculiar ideas on the rearing -and educating of children. The maiden lady herself has a devoted -cavalier, in the shape of an elderly Major, who proposes to her -regularly, only to be met with a gentle but steady negative. The lady’s -heart is buried with a former lover, who, years before, went to India -and died there; and although the Major knows that the object of his -attachment is burning perpetual candles before a worthless shrine—for -the dead man was a sad rascal in his day, and was, moreover, false to -her—he prefers to let her live with her illusion rather than profit by -acquainting her with the true facts of the case.</p> - -<p>As the Major is generally in attendance on Miss Letitia Leslie we see a -good deal of the bluff old soldier, for “Boy” is occasionally allowed to -go and stay with “Miss Letty.” These are the golden periods of the good -maiden lady’s life—and, too, of “Boy’s,” for while Miss Leslie cares -for him properly, his mother exploits her ideas of motherhood by feeding -the little fellow “on sloppy food which frequently did not agree with -him, in dosing him with medicine when he was out of sorts, in dressing -him anyhow, and in allowing him to amuse himself as he liked wherever he -could, however he could, at all times, and in all places, dirty or -clean.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202">{202}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Meantime, Captain the Honorable D’Arcy Muir rolls in and out of the -house—more often than not in that state of drunken combativeness which -finds a vent in assaulting mantelpiece ornaments and the lighter -articles of furniture—and Mrs. D’Arcy Muir reads novels, or, studying -personal ease before appearance, slouches about the house in soft felt -slippers and loosely fitting garments which frequently lack a -sufficiency of buttons and hooks.</p> - -<p>In spite of such surroundings “Boy” remains a very lovable little fellow -until he goes to school. Then Miss Letty and the Major lose sight of him -for a long period, for he is sent to a school in Brittany. The Major -deplores the fact: “You must say good-bye to ‘Boy’ forever!... Don’t you -see? The child has gone—and he’ll never come back. <i>A</i> boy will come -back, but not the boy <i>you</i> knew. The boy you knew is practically -dead.... The poor little chap had enough against him in his home -surroundings, God knows!—but a cheap foreign school is the last straw -on the camel’s back. Whatever is good in his nature will go to waste; -whatever is bad will grow and flourish!”</p> - -<p>As it happens, “Boy” stays in France only a year, but during that period -Miss Letty, the Major, and the Major’s niece go to America and settle<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203">{203}</a></span> -down there for a time. “Boy” reappears at the age of sixteen, when he is -being educated at an English military school. One of the best-written -scenes in the book describes the meeting of “Boy” with Miss Letty, who -returns from America about this time. “Boy” has grown into a slim, -awkward youth, getting on to six feet in height, callous, listless, and -cynical. He has lost his old frankness; he is not, as the Major -predicted, the “boy” that Miss Letty knew in the days gone by.</p> - -<p>The description of the luncheon party when the four sides of the table -are occupied respectively by Miss Letty, the Major, the latter’s niece, -and “Boy,” is exceedingly well done, “Boy’s” stolid, <i>blasé</i> replies to -the many questions he is asked being exceedingly diverting, although one -feels sorry to see into what an automaton he has grown.</p> - -<p>“Are you glad you are going to be a soldier?” the Major asks him. “Oh, I -don’t mind it!” says “Boy.” “Are you fond of flowers?” the girl demands -of him a little later. “I don’t mind them much!” replies “Boy” -indifferently. “Well, what <i>do</i> you mind? Anything?” puts in the Major. -“Boy” laughed. “I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>This scene—from which we have merely extracted a few remarks—is in its -way an excellent bit of comedy, but on behalf of public schoolboys<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204">{204}</a></span> -generally we must say that we don’t think “Boy” would have put his hat -on—as he is reported to have done—while still in the room with the -ladies.</p> - -<p>“Boy” passes into Sandhurst, but is expelled therefrom for drunkenness; -he gets a clerkship, incurs card debts, alters the amount on a check -which Miss Letty has sent him, repents of the fraud, returns the whole -amount, with a manly apology, to Miss Letty, enlists, and is killed by -the Boers. That, then, is the sad end of “Boy.”</p> - -<p>In addition to the characters mentioned there are others of subsidiary -importance, and there is, threading in and out of the “Boy” episodes, a -love-story which ends tragically, at the time, for the Major’s niece, -though she eventually meets the man Fate has decreed she shall marry, on -a South African battle-field.</p> - -<p>In no other book has Miss Corelli favored us with so many -smile-provoking passages. There is, for instance, a good deal of grim -humor about “Rattling Jack”—the salt-dried veteran of whom “Boy” makes -a friend when the D’Arcy Muirs move from their London home in Hereford -Square to cheaper quarters on the coast.</p> - -<p>Rattling Jack doesn’t sympathize with the elementary methods of the -young student of natural history. He doesn’t see why beetles and -butterflies<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205">{205}</a></span> should be trapped and carried home for the “museum.” One -day “Boy” brings for the old sailor’s inspection a beautiful -rose-colored sea-anemone which he had managed to detach from the rocks -and carry off in his tin pail.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There y’are, you see!” cries Rattling Jack. “Now ye’ve made a -fellow-creature miserable, y’are as ’appy as the day is long! Eh, -eh—why for mussy’s sake didn’t ye leave it on the rocks in the sun -with the sea a-washin’ it an’ the blessin’ of the Lord A’mighty on -it? They things are jes’ like human souls—there they stick on a -rock o’ faith and hope maybe, jes’ wantin’ nothin’ but to be let -alone; and then by and by some one comes along that begins to poke -at ’em, and pull ’em about, and wake up all their -sensitiveness-like—’urt ’em as much as possible, that’s the -way!—and then they pulls ’em off their rocks and carries ’em off -in a mean little tin pail! Ay, ay, ye may call a tin pail whatever -ye please—a pile o’ money or a pile o’ love—it’s nought but a tin -pail—not a rock with the sun shinin’ upon it. And o’ coorse they -dies—there ain’t no sense in livin’ in a tin pail.”</p></div> - -<p>This weary-wise old fellow must be credited to Miss Corelli as one of -her best portraits in miniature. His observations are full of sage and -seasoning, and we could do with more of him.</p> - -<p>Did Miss Corelli’s themes allow of it, we might have been treated to a -good deal more humor in her works, but she is too good an artist to -intrude comic relief when such relief would merely be an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206">{206}</a></span> annoying -interruption. But various passages in her books show her to be the -possessor of a considerable sense of the laughable, and it is to be -hoped that she will some day find time to write a story dealing with the -lighter side of existence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207">{207}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI<br /><br /> -<small>“THE MURDER OF DELICIA” AND “ZISKA”<a name="FNanchor_C_3" id="FNanchor_C_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_C_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a></small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> the former of these works Marie Corelli has much to say about men -that is very disagreeable and, as it appears to us, only partially true. -It would seem that the novelist is too prone to seize upon a particular -instance of “man’s ingratitude,” laziness, cruelty, and general -worthlessness, and set it up as a frequently occurring type.</p> - -<p>In “The Murder of Delicia,” for example, a handsome guardsman, nicknamed -by his fellow-officers “Beauty Carlyon,” marries a lady novelist who is -equally gifted in brain and person, and, after spending her money for a -considerable period, finally breaks her heart—in short, “murders” -her—by his neglect and infidelity.</p> - -<p>The keynote of the story—which is, we are assured by its writer, a true -one—may be found in an introductory note, which contains the following: -“<i>To put it plainly and bluntly, a great majority of the men of the -present day want women to keep them.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208">{208}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Now surely this is an over-statement which will not strengthen Marie -Corelli’s case. We grant that a certain number of men marry for money, -and that the women they so marry are only too glad to be married on -those or any terms; but the social conditions of this era have not -become so cankered as to lead the “great majority of men” to seek a -livelihood at the altar steps! Would it not be altogether more -reasonable to substitute “a certain minority” for “a great majority”? In -fairness to the novelist, we must add that her remarks on this subject -apply principally to the aristocracy. The worthy lover or husband of the -middle classes may therefore breathe again.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, we will venture to present the other aspect of this matter -of marrying for money. It is well-known that many a wealthy woman -languishes in virgin solitude on account of those very shekels of gold -and shekels of silver which she possesseth, while her penniless -girl-friends are donning their marital veils and going through the sweet -old business of marrying and being given in marriage. This applies to -the upper as well as to the lower ranks of society.</p> - -<p>Many a man—aye, many a guardsman—would now be a happy Benedict had a -certain girl of “once upon a time” been possessed of no riches save the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209">{209}</a></span> -inestimable wealth of a loving heart, no diamonds except those shining -in her eyes, no pearls but what one might see when her lips parted in -shy smile or merry laughter.</p> - -<p>For the average man—be his rank high or low—loves a woman, as the -saying is, for herself. While recognizing the value and usefulness of -money, while raising no objection should his father-in-law allow the -young wife pin-money, the average man who marries in the ordinary way -sets little store on what his bride brings him in the shape of earthly -dross.</p> - -<p>It is, however, incumbent on a writer of contemporary biography to be in -the main courteous and commendatory, else we might apply a harsher -criticism to “The Murder of Delicia” than a mere statement to the effect -that this book is the least worthy of all the books Marie Corelli has -written. It is far too full of railing against men; it is far too -one-sided and far too bitter. Granted that a novelist must put his or -her case strongly, in order to drive conviction home to the reader’s -mind—granted this, it must be at the same time pointed out that there -are generally two sides to every question. Given that a certain number -of men marry for money—for money and nothing else—it must be -recollected that there are at the present moment<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210">{210}</a></span> thousands of -Englishwomen devoting whatever powers of mental arithmetic they may be -endowed with to reckoning up exactly what pecuniary advantages shall -accrue to them if they marry Jack Jones, or, failing Jack Jones, John -Smith! And a cross-Channel <i>père de famille</i> would tell you that they -are quite right to do this, that, indeed, if they were his daughters, he -would do it for them, and have the whole thing put down in black and -white at a notary’s office.</p> - -<p>But—thank heaven!—we are a little more sentimental on this side of the -narrow strip of silver sea. We still believe in the love marriage, and -so an approving Dame Nature gives us healthy sons and daughters for the -regular renewal of the nation’s strength. Whereas in la belle France, -with her businesslike matrimonial alliances, they have to offer prizes -for babies! Truly a pathetic endeavor to stem a national decay!</p> - -<p>“The Murder of Delicia” is a short story, soon told. Lord Carlyon takes -a strong fancy to Delicia Vaughan, the popular and beautiful -lady-novelist, and his liking is returned tenfold. They marry, and -Delicia supplies him with money for his clothes, club expenses, cabs, -and card games. Were it not that we are aware that even the wisest of -women may, in spite of their wisdom, love un<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211">{211}</a></span>wisely, we should marvel at -a woman of Delicia Vaughan’s intellectual gifts (which were coupled, we -may presume, with the keen insight into human nature that a novelist -should possess) marrying a man of the Lord Carlyon type—a big, handsome -animal, whose conversation must have afforded her very little -entertainment. She loved him because to her (to quote the book) he was a -“strong, splendid, bold, athletic, masterful creature who was hers—hers -only!” Is it possible that a woman of Delicia Vaughan’s alleged -intelligence would have fallen so completely in love with a man who “was -absolutely devoid of all ambition, save a desire to have his surname -pronounced correctly”? Truly, a dull dog—yet Delicia worshiped him. She -disregarded the apostolic command to little children not to take unto -themselves idols. She doted on this man of inches. She housed and fed -him, pampered him, showered money on him, and he repaid her by indulging -in a low intrigue with a music-hall dancer.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli almost laughs at her heroine. But, even while the smile -hovers on her lips, she explains poor Delicia’s phantasy. It was “the -rare and beautiful blindness of perfect love”—squandered on an entirely -worthless object. And this is quite a true touch, for even -lady-novelists are only human.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212">{212}</a></span></p> - -<p>Delicia had to pay the penalty of her passion. Her eyes were opened all -in good time, and from showering the wealth of her hand and all the -treasures of her heart upon Carlyon, she came, in the end, to -threatening him with a revolver when he would have healed their -differences with a kiss.</p> - -<p>The book, as its title implies, ends sadly. How sadly, those who have -read it will know, and those who may read it hereafter will soon -discover, for it is quite a little book, and its price but a florin.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“These are the people,” writes Marie Corelli in “Ziska,” alluding to the -tourists assembled in Cairo, “who usually leave England on the plea of -being unable to stand the cheery, frosty, and in every respect healthy -winter of their native country—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“that winter, which with its wild winds, its sparkling frost and -snow, its holly trees bright with scarlet berries, its merry -hunters galloping over field and moor during daylight hours, and -its great log fires roaring up the chimneys at evening, was -sufficiently good for their forefathers to thrive upon and live -through contentedly up to a hale and hearty old age in the times -when the fever of traveling from place to place was an unknown -disease, and home was indeed ‘sweet home.’ Infected by strange -maladies of the blood and nerves, to which even scientific -physicians find it hard to give suitable names, they shudder at the -first whiff of cold, and, filling huge trunks with a thousand -foolish</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_006" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_212fp-a.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_212fp-a.jpg" width="600" height="446" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">"Killiecrankie Cottage” Where “Ziska” was Finished</span></p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_007" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_212fp-b.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_212fp-b.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">"Avon Croft” Where “The Master Christian” was Finished</span></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213">{213}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">things which have, through luxurious habit, become necessities to -their pallid existences, they hastily depart to the Land of the -Sun, carrying with them their nameless languors, discontents, and -incurable illnesses, for which Heaven itself, much less Egypt, -could provide no remedy.”</p></div> - -<p>Be that as it may, the tourists assembled at the Gezireh Palace Hotel -one winter were treated to a vision of loveliness which for a time made -them momentarily forget their nameless languors in spells of admiration -and envy, according to the sex which claimed them, the vision in -question taking an apparently human shape in the person of the Princess -Ziska.</p> - -<p>Reputedly a Russian lady, Ziska was in reality the flesh-clad ghost of -Ziska-Charmazel, the favorite of the harem of a great Egyptian warrior, -described in forgotten histories as “The Mighty Araxes.” Visiting Egypt -at the same time as the Princess was Armand Gervase, a French painter of -great renown, and the interest of the story may be imagined when it is -explained that Armand was the nineteenth-century incarnation of Araxes, -who, it must be understood, had, in the dim long-ago, slain -Ziska-Charmazel because she stood in the way of his ambition.</p> - -<p>The modern Araxes is quickly enslaved by Ziska’s loveliness, but the -passion that consumes him is a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214">{214}</a></span> decidedly uncanny one, as the following -passage will show. Armand is speaking to Helen Murray, the sister of his -great friend, Denzil Murray. In Scotland during the previous summer -Armand had paid Helen some attentions, and Helen does not fail to note -that the charms of Ziska have dissipated any tender feeling which Armand -might have once entertained for the Scottish girl. “How was I to know,” -cries Armand, “that this horrible thing would happen?” “What horrible -thing?” enquires Helen.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“This,” he answers: “the close and pernicious enthralment of a -woman I never met till the night before last; a woman whose face -haunts me; a woman who drags me to her side with the force of a -magnet, there to grovel like a brain-sick fool and plead with her -for a love which I already know is poison to my soul! Helen, Helen! -You do not understand—you will never understand! Here, in the very -air I breathe, I fancy I can trace the perfume she shakes from her -garments as she moves; something indescribably fascinating yet -terrible attracts me to her; it is an evil attraction, I know, but -I cannot resist it. There is something wicked in every man’s -nature; I am conscious enough that there is something detestably -wicked in mine, and I have not sufficient goodness to overbalance -it. And this woman,—this silent, gliding, glittering-eyed creature -that has suddenly taken possession of my fancy—she overcomes me in -spite of myself; she makes havoc of all the good intentions of my -life. I admit—I confess it!”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215">{215}</a></span></p> - -<p>Unfortunately, the painter’s very good friend, Denzil Murray, also -becomes inspired with a passion for Ziska, and the lad’s temper is -roused when Armand openly admits that his intentions with regard to the -Princess are strictly dishonorable. Murray suggests that it were well -Ziska should know this, but Armand laughs at the other’s idea that the -bringing of such tidings to Ziska’s ears would lower him one jot in that -lovely lady’s estimation:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“My good boy, do you not know that there is something very -marvelous in the attraction we call love? It is a preordained -destiny,—and if one soul is so constituted that it must meet and -mix with another, nothing can hinder the operation. So that, -believe me, I am quite indifferent as to what you say of me to -Madame la Princesse or to any one else. It will not be for either -my looks or my character that she will love me, if, indeed, she -ever does love me; it will be for something indistinct, -indefinable, but resistless in us both, which no one on earth can -explain.”</p></div> - -<p>The hot-headed young Highlander, however, will not be put off with any -such reasoning, and the rivalry might have resulted awkwardly at an -early date of its upspringing had not Armand steadfastly refused to -quarrel.</p> - -<p>There is one person at the hotel who makes a shrewd guess at the -spiritual identity of both Ziska<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216">{216}</a></span> and Armand—an old <i>savant</i> named Dr. -Dean, who is visiting Egypt for the purpose of studying its hieroglyphs -and other matters possessing interest for an antiquarian. A knowing -fellow is this Doctor, and a fine little character, whose good-humored -personality and quiet, shrewd observations present a soothing contrast -to the passionate utterances of Murray and Armand, and the dramatic -outbursts of Ziska when she scornfully taunts the painter with his -vileness.</p> - -<p>In conversation with the Doctor, Gervase Armand admits that there is -something about Ziska which has struck him as being familiar. “The tone -of her voice and the peculiar cadence of her laughter” affect him -peculiarly. When he wonders whether he has ever come across her before -as a model either in Paris or Rome, the Doctor shakes his head. “Think -again,” he says. “You are now a man in the prime of life, Monsieur -Gervase, but look back to your early youth,—the period when young men -do wild, reckless, and often wicked things,—did you ever in that -thoughtless time break a woman’s heart?”</p> - -<p>Armand admits that he may have done so, and the Doctor propounds his -theory:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217">{217}</a></span></p><div class="blockquot"><p>“Suppose that you, in your boyhood, had wronged some woman, and -suppose that woman had died. You might imagine that you had got rid -of that woman. But if her love was very strong and her sense of -outrage very bitter, I must tell you that you have not got rid of -her by any means; moreover, you never will get rid of her. And why? -Because her Soul, like all Souls, is imperishable. Now, putting it -as a mere supposition, and for the sake of the argument, that you -feel a certain admiration for the Princess Ziska, an admiration -which might possibly deepen into something more than platonic, -...”—here Denzil Murray looked up, his eyes glowing with an angry -pain as he fixed them on Gervase,—“why, then the Soul of the other -woman you once wronged might come between you and the face of the -new attraction and cause you to unconsciously paint the tortured -look of the injured and unforgiving Spirit on the countenance of -the lovely fascinator whose charms are just beginning to ensnare -you. I repeat, I have known such cases.”</p></div> - -<p>For it should be explained that, when Ziska gave the celebrated painter -a sitting, he could produce nothing on his canvas, in spite of his -genius, but a strange and awful face distorted with passion and pain, -agony in every line of the features—“agony in which the traces of a -divine beauty lingered only to render the whole countenance more -repellent and terrific.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Dean quickly comes to the conclusion, and very reasonably, that this -is the most interesting problem he has ever had a chance of studying.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218">{218}</a></span> -It could be only one case out of thousands, he decides.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Great heavens! Among what terrific unseen forces we live! And in -exact proportion to every man’s arrogant denial of the ‘Divinity -that shapes our ends,’ so will be measured out to him the -revelation of the invisible. Strange that the human race has never -entirely realized as yet the depth of the meaning in the words -describing hell: ‘Where the worm dieth not, and where the flame is -never quenched.’ The ‘worm’ is Retribution, the ‘flame’ is the -immortal Spirit,—and the two are forever striving to escape from -the other. Horrible! And yet there are men who believe in neither -one thing nor the other, and reject the Redemption that does away -with both! God forgive us all our sins—and especially the sins of -pride and presumption!”</p></div> - -<p>Other of the Doctor’s thoughtful utterances are well worth quoting. “To -the wise student of things there is no time and no distance. All history -from the very beginning is like a wonderful chain in which no link is -ever really broken, and in which every part fits closely to the other -part,—though why the chain should exist at all is a mystery we cannot -solve. Yet, I am quite certain that even our late friend Araxes has his -connection with the present, if only for the reason that he lived in the -past.”</p> - -<p>Armand asks him how he argues out that theory, and the Doctor replies:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219">{219}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The question is, how can you argue at all about anything that is -so plain and demonstrated a fact? The doctrine of evolution proves -it. Everything that we were once has its part in us now. Suppose, -if you like, that we were originally no more than shells on the -shore,—some remnant of the nature of the shell must be in us at -this moment. Nothing is lost,—nothing is wasted,—not even a -thought. I carry my theories very far indeed, especially in regard -to matters of love. I maintain that if it is decreed that the soul -of a man and the soul of a woman must meet,—must rush -together,—not all the forces of the universe can hinder them; aye, -even if they were, for some conventional cause or circumstance, -themselves reluctant to consummate their destiny, it would, -nevertheless, despite them, be consummated. For mark you,—in some -form or other they have rushed together before! Whether as flames -in the air, or twining leaves on a tree, or flowers in a field, -they have felt the sweetness and fitness of each other’s being in -former lives,—and the craving sense of that sweetness and fitness -can never be done away with,—never! Not as long as this present -universe lasts! It is a terrible thing,” continued the Doctor in a -lower tone, “a terrible fatality,—the desire of love. In some -cases it is a curse; in others, a divine and priceless blessing. -The results depend entirely on the temperaments of the human -creatures possessed by its fever. When it kindles, rises, and burns -towards Heaven in a steady flame of ever-brightening purity and -faith, then it makes marriage the most perfect union on earth,—the -sweetest and most blessed companionship; but when it is a mere gust -of fire, bright and fierce as the sudden leaping light of a -volcano, then it withers everything at a touch,—faith, honor, -truth,—and dies into dull ashes in which no spark remains to warm -or inspire ma<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220">{220}</a></span>n’s higher nature. Better death than such a -love,—for it works misery on earth; but who can tell what horrors -it may not create Hereafter!”</p></div> - -<p>When the Princess Ziska betakes herself to the Mena House Hotel, near -the Pyramids, Dr. Dean, Gervase Armand, and Denzil Murray follow her. -She entertains them at dinner, and after dinner, while the Doctor and -Armand are strolling without, Murray puts his fate to the touch, with -results as might have been expected, for the Princess has displayed -little emotion in respect to anybody save Armand, and in his case it is -clear that her interest has a malignant foundation.</p> - -<p>Armand comes after him, and, in a passionate scene, audaciously proposes -to “play the part of Araxes over again.” Ziska promises to give him her -answer on the morrow, and on the morrow Armand receives it.</p> - -<p>The last scene of this “Problem of a Wicked Soul” takes place beneath -the Great Pyramid. Why and how the modern Araxes and the modern -Ziska-Charmazel come together in the end in this strangest of -meeting-places, we will leave the reader to discover for him or herself.</p> - -<p>But we may at least record our admiration for the feat of imagination of -which “Ziska” is the result, and indicate the lesson that is to be -learned from its<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221">{221}</a></span> pages. “Ziska” teaches that sin shall not escape -punishment, that a man shall not play fast and loose with women’s hearts -and yet go scotfree. “Ziska” shows how the mutilated soul of the -beautiful dancer arises after many centuries and exacts vengeance from -its enemy; and again “Ziska” shows how, when Araxes, in his modern -painter guise, cries for pardon, the eyes of his one-time victim soften -and flash with love and tenderness.</p> - -<p>Truly a fragrant passage is this, wherein the old story is once again -told of man’s repentance and woman’s sweet forgiveness.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222">{222}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII<br /><br /> -<small>“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN”—IF CHRIST CAME TO ROME!</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> had been a considerable pause in the writings of Miss Corelli, for -reasons which have already been discussed, when, in August, 1900, “The -Master Christian” appeared.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli commenced “The Master Christian” at Brighton on All Saints’ -Day, 1897, in the hope that she would get through it before the terrible -illness she had been suffering from for seven years reached an acute -stage. The novelist, however, was almost dying on Christmas Eve of the -same year, and on December 29th the surgeons took her in hand. She was -dangerously ill during January, February, and March, 1898. In April and -May Miss Corelli was just beginning to recover when the shock occasioned -by her stepbrother’s death on June 2d produced a relapse, and she very -nearly died from grief and weakness combined. She was ill all the rest -of the year, and, a long period of convalescence following, she did not -resume “The Master Christian” till the spring of 1899.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223">{223}</a></span></p> - -<p>“The Master Christian” is Marie Corelli’s longest work, containing, as -it does, over six hundred and thirty-four closely printed pages. While -occupied upon it, the novelist had also to fulfil a long-standing -engagement with Messrs. Hutchinson & Co. “Boy” and “The Master -Christian” were, therefore, claiming her attention practically at the -same time.</p> - -<p>The writing of the two books under the circumstances was a stupendous -undertaking. The effort required was so great that she often had to lay -down her pen and lean back in her chair almost fainting from nervous -exhaustion caused by the severity of the work and its effect upon her in -her still weak condition.</p> - -<p>It is a painfully interesting proceeding to read “The Master Christian” -and then a large number of the reviews of the book which appeared. The -conclusion is forced upon one that many of the critics had not taken the -trouble to perform the obvious duty of reading a book that was to be -“slated,” but had merely glanced at a page here, and quoted a passage, -without the context, there. Either this was what happened or there was -misconception of the book through ignorance or deliberate -misrepresentation. It is really astounding to realize the manner in -which Miss Corelli has been “criticised,” and one notable incident of -many<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224">{224}</a></span> within our experience will serve to indicate what is a too -frequent sin.</p> - -<p>It was at the dinner of a well-known literary club, and ladies had been -invited. One lady sat beside a gentleman who, years ago, was editor of a -great daily newspaper, whose name is familiar to all as a notable and -experienced journalist and critic, and who has arrived at an age when -discretion, if not fairness, should be practiced. The lady was a friend -of Marie Corelli’s, and upon the works of the novelist, who was also at -the dinner, the conversation turned. The critic expressed the utmost -contempt for her books, and used language so bitterly sarcastic and so -grossly unfair that the lady gently asked: “Have you really ever read -any of her works?” The question was natural. The answer was astonishing: -it was the bald admission, “No.” Surely comment is unnecessary.</p> - -<p>A somewhat similar incident may be quoted in connection with “Boy.” Sir -Francis (then Mr.) Burnand, as the “Baron de Bookworms,” in <i>Punch</i>, -said that he considered “Boy” “a work of genius.” Several critics took -his article up, and declared that he had never done anything better in -the way of <i>satire</i>. Miss Corelli thereupon wrote to Burnand and asked -him if he had really <i>meant</i> his apparently generous praise.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225">{225}</a></span></p> - -<p>He wrote back:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I said it; I wrote it; I meant it, every word of it. ‘Press -cuttings’ be blowed!</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Yours, <span class="smcap">F. C. Burnand</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>One writer in the <i>Sunday Sun</i> observed that as Burnand had fallen so -low as to praise a work of Marie Corelli’s, he had “no other remedy but -to take a bag of stones and break Mr. Punch’s windows!” He added that -“he had not read ‘Boy’ and <i>didn’t intend to</i>.” Again, comment would be -superfluous. The facts speak for themselves and show our contention to -be correct, <i>i.e.</i>, that condemnatory criticisms of Marie Corelli’s -books are written at times by those who do not even read them.</p> - -<p>One of the critics who does read what he comments upon in the way of -books, but who, though a deep thinker, is sometimes trivial, -superficial, and even frivolous in his treatment of a subject, is Mr. W. -T. Stead. He is as amazing to others as others very often are to him. He -must, we think, have been smiling pretty broadly when he wrote: “If any -one wants to know what ‘The Master Christian’ is like, <i>without reading -its six hundred and thirty pages</i>, he will not have much difficulty if -he takes Sheldon’s ‘In His Steps,’ Zola’s ‘Rome,’ and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226">{226}</a></span> any of Marie -Corelli’s previous novels in equal proportion.” A strange suggestion, -that! “In His Steps,” Zola’s “Rome,” and an equal proportion of, say, -<i>either</i> “Vendetta” or “The Sorrows of Satan!” Reading the book itself -seems to be so much more simple—and just.</p> - -<p>Again, Mr. Stead referred to “The Master Christian” and to Mrs. Humphrey -Ward’s “Robert Elsmere,” and speaking of their great success, he wrote: -“The phenomenal sale of such works is perhaps much more worthy of -consideration than anything that is to be found within the covers of the -books themselves.” Now the matter for consideration raised in “The -Master Christian” is whether Christians, and more especially the Pope of -Rome and the priests of the Romish Church, obey the commands and attempt -to fulfil the behests of Jesus Christ. We should have thought Mr. Stead -would have regarded that question, at any rate, as more important than -the mere numerical sale of a book. Mr. Stead also said that as a book -the chief fault of “The Master Christian” was its lack of sympathy. Yet -the whole teaching of the work is a Divine charity. “If any man hear my -words and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the -world, but to save the world.” The chief figure in the book is Manuel,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227">{227}</a></span> -Christ once more in the world in the form of a child, and if his -utterances show a “lack of sympathy,”—with lies and superstitious -idolatry,—yet he speaks largely from the words of Christ and the -Apostles. Well may it be doubted, with the author, whether, if Christ -came once more to earth, He would be welcome.</p> - -<p>It is said again that “The Master Christian” is a bitter attack upon the -Roman Catholic Faith. It is nothing of the kind. After Manuel, the -child-Christ, the chief character is that of Cardinal Bonpré, who is -devoted to the Church of Rome but who also believes in Christ, and the -two things, unhappily, are not always akin. If the man-made portion of -the Roman Catholic dogma has hidden the teachings of Christ on which -that Church was founded, that is the fault and the misfortune of the -Church of Rome, and not of Marie Corelli, who is bold enough to speak -the truth about the matter. That faith in God which is her standby is -what she would wish to see in the ministry of the Roman Catholic Church, -instead of, as she fears, a mere degenerate, priest-built, superstitious -reliance upon symbolic shams.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli’s personal views may be taken to be those to which one of -her characters, Aubrey Leigh, gives expression: “I never denied the -beauty,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228">{228}</a></span> romance, or mysticism of the Roman Catholic Faith. If it were -purified from the accumulated superstition of ages, and freed from -intolerance and bigotry, it would perhaps be the grandest form of -Christianity in the world. But the rats are in the house, and the rooms -want cleaning.” She attacks neither the Roman Catholic Faith nor even -the Church. She makes a terrible onslaught upon the rats.</p> - -<p>“The Master Christian” is both a novel and a sermon. The story of the -book is intensely interesting, in “plot” clever and original. It is one -of the refreshing features of Miss Corelli’s books that the plots always -are original. She does not go to the British Museum or to the -productions of Continental novelists to find her themes. Wherever, in -“The Master Christian,” the mission of the book can best be emphasized, -even though what critics call the “art of the story”—as to which we -should like something in the nature of a clear definition—gives way to -it, she pursues the mission. After all, we have an idea that if -literature possesses merit, it is rather because it is followed as a -means of influencing men’s minds than as an attempt to write a story, -the lines of which fall together as harmoniously as do the notes of a -perfect string band. Such a book if produced</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_008" style="width: 600px;"> -<a href="images/i_228fp.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_228fp.jpg" width="600" height="359" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">"Hall’s Croft” Where Marie Corelli Wrote Half of “The -Master Christian"</span></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229">{229}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">would, we fancy, be so harmonious that it would have no influence to -raise men and women to think.</p> - -<p>With “The Master Christian” the reader has to think all the time. It is -a sermon of great power, and the text of it is supplied, as it should -be, by the fair preacher. It will be remembered that in the year 1900 -the late Dr. St. George Mivart, a priest of the Church of Rome, was -inhibited by His Eminence Cardinal Vaughan, on account of certain -scientific works which were displeasing to the Church. Shortly -afterwards Dr. Mivart died and the Romish Church even denied him -religious rites of burial. In an “In Memoriam” note appended to her -“Open letter to Cardinal Vaughan” on this subject, Marie Corelli wrote: -“In the name of the all-loving and merciful Christ, whose teachings we, -as Christians, profess to follow, it is necessary to enter a strong -protest against this barbarous act in a civilized age, and to set it -down beside the blind stupidity which arraigned glorious Galileo, and -the fiendish cruelty which supported Torquemada. For the words of the -Divine Master are a command to Churches as well as to individuals: ‘If -ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive -you your trespasses!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230">{230}</a></span>’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>We wonder if that saying of Christ’s was remembered when the ban of -excommunication was pronounced by the Greek Church against Count Leo -Tolstoy! We wonder if that saying of Christ’s is remembered at Rome when -any ban of excommunication is passed, when religious rites of burial are -denied to any man! And if the reply be that the words do not apply -because the Pope and his priests commit no trespasses, we can only -wonder what Christ would say if He came to Rome; and, further, we -believe that He would say much that the child-Christ Manuel utters in -“The Master Christian.”</p> - -<p>The text of the book is that charity and forgiveness—the carrying out -of Christ’s commands in the spirit of the Saviour—should guide mankind -to-day, that they apply to-day as they did in the days of Christ’s -sojourn on earth, and that the conditions of the world to-day are such -as render it possible for Christians to walk in His steps. In the “open -letter” to Cardinal Vaughan, already referred to, we find in some of the -passages a true insight into the spirit of and the aims with which “The -Master Christian” was written.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“My Lord Cardinal,” she says, “there are certain of us in the world -who, overwhelmed by the desperate difficulties of life and the -confusion arising<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231">{231}</a></span> from numerous doctrines, forms, and ceremonies -instituted by divers Churches and Sects, are fain to fall back from -the general hurly-burly, and turn for help and refuge to the -original Founder of the Christian Faith. He, with that grand -simplicity which expresses Divinity, expounded ‘the Way, the Truth, -and the Life,’ in words of such plain and uninvolved meaning, that -the poorest and least educated of us all cannot but understand Him. -Gracious, tender, and always patient and pardoning, was every -utterance of the God amongst us; and among all His wise and -consoling sayings, none are, perhaps, more widely tolerant than -this: ‘If any man hear My words and believe not, I judge him not; -for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.’ My Lord -Cardinal, there are many at this time of day who have so gained in -a reasonable conception of faith, that when they hear the words of -Christ delivered to them simply as first uttered, they are willing -to believe, but hearing the edicts of the Church contrasted with -those words, they ‘believe not.’ The teachings of Christ—Christ -only—are so true that they cannot be denied; so beautiful that -they command our reverence; and the Creed of Christ, if honestly -followed, would make a fair and happy world for us all.”</p></div> - -<p>And again,</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We are somewhat bewildered when we discover, by reference to the -Gospel, that the Church commands us frequently to do precisely what -the founder of our Faith commanded us <i>not</i> to do. And what, we may -ask, is the Will of this great Father which is in Heaven? Is it to -swear to what our own conscience and reason declare to be false? Is -it to look in the face of Science, the great Heaven-<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232">{232}</a></span>sent Teacher -of our time, and say, ‘You who have taught me, mere pigmy man, to -press the lightning into my service, to take the weight and -measurement of stars, to send my trifling messages of weal or woe -on the eternal currents of electric force—You, who daily unfold -for me the mysteries of God’s glorious creation—You who teach me -that the soul of man, immortal and progressive, is capable of -infinite enlightenment and increasing power—You, who expound the -majesty, the beneficence, the care, the love, the supporting -influence of the Creator, and bring me to my knees in devout -adoration—am I to say to You who teach me all this that You are a -Lie? Am I rather to believe that a statue made by hands, and set in -a grotto at Lourdes or elsewhere, is a worthier object for my -prayer and my praise? Am I doing God’s will by believing that my -base coin, paid for sundry masses in churches, will sway the -Creator of the Universe to give peace to the departed spirits of my -dead?’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>Marie Corelli, by the words of Manuel, as we think it is recognized, -gives a truer interpretation of the Divine Will. Even the title page -contains a quotation from St. Luke that is a protest against many of the -practices of the Romish and other Churches: “Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, -and do not the things which I say?”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>The story of “The Master Christian” opens in Rouen, where a Roman -Catholic prelate, Cardinal Felix Bonpré, is seen in the Cathedral of -Notre<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233">{233}</a></span> Dame. This Cardinal is a pious and true man who has for many -years contented himself with the administration of his diocese and the -performance of good work. His Rouen visit is a portion of a tour of -several months taken for purposes of health, and with the object of -judging for himself how the great world, of which he has seen little, is -faring, “whether on the downward road to destruction and death, or up to -the high ascents of progress and life.” The farther he travels the more -depressed he becomes by the results of his observations. Within Rouen -Cathedral Cardinal Bonpré hears singularly soothing music, though whence -it comes he is unable to perceive. He is impressed with a peculiar sense -of some divine declaration of God’s absolute omniscience, and a question -seems to be whispered in his ears:</p> - -<p>“When the Son of Man cometh, think ye He shall find faith on earth?”</p> - -<p>With his growing experience of the confusion and trouble of the world, -the Cardinal is forced to the conclusion that there is an increasing -lack of faith in God and a Hereafter; and of the reason for it he -thinks: “We have failed to follow the Master’s teaching in its true -perfection. We have planted in ourselves a seed of corruption, and we -have permitted—nay, some of us have encouraged<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234">{234}</a></span>—its poisonous growth -till it now threatens to contaminate the whole field of labor.”</p> - -<p>Cast down by these reflections, the good Cardinal proceeds to the Hotel -Poitiers, a modest hostelry preferred by him to the Palace of the -Archbishop of Rouen, another “Prince of the Church,” a term which -Cardinal Bonpré—like Miss Corelli—finds particularly detestable, -especially when used in connection with a Christian Church wherein she -thinks distinctive ranks are a mistake and even Anti-Christian.</p> - -<p>At the inn a striking picture is drawn by the novelist of the evil -effect upon the children of France brought about by the removal of -religious instruction from the schools. The two charmingly precocious -children of Jean and Madame Patoux are quite old in agnostic views and -doubts. There also Bonpré has his first serious religious argument with -the Archbishop of Rouen, whom he astonishes by declaring that the Church -herself is responsible for the increase of ungodliness.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“If our Divine faith were lived Divinely there would be no room for -heresy or atheism. The Church itself supplies the loophole for -apostasy.... In the leading points of creed I am very steadfastly -convinced;—namely, that Christ was Divine, and that the following -of His Gospel is the saving of the immortal soul. But if you ask -me<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235">{235}</a></span> whether I think that we (the Church of Rome) do truly follow -that Gospel, I must own that I have doubts upon the matter.”</p></div> - -<p>We are informed here, also, through Cardinal Bonpré, of what Marie -Corelli means by Paulism. Ministers of religion, he declares, should -literally obey all Christ’s commands:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The Church is a system,—but whether it is as much founded on the -teaching of our Lord, who was Divine, as on the teaching of St. -Paul, who was not divine, is a question to me of much -perplexity.... I do not decry St. Paul. He was a gifted and clever -man, but he was a Man—he was not God-in-Man. Christ’s doctrine -leaves no place for differing sects; St. Paul’s method of applying -that doctrine serves as authority for the establishment of any and -every quarrelsome sect ever known.... I do not think we fit the -Church system to the needs of modern civilization ... we only offer -vague hopes and dubious promises to those who thirst for the living -waters of salvation and immortality.”</p></div> - -<p>Cardinal Bonpré that night has a vision of the end of the world, and in -his agony at the spectacle he cries: “Have patience yet, Thou outraged -and blasphemed Creator! Break once again Thy silence as of old, and -speak to us! Pity us once again, ere Thou slay us utterly! Come to us -even as Thou camest in Judea, and surely we will receive<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236">{236}</a></span> Thee and obey -Thee, and reject Thy love no more.” And a divine voice replies: “Thy -prayer is heard, and once again the silence shall be broken. -Nevertheless, remember that the light shineth in Darkness, and the -Darkness comprehendeth it not.” At this juncture a plaintive cry falls -on his ears, and he goes out into the night to discover the cause. He -proceeds to the Cathedral, and there, in the deeply hollowed portal, -discovers the slight shrinking figure of a child—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“A boy’s desolate little figure,—with uplifted hands clasped -appealingly and laid against the shut cathedral door, and face -hidden and pressed hard upon those hands, as though in mute and -inconsolable despair....</p> - -<p>‘My poor child, what troubles you? Why are you here all alone, and -weeping at this late hour? Have you no home?—no parents?’</p> - -<p>“Slowly the boy turned round, still resting his small delicate -hands against the oaken door of the Cathedral, and with the tears -yet wet upon his cheeks, smiled. What a sad face he had!—worn and -weary, yet beautiful!—what eyes, heavy with the dews of sorrow, -yet tender even in pain! Startled by the mingled purity and grief -on so young a countenance, the Cardinal retreated for a moment in -amaze,—then, approaching more closely, he repeated his former -question with increased interest and tenderness—</p> - -<p>‘Why are you weeping here alone?’</p> - -<p>‘Because I am left alone to weep!’ said the boy, answering in a -soft voice of vibrating and musical melancholy. ‘For me, the world -is empty!...<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237">{237}</a></span> I should have rested here within,—but it is closed -against me!’</p> - -<p>‘The doors are always locked at night, my child,’ returned the -Cardinal, ‘but I can give you shelter. Will you come with me?’</p> - -<p>‘Will I come with you? Nay, but I see you are a Cardinal of the -Church, and it is I should ask ‘will you receive me?’ You do not -know who I am—nor where I came from, and I, alas! may not tell -you! I am alone; all—all alone,—for no one knows me in the -world;—I am quite poor and friendless, and have nothing wherewith -to pay you for your kindly shelter—I can only bless you!’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>Thus the second coming of Christ, according to Marie Corelli.</p> - -<p>Manuel is then taken entirely under the protection of Cardinal Bonpré, -and the two become inseparable. At all times the lad talks with -wonderful eloquence and power—as Marie Corelli thinks Christ would talk -if He were a child amongst us, and as He did talk when astonishing the -learned doctors of law in Jerusalem. Before he and the Cardinal leave -the Hotel Poitiers a miracle is performed. In Rouen there is a lad, -Fabien Doucet, who has a bent spine and a useless leg. The unbelieving -Patoux youngsters bring little Fabien to the Cardinal, and ask him to -cure the lad. Beside the Cardinal stands Manuel. The incident is -introduced by Marie Corelli in order to emphasize her own belief in the -power of prayer—prayer that is sincere, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238">{238}</a></span> expression of faith that -is true. The story of the miracle is very beautiful, especially for the -spirit in which the good Cardinal performs the duty that the children -ask of him. He addresses Fabien:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“My poor child, I want you to understand quite clearly how sorry I -am for you, and how willingly I would do anything in the world to -make you a strong, well, and happy boy. But you must not fancy that -I can cure you. I told your little friends yesterday that I was not -a saint, such as you read about in story-books,—and that I could -not work miracles, because I am not worthy to be so filled with the -Divine Spirit as to heal with a touch like the better servants of -our Blessed Lord. Nevertheless I firmly believe that if God saw -that it was good for you to be strong and well, He would find ways -to make you so. Sometimes sickness and sorrow are sent to us for -our advantage,—sometimes even death comes to us for our larger -benefit, though we may not understand how it is so till afterwards. -But in heaven everything will be made clear; and even our griefs -will be turned into joys,—do you understand?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” murmured Fabien gravely, but two large tears welled up in -his plaintive eyes as the faint glimmer of hope he had encouraged -as to the possibility of his being miraculously cured by the touch -of a saintly Cardinal, expired in the lonely darkness of his little -afflicted soul.</p> - -<p>“That is well,” continued the Cardinal kindly—“And now, since it -is so difficult for you to kneel, you shall stay where you are in -my arms,—so!—” and he set him on his knee in a position of even -greater comfort than before. “You shall simply shut your eyes, and -clasp your little hands together,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239">{239}</a></span> as I put them here,”—and as he -spoke he crossed the child’s hands on his silver crucifix—“And I -will ask our Lord to come and make you well,—for of myself I can -do nothing.”</p> - -<p>At these words Henri and Babette glanced at each other -questioningly, and then, as if simultaneously moved by some -inexplicable emotion, dropped on their knees,—their mother, too -stout and unwieldy to do this with either noiselessness or -satisfaction to herself, was contented to bend her head as low as -she could get it. Manuel remained standing. Leaning against the -Cardinal’s chair, his eyes fixed on the crippled Fabien, he had the -aspect of a young angel of compassion, whose sole immortal desire -was to lift the burden of sorrow and pain from the lives of -suffering humanity. And after a minute or two passed in silent -meditation, the Cardinal laid his hands tenderly on Fabien’s fair -curly head and prayed aloud.</p> - -<p>“Oh merciful Christ! Most pitying and gentle Redeemer!—to Whom in -the days of Thy sacred life on earth, the sick and suffering and -lame and blind were brought, and never sent away unhealed or -uncomforted; consider, we beseech Thee, the sufferings of this Thy -little child, deprived of all the joys which Thou hast made so -sweet for those who are strong and straight in their youth, and who -have no ailment to depress their courage or to quench the ardor of -their aspiring souls. Look compassionately upon him, oh gentle King -and Master of all such children!—and even as Thou wert a child -Thyself, be pleased to heal him of his sad infirmity. For, if Thou -wilt, Thou canst make this bent body straight and these withered -muscles strong,—from death itself Thou canst ordain life, and -nothing is impossible to Thee! But above all things, gracious -Saviour, we do pray Thee so to lift and strengthen this child’s -soul, that if it is destined<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240">{240}</a></span> he should still be called upon to -bear his present pain and trouble, grant to him such perfection in -his inward spirit that he may prove worthy to be counted among Thy -angels in the bright Hereafter. To Thy care, and to Thy comfort, -and to Thy healing, great Master, we commend him, trusting him -entirely to Thy mercy, with perfect resignation to Thy Divine Will. -For the sake and memory of Thy most holy childhood, mercifully help -and bless this child! Amen!”</p></div> - -<p>As Fabien Doucet hobbles away at the conclusion of this prayer, the -Cardinal, speaking from his heart, declares that if the giving of his -own life could make the lad strong he would willingly sacrifice it. Then -Manuel moves from his place near the Cardinal’s chair, approaches the -little cripple, and, putting his arms round him, kisses him on the -forehead.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Good-bye, dear little brother!” he said, smiling—“Do not be sad! -Have patience! In all the universe, among all the millions and -millions of worlds, there is never a pure and unselfish prayer that -the great good God does not answer! Be sure of that! Take courage, -dear little brother! You will soon be well!”</p></div> - -<p>Sweet assurance, truly, for the afflicted one. Shortly afterwards the -Cardinal and Manuel depart from Rouen. They have not been long gone when -there comes the startling announcement from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241">{241}</a></span> Fabien Doucet’s mother that -the boy is cured, and, to prove it, little Fabien, the former cripple, -speeds gaily to the home of the Patoux family, strong and well.</p> - -<p>Unconscious of the remarkable cure that has awed and amazed the -townsfolk of Rouen, the Cardinal, accompanied by Manuel, proceeds to -Paris and to the residence of his niece, Angela Sovrani, an artist -famous throughout Europe. In Paris many interesting persons are brought -together, mainly in Angela Sovrani’s studio. One remarkable character is -the Abbé Vergniaud, a brilliant preacher, witty, eloquent, and -sarcastic, but an atheist for all that. In his conversations with Angela -he endeavors to justify his position, but the girl insists upon the -depressing and wretched nature of his soulless creed. Vergniaud frankly -admits his unbelief to Cardinal Bonpré. He also makes a confession and a -declaration. In his early days, twenty-five years before, he had -betrayed and deserted a woman, long since dead. Her son, however, has -grown to manhood with the determination to avenge the mother’s wrong, -and the Abbé goes in daily fear of assassination at his hands. Yet the -Abbé Vergniaud shows that he is far from being a wholly evil man. He -declares his determination to retrieve the past so far as he can and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242">{242}</a></span> to -clear his son’s soul from the thirst for vengeance that is consuming it.</p> - -<p>On one occasion Vergniaud declares that Paris is hopelessly pagan, that -Christ is there made the subject of public caricature, that His reign is -over—in Paris at least.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“If these things be true,” Cardinal Bonpré indignantly cries, “then -shame upon you and upon all the clergy of this unhappy city to -stand by and let such disgrace to yourselves, and blasphemy to our -Master, exist without protest.”</p></div> - -<p>The Abbé is inclined to resent the rebuke, but only for a moment. The -next, abashed, he admits its justice, and craves pardon. The incident is -the turning point in Vergniaud’s life. He shortly afterwards writes to -the Cardinal that he is moved to say things that he has never said -before, and that it is possible he may astonish and perchance scandalize -Paris.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“What inspires me I do not know,—perhaps your well-deserved -reproach of the other day,—perhaps the beautiful smile of the -angel that dwells in Donna Sovrani’s eyes,—perhaps the chance -meeting with your Rouen foundling on the stairs as I was flying -away from your just wrath.”</p></div> - -<p>He concludes by requesting the Cardinal to come two days later to hear -him preach at Notre Dame de Lorette.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243">{243}</a></span></p> - -<p>In his letter to the Cardinal, the Abbé Vergniaud mentions that Manuel -has given him a rose, and the mention of this to the child-Christ gives -us a charming fancy as to the floral beauties of Heaven.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Flowers,” said the Cardinal, commenting on the gift, “are like -visible messages from God. Messages written in all the brightest -and loveliest colors! I never gather one without finding out that -it has something to say to me.”</p> - -<p>“There is a legend,” said Manuel, “that tells how a poor girl who -has lost every human creature she loved on earth, had a rose-tree -she was fond of, and every day she found upon it just one bloom. -And though she longed to gather the flower for herself she would -not do so, but always placed it before the picture of the Christ. -And God saw her do this, as He sees everything. At last, quite -suddenly, she died, and when she found herself in heaven, there -were such crowds and crowds of angels about her that she was -bewildered, and could not find her way. All at once she saw a -pathway edged with roses before her, and one of the angels said, -‘there are all the roses you gave to our Lord on earth, and He has -made them into a pathway for you which will lead you straight to -those you love!’ And so with great joy she followed the windings of -the path, seeing her roses blossoming all the way, and she found -all those whom she had loved and lost on earth waiting to welcome -her at the end!”</p></div> - -<p>Here is another sweet thought which Marie Corelli gives us in the words -of Manuel:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244">{244}</a></span></p><div class="blockquot"><p>“You know now,” he tells Angela Sovrani, “because your wise men -are beginning to prove it, that you can in very truth send a -message to heaven. Heaven is composed of millions of worlds. ‘In My -Father’s house are many mansions!’ And from all worlds to all -worlds, and from mansion to mansion, the messages flash! And there -are those who receive them, with such directness as can admit of no -error! And your wise men might have known this long ago if they had -believed their Master’s word, ‘Whatsoever is whispered in secret -shall be proclaimed on the housetops.’ But you will all find out -soon that it is true, and that everything you say, and that every -prayer you utter, God hears.”</p> - -<p>“My mother is in Heaven,” said Angela wistfully, “I wish I could -send her a message!”</p> - -<p>“Your very wish has reached her now!” said Manuel. “How is it -possible that you, in the spirit, could wish to communicate with -one so beloved and she not know it? Love would be no use then, and -there would be a grave flaw in God’s perfect creation.”</p> - -<p>“Then you think we never lose those we love? And that they see us -and hear us always?”</p> - -<p>“They must do so,” said Manuel, “otherwise there would be cruelty -in creating the grace of love at all. But God Himself is Love. -Those who love truly can never be parted—death has no power over -their souls. If one is on earth and one in heaven, what does it -matter? If they were in separate countries of the world they could -hear news of each other from time to time,—and so they can when -apparent death has divided them.”</p> - -<p>“How?” asked Angela with quick interest.</p> - -<p>“Your wise men must tell you,” said Manuel, with a grave little -smile, “I know no more than what Christ has said,—and He told us -plainly that not even a sparrow shall fall to the ground without -our Father’s knowledge. ‘Fear not,’ He said, ‘Ye<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245">{245}</a></span> are more than -many sparrows.’ So, as there is nothing which is useless, and -nothing which is wasted, it is very certain that love, which is the -greatest of all things, cannot lose what it loves!”</p></div> - -<p>It is worthy of note that, on account of “The Master Christian,” in -spite of the teachings in it such as we have quoted, the author has been -labeled an “atheist.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246">{246}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER. XIII<br /><br /> -<small>“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN”—(<i>Continued</i>)</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">Of</span> many interesting incidents which mark the Cardinal’s stay in Paris, -the most sensational is the sermon of the Abbé Vergniaud and the -extraordinary scene at its close.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli gives a wonderfully realistic word-picture of the scene in -the famous church on a notable occasion. The Abbé’s sermon, which -appears in its entirety, is scathingly sarcastic. In it he bitterly -denounces the hypocrisy alike of people and of churches, especially the -Roman Catholic Church, which he attacks for the ban it places upon many -things, even discussion; he declares that all the intellectual force of -the country is arrayed against priestcraft, and that the spirit of an -insolent, witty, domineering atheism and materialism rules us all. “But -what I specially wish to advise you—taking myself as an example—is, -that none of you, whether inclined to virtue or to vice, should remain -such arrant fools as to imagine that your sins will not find you out.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247">{247}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>And then the Abbé makes open confession, before the congregation, of his -past life.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I was a priest of the Romish Church as I am now; it would never -have done for a priest to be a social sinner! I therefore took -every precaution to hide my fault;—but out of my lie springs a -living condemnation; from my carefully concealed hypocrisy comes a -blazonry of truth, and from my secret sin comes an open -vengeance....”</p></div> - -<p>The report of a pistol shot sounds through the church as the last words -are uttered. A young man has fired at the preacher. It is the son -seeking his vengeance at last. Manuel prevents the bullet from reaching -Vergniaud, who immediately announces to the astonished congregation that -he will not make a charge: “I decline to prosecute my own flesh and -blood. I will be answerable for his future conduct,—I am entirely -answerable for his past! He is my son!”</p> - -<p>It is upon the persecution of Cardinal Bonpré in consequence of the -attitude he adopts towards the Abbé Vergniaud after this sensational -incident that Marie Corelli builds her chief indictment of the Vatican -executive. An agent of the Vatican, then in Paris, is Monsignor Moretti. -He calls at the Sovrani Palace. There he has an interview with the -Cardinal, the Abbé, and the latter’s son Cyrillon. Moretti upbraids -Vergniaud for his conduct, cor<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248">{248}</a></span>rectly describing him as a faithless son -of the church, and meets with the retort, “The attack on the Church I -admit. I am not the only preacher in the world who has so attacked it. -Christ Himself would attack it if He were to visit this earth again!” -The remark is characterized as blasphemy, but, on the Cardinal being -appealed to, the good Bonpré states his failure to perceive the alleged -blasphemy of “our unhappy and repentant brother.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“In his address to his congregation to-day he denounced social -hypocrisy, and also pointed out certain failings in the Church -which may possibly need consideration and reform; but against the -Gospel of Christ or against the Founder of our Faith I heard no -word that could be judged ill-fitting. As for the conclusion which -so very nearly ended in disaster and crime, there is nothing to be -said beyond the fact that both the persons concerned are profoundly -sorry for their sins.... Surely we must believe the words of our -Blessed Lord, ‘There is more joy in Heaven over one sinner that -repenteth, than over ninety-and-nine just persons which have no -need of repentance.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>This forgiveness of sin which Christ preached and which Marie Corelli -claims that the Romish Church does not practice, is the basis of the -differences of Cardinal Bonpré with Moretti, and afterwards with the -Pope. Vergniaud, still unrebuked by Cardinal Bonpré, declares to Moretti -that there is a movement in the world which all the powers of Rome<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249">{249}</a></span> are -unable to cope with, the movement of an ever-advancing and resistless -force called Truth, and that God will shake down Rome rather than that -the voice of Truth should be silenced.</p> - -<p>The Abbé’s declarations, as the Vatican emissary points out, mean his -expulsion from the Church. Before the interview closes there comes the -declaration by Cyrillon Vergniaud, the son of the Abbé, that he is “Gys -Grandit,” a powerful writer of essays that are the creed of a “Christian -Democratic” party—that advocate of Truth to which the Abbé had -referred. The announcement is startling to all three clerics, the more -so as the young man proceeds to utter his views, a stern denunciation of -the Church’s practices, with such rebukes as: “Does not the glittering -of the world’s wealth piled into the Vatican,—useless wealth lying idle -in the midst of hideous beggary and starvation,—proclaim with no -uncertain voice, ‘<i>I know not the Man</i>’?” with the added declaration -that there is no true representative of Christ in this world—either -within or without the Romish Church—though even sceptics, while denying -Christ’s Divinity, are forced to own that His life and His actions were -more Divine than those of any other creature in human shape that has -ever walked the earth!</p> - -<p>In the further argumentative passes between<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250">{250}</a></span> Moretti and Gys Grandit, -the former holds that the Church of Rome is a system of moral -government, and that it is proper to thrust out of salvation heretics -who are excommunicate, and that if our Lord’s commands were to be obeyed -to the letter it would be necessary to find another world to live in. -These propositions the Christian Democrat absolutely denies, and urges, -on the other hand, that it may be possible that we may be forced to obey -Christ’s commands <i>to the letter</i> or perish for refusing to do so. For -permitting such remarks to go unreproved, Moretti, as the interview -closes, intimates that, in reporting the matter to the Pope, the -attitude of Cardinal Bonpré will be explained. Further offense is given -by the appearance of Manuel upon the scene, and by some remarks the lad -makes upon the subject under discussion.</p> - -<p>Clouds are gathering heavily over the horizon of the saintly Bonpré, -who, accompanied by Manuel, proceeds to Rome after this most -unpropitious preliminary to an audience at the Vatican. He is further -troubled, immediately after his arrival at the palace of his -brother-in-law, Prince Sovrani, by being informed of the “miracle” of -Rouen—the recovery of Fabien Doucet, of which he now hears for the -first time, though all Rome has been talking loudly of it. Bonpré is -decidedly in bad repute at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251">{251}</a></span> the Vatican, and it is determined that he -shall be made to suffer for his defense of Vergniaud. He adds to his -offenses by denying all knowledge of the Rouen lad’s cure.</p> - -<p>Manuel and Bonpré visit St. Peter’s, which does not please them, and at -last they are received by the Pope. Here all Marie Corelli’s criticism -of the Romish Church is concentrated in the appeal which is made by the -child-Christ to His Holiness. He asks him why he stops at the Vatican -all alone.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“You must be very unhappy!... To be here all alone, and a whole -world outside waiting to be comforted! To have vast wealth lying -about you unused, with millions and millions of poor, starving, -struggling dying creatures, near at hand, cursing the God whom they -have never been taught to know or to bless!...</p> - -<p>“Come out with me!” continued Manuel, his accents vibrating with a -strange compelling sweetness, “come out and see the poor lying at -the great gates of St. Peter’s—the lame, the halt, the blind—come -and heal them by a touch, a prayer! You can, you must, you shall -heal them!—if you will! Pour money into the thin hands of the -starving!—come with me into the miserable places of the -world—come and give comfort! Come freely into the courts of kings, -and see how the brows ache under the crowns!—how the hearts break -beneath the folds of velvet and ermine! Why stand in the way of -happiness, or deny even emperors peace when they crave it? Your -mission is to comfort, not to condemn! You need no throne! You want -no kingdom!—no settled place—no temporal power!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252">{252}</a></span> Enough for you -to work and live as the poorest of all Christ’s ministers,—without -pomp, without ostentation or public ceremonial, but simply clothed -in pure holiness! So shall God love you more! So shall you pass -unscathed through the thick of battle, and command Brotherhood in -place of Murder! Go out and welcome Progress!—take Science by the -hand!—encourage Intellect!—for all these things are of God, and -are God’s gifts divine! Live as Christ lived, teaching the people -personally and openly;—loving them, pitying them, sharing their -joys and sorrows, blessing their little children! Deny yourself to -no man;—and make of this cold temple in which you now dwell -self-imprisoned, a home and refuge for the friendless and the poor! -Come out with me!</p> - -<p>“Come out with me and minister with your own hands to the aged and -the dying!” pursued Manuel, “and so shall you grow young! Command -that the great pictures, the tapestries, the jewels, the world’s -trash of St. Peter’s, be sold to the rich, who can afford to place -them in free and open galleries where all the poorest may possess -them! But do not You retain them! You do not need them—your -treasure must be sympathy for all the world! Not one section of the -world,—not one form of creed,—but for all!—if you are truly the -Dispenser of Christ’s Message to the earth! Come—unprotected, save -by the Cross! Come with no weapon of defense—‘heal the sick, -cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils! Freely ye have -received, freely give! Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in -your purse,’—come, and by your patience—your gentleness—your -pardon—your love to all men, show that ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is -at hand!’ Walk fearless in the thick of battles, and your very -presence shall engender peace! For the Holy Spirit shall surround -and encompass you; the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253">{253}</a></span> fiercest warriors shall bend before you, as -they never would if you assumed a world’s throne or a world’s -sovereignty! Come, uncrowned, defenseless;—but strong in the -Spirit of God! Think of all the evil which has served as the -foundation for this palace in which you dwell! Can you not hear in -the silence of the night, the shrieks of the tortured and dying of -the Inquisition? Do you never think of the dark days, ten and -twelve hundred years after Christ, when no virtue seemed left upon -the earth?—when the way to this very throne was paved by poison -and cold steel?—when those who then reigned here, and occupied -Your place, led such infamous lives that the very dogs might have -been ashamed to follow in their footsteps!—when they professed to -be able to sell the Power of the Holy Ghost for so much gold and -silver? Remember the words, ‘Whoso shall blaspheme against the Holy -Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the -world to come.’ Look back upon the Past—and look out upon the -Present! Try to understand the suffering of the forsaken -people!—the pain—the bewilderment—the groping for life in -death!—and come out with me! Come and preach Christ as He lived -and died, and <i>was</i>, and <i>is</i>!</p> - -<p>“Come out with me ... for there are wonderful things in the world -to-day!—wonderful, beautiful, and terrible! Take your share in -them, and find God in every glory! For with all the wisdom and the -splendor,—with all the flashing light of Heaven poured out upon -the darkness of the Sorrowful Star, its people are weary,—they are -lost in the confusion and clamor of their own desires—they would -fain serve God, but know not where to find Him, because a thousand, -ay a million churches stand in the way! Churches, which are like a -forest of dark trees, blocking out the radiance of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254">{254}</a></span> Sun! God, -who manifests His power and tenderness in the making of the -simplest leaf, the smallest bird, is lost to the understanding and -affection of humanity in the multitude of Creeds! Come out with -me,—simple and pure, gentle and strong! Tell all the lost and the -wandering that there never was, and never will be but one God -supreme and perfect, whose name is Love, whose work is Love!—and -whose Messenger, Christ, pronounced the New Commandment Love, -instead of Hate! Come out with me while it is yet day, for the -night cometh when no man can work! Come and lift up the world by -your very coming! Stretch out your hands in benediction over kings -and beggars alike!—there are other roses to give than Golden ones -to Queens! There are poor women who share half they earn with those -still poorer—there are obscure lives which in their very -obscurity, are forming the angel-nature, and weaving the angel’s -crown,—look for these in the world—give <i>them</i> your Golden Roses! -Leave rulers and governments alone, for you should be above and -beyond all rulers and governments! You should be the Herald of -peace, the Pardoner of sin, the Rescuer of the fallen, and the -Refuge of the distressed! Come out with me, and be all this to the -world, so that when the Master comes He may truly find you working -in His vineyard!</p> - -<p>“Come out with me ... or if you will not come,—then beware!... -beware of the evil days which are at hand! The people are wandering -to and fro, crossing all lands, struggling one against the other, -hoarding up useless gold, and fighting for supremacy!—but ‘the day -of the Lord shall come like a thief in the night, and blessed is he -who shall be found watching!’ Watch! The hour is growing dark and -full of menace!—the nations are as frightened children, losing -faith, losing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255">{255}</a></span> hope, losing strength! Put away,—put away from you -the toys of time!—quench in your soul the thirst for gold, for of -this shall come nothing but corruption! Why trifle with the Spirit -of holy things? Why let your servants use the Name of the Most High -to cover hypocrisy? Why crave for the power of temporal things, -which passes away in the dust of destroyed kingdoms? For the Power -of the Spirit is greater than all! And so it shall be proved! The -Spirit shall work in ways where it has never been found before!—it -shall depart from the Churches which are unworthy of its Divine -inspiration!—it shall invest the paths of science!—it shall open -the doors of the locked stars! It shall display the worlds -invisible;—the secrets of men’s hearts, and of closed -graves!—there will be terror and loss and confusion and shame to -mankind,—and this world shall keep nothing of all its treasures -but the Cross of Christ! Rome, like Babylon, shall fall!—and the -Powers of the Church shall be judged as the Powers of Darkness -rather than of Light, because they have rejected the Word of their -Master, and ‘teach for doctrine the commandments of men’! Disaster -shall follow swift upon disaster, and the cup of trembling shall be -drained again to its last dregs, as in the olden days, -unless,—unless perchance—You will come out with Me!”</p></div> - -<p>This address has such an effect on the Pope that at its conclusion he -falls senseless. Bonpré and Manuel, the former now without a friend left -at the Vatican, take their departure, and shortly afterwards it is -deemed expedient for them to leave Rome for shelter in England, the idea -being intimated that the authorities of the Church were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256">{256}</a></span> determined to -make a prisoner of the Cardinal, and inflict upon him some undefined -evil.</p> - -<p>So far as the book is concerned apart from its central theme, the -interest is held by the light touches of the loves of some charming -people, and also of a very frivolous roué, the Marquis Fontenelle. This -very “up-to-date” French nobleman is ultimately, to the relief of every -one and the regret of few, killed in a duel with his own brother, the -great actor Miraudin. To make this melodramatic incident as striking as -possible the author kills both the brothers. The Marquis is a character -who says and does what would seem to be impossible things. -Notwithstanding his immoral propensities he has a certain pleasing -fascination that almost inclines one to regard his faults with -tolerance. His faults are many, but let it be said to his credit at -least that he recognizes them. His views of men and women and love are -extraordinarily callous and cynical, yet it is an absolute fact that the -prototype of the Marquis Fontenelle exists, and holds and openly -expresses the views to which in this book he is made to give utterance. -And, evil as he is, he also is conquered at the last by the true -character of a sweet, pure, womanly woman. It is such who conquer all -evil.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257">{257}</a></span></p> - -<p>The Comtesse Sylvie Hermenstein, an altogether delightful lady, marries -Aubrey Leigh and leaves the Church of Rome. The story of her doing so, -of the struggles of the Romish priesthood to retain her and her wealth, -and of the methods by which they endeavored to attain that end, is in -itself a stirring narrative.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli is altogether pleasing, not only to those who approve the -mission of her book, but to many of her most severe critics, in her -account of the life which Leigh in younger days had led in a Cornish -fishing village, working as one of themselves amongst the rugged, -true-hearted, brave men who with all their roughness of character are -perhaps stauncher in a simple faith in God than many of those who -ostentatiously worship in fine churches. She pens, too, many delightful, -humorous, and pathetic pictures of the French peasantry.</p> - -<p>Quite another story is the love, or, rather, two loves, of Angela -Sovrani. When we first make her acquaintance—a woman, yet one of the -finest artists in the world—she is betrothed to Florian Varillo, a man -with a character of almost impossible evil. We wish we could regard the -character as <i>absolutely</i> impossible. Varillo is also an artist, -handsome, unprincipled, egotistical to the worst degree, believing -himself great and holding<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258">{258}</a></span> the view—once generally held, but now to a -large extent exploded—that woman’s work cannot be equal to masculine -effort. Angela has for years been engaged upon a picture which she hopes -will be a masterpiece. No person—not even father or lover—has been -permitted to gaze upon the canvas. A date for the uncovering and -inspection of the picture is fixed. Alone in her studio the evening -before, Florian begs admittance in order that he may inspect the picture -that night, owing to a journey which he must take early on the morrow. -Angela consents. “Come and see.” The concealing curtain is removed and -Florian recoils with an involuntary cry, and then remains motionless and -silent, stricken dumb and stupid by the magnificent creation which -confronts him.</p> - -<p>“The central glory of the whole picture was a figure of Christ.... -Kingly and commanding.” Near by are seen the faces of many pre-eminent -in the history of the time. The Pope is shown fastening fetters of iron -round a beautiful youth called Science. The leader of the Jesuits is -counting gold. The forms of men representing every description of -Church-doctrine are beheld trampling underneath them other human -creatures.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259">{259}</a></span></p><div class="blockquot"><p>“And over all this blackness and chaos the supernal figure of the -glorious Christ was aerially poised,—one Hand was extended, and to -this a Woman clung—a woman with a beautiful face made piteous in -its beauty by long grief and patient endurance. In her other arm -she held a sleeping child—and mother and child were linked -together by a garland of flowers partially broken and faded. Her -entreating attitude,—the sleeping child’s helplessness—her worn -face,—the perishing roses of earth’s hope and joy,—all expressed -their meaning simply yet tragically; and as the Divine Hand -supported and drew her up out of the universal chaos below, the -hope of a new world, a better world, a wiser world, a holier world, -seemed to be distantly conveyed. But the eyes of the Christ were -full of reproach, and were bent on the Representative of St. Peter -binding the laurel-crowned youth, and dragging him into -darkness,—and the words written across the golden mount of the -picture, in clear black letters, seemed to be actually spoken aloud -from the vivid color and movement of the painting. ‘Many in that -day will call upon Me and say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied -in Thy name, and in Thy name cast out devils, and done many -wonderful works?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Then will I say to them, I never knew you! Depart from Me all ye -that work iniquity!’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>And what of Angela and Florian? Painter and sweetheart regard the work. -Varillo’s first remark is, “Did you do it all yourself?” That is the -first verbal stab. Others follow, killing the joy of Angela. And the -verbal stabs are but the prelude to one with steel; for Varillo, -maddened by jealousy, determines to kill Angela and then to per<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260">{260}</a></span>suade -the world that <i>he</i> has painted the picture. Angela, happily, is not -killed. Varillo, who escapes, enters into a conspiracy to declare and -maintain that the great picture is his. He is got out of the world and -out of the book by perishing in a fire at a monastery to which he had -been taken. Such treachery it is almost impossible to conceive. Yet -those who condemn the incident should remember some of Marie Corelli’s -own personal experiences, with which the world has now to some extent -become acquainted. Angela subsequently marries Gys Grandit.</p> - -<p>Throughout the book there are a good many discourses by Aubrey Leigh and -Gys Grandit on the subject of Christian Democracy. What seems to be the -main desire of this party is “a purified Church—a House of Praise to -God, without any superstition or Dogma.” We must confess, however, that -we recognize the truth of the remark made by Gherardi—one of the Roman -prelates—“You must have Dogma. You must formulate something out of a -chaos of opinion”; and neither through Manuel, Aubrey Leigh, nor Gys -Grandit does Marie Corelli tell us how she would build up this simple -universal church of which she speaks so much. We may, however, expect in -a further book to have Miss Corelli’s constructive conceptions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261">{261}</a></span> on the -subject. The basis of it all is, at any rate, that the main feature of -all worship should be praise of the Almighty and His Divine Son; and, as -a true believer and an artist, she would have the churches not only -essentially houses of Praise, but buildings worthy of the high purpose -for which they are erected. In “The Master Christian” she gives us her -stepfather’s poem as indicating Aubrey Leigh’s ideal on the subject:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">If thou’rt a Christian in deed and thought,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Loving thy neighbor as Jesus taught,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Living all days in the sight of Heaven,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And not <i>one</i> only out of seven,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Sharing thy wealth with the suffering poor,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Helping all sorrow that Hope can cure,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Making religion a truth in the heart,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And not a cloak to be wore in the mart,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Or in high cathedrals and chapels and fanes,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where priests are traders and count the gains,—<br /></span> -<span class="i4">All God’s angels will say, “Well done!”<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Whenever thy mortal race is run.<br /></span> -<span class="i8">White and forgiven,<br /></span> -<span class="i8">Thou’lt enter heaven,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">And pass, unchallenged, the Golden Gate,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Where welcoming spirits watch and wait<br /></span> -<span class="i4">To hail thy coming with sweet accord<br /></span> -<span class="i4">To the Holy City of God the Lord!<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">If Peace is thy prompter, and Love is thy guide,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And white-robed Charity walks by thy side,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">If thou tellest the truth without oath to bind,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Doing thy duty to all mankind,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262">{262}</a></span>—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Raising the lowly, cheering the sad,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Finding some goodness e’en in the bad,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And owning with sadness if badness there be,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">There might have been badness in thine and in thee,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">If Conscience the warder that keeps thee whole<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Had uttered no voice to thy slumbering soul,—<br /></span> -<span class="i4">All God’s angels will say, “Well done!”<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Whenever thy mortal race is run.<br /></span> -<span class="i8">White and forgiven,<br /></span> -<span class="i8">Thou’lt enter heaven,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">And pass, unchallenged, the Golden Gate,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Where welcoming spirits watch and wait<br /></span> -<span class="i4">To hail thy coming with sweet accord<br /></span> -<span class="i4">To the Holy City of God the Lord!<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">If thou art humble and wilt not scorn,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">However wretched, a brother forlorn,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">If thy purse is open to misery’s call,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And the God thou lovest is God of all,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Whatever their color, clime or creed,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Blood of thy blood, in their sorest need,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">If every cause that is good and true,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And needs assistance to dare and do,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thou helpest on through good and ill,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">With trust in heaven, and God’s good-will,—<br /></span> -<span class="i4">All God’s angels will say, “Well done!”<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Whenever thy mortal race is run.<br /></span> -<span class="i8">White and forgiven,<br /></span> -<span class="i8">Thou’lt enter heaven,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">And pass, unchallenged, the Golden Gate,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Where welcoming spirits watch and wait<br /></span> -<span class="i4">To hail thy coming with sweet accord<br /></span> -<span class="i4">To the Holy City of God the Lord!<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>In the closing of the story we find Cardinal Bonpré threatened by the -Pope with severe punish<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263">{263}</a></span>ment unless he parts with Manuel, and the -Cardinal’s dignified and argumentative reply. The two part, but it is -not at the bidding of the Pope. There is a beautiful description of the -last night on earth of the Cardinal and of a vision beheld by him—a -Dream of Angels, “Of thousands of dazzling faces, that shone like stars -or were fair as flowers!”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>So the Cardinal passes away to his eternal rest:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“And when the morning sun shone through the windows ... its wintry -beams encircled the peaceful form of the dead Cardinal with a pale -halo of gold,—and when they came and found him there, and turned -his face to the light—it was as the face of a glorified saint, -whom God had greatly loved!”</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>And of the “Cardinal’s foundling”—what of Him? Many wondered and -sought to trace Him, but no one ever heard where he had gone.... -Some say He has never disappeared,—but that in some form or -manifestation of wisdom, He is ever with us, watching to see -whether His work is well or ill done,—whether His flocks are fed, -or led astray to be devoured by wolves—whether His straight and -simple commands are fulfilled or disobeyed. And the days grow dark -and threatening—and life is more and more beset with difficulty -and disaster—and the world is moving more and more swiftly on to -its predestined end—and the Churches are as stagnant pools, from -whence Death<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264">{264}</a></span> is far more often born than Life. And may we not ask -ourselves often in these days the question,—</p> - -<p>“When the Son of Man cometh, think ye He shall find faith on -earth?”</p></div> - -<p>That is the question that Marie Corelli asks the world through “The -Master Christian.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265">{265}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV<br /><br /> -<small>“TEMPORAL POWER”</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">This</span>, Marie Corelli’s latest work, appeared on August 28th, 1902, the -first edition totalling up to the unprecedented number of 120,000 -copies. We understand that, since the primary issue, a further 30,000 -copies have been printed. Thus it comes about that in spite of all the -newspaper invective of which she has been the victim and the verbal -floodgates that have been opened upon her, Marie Corelli has with her -latest production broken the bookselling record for a six-shilling -volume on its first appearance.</p> - -<p>“Temporal Power” is not an inviting name. As a schoolmiss would say, “It -sounds dry.” It has not the mystery-suggesting flavor of “The House on -the Marsh” or the thrilling and adventuresome qualities of a title like -“Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea”; yet “Temporal Power,” despite -its appellation, is, at the time of writing, the most-talked-about book -in the world.</p> - -<p>“For,” to quote Marie Corelli, “it must be borne in mind that ‘Temporal -Power’ are the two daz<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266">{266}</a></span>zling words which forever fascinate the Pope, and -are the key-notes of every attempt at supremacy. ‘Temporal Power’ is the -desire of kings, as of commoners. There is nothing really prosaic about -such a title, unless the thing itself be deemed prosaic, which, if this -were proved, would make out that all the work of the world was useless -and that nothing whatever need be done except fold one’s hands and sit -down in unambitious contentment.”</p> - -<p>“Temporal Power” was not issued to the Press for review, but no less -than three hundred and fifty journals—big and little—paid Miss Corelli -the compliment of purchasing the book in order to comment on its plot -and characteristics. Conning the mass of critical matter which is the -outcome of this action on the part of the newspapers, it would seem that -the attitude of the Press towards the authoress is growing less hostile -than of yore, for quite a number of the reviews are couched in -distinctly favorable language.</p> - -<p>From <i>Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper</i>, September 21st, 1902, we cull the -following notice, which will serve as a brief <i>resumé</i> of the plot—no -doubt already familiar to the majority of our readers—and at the same -time as an example of how an entire stranger to the novelist—as the -author of this article was—can disregard the prejudice which has arisen -with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267">{267}</a></span> respect to our subject, and write as he thinks, combining, as it -appears to us, a happy knack of lucid expression with a calm and -temperate judgment.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>A text from St. Paul as follows, “For we wrestle not against flesh -and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the -rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness -in high places,” prefaces and in a measure explains this very -remarkable book. The hero of the story is a king reigning in these -latter days over a Christian country that never once throughout the -book receives a name. The omission, however, is not likely to be -very early noticed by the reader, so intense is the interest -aroused by the narrative, so rapid and sustained is its action. The -king, married to a beautiful but cold consort who has borne him -three sons, suddenly awakes to the fact that he is not doing his -duty to his people, and resolves to go amongst them to see things -for himself. He accordingly does so in disguise, and actually joins -a society of Socialists. Hearing what is said about his Ministers -he tests them and vetoes a declaration of war which is being -brought about in the interests of certain capitalists and through -the agency of a corrupt Press. Another conspiracy he contends with -and defeats is a Jesuit one, during which an attempt is made upon -his life, an attempt foiled by a beautiful woman of the people, who -receives the knife-thrust in his place. One of the main themes of -the book is the love of the king’s eldest son Humphry for Gloria, a -poor but beautiful girl. He has secretly wedded her, and the fact -coming to the king’s knowledge he upbraids his son and tells him -that, the marriage with Gloria being of necessity morganatic, he -must make a speedy alliance with a princess of a neighboring state. -Then ensues a fine<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268">{268}</a></span> scene in which the young prince firmly refuses -to abandon Gloria, or to commit bigamy by another marriage. It is -one of those scenes in which Miss Corelli is seen at her best. -There is deep scorn in the prince’s utterance when he declines the -other marriage: “Three or four Royal sinners of this class I know -of who for all their pains have not succeeded in winning the -attachment of their people, either for themselves or their heirs.” -He further emphatically assures his royal father that he will, if -needful, “make it a test case, and appeal to the law of the realm. -If that law tolerates a crime in princes which it would punish in -commoners, then I shall ask the People to judge me!” The whole book -throughout is so arranged that Miss Corelli is everywhere enabled -to give utterance to the views of life she holds, and to attack the -things she considers wrong. This she does in every instance with -eloquent vehemence, and there will be many who must feel that she -usually has right on her side. “Of things temporal there shall be -no duration—neither Sovereignty nor Supremacy, nor Power; only -Love, which makes weak the strongest, and governs the proudest.” -The end of the book is the abdication and death of the king, his -son and Gloria sailing to happier climes, rejoicing in a pure love. -In its scope and imagination this is one of the most striking -volumes Miss Corelli has given us.</p></div> - -<p>From this exceedingly able summing-up of the work we will now turn to -the article on “Temporal Power” which was published in <i>The Review of -Reviews</i>.</p> - -<p>To begin with, it needs to be explained that Mr. Stead first of all -wrote a private letter to Miss Co<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269">{269}</a></span>relli telling her that it was “by far -the strongest book she had yet written.” He then went on to suggest that -she meant her characters for certain living Royalties and celebrities. -Miss Corelli wrote back to him at once, stating that he was entirely in -error. He having made the suggestion that she had described Queen -Alexandra as the cold and irresponsive Queen of “Temporal Power,” Miss -Corelli referred him to her “Christmas Greeting,” published at the end -of the previous year, for the description of the Queen as seen in “The -Soul of Queen Alexandra.” The general tone of Mr. Stead’s review was to -accuse Miss Corelli of “disloyalty” (though he himself, Miss Corelli -complains, had long expressed views that were distinctly Pro-Boer), and -to inquire sarcastically how it happened that she was invited to the -Coronation? It may be stated that she was invited to the Coronation -because the King knows her personally, and, knowing her, is perfectly -aware that he has no more loyal subject—a conviction that is not likely -to be disturbed by the casual statement even of an experienced reviewer -like Mr. Stead. From certain letters and messages Miss Marie Corelli has -received from both the King and Queen (if she cared to make them -public), it is very evident that she is thoroughly appreciated by the -Royal Family, and that they are the last people<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270">{270}</a></span> in the world to believe -the numerous adverse statements circulated about her merely on account -of her brilliant success.</p> - -<p>It was in the September (1902) <i>Review of Reviews</i> that Mr. Stead -devoted four pages to his criticism of “Temporal Power,” which was -described as “a tract for the guidance of the King.”</p> - -<p>“The fact” (continued Mr. Stead) “that her pages reflect as in a glass -darkly, in an exaggerated and somewhat distorted shape, the leading -personages in the English Court, and in contemporary politics, <i>may</i> be -one of those extraordinary coincidences which occur without any -intention on the part of the authoress of the book.”</p> - -<p>The King and the Queen are then described, and attention is drawn to the -position of the Heir Apparent after he has contracted what is known as a -morganatic marriage.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The King and Queen (proceeds the review) insist upon ignoring the -marriage, and try to compel their son to commit bigamy by marrying -a woman of the royal caste. The Prince, however—and in this Marie -Corelli departs from the old legend which appears to have suggested -this episode—has an unconquerable repugnance to the demand that he -should commit bigamy for the good of the State.</p> - -<p>The King, at the time when the story opens, has as his Prime -Minister an aged Marquis, who is a dark, heavy man of intellectual -aspect, whose man<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271">{271}</a></span>ner is profoundly discouraging to all who seek to -win his sympathy, and whose ascendancy in his own Cabinet is -overshadowed by that of a Secretary of State, who bears an -extraordinary resemblance to a certain Secretary of State who shall -be nameless. This “honorable statesman” is hand-in-glove with an -alien journalist, who is described here and there in terms which -fit more or less loosely to one or two proprietors of journals of -very large circulations in London town. With the aid of this -supreme embodiment of the mercenary journalism of our latter day, -the Secretary of State conceives the idea of working up a war for -the annexation of a small State, whose conquest was certain to -increase the value of various shares in which the Secretary and his -friends had largely speculated, and further, to extricate them from -various political difficulties in which they had found themselves -involved.</p></div> - -<p>We have Miss Corelli’s authority for stating, with all possible -emphasis, that “Temporal Power” was written without the least intention -on the part of the author to introduce living personalities under a -romantic disguise. As touching the character of the defaulting Secretary -of State, Carl Perousse, with which a large number of writers (including -Mr. Stead) have sought to identify Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, it may be -pointed out that if the author had any prominent European statesman at -all in view, it was a well-known Italian minister, now deceased, as any -one with judgment and knowledge of Italian affairs could -testify—though<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272">{272}</a></span> Perousse is made tall and thin in the book, with the -express object that he shall escape association with the said Italian -minister, who was short and fat. Nothing has astonished the novelist -more than the numerous letters she has received from members of Mr. -Chamberlain’s party in which it is stated that the villainous Perousse -is “exactly like” their leader. We have only to refer such -correspondents to Miss Corelli’s public speeches in Edinburgh and -Glasgow to prove that she has always spoken in high praise of the -Colonial Secretary.</p> - -<p>The King of the book is no more intended to be a suggested picture of -Edward the Seventh than of Haroun Alraschid. The performances of the -latter potentate are certainly “impossible” and “outrageous”—to quote -press diatribes on “Temporal Power”—but they <i>live</i>, and their -forgotten writer is not branded with <i>lèse-majestè</i>. This romance of -Marie Corelli’s was written to show how a King, in spite of modern -surroundings, can still be a hero. Marie Corelli’s king is the best man -in the whole story, and is represented as winning the love of all his -people.</p> - -<p>The authoress readily admits that an attack on Jesuitism is contained in -the book, nor is she the only one who has waylaid that persuasion. She -is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273">{273}</a></span> strenuously opposed to the political and educational system of -Jesuitry, and believes that the whole civilized world is with her.</p> - -<p>The much-discussed question of “royal bigamy” as condemned by the action -of Miss Corelli’s young Prince Humphry and his love for “Gloria,” is a -matter that has nothing to do with one Royal Family more than another. -Our author’s ideas are, that if any crime is a crime in commoners, it -should not be excused in persons of Royal birth; moreover, she thinks -that many a Royal Prince has been made hopelessly miserable, and the -springs of his life poisoned at their very fount, by his being forced to -wed where he does not love, merely for “Reasons of State.” The Pope has -quite recently condemned Royal alliances between cousins; and as all -Royal Families are at the present day very closely allied, Miss Corelli -thinks it will soon be necessary for heirs to thrones to enjoy the same -honest freedom of purpose in their loves and marriages as the simplest -gentlemen in the land.</p> - -<p>The novelist has been told that she has made enemies among the -“extra-loyal” and “Imperialistic” party. She presumes the “extra-loyal” -means the “extra-toadies.” If the “Imperialistic” party is a party which -seeks to curtail and restrict<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_274" id="page_274">{274}</a></span> the rights of the People, then she goes -with the People against all political parties whatsoever. But she takes -no side in party politics: she is a stickler for Justice and Right for -the great majority.</p> - -<p>Two apparent attempts in journals catering specially for the book trade, -were made to quash the success of the novel. One of these journals -plainly stated that “Temporal Power” had not obtained the triumph -claimed for it. The publishers, Messrs. Methuen and Co., instantly taxed -the paper in question with having misstated the case, with the result -that the following retractation was published: “With reference to our -statement last month, regarding the sales of ‘Temporal Power,’ we learn -that, so far from the repeat orders not comparing favorably with those -of ‘The Master Christian,’ they have established a record even in the -gigantic sales of Marie Corelli’s novels. Up to the present, during the -same period, the sales of ‘Temporal Power’ have exceeded those of ‘The -Master Christian,’ by over twenty thousand, and some idea of the demand -for the book, even after the first rush, may be obtained from the fact -that all the retail book-sellers, with one exception, in Brighton, sent -large repeat orders within a few weeks of publication, while a single -repeat order from one retail book<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_275" id="page_275">{275}</a></span>seller alone in another part of the -country was for seven hundred and twenty-eight copies.”</p> - -<p>The other periodical, after making one or two attempts to stem the great -wave of “Temporal Power,” printed the following somewhat halfhearted -comment: “Although few reviewers have spoken kindly of this novel, its -sale has reached a figure which it is unnecessary to repeat here; -whether its merits deserve such popularity we must refrain from -discussing.”</p> - -<p>In some quarters it has been boldly alleged that “Temporal Power” is -like “The Eternal City.” There are absolutely no points of resemblance. -Miss Corelli has never read “The Eternal City” or any of Mr. Hall -Caine’s books except “The Christian.” She declares, however, that she -searched in vain for a real follower of Christ in that work. It is -interesting to note, by the way, that although the two novelists met -years ago at a social function, they are practically strangers to one -another, and are probably content to remain so.</p> - -<p>From a book containing scores of powerful passages which would well bear -reproduction independently of the context, we only propose to make a -single quotation. The following extract concerns one of the most -touching events of the story, <i>i. e.</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_276" id="page_276">{276}</a></span> the rejection of the King’s -offered love by “Lotys,” woman of the people:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Lotys!” he said; “Are you so cold, so frozen in an icewall of -conventionality that you cannot warm to passion—not even to that -passion which every pulse of you is ready to return? What do you -want of me? Lover’s oaths? Vows of constancy? Oh, beloved woman as -you are, do you not understand that you have entered into my very -heart of hearts—that you hold my whole life in your possession? -You—not I—are the ruling power of this country! What you say, -that I will do! What you command, that will I obey! While you live, -I will live—when you die, I will die! Through you I have learned -the value of sovereignty,—the good that can be done to a country -by honest work in kingship,—through you I have won back my -disaffected subjects to loyalty;—it is all you—only you! And if -you blamed me once as a worthless king, you shall never have cause -to so blame me again! But you must help me,—you must help me with -your love!”</p> - -<p>She strove to control the beating of her heart, as she looked upon -him and listened to his pleading. She resolutely shut her soul to -the persuasive music of his voice, the light of his eyes, the -tenderness of his smile.</p> - -<p>“What of the Queen?” she said.</p> - -<p>He started back, as though he had been stung.</p> - -<p>“The Queen!” he repeated mechanically—“The Queen!”</p> - -<p>“Ay, the Queen!” said Lotys. “She is your wife—the mother of your -sons! She has never loved you, you would say,—you have never loved -her. But you are her husband! Would you make me your mistress?”</p> - -<p>Her voice was calm. She put the plain question<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_277" id="page_277">{277}</a></span> point-blank, -without a note of hesitation. His face paled suddenly.</p> - -<p>“Lotys!” he said, and stretched out his hands towards her; “Lotys, -I love you!”</p> - -<p>A change passed over her,—rapid and transfiguring as a sudden -radiance from heaven. With an impulsive gesture, beautiful in its -wild abandonment, she cast herself at his feet.</p> - -<p>“And I love you!” she said. “I love you with every breath of my -body, every pulse of my heart! I love you with the entire passion -of my life! I love you with all the love pent up in my poor starved -soul since childhood until now!—I love you more than woman ever -loved either lover or husband! I love you, my lord and King!—but -even as I love you, I honor you! No selfish thought of mine shall -ever tarnish the smallest jewel in your Crown! Oh, my beloved! My -Royal soul of courage! What do you take me for? Should I be worthy -of your thought if I dragged you down? Should I be Lotys,—if, like -some light woman who can be bought for a few jewels,—I gave myself -to you in that fever of desire which men mistake for love? Ah, -no!—ten thousand times no! I love you! Look at me,—can you not -see how my soul cries out for you? How my lips hunger for your -kisses—how I long, ah, God! for all the tenderness which I know is -in your heart for me,—I, so lonely, weary, and robbed of all the -dearest joys of life!—but I will not shame you by my love, my best -and dearest! I will not set you one degree lower in the thoughts of -the People, who now idolize you and know you as the brave, true man -you are! My love for you would be poor indeed, if I could not -sacrifice myself altogether for your sake,—you, who are my King!”</p> - -<p>He heard her,—his whole soul was shaken by the passion of her -words.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_278" id="page_278">{278}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Lotys!” he said,—and again—“Lotys!”</p> - -<p>He drew her up from her kneeling attitude, and gathering her close -in his arms, kissed her tenderly, reverently—as a man might kiss -the lips of the dead.</p> - -<p>“Must it be so, Lotys?” he whispered; “Must we dwell always apart?”</p> - -<p>Her eyes, beautiful with a passion of the highest and holiest love, -looked full into his.</p> - -<p>“Always apart, yet always together, my beloved!” she answered; -“Together in thought, in soul, in aspiration!—in the hope and -confidence that God sees us, and knows that we seek to live purely -in His sight! Oh, my King, you would not have it otherwise! You -would not have our love defiled! How common and easy it would be -for me to give myself to you!—as other women are only too ready to -give themselves,—to take your tenderness, your care, your -admiration,—to demand your constant attendance on my lightest -humor!—to bring you shame by my persistent companionship!—to -cause an open slander, and allow the finger of scorn to be pointed -at you!—to see your honor made a mockery of, by base persons who -would judge you as one, who, notwithstanding his brave espousal of -the People’s Cause, was yet a slave to the caprice of a woman! -Think something more of me than this! Do not put me on the level of -such women as once brought your name into contempt! They did not -love you!—they loved themselves. But I—I love you! Oh, my dearest -lord, if self were concerned at all in this great love of my heart, -I would not suffer your arms to rest about me now!—I would not let -your lips touch mine!—but it is for the last time, beloved!—the -last time! And so I put my hands here on your heart—I kiss your -lips—I say with all my soul in the prayer—God bless you!—God -keep you!—God save<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_279" id="page_279">{279}</a></span> you, my King! Though I shall live apart from -you all my days, my spirit is one with yours! God will know that -truth when we meet—on the other side of Death!”</p> - -<p>Her tears fell fast, and he bent over her, torn by a tempest of -conflicting emotions, and kissing the soft hair that lay loosely -ruffled against his breast.</p> - -<p>“Then it shall be so, Lotys!” he murmured at last. “Your wish is my -law!—it shall be as you command! I will fulfil such duties as I -must in this world,—and the knowledge of your love for me,—your -trust in me, shall keep me high in the People’s honor! Old follies -shall be swept away—old sins atoned for;—and when we meet, as you -say, on the other side of Death, God will perchance give us all -that we have longed for in this world—all that we have lost!”</p> - -<p>His voice shook,—he could not further rely on his self-control.</p> - -<p>“I will not tempt you, Lotys!” he whispered—“I dare not tempt -myself! God bless you!”</p> - -<p>He put her gently from him, and stood for a moment irresolute. All -the hope he had indulged in of a sweeter joy than any he had ever -known, was lost,—and yet—he knew he had no right to press upon -her a love which, to her, could only mean dishonor.</p> - -<p>“Good-bye, Lotys!” he said huskily; “My one love in this world and -the next! Good-bye!”</p> - -<p>She gazed at him with her whole soul in her eyes,—then suddenly, -and with the tenderest grace in the world, dropped on her knees and -kissed his hand.</p> - -<p>“God save your Majesty!” she said, with a poor little effort at -smiling through her tears; “For many and many a long and happy -year, when Lotys is no more!”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_280" id="page_280">{280}</a></span></p> - -<p>This beautiful passage alone is a literary <i>tour-de-force</i>. “Temporal -Power,” in short, shows no abatement of Marie Corelli’s energetic and -varied genius, and the public will await her next work with all possible -interest.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_281" id="page_281">{281}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV<br /><br /> -<small>SPEECHES AND LECTURES</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">Miss Marie Corelli’s</span> career as a public speaker has been a short one, -but, so far as it has gone, full of promise. She has a good enunciation -and a sweet, penetrating voice; she takes the platform with the whole of -her address clearly mapped out in her mind, her only aids to memory -being a few notes scribbled on slips of paper, which at first glance -look like a number of broad spills. Consulting these occasionally by way -of mental refreshment, she says what she has to say with easy -self-possession, never hesitating for lack of a suitable word or phrase.</p> - -<p>The novelist’s first speech in public was made in connection with a -bazaar at Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, in July, 1899. The announcement -that Miss Corelli was to open the proceedings attracted a large number -of people to this picturesque little town, which is situated some eight -miles from Stratford-on-Avon, on the high road to Birmingham.</p> - -<p>When Miss Corelli had mounted the improvised platform, she first thanked -the organizers of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_282" id="page_282">{282}</a></span> bazaar for the compliment that had been paid her -in their invitation, and then proceeded as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I think we all know very well what a bazaar is. It is peculiar and -distinctive; it is a way of charming the money out of our pockets. -We wish it to be charmed to-day, because we always know when such -money is obtained it is for a good purpose. Sometimes it is for a -hospital, frequently it is for the restoration of a parish church. -That is our object this afternoon. Now, there are some people who -say that a parish church does not always require repair, but in -this special case you cannot possibly offer that as an excuse for -not spending your money. The parish church of Henley-in-Arden is in -a very sad state; indeed, there are holes in the wooden floor -through which rats and mice, quite uninvited, may come to prayers. -Also the pavement of the central aisle is so broken up that it has -literally risen in wrath, and become divided against itself. I hope -this day you will come forward with your money and make the parish -church a thing of beauty and a joy forever. It is a very old -building. It is, I believe, five or six hundred years old, and all -that time it has been a place of prayer and praise. I am sure you -will not allow it to suffer, or fall into neglect and ruin at your -hands. Now, I want you to set your hearts to the tune of generosity -this afternoon, and I want you to spend regardless of expense; I -want you to be absolutely extravagant and reckless. The bazaar is -full of very pretty things, some useful, some not useful, but all -ornamental; and I can only recommend you to buy everything in the -place. In the words of the Immortal Bard, whose very spirit -permeates the whole of your beautiful county,</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Leave not a wrack behind!<br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_283" id="page_283">{283}</a></span></div></div> -</div> - -<p>Set your hearts to the task, your wills to the deed, spend your -money, and make the whole thing a great and triumphant success. -Ladies and gentlemen, may your purses to-day be like this bazaar, -which I have now the honor to declare open!”</p></div> - -<p>An excellent example of what an address to workingmen should be, was -delivered by Miss Corelli, at Stratford-on-Avon on January 6th, 1901. -The lecture was entitled, “The Secret of Happiness.” After some -preliminary observations on the birth of the New Century, Miss Corelli -said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The twentieth century finds us all on the same old search, asking -the same old question: How to be happy? Some of the distinguished -persons who have written in the newspapers on this subject declare -we have lost the art of being happy in the old simple ways, and -that all the brightness and mirth which used to make our England -‘Merry England’ have gone forever. I think there is some little -truth in these statements, and the reason is not very far distant. -We think too much of ourselves and too little of our neighbors. -There is nothing so depressing as a constant contemplation of one’s -self, and the greatest moral cowardice in the world’s opinion comes -from consulting one’s own personal convenience. It is just as if a -man were asked to look at a beautiful garden full of flowers, and, -instead of accepting the invitation, sat down with the Röntgen rays -to look at his own bones. His bones concern no one but himself, and -are a dull entertainment at best. To be truly happy we must set -ourselves on one side, and think of all the good we can do, all the -love we can show to our neigh<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_284" id="page_284">{284}</a></span>bors. This is our work and our -business, and, by performing that work thoroughly well, we shall -not lose the secret of happiness; we shall find it. The harming, -the slandering, the over-reaching, the plucking down of our -neighbors is not our business, and if we indulge in that kind of -thing we shall never be happy. It is to a great extent true, as -some of the newspapers tell us, that the twentieth century still -finds us very far from the best ideals and hopes. War still hangs -like a cloud across the country. Drink is still a curse, and large -sections of trade are being taken from us by American and foreign -rivals. This, if it goes on, will mean much ruin and misery and -want to many of our English artisans and workmen, and this brings -me to another point in the secret of happiness, which is Work. Not -what we call scamp work; not work which drops its tools at the -first sound of the dinner bell and runs across to the public-house, -but good, conscientious, thorough work, of which the workman -himself may be justly proud. Why should Americans take work which -Englishmen, if they like, can do infinitely better? Simply because -they are smart, cute, up to time, and take less early closing and -fewer bank holidays. I am a very hard worker myself, and I am not -speaking without knowing what I am talking about, and I say from my -own experience—and I have worked ever since I reached my sixteenth -year—that work is happiness. No one can take my work from me and -therefore no one can take my happiness from me. I defy any one to -upset, worry, or put me out in the least so long as I have my work -to do. Take away my work, and I am lost. Show me a lazy, loafing -person, man or woman, and I will show you a discontented grumbler, -who is a misery in his or her home, and a misery to him or her -self. Nothing is idle in God’s universe; the smallest observation -will prove that.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_285" id="page_285">{285}</a></span> If there were early closing up there (<i>pointing -upwards</i>) there would soon be an end to us all. The flower works, -as it pushes its way through the soil to bud and blossom; the tree -works as it breaks into beautiful foliage; the whole earth works -incessantly to produce its fruits. The sun works; it never rests; -it rises and sets with perfect regularity. In fact, everything we -see about us in nature is in constant, steady, splendid, perfect -work. The idle person is, therefore, out of tune with the plan of -God’s creation and action. A great millionaire whom I know said to -his son: ‘If you can’t find anything to do I will disinherit you, -so that you may work as hard as I did. That will make a man of -you.’ In this beautiful world, with a thousand opportunities of -doing good every day and all day, and with the light of the -Christian faith spread about us like perpetual sunshine, no one -should be really unhappy. To your society, which has done so much -good already, which is doing so much good, and will continue to do -so much good, I would say, if I may be permitted to offer any -advice: Cultivate among yourselves a spirit of cheerfulness, -light-heartedness, and content, which shall spread the influence of -moral and mental sunshine all through this dear little town in -which you dwell. Let those who don’t belong to your society see -that you can be merry and wise without needing any other stimulant -than your own cheery natures, and that the Christian faith is to -you a healthy and active working daily principle, the heart, life, -and soul. Show all your friends—and enemies too—that you have the -secret of happiness by holding up a firm faith in the goodness of -God; by keeping the welfare of others always in sight, and loving -your neighbor not only as yourself, but even more than yourself; -and by carrying out whatever you have to do, no matter how trivial -it be, so thoroughly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_286" id="page_286">{286}</a></span> and so perfectly that you can feel proud of -it. Such pride is true pride, and thoroughly justifiable, and the -independence that comes from work thoroughly well done is a noble -independence. I would not change such independence as that to be a -king and be waited on by courtiers all day long. To me the honest -workman is a thousand times better than the king. The king can do -no work. It is all done for him,—poor king! He can hardly call his -soul his own. He is not allowed to put his own coat on, and do you -call him an independent man! I call him a slave! I would rather -have a man here in Stratford, who could do something of his own -accord, turn out a piece of work, perfect—carving, finishing, or -anything of that sort—and say, ‘That is mine! The king can’t do -that, but I can!’ Money is nothing; pride, independence, and -self-respect are everything; and money gained by bad work is bad -money. You can’t make it anything else. Good work always commands -good money, and good money brings a blessing with it. We are told -that the danger of the twentieth century is greed of gold. Our -upper classes are all craving for yet still more money, and as much -money is spent in a single night on a dinner in London as would -keep nearly all Stratford. We are told that England will lose her -prestige through the money-craving mania of her people. More than -one great empire has fallen from an excessive love of luxury and -self-indulgence, but we will hope that no such mischief will come -to our beloved England. At any rate, in this little corner of -it—Shakespeare’s greenwood—where the greatest of thinkers, -philosophers, and poets was born, and to which he was content to -return, when he had made sufficient means, and die among his own -people—here, I say, let us try and keep up high ideals of mutual -help, love, and labor. Let us keep them up to their highest spirit. -The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_287" id="page_287">{287}</a></span> secret of happiness is to hold fast to such simple, -old-fashioned virtues as love of home, a life of simplicity, and -appreciation of all the beautiful things of Nature, which are so -richly strewn about us in Warwickshire, and never to lose sight of -the best of all things—the great lesson of the pure Christian -faith, the lesson which teaches us how the Divine sacrifice of self -for the sake of others was sufficient to redeem the world! A happy -New Year and a century of hope and good to all of you.”</p></div> - -<p>In November, 1901, Miss Corelli delivered her first lecture in Scotland. -It was called “The Vanishing Gift: an address on the Decay of the -Imagination,” and was listened to with the greatest appreciation by a -crowded audience of the members of the Edinburgh Philosophical -Institution, and their friends, numbering some four thousand persons.</p> - -<p>Scotland has ever been a more literary country than England. A novel -that fails in England often sells well in Scotland. Scotch people are -very loyal to the magazines they like, and they always display a keen -interest in literary ventures. Thackeray was a great favorite up there. -“I have had three per cent. of the whole population here,” he wrote from -Edinburgh in November, 1856, “If I could but get three per cent. of -London!” Both Dickens and Thackeray received tangible tokens of regard -from Edinburgh people, Thackeray’s taking the form of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_288" id="page_288">{288}</a></span> a silver -statuette of “Mr. Punch,” designed as an inkstand.</p> - -<p>It would seem that to-day, as then, Edinburgh is anxious to give -substantial proof of its appreciation, for, a few days after Miss -Corelli delivered her lecture, whilst ill-health detained her at the -Royal Hotel, a deputation from the Philosophical Institution called and -presented her with a massive silver rose-bowl.</p> - -<p>The Chairman of the deputation, in asking her to accept the gift, made a -very eloquent little speech, in which he laid emphasis on the fact that -the last time a similar token of appreciation had been presented by the -Philosophical Institution to any novelist had been in the case of -Charles Dickens. Since then, no one, save Miss Corelli, had received the -unanimous vote of the Committee as meriting such a tribute. The -rose-bowl bears the following inscription:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<i>Presented to Miss Marie Corelli by the Edinburgh Philosophical -Institution, in grateful recognition of the Brilliant Address -delivered by her on 19th November, 1901.</i>”</p></div> - -<p>It is worthy of note that the leading journal of Edinburgh, <i>The -Scotsman</i>, made no allusion<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_289" id="page_289">{289}</a></span> whatever to this presentation. The omission -caused considerable annoyance to the Committee of the Philosophical -Institution, and the Secretary made inquiry as to why their special -compliment to Miss Marie Corelli had been passed over. The reply was -that they “did not think it was necessary to mention it”; a particularly -lame and inadequate answer, seeing that if such a handsome presentation -on the part of a great Institution had been made to any well-known male -author, the probabilities are that considerable importance would have -been attached to the incident. As it was, <i>The Scotsman</i> was judged to -have committed itself to a singular error of prejudice in the omission, -as also by stating that Miss Corelli’s crowded audience at the Queen’s -Hall were “mostly women,” a perfectly erroneous statement, as by far the -larger half of the assembly was composed of the sterner sex.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli, in the course of the lecture referred to, attributed the -gradual dwindling of Imagination to the feverish unrest and agitation of -the age in which we live. The hurry-skurry of modern life, the morbid -craving for incessant excitement, breed a disinclination to think. Where -there is no time to think, there is less time to imagine; and when there -is neither thought nor imagination, creative work of a high and lasting -quality is not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_290" id="page_290">{290}</a></span> possible. In the world’s earlier days, conceptions of -art were of the loftiest and purest order.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The thoughts of the ‘old world’ period are written in well-nigh -indelible characters. The colossal architecture of the temples of -ancient Egypt, and that marvelous imaginative creation, the Sphinx, -with its immutable face of mingled scorn and pity; the beautiful -classic forms of old Greece and Rome,—these are all visible -evidences of spiritual aspiration and endeavor; moreover, they are -the expression of a broad, reposeful strength—a dignified -consciousness of power. The glorious poetry of the Hebrew -Scriptures, the swing and rush of Homer’s ‘Iliad,’ the stately -simplicity and profundity of Plato—these also belong to what we -know of the youth of the world. And they are still a part of the -world’s most precious possessions. We, in our day, can do nothing -so great. We have neither the imagination to conceive such work, -nor the calm force necessary to execute it. The artists of a former -time labored with sustained and passionate, yet tranquil, energy; -we can only produce imitations of the greater models with a vast -amount of spasmodic hurry and clamor. So, perchance, we shall leave -to future generations little more than an echo of ‘much ado about -nothing.’ For truly we live at present under a veritable scourge of -mere noise. No king, no statesman, no general, no thinker, no -writer is allowed to follow the course of his duty or work without -the shrieking comment of all sorts and conditions of uninstructed -and misguided persons....”</p></div> - -<p>Imagination is an artist’s first necessary. The poet, the painter, the -sculptor, or the musician<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_291" id="page_291">{291}</a></span> must be able to make a world of his own, and -live in it, before he can make one for others. When he has evolved such -a world out of his individual consciousness, and has peopled it with the -creations of his fancy, he can turn its “airy substance” into reality -for all time.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Shakespeare’s world is real; so real that there are not wanting -certain literary impostors who grudge him its reality, and strive -to dispossess him of his own. Walter Scott’s world is real; so real -that you have built him a shrine here in Edinburgh, crowded with -sculptured figures of men and women, most of whom never existed -save in his teeming fancy. What a tribute to the power of -Imagination is that beautiful monument in the centre of Princes -Street, with all the forms evoked from one great mind, lifted high -above us, who consider ourselves ‘real’ people!”</p></div> - -<p>The lecturer proceeded to deplore acts of vandalism such as that which -caused “the pitiful ruin of Loch Katrine” in supplying Glasgow with -water. Further on she lamented the gradual disappearance of “that -idealistic and romantic spirit” which has helped to make Scotland’s -history such a brilliant chronicle of heroism and honor.</p> - -<p>In her powerful peroration the novelist graphically told of modern -wonders which were imagined when the world was young.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_292" id="page_292">{292}</a></span></p><div class="blockquot"><p>“What, after all, is Imagination? It is a great many things. It is -a sense of beauty and harmony; it is an instinct of poetry and -prophecy. A Persian poet describes it as an immortal sense of -memory which is always striving to recall the beautiful things the -soul has lost. Another fancy, also from the East, is that it is ‘an -instructive premonition of beautiful things to come.’ Another, -which is perhaps the most accurate description of all, is that it -is ‘the sundial of the soul, on which God flashes the true time of -day.’ This is true, if we bear in mind that Imagination is always -ahead of science, pointing out in advance the great discovery to -come. Shakespeare foretold the whole science of geology in three -words—‘sermons in stones’; and the whole business of the electric -telegram in one line—‘I’ll put a girdle round the earth in forty -minutes.’ One of the Hebrew prophets ‘imagined’ the phonograph when -he wrote, ‘Declare unto me the image of a voice.’ As we all know, -the marks on the wax cylinder in a phonograph are ‘the image of a -voice.’ The airship may prove a very marvelous invention, but the -imagination which saw Aladdin’s palace flying from one country to -another was long before it. All the genii in the ‘Arabian Nights’ -stories were only the symbols of the elements which man might -control if he but rubbed the lamp of his intelligence smartly -enough. Every fairy-tale has a meaning; every legend a lesson. The -submarine boat in perfection has been ‘imagined’ by Jules Verne. -Wireless telegraphy appears to have been known in the very remote -days of Egypt, for in a very old book called ‘The History of the -Pyramids,’ translated from the Arabic, and published in France in -1672, we find an account of a certain high priest of Memphis, named -Saurid, who, so says the ancient Arabian chronicler, ‘prepared for -himself a casket, wherein he put magic fire, and, shutting himself -up with the casket, he sent messages with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_293" id="page_293">{293}</a></span> the fire day and night, -over land and sea to all those priests over whom he had command, so -that all the people should be made subject to his will. And he -received answers to his messages without stop or stay, and none -could hold or see the running fire, so that all the land was in -fear by reason of the knowledge of Saurid.’ In the same volume we -find that a priestess, named Borsa, evidently used the telephone; -for, according to her history, ‘she applied her mouth and ears unto -pipes in the wall of her dwelling, and so heard and answered the -requests of the people in the distant city.’</p> - -<p>“Thus it would seem that there is nothing new under the sun to that -‘dainty Ariel’ of the mind—Imagination.”</p></div> - -<p>Early in 1902 Miss Corelli again gave an address in Scotland—this time -at Glasgow, where one of the largest audiences ever known in that city -assembled to hear her lecture on “Signs of the Times.” Every seat was -occupied, and up to the last moment numbers were clamoring for only -standing room. All reserved seats had been booked for nearly three weeks -beforehand, and the extraordinary number of applications received proved -that double the accommodation available could have been taken up.</p> - -<p>The Address was undeniably daring and spirited, touching on various -social aspects of the hour. The apathy of Parliament on certain pressing -matters of home interest, the new rules of Procedure in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_294" id="page_294">{294}</a></span> House, the -inrush of undesirable aliens, the traitorous attitude of the pro-Boers, -the crowding out of British industries by an excess of foreign -competition, the German slanders upon our army, the change in the -British uniform to the German model, and the flattering attentions of -Germany towards America, were all touched upon by the novelist with a -force and satire that were entirely new and unexpected. One of her best -points was made in alluding to the words uttered by the Prince of Wales, -on his return from his Colonial tour, in the course of his famous speech -at the Mansion House, <i>i. e.</i>, “The old country must wake up if she -intends to maintain her old position of pre-eminence in her Colonial -trade against foreign competition.”</p> - -<p>She continued:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I believe it is the first time in all the annals of English -History that any Prince of Wales has deemed it necessary to tell -the old country, which gave him his birth and heir-apparency, to -‘wake up’! It has been called a ‘statesmanlike utterance’ in many -quarters of our own always courteous Press, but by our Continental -neighbors it has been simply taken as a royal and official -statement of British incompetency. It has even been said that no -Prince of Wales should ever have admitted any possible likelihood -of weakness in his own country. We must remember, however, that the -warning of his Royal Highness was directed against foreign -competition, and may have been intended to prepare British trade<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_295" id="page_295">{295}</a></span> -for the impending commercial designs of Germany upon South -Africa.... If the British Lion is indeed sleeping, it is time to -wake, but to some of us the Great Creature seems never to have -slept, but to have been caught unsuspectingly in a trap of -restrictive legislation and vested interests, and so bound hand and -foot unawares. The Lion is a generous animal, but in certain old -fables he is represented as being no match for the Fox. If, as the -Prince of Wales says, the old country is to maintain her position -of pre-eminence against foreign competition, she has some right to -demand that she be not swamped and throttled by it under the very -shelter of her own sea wall.”</p></div> - -<p>Referring to what she satirically termed the evidence of our “love” for -Germany, she pointed out that though Germans were guilty of one of the -grossest insults ever recorded in history against our brave army, we, -nevertheless, had clothed that army in the German uniform, and had made -free and independent Tommy Atkins turn himself into a copy of his Teuton -conscript brother. Not only that, we have accepted a German design for -the new postage stamps. She also alluded to the rumor that the -Coronation medal was to be struck from a German design.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli concluded with the following words:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_296" id="page_296">{296}</a></span></p><div class="blockquot"><p>“The greatest, strongest, most splendid and hopeful ‘sign of the -times’ is the advancing and resistless tide of Truth, which is -approaching steadily—which cannot be kept back, and which in the -first breaking of its great wave shall engulf a whole shore of -weedy shams. A desire for Truth is in the hearts of the people: -Truth in religion, Truth in Life, Truth in work. We are all aiming -for it, pushing towards it, and breaking down obstacles on the way. -And, because God is on the side of Truth, we shall obtain it; more -speedily, perhaps, than we think—especially if we are not too -weakly ready to be led away by the first Anti-Christ of religious, -political, or social example.</p></div> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Truth, like the sun in the morning skies,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Shall clear the clouds from the days to be;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">“Each for himself” is a Gospel of Lies,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">That never was issued by God’s decree.’<span class="lftspc">”</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Such are a few examples of Miss Corelli’s utterances in public. It is -hardly necessary to add that these speeches were liberally punctuated -with applause by those who had the privilege of listening to them.</p> - -<p>If those who condemn the novelist so readily will only take the trouble -to study what she has said, they cannot, if they wish to be regarded as -honest men, deny her possession of many of the qualities that make for -greatness. There are people who fear and dislike this lady because the -attitude she takes up, on many questions, is significant of Battle. She -hits very hard; her<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_297" id="page_297">{297}</a></span> enemies wince beneath her blows, and revile her in -wholesale terms because they cannot overcome her in fair combat. But -newspaper sneers will do little to affect the judgment of the Public, -which is, after all, the critic whose opinion is abiding and final.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_298" id="page_298">{298}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI<br /><br /> -<small>MARIE CORELLI’S VIEWS ON MARRIAGE</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">Marie Corelli</span> seems to think that the present generation is one in which -hypocrisy cumbers the face of the globe. “Never,” she says, “was the -earth so oppressed with the weight of polite lying, never were there -such crowds of evil masqueraders, cultured tricksters, and social -humbugs, who, though admirable as tricksters and humbugs, are wholly -contemptible as men and women. Truth is at a discount, and if one should -utter it the reproachful faces of one’s so-called ‘friends’ show how -shocked they are at meeting with anything honest.” That is a very -sweeping assertion for which Marie Corelli has been abused. If the world -had in it more sincerity than sham, the truth of her condemnation of -present systems and practices would have been frankly admitted. Because -what she says is true to an unhappy degree. The authoress is severe in -her criticisms of the marriage “bargains” which are, we think, mainly -the possession of what she would call “smart<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_299" id="page_299">{299}</a></span>” society. The Divorce -Court record is certainly a proof that a good many of the weddings that -are “arranged” are certainly not made in Heaven. Marie Corelli thinks, -indeed, that many women have forgotten what marriage is, and she -declares it to be an absolute grim fact that in England many women of -the upper classes are not to-day married, but merely bought for a price.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Marriage is not the church, the ritual, the blessing of clergymen, -or the ratifying and approving presence of one’s friends and -relations at the ceremony; still less is it a matter of settlements -and expensive millinery. It is the taking of a solemn vow before -the throne of the Eternal—a vow which declares that the man and -woman concerned have discovered in each other his or her true mate; -that they feel life is alone valuable and worth living in each -other’s company; that they are prepared to endure trouble, poverty, -pain, sickness, death itself, provided that they may only be -together; and that all the world is a mere grain of dust in worth -as compared to the exalted passion which fills their souls and -moves them to become one in flesh as well as in spirit. Nothing can -make marriage an absolutely sacred thing except the great love, -combined with the pure and faithful intention of the vow involved.”</p></div> - -<p>Amongst all classes a very large number of marriages mean all that. -Amongst the poorer classes—not the lowest classes—the proportion is -probably the largest, and amongst the middle<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_300" id="page_300">{300}</a></span> and higher classes it is -so to a large though diminishing degree. Nevertheless, Marie Corelli -states, and we agree, that it is the cash-box that governs the actions -of far too many in entering upon the most serious duty of life; and if -the man and wife do not realize the importance and sacredness of the -tie, the result must be, as the novelist says, that the man and wife -will drag down rather than uplift each other.</p> - -<p>In a magazine article which Marie Corelli wrote some time ago, she drew -a delightful picture of an artist and his wife in Capri who live on £100 -a year in perfect bliss. When one views the picture she draws of their -life it is easy to think one has found something like the lost paradise. -Still, if we all tried love on £100 a year in Capri the housing problem -would soon become as serious a matter there as it is to-day in our great -cities. Love on £100 a year, or less or more, must be tried by most of -us under less favorable geographical circumstances; but under whatever -circumstances true it is, as Miss Corelli insists, that God’s law of -love will make of marriage a successful and happy undertaking.</p> - -<p>Marriage on very moderate means is not attractive. And why? According to -Marie Corelli, because Love is not sufficient for the average girl;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_301" id="page_301">{301}</a></span> -because in the rush of our time we are trampling sweet emotions and true -passion under foot, marriages being too seldom the result of affection -nowadays. They are too often merely the carrying out of a settled scheme -of business. Mothers teach their daughters to marry for a “suitable -establishment”; fathers, rendered desperate as to what they are to do -with their sons in the increasing struggle for life and the incessant -demand for luxuries which are not by any means actually necessary to -that life, say: “Look out for a woman with money.” The heir to a great -name and title sells his birthright for a mess of American -dollar-pottage;—and it is a very common, every-day business to see some -Christian virgin sacrificed on the altar of matrimony to a -money-lending, money-grubbing son of Israel. Bargain and sale,—sale and -bargain,—it is the whole <i>raison d’être</i> of the “season,”—the balls, -the dinners, the suppers, the parties to Hurlingham and Ascot,—even on -the dear old Thames, with its delicious nooks fitted for pure romance -and heart betrothal, the clatter of Gunter’s luncheon-dishes and the -popping of Benoist’s champagne-corks remind the hungry gypsies who -linger near such scenes of river revelry that there is not much -sentiment about,—only plenty of money being wasted. Marie Corelli well -says that there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_302" id="page_302">{302}</a></span> can be nothing more hideous—more like a foretaste of -hell itself—than the life position of a man and woman who have been -hustled into matrimony, and who, when the wedding fuss is over and the -feminine pictorial papers have done gushing about the millinery of the -occasion, find themselves alone together, without a single sympathy in -common, with nothing but the chink of gold and the rustle of the -bank-notes for their heart music, and with a barrier of steadily -increasing repulsion and disgust rising between them every day.</p> - -<p>We have seen something of such a picture in Marie Corelli’s character of -“Sybil Elton”; that it is no more nor less than a crime to enter upon -marriage without that mutual supreme attraction and deep love which -makes the union sacred, may be, in fact, allowed. The question is, how -to avoid such evils? Marie Corelli gives the answer in this advice: “In -a woman’s life <i>one</i> love should suffice. She cannot, constituted as she -is, honestly give herself to more than one man. And she should be -certain—absolutely, sacredly, solemnly certain, that one man is indeed -her preelected lover, her chosen mate; that never could she care for any -other hand than his to caress her beauty, never for any other kiss than -his to rest upon her lips, and that without him life is but a -half-circle waiting completion....<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_303" id="page_303">{303}</a></span> Love is the last of all the mythical -gods to be tempted or cajolled by lawyers and settlements, wedding-cake, -and perishable millinery. His domain is nature and the heart of -humanity,—and the gifts he can bestow on those who meet him in the true -spirit are marvelous and priceless indeed. The exquisite joys he can -teach,—the fine sympathies,—the delicate emotions,—the singular -method in which he will play upon two lives like separate harps, and -bring them into resounding tune and harmony, so that all the world shall -seem full of luscious song,—this is one way of Love’s system of -education. But this is not all—he can so mould the character, temper -the will, and strengthen the heart, as to make his elected disciples -endure the bitterest sorrows bravely,—perform acts of heroic -self-sacrifice and attain the most glorious heights of ambition,—for, -as the venerable Thomas à Kempis tells us,—‘Love is a great thing, yes, -a great and thorough good; by itself it makes everything that is heavy, -light—and it bears evenly all that is uneven. For it carries a burden -which is no burden, and makes everything that is bitter sweet and -tasteful. Though weary it is not tired,—though pressed it is not -straightened,—though alarmed it is not confounded, but as a lively -flame and burning torch it forces its way upward and securely passes -through<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_304" id="page_304">{304}</a></span> all. Is not such divine happiness well worth attaining?’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>The answer to that rests with the women mainly, and to them Marie -Corelli says:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I want you to refuse to make your bodies and souls the -traffickable material of vulgar huckstering,—I want you to <i>give</i> -yourselves, ungrudgingly, fearlessly, without a price or any -condition whatsoever, to the men you truly love, and abide by the -results. If love is love indeed, no regret can be possible. But be -sure it <i>is</i> love,—the real passion, that elevates you above all -sordid and mean considerations of self,—that exalts you to noble -thoughts and nobler deeds,—that keeps you faithful to the one vow, -and moves you to take a glorious pride in preserving that vow’s -immaculate purity,—be sure it is all this,—for if it is not all -this you are making a mistake and you are ignorant of the very -beginnings of love. Try to fathom your own hearts on this vital -question—try to feel, to comprehend, to learn the responsibilities -invested in womanhood, and never stand before God’s altar to accept -a blessing on your marriage if you know in your inmost soul that it -is no marriage at all in the true sense of the word, but merely a -question of convenience and sale. To do such a deed is the vilest -blasphemy,—a blasphemy in which you involve the very priest who -pronounces the futile benediction. The saying ‘God will not be -mocked’ is a true one; and least of all will He consent to listen -to or ratify such a mockery as a marriage-vow sworn before Him in -utter falsification and misprisal of His chiefest -commandment,—Love. It is a wicked and wilful breaking of the -law,—and is never by any chance suffered to remain unpunished.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_305" id="page_305">{305}</a></span></p> - -<p>Marie Corelli is a great friend of children, loving them and beloved of -them. It may be regarded as probable that the children of those who form -the ideal unions which the novelist so eloquently describes will be sure -to train their own offspring on good and intelligent lines. But there -are others—so many of them. There is much in the writings of Marie -Corelli that bears upon the question, and her text is the dedication of -the “Mighty Atom”—“To those self-styled ‘Progressivists’ who by precept -and example assist the infamous cause of education without religion, and -who, by promoting the idea, borrowed from French atheism, of denying to -the children in Board schools and elsewhere, the knowledge and love of -God, as the true foundation of noble living, are guilty of a worse crime -than murder.” That is her view. She regards the teaching of simple -Christian truths—the love of God, and the instruction which is the -basis of all Christian creeds, <i>i. e.</i>, to do unto others as you would -be done by—as an essential element in the education of children. She -would regard it as the most heinous of crimes to take from our English -elementary schools that religious instruction which was agreed to in the -1870 Compromise, the Compromise which happily has survived a violent -attack made upon it not long since in the elemen<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_306" id="page_306">{306}</a></span>tary educational -Parliament of London, the Metropolitan School Board.</p> - -<p>Whatever be the general scheme of elementary, secondary, higher, and -technical education and training, Marie Corelli would have the people -insist, as for life itself, upon the children being taught “the -knowledge and love of God.”</p> - -<p>She would have that knowledge imparted in the spirit of which Queen -Victoria wrote: “I am quite clear,” said the Queen, speaking of her -eldest daughter, then a child, “that she should be taught to have great -reverence for God and for religion, and that she should have the feeling -of devotion and love which our Heavenly Father encourages His earthly -children to have for Him, and not one of fear and trembling.” In “The -Master Christian” we see incidentally brought out the evil results of -the unhappy law of France which excludes religious education from the -schools, the consequence of which is the enormous increase of agnostic -thought in that country, and, built upon it, the views and practices -which are eating into the heart of that great nation like a foul -disease, weakening its numerical strength and its moral and intellectual -force. For the guidance of parents in this matter we would commend them -to those two most interesting books, “The Mighty Atom” and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_307" id="page_307">{307}</a></span> “Boy.” They -are volumes which all parents should read and study. They have already -given pause to many callous men and women who were neglecting to bestow -that thought on the children’s training which the subject demands. There -are many Christian parents who for want of thought neglect this matter -and sometimes have only themselves to thank for dissolute sons and -impure daughters. On the other hand, to their credit it is the fact that -many who are not Christians, who are careless and neglectful of -religion, or are even agnostics, insist upon their children receiving -that religious education which they themselves once received, with the -just and broad-minded idea that, though they have become careless, -cynical, or entirely agnostic, the children shall start as they did with -the same training and have the same opportunity of forming their own -judgment on these matters.</p> - -<p>Parents will think deeply over “The Mighty Atom” and “Boy.” Different as -the two stories are, they deal essentially with this great question. -They both teach serious lessons to the fathers and the mothers of -English boyhood. The stories, as such, have been already dealt with. -Here we will just give a few of those lessons which it is the object of -the works in question to teach.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_308" id="page_308">{308}</a></span></p> - -<p>The author would have children’s bodies educated as well as their minds. -She regards the former as the more important for the reason that a -healthy body is the most suitable habitation for a healthy mind, and -that a keen intellect developed by ruining the physical strength is not -calculated to benefit either the individual, or the community to which -the individual belongs. Lionel Valliscourt, the little hero of “The -Mighty Atom,” has a father and also a tutor, one Montrose. The father is -an atheist and anxious to educate the son on a system, part of which is -the exclusion of religion from the curriculum. Montrose, a level-headed, -clear-brained Scotchman,—no “preacher,” but possessing a simple belief -in God—is dismissed from his position because he does not approve the -father’s system. This he describes as child-murder; and in the remarks -he addresses to the father at their last interview Marie Corelli’s -opinions about child-training are indicated:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I will have no part in child-murder” (says Montrose), ... -“Child-murder! Take the phrase and think it over! You have only one -child,—a boy of a most lovable and intelligent -disposition,—quick-brained, too quick-brained by half!—You are -killing him with your hard and fast rules, and your pernicious -‘system’ of intellectual training. You deprive him of such pastimes -as are necessary to his health and growth,—you surround him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_309" id="page_309">{309}</a></span> with -petty tyrannies which make his young life a martyrdom,—you give -him no companions of his own age, and you are, as I say, murdering -him,—slowly perhaps, but none the less surely.”</p></div> - -<p>Marie Corelli is absolutely opposed to “cram.” That was what was killing -little Lionel. At ten he was well advanced in mathematics, Latin and -Greek, history, and even science. No wonder he was often “tired,” or -that he felt as if, to use his own words, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to -belong to the hybernating species and go to sleep all the winter. Miss -Corelli detests cram—the regarding of the young human brain as a sort -of expanding bag or hold-all, to be filled with various bulky articles -of knowledge, useful or otherwise, till it shows signs of bursting. That -was the plan of little Lionel’s new coach, who, after the operation of -cramming a youngster’s brain, would then lock up the brain-bag and trust -to its carrying the owner through life. If the lock broke and the whole -bag gave way, so much the worse for the bag, that was all. That was what -happened with poor little Lionel, who hanged himself, tired of the -“cram,” and worried into insanity by the loss of his mother, the death -of his playmate, and the trouble of considering whether, if there be no -God, and death is mere negation, it was really worth while living at -all.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_310" id="page_310">{310}</a></span></p> - -<p>Healthy physical exercise, reasonable study, and religion as the basis -of that study: so Miss Corelli would train the children.</p> - -<p>“Boy” teaches equally healthy lessons, though the story and the -circumstances are totally different. “Boy” might have been a fine -fellow. He had good qualities. That he became a thief and a forger was -the fault of the home circumstances and example. The father of “Boy” was -a drunkard and a blackguard, though a man of good family. The lad’s -mother was a silly-minded slattern. There was too much discipline -brought to bear upon Lionel Valliscourt; far too little was ever tried -on “Boy.” The latter, in his early childhood left to himself, or to mix -only with street lads, and with parents who, for a foolish “pride,” -refused him better training at the hands of others, developed by neglect -into a young ruffian, though he turned out well in the end.</p> - -<p>Again, in conclusion, we commend these books to parents, and, indeed, to -all interested in or engaged in the education and upbringing of -children.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_311" id="page_311">{311}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII<br /><br /> -<small>SOME PERSONAL ITEMS</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is pretty generally known that when Sir Theodore Martin desired, in -honor of Lady Martin’s memory, to place a Helen Faucit memorial in the -chancel of Trinity Church, Stratford-on-Avon, it was Miss Marie Corelli -who undertook a successful campaign against the project. Sir Theodore -Martin most ardently wished to execute his intention, and he had -progressed so far with the negotiations that his desires were on the -point of being carried out; and they would have been but for the active -intervention of Miss Corelli, who roused the whole town of Stratford -into energetic protest against the proposed invasion of Shakespeare’s -own particular shrine. It was Sir Theodore’s idea to place a bas-relief -of Helen Faucit immediately opposite the historical bust of the Poet, on -the other side of the chancel, but in an equally if not more prominent -position.</p> - -<p>Miss Corelli began her campaign with a letter to the <i>Morning Post</i> -calling public attention to Sir Theodore’s plan, and the whole Press -backed up<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_312" id="page_312">{312}</a></span> her efforts with hearty unanimity. The late Sir Arthur -Hodgson had taken the chief responsibility of supporting Sir Theodore -Martin, but in his haste and zeal had forgotten to ascertain whether he -could legally remove from the wall of the chancel two mural tablets -which occupied the intended site of the proposed Helen Faucit effigy. -The then Bishop of Worcester, Dr. Perowne, a great personal friend of -Sir Arthur’s, was persuaded to grant a “faculty” for their removal, -without due inquiry. Miss Corelli, however, discovered the descendants -of the very family those mural tablets belonged to, and found that their -permission had not been sought, or their existence considered. Whereupon -the law promptly stepped in, and Sir Theodore Martin was compelled to -withdraw. Otherwise the modern stone-mason would have gone to work in -the hallowed precincts of Shakespeare’s grave, and a piece of wholly -unecclesiastical sculpture would have overlooked the Poet’s place of -family sepulture, a place which Shakespeare himself purchased for his -own interment, and which all the world of literature rightly considers -should be left to his remains, uninvaded.</p> - -<p>The bas-relief of Lady Martin, had it been put up, would have shown her -figure turned with its <i>back to the altar</i>, the medallion of -Shakespeare<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_313" id="page_313">{313}</a></span> lying at her feet! The whole thing was out of place, and -out of tune with the national sentiment, as though Helen Faucit was an -eminent actress in her day, she had no connection with -Stratford-on-Avon; moreover, she was not British-born. Miss Corelli’s -fight was a hard one, for though Mr. Sidney Lee, who was entirely on her -side, wrote to Sir Theodore Martin himself to expostulate with him on -the mistaken idea he had taken up, nothing would have had any effect had -not Miss Corelli fortunately discovered the descendants of the family -whose mural tablets were about to be displaced without their permission. -When she at last won the day, the whole Press broke out unanimously in a -chorus of praise and congratulation, which must have been a singular -experience for her, so long inured to disparagement. She was bombarded -by telegrams from almost every quarter of the globe, particularly from -America, expressing the thanks of all lovers of Shakespeare.</p> - -<p>It is a pity some one like Marie Corelli was not in Stratford-on-Avon at -the time Shakespeare’s own house, “New Place,” was demolished. Had there -been such an one, the chances are that the house would be still standing -as one of the world’s priceless treasures. Many precious shrines are -defaced, and many valuable mementoes lost for lack of some<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_314" id="page_314">{314}</a></span> one to speak -out who is not afraid to give an opinion. Shakespeare’s townspeople are -grateful to the novelist who fought their Poet’s cause single-handed, -and won it in the face of powerful opposition.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>Concerning the portraits of Miss Corelli, her experiences have not been -particularly pleasing. It will be remembered that a large oil painting -of the novelist was exhibited at Messrs. Graves’ Art Gallery, Pall Mall. -This portrait was painted for two reasons: first, because Miss Corelli -knew at the time of its execution that she was the victim of a serious -malady which might, it was then feared, shortly end her life; and -secondly, because she wished to leave some resemblance of herself to her -dearest friend, Miss Vyver.</p> - -<p>Miss Donald-Smith painted the picture and also executed two “pastel” -portraits. Miss Corelli gave several sittings to the artist at a time -when her illness was causing her the acutest agony, and when the hours -thus spent in the studio were to her a perfect martyrdom. At Miss -Donald-Smith’s request she permitted her to send the large picture to -the Academy, where it was rejected. It was then exhibited by Messrs. -Graves, and was at once made the subject of personal and abusive -attacks,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_315" id="page_315">{315}</a></span> not on the artist, but on Marie Corelli herself for being -painted at all! Some journalists went so far as to accuse her of “taking -the gate-money” and “speculating in her own portrait.” As a matter of -fact, Miss Corelli received none of the percentage allowed on the -photogravures of the picture, and it may be added that she withdrew the -picture altogether from public view before it had been long on -exhibition.</p> - -<p>Another portrait was painted by Mr. Ellis Roberts for himself. He asked -Marie Corelli to sit for him, having always been one of her greatest -admirers. He did not, of course, know that she consented to sit for the -same primary reason as for the other—namely, that she did not then -expect to live more than a few months—and that she wished to bequeathe -some “presentment” of herself to those who might care for it. Mr. -Roberts is probably not aware to this day that she was often almost -fainting when she left his studio after a prolonged “sitting.” He has -never seen her since she recovered her health and good spirits: if he -had, it is probable he would wish to make another sketch of her.</p> - -<p>We may add that Miss Corelli still declines to allow a portrait of -herself to be published—a decision which we regret. For many are the -“surprises” that have been given to those expectant of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_316" id="page_316">{316}</a></span> meeting in the -novelist a severe literary woman with spectacles and a bilious -complexion. It may be truly said that Marie Corelli is very -light-hearted, always high-spirited, and full of fun; people who -represent her as morbid, brooding on her own “sorrows,” or grumbling at -the world in general, have never seen her, and can form no idea of her -disposition.</p> - -<p>She is really a most charming lady, a most hospitable hostess, a -delightful <i>raconteur</i>, a brilliant musician, a woman of broad views and -large sympathies, a true and staunch friend, always glad to do a kindly -action.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>After the record-breaking success of “The Master Christian” and the -world-wide discussions following the publication of that famous book, -the editor of a magazine addressed the following communication to Miss -Marie Corelli:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="indd"> -“<span class="smcap">Dear Madam</span>,—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I venture to ask whether you would kindly undertake for us a -review of Mr. Hall Caine’s new book, ‘The Eternal City’?</p> - -<p>“Your own novel on a somewhat similar theme leads us to believe -that a criticism of Mr. Caine’s book from your pen would be of -great interest and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_317" id="page_317">{317}</a></span> of singular literary value. I suggest that it -might run to three or four thousand words, for which we would be -ready to pay an <i>honorarium</i> of fifty guineas.”</p></div> - -<p>Vastly entertained by this proposition, and seeing very clearly through -the evident “hole in a millstone,” the novelist replied promptly:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="indd"> -“<span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I cannot but admire the astute and businesslike character of your -request; but I do not write ‘reviews.’ Nothing would ever persuade -me to criticise the work of my contemporaries. Moreover, my book, -‘The Master Christian,’ is not at all on the same theme as ‘The -Eternal City.’ Mr. Hall Caine treats of Rome,—I, of the Christ. -The two are direct opposites.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>The Eternal City’ is recognizably inspired by and founded on -Zola’s ‘Rome,’ in which great work the ‘religious message’ of Mr. -Caine’s novel is fully set forth. The idea of a democratic Rome -under a democratic Pope is Zola’s ‘own original’ and belongs to -Zola alone. Wherefore, let me suggest that you should ask M. Zola -to review the work of his English <i>confrère</i>!”</p></div> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>When Sir Henry Drummond Wolff made Miss<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_318" id="page_318">{318}</a></span> Corelli’s acquaintance he was -rather struck by the somewhat lonely and incessantly hard-working life -of the young novelist at the time of “Ardath"‘s publication. Her beloved -stepfather was dying by inches—failing gradually every day, and her -hours were consumed by anxiety, work, and watching. He asked her if he -could introduce her to any one in London she would like to know. After a -few moments’ reflection, of all people in the world she chose Henry -Labouchere! “I don’t want anything from him,” she said; “I’m not after a -notice in <i>Truth</i>. I want to know <i>him</i>, because I’m sure he is unlike -anybody else.”</p> - -<p>The introduction was given, and the result of it was that she became -very intimate with the editor of <i>Truth</i>, with Mrs. Labouchere, and with -Miss Dora Labouchere. They were among those good friends who, with Miss -Vyver, helped to rouse her from the shock and nervous prostration -following on the sudden death of her stepbrother, George Eric Mackay. -Mr. Labouchere has never been known to try the satiric edge of his -tongue against his “little friend,” as he calls her; and she is always a -most welcome visitor to his house in Old Palace Yard.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>Quite lately there has been a singular journalistic incident which must -be considered as particularly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_319" id="page_319">{319}</a></span> unfortunate, having regard to some of -Miss Marie Corelli’s previous experiences of newspapers. A “private and -confidential” letter, written by her to the editor of a ladies’ paper, -was published by that editor in his journal with the appendage of a very -discourteous reply. The incident arose out of the Highland gathering at -Braemar, at which place Miss Corelli had been staying for some weeks. -This gathering, which was honored by the presence of his Majesty, was -attended by Miss Corelli and a party of friends. Miss Corelli, as her -thousands of readers have no need to be told, did not require, or seek -for, a “mention in the papers” in consequence of her attendance at the -function. Had she done so she could easily have paid for it in the -“fashionable announcements.” She attends many gatherings in connection -with which her name is never mentioned, but she does not write -complaints—confidential or otherwise—on that score. Some people like -to suggest that Marie Corelli, whose circle of distinguished personal -friends is remarkably large, is more or less friendless and without -social surroundings, a suggestion that, pitiful as it is, is somewhat -amusing to those who are favored with her close acquaintance.</p> - -<p>On the occasion in question Miss Corelli wrote a note marked “private -and confidential,” asking the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_320" id="page_320">{320}</a></span> editor of the ladies’ paper not “why her -name was not mentioned,” but “why it was omitted”—a distinction with a -difference in this case—for she happened to be the hostess of a party -whose names were included in the newspaper notice, and who were -surprised and indignant at the fact that, whilst their names were -mentioned, that of their notable hostess was left out. It was at the -suggestion of one of these that Miss Corelli wrote the “private and -confidential” letter which the editor, without consulting her, rushed -into print. The result of her harmless inquiry is well-known. The -publication of the communication brought a shoal of letters to the -famous author from men and women of “light and leading,” assuring her of -their sympathy in this outrage. Amongst the writers of these letters -were several very distinguished journalists, a fact which lends emphasis -to Miss Corelli’s knowledge that, notwithstanding her tilts with the -Press, the bulk of the journalists of the country do honor to their -profession and totally disapprove of such an act as the publication of a -“private and confidential” communication. We hear that printed slips -containing her letter to the editor in question, and the latter’s reply, -were sent by some one for circulation through the town of -Stratford-on-Avon. Such a proceeding, whoever</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_009" style="width: 408px;"> -<a href="images/i_320fp.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_320fp.jpg" width="408" height="600" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">Winter at “Mason Croft"</span></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_321" id="page_321">{321}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">was responsible, could have been followed with only the one object of -endeavoring to make Miss Corelli appear in an unfavorable light before -the neighbors and friends among whom she resides.</p> - -<p>It is pleasant to learn that this precious campaign entirely failed. The -editor of the local journal, the <i>Stratford-on-Avon Herald</i>, duly -received his slips of this correspondence, the hope probably being that -he would reproduce them in his journal. He however took no notice of -these “hand-bills”; and the good citizens of Shakespeare’s town -generally are far too conscious of Miss Corelli’s affection for them and -unfailing sympathy in all their interests, to feel anything but -unmeasured contempt for any effort to injure her in their esteem. People -hastened to call at Mason Croft and express their indignation at the -treatment she had received, and they found her, as usual, busily -working, happy and unconcerned. To one friend, an M.P., who expressed -his views on the subject with considerable expletive, she said quietly, -“Oh, well, it really doesn’t matter! The editor has condemned himself by -his own action. My letter, asking merely why my name was omitted, was -quite a harmless epistle, surely? It scarcely merits an imprisonment in -the Tower!”</p> - -<p><i>The Daily Express</i> acted somewhat curiously on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_322" id="page_322">{322}</a></span> this occasion. Having -copied the whole of the “private correspondence,” it was suggested that -this paper might possibly be laying itself open to penalties of the law -for “breach of copyright.” Whereupon haste was made to send the -following telegram to Miss Corelli: “Have asked our correspondent to -call upon you. We will print with pleasure any statement. Sorry our -article did not please you. Would like to make amends.—<i>Daily Express.</i></p> - -<p>The desire, however, to “make amends” does not appear to have been very -hearty, because soon afterwards a second article on the subject appeared -in <i>The Daily Express</i>, stating that there was “no law to prevent the -publication of a private and confidential letter,” unless it bore a -legal “confidential stamp.” And at the same time Mr. Pearson wrote to -Miss Corelli to say that he thought the editor who had published her -“private and confidential” note was “perfectly justified” in his action! -But there can be no possible justification for publishing a letter of -confidence. Business would be impossible under such circumstances. The -mistake Miss Corelli has made in the past has been to condemn the Press -and pressmen for the shortcomings of individuals who represent only -themselves and not a profession. She has been<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_323" id="page_323">{323}</a></span> misunderstood on the -matter, but her hearty good-will to journalists is well-known to many of -the craft who are proud to be within the pleasant circle of her intimate -friends.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>A section of the Press finds pleasure in accusing Miss Corelli of -“self-advertisement.” If it were at all true that she has any -proclivities that way, she would surely accept the frequent and urgent -offers made to her to lecture in the United States, on almost fabulous -terms.</p> - -<p>Again, a chance for “self-advertisement” offered itself to Miss Corelli -in the invitation of Edinburgh, last year, to open the Home Industries -Exhibition, in Waverley Market. People hoped for her coming, and urgent -letters were sent to her assuring her that she would receive a splendid -welcome. Miss Corelli, however, declined the tempting proposal, which, -if the “advertising” accusations were in any way well-founded, seems a -short-sighted waste of opportunity on her part. As a matter of fact, she -seldom takes the chances of notoriety that are so frequently offered to -her; but it would be easy to name a dozen or more periodicals which are -glad to make advertisements for themselves out of some specially -contrived attack upon her. The public, however, sees through this, and, -understand<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_324" id="page_324">{324}</a></span>ing the motives of action, are all the more loyal to Marie -Corelli and her work. Britishers are famed for their love of “fair -play,” and the spectacle of several able-bodied men engaged in steadily -“hounding” a woman who has made her way without their assistance by the -fuel of her own brain and energy, does not appeal to the majority. They -see no fun in it, but only an exhibition of cowardice.</p> - -<p>While on this subject, it may be mentioned that as soon as certain -sections of the Press discovered that Marie Corelli was among the -favored few who had received an invitation from the King to be present -in the Abbey at the Coronation on August 9th, she was bombarded with -letters and telegrams from several newspapers entreating her to write -for them her “impressions” of the great ceremony. To all these -applications she gave no answer. Her silence on such an occasion rather -discounts her supposed “love of notoriety”! Truth to tell, her presence -at the Abbey, as a guest of the King, created in some quarters quite a -riot of fury.</p> - -<p>“We hear,” said one paper, “that Miss Marie Corelli was among the King’s -guests in the Abbey! Marvelous! No doubt she wore a gown as gorgeous as -her love of self-advertisement could make it!” Poor Miss Corelli! In the -very simplest attire<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_325" id="page_325">{325}</a></span> of white chiffon and lace, she was one of the most -unobtrusively dressed ladies present, as she wore no jewels, and had -nothing indeed about her costume that could attract the slightest -attention, though she was the “observed of all observers” at the -luncheon held in the House of Peers after the Abbey ceremonial, not for -her dress, but for her fame.</p> - -<p>Another incident may be aptly quoted here. When the King was attacked by -his serious illness, the enterprising manager of a newspaper press -agency made haste to write to Miss Corelli saying that it was necessary -to “prepare for the worst,” and would she therefore write her -“impressions” of the King,—which meant, of course, an obituary notice! -To which the novelist replied with considerable warmth that she had too -much immediate concern for the dangerous condition of her Sovereign, as -well as too much honor for him, to “make trade” for the newspapers by -writing “obituary notices” of his life before he was dead! By the grace -of God, she said, he would be spared to the Throne for many good and -happy years to come. Such is the real spirit of the woman whom her more -than malicious enemies accuse of “disloyalty” and “desire for -advertisement.” It is a satisfaction to give a few truths of her real -disposition as opposed to the unfounded falsehoods that are circu<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_326" id="page_326">{326}</a></span>lated -about her. As a single example of her womanliness and womanly -sympathies, it may be mentioned that no one has yet written a tenderer -tribute to the virtues of the Queen than Marie Corelli in “The Soul of -Queen Alexandra,” published last year in her “Christmas Greeting.”</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>Two letters which were addressed to Miss Corelli by eminent preachers -who have since passed away are of interest. In explanation of their -inclusion it should be mentioned that Dr. Campbell, the successor of Dr. -Parker at the City Temple, was exceedingly anxious to persuade Miss -Corelli to open a great Nonconformist bazaar in the Dome during the -early part of last November. She would have been perfectly willing to do -so had there not been a great agitation just then in the press -concerning the Education Bill, for she judged that had she performed any -special ceremony in any prominent way for the Nonconformist cause, she -would again have been singled out for unfair attack.</p> - -<p>For several days she hesitated, her whole inclination being to help the -charity so urgently and eloquently pleaded for by the Rev. Dr. Campbell. -During this time of indecision, however, she was made the subject of a -violent discourse from the pulpit of a Nonconformist minister in another -part<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_327" id="page_327">{327}</a></span> of the country. This appears to have formulated her final resolve, -for she wrote to Dr. Campbell, regretting her inability to comply with -his request, and enclosing the “sermon” on herself from one of his own -persuasion, concerning which she said that under such circumstances her -opening of the Bazaar might do the cause more harm than good.</p> - -<p>Dr. Campbell, disappointed, but not dismayed, renewed his persuasions -and prevailed upon several of his distinguished personal friends to -write to the novelist and urge her to alter her decision. Among those -who did so were Dr. Joseph Parker and the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, to -both of whom the sermon against the novelist had been sent for perusal. -Dr. Parker wrote to Miss Corelli as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Hampstead</span>,<br /> -<i>October 6th, 1902</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Miss Corelli</span>,—</p> - -<p>I have just received a letter from my friend Campbell, and though I -have to rise from my bed to write this note, I gladly make a very -great sacrifice. I do not know the preacher whose sermon you send. -I never even heard of him. Campbell I do know—refined, cultured, -high-minded. Let me entreat you to serve my true and good friend. -What need you care for such an attack? You do not live on the same -plane as that nameless man. I read your book<a name="FNanchor_D_4" id="FNanchor_D_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_D_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a> with inexpressible -delight; why not pay more attention to my praise than to another<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_328" id="page_328">{328}</a></span> -man’s slander? Now do send me a wire or a card or a letter, and say -that you will open the Bazaar at Brighton.</p> - -<p class="c"> -Very tired,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">Very dispirited,</span><br /> -Ever sincerely and hopefully yours,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 12em;"><span class="smcap">Joseph Parker</span>.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<p>The note from the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes ran thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="c"> -<span class="smcap">Memorial Hall</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Farringdon Street</span>,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">London, E. C.</span><br /> -<i>October 6th, 1902</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Madam</span>,—</p> - -<p>I find that my friend, Mr. R. J. Campbell, of Brighton, has asked -you to open a Bazaar in the Dome. I take the liberty of expressing -a very earnest hope that you will be able to comply with Mr. -Campbell’s request. Mr. Campbell occupies a quite unique position -among us, and any kindness shown to him will be a kindness to us -all.</p> - -<p class="r"><span style="margin-right: 4em;"> -I am, dear Madam,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-right: 2em;">Yours sincerely,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Hugh Price Hughes</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Miss Marie Corelli.</span></p></div> - -<p>Miss Corelli, however, who was just at that time being made the subject -of some particularly venomous attacks concerning her romance, “Temporal -Power,” felt compelled to maintain her refusal, though much to her own -great disinclination and regret—a regret that we share, for we should -like to be able to record that she opened the bazaar after all.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_329" id="page_329">{329}</a></span></p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>The following letter, which deals with a critique on “Temporal Power,” -is most interesting from the point of view that it was written by one -lady-novelist in defense of another; it possesses all the more weight -seeing that Mrs. Rentoul Esler is an entire stranger to Miss Corelli.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="c">THE ETHICS OF CRITICISM</p> - -<p class="c"><i>To the Editor of the “Sunday Sun"</i></p> - -<p>Sir,—When a new book appears there are only two points on which -the reading public requires enlightenment. These are the subject of -the book and the manner in which that subject is handled. All else -is apart from the best interests of literature, and the literary -life. When a book from Miss Marie Corelli is issued it seems the -fashion in press circles to discourse largely and loosely of the -writer and to say little or nothing of her work.</p> - -<p>The abuse poured on this lady seems to do the sale of her books no -harm—it may even increase it—and the supposition is -suggestive—but as books and the making of them have an interest -apart from the commercial one, it seems time that a protest be made -against the unworthy treatment to which one individual is -habitually subjected. I have no personal acquaintance with Miss -Corelli, and her books give me no more pleasure and no less than do -those of Mr. George Meredith, whom your critic seems to place in -antithesis to her, this also being the fashion of the moment; it is -not in defense of a favorite writer that I wish to express an -opinion, but in defense of those qualities that render criticism an -honorable calling.</p> - -<p>The heading of the critique in your issue of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_330" id="page_330">{330}</a></span> August 31st, and the -introductory section, were alike unworthy of a literary paper and -of the pen of a gentleman. The charges of self-advertisement are -insulting and untrue. There are few writers who owe as little to -the paragraphist as Miss Corelli, while the flouts and jibes flung -at her because her books sell extensively are merely stupid. The -size of an edition of any book depends on the publisher’s knowledge -of the demand that awaits it. It might be better, in the interests -of literature, to keep commerce and literary merit in separate -compartments, but as long as such critical organs as <i>The Bookman</i> -make a regular feature of tables of sales from Provincial and -Metropolitan book-sellers, it is neither logical nor brave to pour -vials of scorn on one writer because her publisher announces that -the first edition of her book will be large.</p> - -<p>The subject of Miss Corelli’s book seems a legitimate one; “If I -were King” has appealed to the moralist, the fictionist, and the -dramatist time out of mind. When a biography of this popular writer -is called for, the critic may then be personal and impertinent if -it seem good to him, but in connection with the discussion of a -book personalities regarding its author are unfair and in the worst -possible taste.</p> - -<p>As an interested reader of the critical opinions in the <i>Sunday -Sun</i> since the first issue of that paper, I consider myself -entitled to protest when a journal of such eminence descends to -methods that are neither amusing, informative, nor well-bred. Even -a popular writer is entitled to fair treatment, and it is of the -utmost importance to every branch of literature that those who -undertake to form public opinion should remember that the rostrum -has obligations as well as privileges.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">E. Rentoul Esler.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">the Heath, Dartford.</span></p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_331" id="page_331">{331}</a></span></p> - -<p>Mrs. Rentoul Esler is herself a writer of distinction and power, and is -thus able to express herself with the vigor and lucidity which carry -conviction. Her letter is a clear call for that “Fair Play” which Marie -Corelli has been demanding for so long.</p> - -<p class="castr">* * * * * *</p> - -<p>That the novelist is well able to retort upon unfriendly critics is -shown by a few verses addressed by her to <i>The Quarterly</i> in her -“Christmas Greeting” (1901). A lacerating article concerning Miss -Corelli and her work had appeared in <i>The Quarterly</i>, and it drew from -her the following little epigram:—</p> - -<p class="c"> -TO THE QUARTERLY<br /> -<br /> -WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON<br /> -</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Greeting, old friend! A merry Christmas time<br /></span> -<span class="i2">To you, who nothing merry ever see;—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Great Murderer of poets in their prime,—<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Why have you struck at <i>me</i>?<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">With vengeful hooks of sharpened critic-steel<br /></span> -<span class="i2">You tortured giants in the days gone by,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And now upon your creaking, rusty wheel,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">You’d break a Butterfly!<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Alas! you’re far too cumbrous for such things!<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Your heavy, clanking axle drags i’ the chase;—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The happy Insect has the use of wings,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And keeps its Sunshine-place!<br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_332" id="page_332">{332}</a></span></div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII<br /><br /> -<small>AT STRATFORD-ON-AVON</small></h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">A review</span> of Marie Corelli’s life from the time she left her -convent-school to the present day, shapes as a record of intellectual -activity rather than one of movement or incident of an anecdotal nature. -But although the novelist has never actually gone out of her way to -study local color, she has traveled all over Europe; as, during her -stepfather’s long illness and the constant strain of anxiety entailed -upon her by his condition, it was necessary for her to take at least one -month’s rest and change of air in the course of each year. These annual -holidays were spent in various parts of Europe—in France, Italy, -Holland, Switzerland, and Germany—and during her travels she was never -idle, but always at work recording notes of scenes, seasons, and events. -The <i>locale</i> of Combmartin was carefully studied by her before she ever -wrote “The Mighty Atom”; and, as the many tourists who have visited the -neighborhood since on account of the story can testify, both that -village<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_333" id="page_333">{333}</a></span> and Clovelly have been faithfully represented. But some of the -scenery in her other books, though correct in detail, has never been -visited by the novelist at all. “Thelma,” which is a frequent -companion-volume to travelers in Norway, has certain scenes depicted -which are now shown by local guides as associated with the novel, but -the writer herself has never visited Norway.</p> - -<p>It may be remembered that in “Anne of Geirstein” Walter Scott gives an -exact description of Switzerland; but at the time he wrote the novel he -had never seen that country. We have already told how Sir Henry Drummond -Wolff, a great authority on Persia, called on Miss Corelli shortly after -the publication of “Ardath” to inquire personally where she had resided -in the East, to be so familiar with Eastern color and surroundings; and -he was very much surprised to learn that she had never visited the East -at all, nor had any idea of going there. In the same way, though -“Vendetta!” is an essentially Neapolitan story, she has never seen -Naples. Nor does she “read up” for her local color. When asked to -explain how she manages to convey herself in spirit to countries with -which she is entirely unacquainted, she replies: “I <i>imagine</i> it must be -so, and I find it generally <i>is</i> so.” As she stated<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_334" id="page_334">{334}</a></span> in her lecture at -Edinburgh on “The Vanishing Gift,” she thinks Imagination is a decaying -faculty in the present day. “People seem unable to project themselves -into either the past or the future,” she says, “and yet that is the only -way to gauge the events of the present.”</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli is a fair linguist, having a thorough knowledge of French -and Italian. She can read Balzac and Dante as readily as she can read -Walter Scott—these three, by the way, being particular favorites of -hers.</p> - -<p>Marlowe describes a library as containing “infinite riches in a little -room.” Though no millionaire in her possession of this kind of wealth, -Marie Corelli has gathered about her a set of volumes which is -representative without being cumbersome. Her books are not stored in a -stately room that is held sacred to them and them alone, but they are -here, there, and everywhere, in drawing-room, working-den, and bedroom. -She is not a bookish woman—in the reading sense—but she reads -discreetly, and has many widely different friends between covers. Nor is -she a miser in this respect, for she gives and lends as readily as she -buys or borrows.</p> - -<p>Many of those interested in the novelist’s movements have wondered what -attraction drew Miss<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_335" id="page_335">{335}</a></span> Marie Corelli to Stratford-on-Avon so greatly as -to persuade her to settle there. The cause is a very simple one. From -her earliest childhood she had been encouraged by her adopted father, -Dr. Charles Mackay, to entertain a great adoration for the name and the -works of Shakespeare, and before she was nine years old she used to -recite, at his request, whole passages from the plays of the great -Master. When she returned from school, he promised to take her for a -“pilgrimage,” as he termed it, to all the places made notable by -Shakespeare’s association with them, and to this pilgrimage she had -looked forward with the greatest expectation. But it was never to be, -for Dr. Mackay’s illness came on and prevented all such plans of -pleasure from being fulfilled.</p> - -<p>When the aged poet died, and his adopted child, broken-hearted at his -loss, and feeling herself utterly alone in the world, knew not how to -endure the weary days following immediately on his death, she suddenly -bethought herself of the “pilgrimage” she and the dear one she had loved -so well had arranged to make together. She determined to carry out the -plan, and her friend Miss Vyver (who lost her mother in the same year as -that of Dr. Mackay’s death) accompanied her, as did her stepbrother, Mr. -Eric Mackay. With sorrow as well as interest,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_336" id="page_336">{336}</a></span> she went over every scene -her early teaching had made her familiar with, and was so charmed with -Warwickshire, and Stratford in particular, that she was anxious to leave -London then at once, and take up her residence in Shakespeare’s town. -This was in 1890, when only four of her books had been published.</p> - -<p>Her wishes in this respect, however, she subordinated to those of her -stepbrother, who preferred London; but from that time she always -cherished the memory of Stratford-on-Avon, and hoped she would be able -to return thither. Finally, in 1898, when Eric Mackay’s death deprived -her of her last remaining link with her childhood, save her -ever-faithful friend Miss Vyver, and when she was extremely ill from the -effects of long sickness, followed by the nervous shock of Eric’s sudden -end, she turned her thoughts to the old town again, and decided to take -a furnished house there, to see if the place agreed with her health. She -rented “Hall’s Croft” for a few months, then “Avon Croft” (where the -“Master-Christian” and “Boy” were finished), and, finding that the soft, -mild air did wonders for her, and gradually reestablished her strength, -she decided to remain.</p> - -<p>The only house available in the town for a permanency was “Mason Croft,” -a very old place</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_010" style="width: 383px;"> -<a href="images/i_336fp.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_336fp.jpg" width="383" height="600" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">The Elizabethan Watch Tower, Mason Croft</span></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_337" id="page_337">{337}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">in a sad state of disrepair, its last “restoration” bearing the date of -1745, but, as it was all there was to be had, she risked taking it on -trial. Gradually improving and restoring it, she has now brought it back -to look something like it must have been in the fifteenth century, when -it was quite an important house, requiring a “watch-tower,” wherein a -watchman was set to guard the property, and which still stands in the -garden, having been transformed into a cozy summer “study” for the -novelist. Every month sees some new addition to the charming -oak-panelled rooms, which are essentially home-like, and Miss Corelli’s -love of flowers, which amounts to a passion, shows itself in the mass of -blossom which in winter, equally as in the summer, adorns her -“winter-garden,” leading out from the drawing-room.</p> - -<p>She is very fond of the home she has made, and fond of the town in which -it stands, and her reason for living in Stratford arises simply out of -the old cherished sentiment of her childhood’s days when she was taught -to consider the little town as the real “Heart of England,” where the -greatest of poets had birth, and where her idolized stepfather had -promised to “pass many happy days with her.” She takes the keenest -interest in all the joys and sorrows of Stratford’s townspeople, and -grudges<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_338" id="page_338">{338}</a></span> neither trouble nor expense in anything that may bring them -pleasure or good.</p> - -<p>It is well-known that she thinks it regrettable that the Memorial -Theatre should be so little used, owing to the high fees asked for it, -and that good actors should find it impossible to risk going down to -perform there, unless their expenses are guaranteed, particularly as it -is the only “self-endowed” theatre in England! She possesses an -interesting letter from the late Charles Flower, who gave the largest -share of the money required to build the place, in which it is plainly -set forth that his idea of the theatre was to let it at a merely -“nominal fee,” in order that the best actors might go to Stratford and -play Shakespeare’s works, in the best manner, to the Stratford -townspeople, who were only to be asked “popular” prices for admission. -But, since that estimable benefactor’s death, things have not been -exactly on the footing he thus suggested, and for more than half the -year the theatre is empty and useless, which seems a pity. “How much -better,” says Miss Corelli, “it would be to see the theatre full, and -the public-houses empty!” In which most people will agree with her. But -though her opinions are very strong on these and other points concerning -some matters at Stratford, she never interferes or puts forward any -suggestions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_339" id="page_339">{339}</a></span> that she considers might be resented. The only time she did -put her foot down was when Sir Theodore Martin wanted to break into the -antique sanctity of Shakespeare’s resting-place in the Church of the -Holy Trinity, and in that campaign all the world was with her, as well -as Stratford itself. She does all the good she can in the neighborhood; -she has quite revivified the Choral Society; she gives short, simple -addresses to workmen and schoolchildren; she opens bazaars and sales of -work, and by her presence at such functions brings much-needed pecuniary -help to institutions which always feel, to a greater or less extent, the -pinch of poverty.</p> - -<p>The desire to do good to one’s fellow-creatures must animate every -writer whose work is not solely the product of intellect. When there is -“heart” in a book, there must be a heart that can throb for others in -the author of it. Pass the lives of eminent authors before you in rapid -mental review, and you will find that most of these authors were -constantly performing kindly actions. The great souls of Dickens and -Thackeray—of the latter especially—prompted them to do many generous -things. It is said that when, as an editor, Thackeray found a letter -with a manuscript telling a tale of pathetic circumstances, he would -sometimes (when obliged to return the manuscript) scribble<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_340" id="page_340">{340}</a></span> out a check -on his own account and send it back with the rejected story. Turning to -women writers, has not Mrs. Gaskell, in her touching life of Charlotte -Brontë, told us how she and the poor Yorkshire clergyman’s daughter paid -sundry afternoon calls in the Haworth district, and how welcome was the -novelist’s “quiet presence” in many humble homes? Ruskin’s kindness and -open-handed charity, as one who visited him has told us, were proverbial -in the Brantwood neighborhood. The history of Dr. Johnson’s home life -proves amply the tenderness which lay behind his pompous and dictatorial -manner. Poor Goldsmith’s generosity amounted almost to a vice, for he -would borrow a guinea to give to a friend in need and empty his pockets -for a whining mendicant. His philanthropy was wholesale, and quite -lacked any sense of proportion. Scott worked himself to death to pay off -the debts of the publishing firm in which he was concerned;—turn where -you will, you find that the men and women whose work in life has been -the making of songs and dramas and novels, have ever been keenly alive -to the distress prevalent among their fellow-creatures, and have seldom -been guilty of anything approaching selfishness.</p> - -<p>It would not be meet in the present work to touch in any but the most -passing way on Miss Corell<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_341" id="page_341">{341}</a></span>i’s practical philanthropy. But it is only -due to her, in a biographical work published mainly to explain what she -<i>is</i>—as opposed to what so many malicious paragraphists have declared -her to be—to pay a tribute to her consideration for others, and her -desire to make the best use of such worldly possessions as the extensive -sale of her works has naturally brought her.</p> - -<p>Those, however, who accuse her of “self-advertisement” will do well to -remember that by such an absolutely false clamor they are depriving many -in need from assistance which they might obtain were the novelist -certain that her actions would not be misrepresented and misconstrued. -For nothing makes her happier than to see others happy. She has helped -many strugglers in the literary profession, too, and literary men and -women who disparage her may be surprised to hear that she has herself -never been known to say an injurious word with regard to any one of her -fellow-authors.</p> - -<p>It may be asked—what is Marie Corelli’s life-programme? Most writers -have a definite object in view—this one to achieve immortality; that -one to make money. What is Marie Corelli’s?</p> - -<p>Briefly, she writes,—has always written,—to reach the hearts and minds -of those thinking people of to-day who are striving to combat the -sub<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_342" id="page_342">{342}</a></span>tleties of the Agnostic and Atheist; to strengthen their faith in -the truth, the reality, the goodness of God and Christianity; the people -who have hearts that throb with tenderness, hope, love and sincerity. -She would purify society. She would exalt everything that is noble and -good. She would destroy the rule of unbelief and insincerity, and raise -in its place ideal characters and conditions strongly built upon a -foundation of faith and truth. Such is Marie Corelli’s programme.</p> - -<p>The interest taken by the novelist in social questions has led her to -correspond with workingmen’s clubs in America and the colonies, and not -a few papers have been written by her to serve as subjects for -discussion in such institutions.</p> - -<p>But what of that self of which so much has been heard? It is a -personality striking in its simplicity and in its power. Marie Corelli -is a woman of women, simple in her tastes, strong in her faiths and her -aims, with a heart full of sympathy for others, living a busy life that -from its productiveness in the world of literature is a constant -influence for good in the hearts and homes of thousands the world over, -and, in its private relationships, a source of help, inspiration, and -benefit to those with whom she comes in contact.</p> - -<p>That she is not merely a lover of Shakespeare,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_343" id="page_343">{343}</a></span> but a Shakespeare -enthusiast, is known to all her friends; she would see the day come, if -possible, and help to speed its coming, when the whole town of -Stratford-on-Avon shall be a Shakespeare memorial. She would exclude -steam-launches and all similar misplaced modernities from the peaceful -Avon; she would have every new building that is erected in the -birthplace of Shakespeare constructed in accordance with the -architecture of the Master’s day; she would sacredly and lovingly guard -every old building and the form of all Stratford’s old streets; she -would have the storehouse, that exists there, of never explored -sixteenth-century records, thoroughly ransacked and reported upon, as it -should be, by competent and national authorities, and given an adequate -place and publicity. We should hear little more then, we venture to -assert, of Baconian theories. Miss Corelli would have, moreover (and -perhaps the statement may help to further the object), a great -development of the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford. She would like it -to be the Bayreuth of Literature. She would establish a central -Shakespearean Society, with branches all over the world, which would -circulate notes of interest among all Shakespeare lovers, and hold -annual conferences in connection with the April Shakespearean -celebrations.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_344" id="page_344">{344}</a></span></p> - -<p>Now, as to Marie Corelli’s “public.” The great sale of her works proves -it to be a vast one, and the fact that her publishers have not found it -advisable to issue her in sixpenny form is clear proof that she commands -the purses of those who are able to afford six shillings. And although -the possession of money is no guarantee of literary taste, yet it stands -to reason that the upper and middle classes, taken in the mass, are the -chief supporters of literature, and afford the best criterion of worth -in their selection of books owing to the fact that their education is -superior to that of people who are commonly designated as “poor.” But -for the latter there are the free libraries, and the Corelli novels are -in as constant demand wherever books are to be obtained for nothing, as -at railway bookstalls, where there is not a halfpenny abatement of the -full published price. Miss Corelli, then, being read by people of all -classes, may certainly be said to have won over a considerable majority -of the bookreading portion of the British race.</p> - -<p>And it must not be forgotten that she is perhaps the most extensively -read of living novelists in Holland, Russia, Germany and Austria, where -translations of her books are always to be obtained, or that her -“Barabbas” and “A Romance of Two Worlds,” in their Hindustani -renderings, com<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_345" id="page_345">{345}</a></span>mand a wide following among the native peoples of India. -She is extremely popular in Norway and Sweden, and “Vendetta!” in its -Italian translation is always the vogue in Italy, as is the French -version of “Absinthe” (“Wormwood”) in France. There is no country where -her name is unknown, and no European city, where, if she chances to pass -through, she is not besieged with visitors and waylaid with offerings of -flowers. Were she to visit Australia or New Zealand she would receive an -almost “royal” welcome, so great is the enthusiasm in the “New World” -for anything that comes from her pen.</p> - -<p>Marie Corelli’s acquaintances are many in number, but her circle of -friends is a small and carefully selected one. Shakespeare’s “He that is -thy friend indeed” can be applied, even in the case of a popular -novelist, to but few persons. Where Miss Corelli is, there always is her -devoted friend Miss Vyver. Between these two there is perfect -understanding and absolute sympathy. It goes without saying that, until -the day of his death, Dr. Mackay held chief place in his adopted -daughter’s heart, and, though dead, holds it still. The kind old -publisher, George Bentley, was, perhaps, owing to his unceasing sympathy -and delicate appreciation of her nature, the best friend Marie Corelli -ever had outside her own family circle.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_346" id="page_346">{346}</a></span></p> - -<p>But many of the social and artistic world’s great personages are among -her most frequent guests and correspondents. The numerous letters she -has from famous men and women would almost make a journal of -contemporary history. Many eminent persons appear to set considerable -value on her opinions, judging from the questions they ask of her, and -the urgency with which they press for an answer.</p> - -<p>During the South African War, representatives of all ranks at the front -kept her informed of all that was going on, batches of letters reaching -her from “fighting men” who were personally utter strangers to her, and -whose names she had never heard. The gallant Lord Dundonald, who has -long been a friend of hers, found time to write her one of the first -letters that left his pen after he entered Ladysmith. And this kind of -general confidence in her friendship runs all along the line. No one who -has known her once seems inclined to forget her, while those who have -really read her books become her friends without any personal knowledge -of her.</p> - -<p>At Stratford this celebrated novelist lives a very quiet life. Of course -she cannot escape the attentions of the curious, for Fame has its -penalties; the Stratford cabmen, taking visitors round the old town, -often pull up opposite Mason Croft to allow</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ill_011" style="width: 396px;"> -<a href="images/i_346fp.jpg"> -<img src="images/i_346fp.jpg" width="396" height="600" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">Miss Corelli’s Boatman and Punt</span></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_347" id="page_347">{347}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">their fares to gaze upon the residence of the popular writer. Sometimes -her admirers, although absolute strangers, venture to call upon her; but -there is an astute and diplomatic butler at Mason Croft who takes very -good care that his mistress is not unnecessarily disturbed when she is -working.</p> - -<p>It is this resolute working of hers that—coupled with her extraordinary -gifts—has made the name of Marie Corelli one to conjure with. Week in, -week out, she toils at her desk for several hours every morning, and it -is by such methods of regularity and application that she has succeeded -in writing such long, as well as such successful, novels.</p> - -<p>The following sketch, contributed to the <i>Manchester Chronicle</i> last -summer by the editor, Mr. J. Cuming Walters, affords a very complete -picture of Marie Corelli as she is to-day:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>In the old-world town of Stratford-on-Avon stands an Elizabethan -red-brick house, its windowsills brightened with flowers which hang -down in profusion and impart gaiety of aspect to the ancient and -time-worn edifice. Here, near the Guild Church and the school that -Shakespeare knew, in the quietest part of the town, dwells, with -her loyal companion and friend, Miss Marie Corelli.</p> - -<p>What manner of woman is this most popular novelist of the hour, who -has the reading world at her feet, and who has conquered the hearts -of millions? Until lately she was thought to be a mystery. One has -only to know her to marvel<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_348" id="page_348">{348}</a></span> why. For Marie Corelli does not shroud -herself in obscurity, does not affect the life of the recluse, does -not pretend to be other than she is—a winsome, warm-hearted, -sunny-natured woman, who enjoys life to the full, and would have -others enjoy theirs, who has ideals and tries to live up to them, -and who asks only to be freed from vulgar intrusion and the -slanderous shafts of unseen enemies. In her delightful Stratford -home she lives in a serene atmosphere; she regards the spot as -hallowed; she has the artist’s love of the beautiful Warwickshire -scenery, and the woman’s tenderness for all around her; the -cottagers know her charity, and all good causes enjoy her aid and -patronage. Here she dwells in a happy environment, and works with -ardor, for her day’s labor begins at sunrise; yet she has always a -spare hour for a friend, or a spare afternoon in which to act the -gracious hostess towards visitors.</p> - -<p>What first strikes one on meeting Miss Corelli is her intensely -sympathetic nature. She will be found in all probability amid her -choice flowers in the spacious Winter Garden, and her face -irradiates as she advances to meet you with outstretched hands and -smiling lips. A small creature, with a mass of waving golden -hair—“pale gold such as the Tuscan’s early art prefers”—with -dimpled cheeks and expressive eyes, almost childlike at first -glance but with immense reserves of energy—that is Marie Corelli; -but her chief charm is perhaps the liquid softness of her voice. -She began life as a singer and musician, and as one hears her speak -it is easy to understand that had she not been a force in -literature she might have been a controlling influence in the world -of song. In the hall her harp still stands, but more often her -fingers stray over the notes of a piano, perchance making the -instrument give forth a melody of her own composing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_349" id="page_349">{349}</a></span></p> - -<p>A visitor is soon quite at ease. Formality is dispensed with. The -keynote in Miss Corelli’s house is Sincerity. She is a brilliant -conversationalist, but a good listener too. She talks freely and -without conscious effort, and one’s faith in her is speedily -inspired. What does she talk about? Just enough about herself to -make her auditor wish for more; yet, with a condescension that is -all grace, she is eager to hear all that her visitor has to say on -the subjects nearest his own heart. Particularly does she like the -theme to be the old loved authors, and whatever one has to tell of -Dickens, or Thackeray, or Tennyson—and even if one should have a -theory about Shakespeare—in Miss Corelli he will find not only the -ardent listener but a woman whose quick and well-stored mind -enables her to take up readily a debatable point, to help to -resolve some doubt or mystery, or to add profitably to one’s own -stock of knowledge. No one can converse with her for an hour and -come away unenriched.</p> - -<p>Yes, she not only writes enchantingly, but she herself enchants. In -her presence you are under a spell. “There’s witchcraft in it.” Her -youth and her artlessness disarm you—you are left wondering how -this fair young creature could have fought her way alone in the -world (her life has been a battle), how she could have conquered -opposition, and how she could have attained to her present -supremacy. It may verge upon extravagance to say it, but there is -something to marvel at in the fact that at an age long before that -at which George Eliot had written her first story Miss Corelli had -given us a dozen remarkable and original romances of world-wide -fame, and there is no guessing what achievements yet lie before her -and what position she may gain. Her powers are waxing rather than -waning, and a month or two ago when the last two chapters of -“Temporal Power” were in her hand,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_350" id="page_350">{350}</a></span> we heard her say she hoped that -in this book she had reached a higher stage than in any she had -previously written.</p> - -<p>But it is not only as a writer, as a necromancer with a magic pen, -that one may admire Marie Corelli. She is a very woman, too, with a -woman’s likes and dislikes, a woman’s feelings, a woman’s impulses, -a woman’s preferences and prejudices—and she is quite frank -concerning all. You like her the better for being so purely human. -She is never happier than when arranging a maypole dance for the -children or organizing Christmas festivities for the poor and -helpless. Look round her charming rooms, and behold the evidence of -the feminine hand there. Observe the taste of her dress—dress, by -the way, which, with all its elegance, does not come from France, -is not the “creation” or the “confection” of a Paris costumer, but -is English in every detail. For there is no truer, more loyal, more -patriotic soul than Marie Corelli, and she will tell you, with a -touch of quiet pride, that every servant she has about her is -English, that the cloth she wears is English, that the furniture of -her rooms is English, and that she will endure none but an English -workingman about her house. “England for the English” is her motto, -and she lives up to it herself, and loses no opportunity of trying -to get others to adopt it.</p> - -<p>There are some who imagine that Miss Corelli is nothing if not -caustic and critical, and they imagine that she is always running -atilt against some person or other. Never was a greater delusion. -Her chief fault is that she is too generous and her good nature too -easily imposed upon. She will spend an afternoon in writing her -name for the autograph-hunters; she will gladly address a gathering -at a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon service; she will dis<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_351" id="page_351">{351}</a></span>tribute prizes -to children and make a felicitous speech; she will open a Flower -Show; or she will lecture a huge throng in a public building on -questions of the day. Yet she does these things at some sacrifice, -too, for wondrously calm as she may be at the critical moment of -action, her nerves are sorely shaken both before and afterwards. -She taxes her memory greatly also. It may perhaps scarcely be -credited that the address she delivered at Glasgow, which occupied -an hour and a half, was learned off by heart and spoken without a -slip.</p> - -<p>But it is not our intention to reveal further of her private life; -we know full well it would be displeasing to herself if we did so, -and an unwarrantable breach of confidence. She is no -notoriety-hunter. She does not cultivate the personal paragraph, -and would no more tolerate the prying busybody than she does the -camera-fiend who waylays her in the hope of obtaining snapshots. -Why, she asks, should the veil be lifted merely to satisfy a vulgar -and idle curiosity? Her private life is as sacred as that of any -other person, and it is merely pandering to a depraved modern taste -to lay bare “the poet’s house,” as Browning put it.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Outside should suffice for evidence:<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And whoso desires to penetrate<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Deeper, must dive by the spirit-sense.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>One remark only need be added: Miss Corelli has been the victim of -much misunderstanding in the past, of some injustice, and—alas, -that it should have to be said—of deliberate malevolence. Those -who are privileged to enjoy her friendship best know her admirable -qualities, and entertain none but the kindest sentiments towards -her and the best<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_352" id="page_352">{352}</a></span> wishes for her continued triumphs. Her influence -is vast and far-reaching. She writes with a purpose, she has used -her gifts as she best knows how, and her fiery crusade, stern and -determined as that of John Knox, against social evils and human -follies, must make for lasting good. May this valiant woman, -standing alone, battling for the right, yet add to her conquests!</p></div> - -<p>Here, then, let us leave her, with the parting benediction which fell -from the lips of Mr. Gladstone: “It is a wonderful gift you have, and I -do not think you will abuse it. There is a magnetism in your pen which -will influence many. Take care always to do your best. As a woman, you -are pretty and good; as a writer, be brave and true. God bless you, my -dear child! Be brave! You’ve got a great future before you. Don’t lose -heart on the way!”</p> - -<p class="fint">THE END</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="cb">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> Meaning, what terms for a new edition.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> As this was obvious the remark was unnecessary.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_C_3"><span class="label">[C]</span></a> The former of these works is published by Mr. Arrowsmith, -and the latter by Messrs. Skeffington.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_D_4" id="Footnote_D_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_D_4"><span class="label">[D]</span></a> “Temporal Power.”</p></div> - -</div> -<hr class="full" /> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARIE CORELLI ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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