their
cowardice, am obliged to laud their courage. The instant cause of this is
Mrs. Elinor Glyn's new novel, "His Hour" (Duckworth, 6s.) Everybody who
cares for literature knows, or should know, Mrs. Glyn's fine carelessness
of popular opinion (either here or in the States), and the singleness of
her regard for the art which she practises and which she honours.
Troubling herself about naught but splendour of subject and elevation of
style, she goes on her career indifferent alike to the praise and to the
blame of the mob. (I use the word "mob" in Fielding's sense--as meaning
persons, in no matter what rank of life, capable of "low" feelings.)
Perhaps Mrs. Glyn's latest book is the supreme example of her genius and
of her conscientiousness. In essence it is a short story, handled with a
fullness and a completeness which justify her in calling it a novel. There
are two principal characters, a young half-Cossack Russian prince and an
English widow of good family. The pet name of the former is "Gritzko." The
latter is generally called Tamara. Gritzko is one of those heroic heroes
who can spend their nights in the company of prostitutes, and their days
in the solution of deep military problems. He is very wealthy; he has
every attribute of a hero, including audacity. During their very first
dance together Gritzko kissed Tamara. "They were up in a corner; every
one's back was turned to them happily, for in one second he had bent and
kissed her neck. It was done with such incredible swiftness...." etc. "But
the kiss burnt into Tamara's flesh." ... "'How dare you? How dare you?'
she hissed."

* * * * *

Later, "... 'I hate you!' almost hissed poor Tamara." (Note the realistic
exactitude of that "almost.") "Then his eyes blazed.... He moved nearer to
her, and spoke in a low concentrated voice: 'It is a challenge; good. Now
listen to what I say: In a little short time you shall love me. That
haughty little head shall be here on my breast without a struggle, and I
shall kiss your lips until you cannot breathe.' For the second time in her
life Tamara went dead white...." Then follow scenes revelry, in which
Mrs. Glyn, with a courage as astonishing as her power, exposes all that is
fatuous and vicious in the loftiest regions of Russian fashionable
society. Later, Gritzko did kiss Tamara on the lips, but she objected.
Still later he got the English widow in a lonely hut in a snowstorm, and
this was "