Gerald Marlowe's Wife. By J. C. Ayrton. 3 vols. (Tinsley
Brothers.)—We think that a story is best told by the writer, not by one of the characters ; but that there should be two lines of narrative, given by two characters, is a distinctly disagreeable arrangement. Presumably it saves the writer trouble, but it saves it at the expense of art. So much for the form of Mr. Ayrton's novel. Its matter is, on the whole, deserving of much praise. Both Gerald Marlowe and his wife are well-drawn, vigorous characters ; and Florence, though a slighter sketch, is described in a vivid and natural way. The plot, too --or we should more correctly say the story, for it has the smallest possible complication—is attractive. One great defect, indeed, it seems to us to have. To observe Gerald, who marries for family reasons, learning to love his wife, is interesting, but it is difficult to see why he should ever have doubted that she loved him. Of course he has, or is repre- sented as having, reasons for doubting it, but these seem to us of a quite fictitious kind. Why did she accept him ? She was, he knew, of far too sterling a character to care for his rank. What else but love could have been her motive ? These unreasonable misunderstandings, which in real life, supposing that they could occur, half-a-dozen words would blow away, are always very provoking to a reader. Is it really a true experience that men and women can live together and love each other, and yet not know it ? We certainly never saw and can scarcely imagine anything of the kind.
Previous page
