"THE MANTLE OF ELIJAH "
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In your generous review of Mr. Zangwill's " Mantle of Elijah" in the Spectator of November 10th you find two faults. (1) You find fault with Mr. Zangwill for referring to the "Fops' Gallery " instead of to the " Fops' Alley." This is the blunder of an over-clever printer. It was correctly printed in the serial in which the novel first appeared. I take this therefore entirely upon myself. (2) You correct Mr. Zangwill's supposed misquotation of Lord Palmerston in let- ting Lord. Ruston ask " Are you better ? " instead of " How's the old complaint?" May I ask what authority your reviewer has for assuming that Mr. Zangwill was drawing on any historical personage for Lord Ruston ? Another critic has attempted to fit the cap on at least one contemporary politician in the latter part of Mr. Zangwill's novel. In reply, I beg to say that " The Mantle of Elijah " was con- ceived and mainly written before those events happened which could in the least justify such a parallel. It is true
that events appear to have plagiarised the author, or is it possible that prophecy has not died out in Israel P—I am,
Sir, &c., WM. HEINEMANN. 21 Bedford Street, London, W.C.
[We are quite ready to accept Mr. Heinemann's statement, on behalf of Mr. Zangwill, that Lord Ruston was not expressly intended for Lord Palmerston. We may be allowed, however, to point out, in support of our reviewer's assumption, that, apart from the famous question mentioned above, the " bland and genial" Lord Ruston is described as the Whig Foreign Minister in a coalition Cabinet ; also that it is mentioned that " political society was so small that Lady Ruston addressed her cards herself." This, on the authority of Sir Algernon West (Recollections, VoL I., p. 77), was true of Lady Palmerston.—En. Spectator.]
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