NOVELS.
GRIFFITH COLGROVE'S WIFE.* THE plot of Mr. Gerald FitzStephen's novel is one which is, so to speak, an open secret, and therefore no injustice can be done to the author by giving it in outline. It tells of the marriage of a self-made man of letters, of immense industry, encyclopaedic knowledge and great driving power, to a woman, his superior in social status, who looks forward to a partner- ship on equal terms. The sequel is concerned with the frustration of her hopes by the intense egoism of her husband ; her relegation to the position of a domestic drudge while her husband makes a name for himself in the literary world and under the aegis of a noble patron is admitted to Society ; the conflict between her devotion to her husband and her jealousy of his patron's wife; and the overwhelming remorse by which he is seized on her sudden death. The correspondence of the main features of the story with the facts of one of the most tragical romances of the literary world in the last century is frankly admitted in the publisher's announcement, and, although the names are changed, the chronology post-dated by some thirty years, and a variety of minor modifications and variations introduced, the treatment of details only con- firms the general resemblance, and imposes on the reviewer above all else the task of deciding how far the author has been justified in his choice of subject and his method of handling it.
The story of the hero and heroine is so well known, and has provoked such bitter controversy, that only a bold man would have committed himself to the task of turning it into a noveL Happily, Mr. FitzStephen's boldness is tempered by discre- tion. Taste, and tact, and good feeling are prime essentials in such an undertaking, and here there is no cause for
• Holland of To-day. By George Wharton Edwards. London: Gay and Hancock. [18s. net.]
*Griffith Colgroves WV.. By Gerald FitzStephen. London : Methuen and Co. Os.]
complaint. The inherent difficulties of the situation are indicated at the outset: the egoism and irritability of genius, the consciousness of a mission, the inheritance of a patriarchal view of the family on the one side ; and, on the other, vivacity, a mordant tongue, and a keen sense of humour, coupled with a stoical pride. Colgrove's misinterpretation of Rachel's ebullitions, and his treatment of her brilliant and destructive comments merely as a joke or as an accomplishment, the display of which must be reserved for his exclusive benefit, is very cleverly done. After a while Rachel acquiesces in her sub- ordinate position, and it is only when her husband falls under the spell of his aristocratic patroness that an element of jealousy begins to embitter her loneliness. Colgrove's awaken- ing is complete, but it comes too late, and the epilogue pictures him as overwhelmed by self-reproach, shunning Society, writing no more books—in a word, an extinct volcano.
As a picture of mid-Victorian literary and political society, the book shows attentive and careful study. Many historic personages, some disguised and others under their own names, pass and repass. An interesting feature of the story is the way in which Mr. FitzStephen has related the gospel of his hero to modern political developments, especially in the direction of Imperialism. In doing this he has ingeniously availed himself of the device of altering the chronology of the true story on which he builds, and brings his hero into intimate contact with Disraeli. It may be urged that be has not been altogether fair to his historic original in crediting Colgrove with so abrupt a 'volts face at the dictation of his patroness as the acceptance of the role of henchman to the statesman he had so bitterly denounced. But it is at least arguable that such a change is not altogether irreconcilable with Carlyle's cult of Ca3sarism. The dialogue is carried off with spirit, though the vein of obstreperousness in the central figure is perhaps unduly emphasised. Woreley Fenton and his wife are easily recognisable, but Christopher Lingard is a composite portrait in `which so many elements are combined that identification is difficult.
It would be extremely interesting to know how the novel strikes a reader ignorant of the tragedy on which it is based, as that would afford the truest test of its merit as a story. But, speaking for those who are versed in the literature of the subject, we feel sure that the strongest partisans will be unable to refuse their respect to Mr. FitzStephen for the skill and fairness with which be has held the balance between husband and wife in this thoughtful and suggestive mid-Victorian romance,
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