A Change of Air. Anthony Hope

a collection of Mr. Hawkins' short stories, mostly from the St. James' Gazette.

      In "Half a Hero," published last year, there are several foreshadowings of "The Prisoner of Zenda." In both stories the scene is imaginary, but given realism by characteristics respectively of New Zealand and of Germany; in both intrigues and heroism are conspicuous, though in the latter the author did not adopt the old device of giving his hero some bad qualities to make him human. "Half a Hero" contains much firm, crisp character-drawing, and a strong love interest, but has the slight taint of the "purpose novel," already noted in Father Stafford; in this case, the discussion being politics, especially the "labor" element.

      Anthony Hope inherited refinement through a father in an exalted calling; he used his college advantages to the utmost, and now his interests are in living public affairs, and in his chosen calling as a lawyer, he has good opportunities to study life, and seems already to have well mastered the best elements of Anglo-Saxon character. From his work, he appears to have read widely and with a sympathetic eye for the merits of markedly diverse writers, which he seems to make his own. His style has the terseness and suggestiveness characteristic of Kipling, but without his harshness, and at times he shows a sense of beauty almost worthy of our own Hawthorne, and withal the military dash and snap of Lever. It would be strange if the foundation for the remarkably life-like colonists of "Half a Hero," and the German officers of "The Prisoner of Zenda," had had not been laid by travel and the observation of their more or less remote prototypes.

      "A Change of Air," while containing much of its humor and snap, furnishes a marked contrast to "The Prisoner of Zenda," and is in a more serious vein, having a strong and tragic undercurrent, and not without an element of peril. Confining its occurrences pretty severely to the possible and generally probable, it nevertheless is highly original. Dale Bannister, the wild young poet, who commences by thoroughly scandalizing Market Denborough, is a most picturesque and uncommon character. The effect of his early principles on his later life is deftly indicated. The story moves on steadily, and while it teaches a lesson of moderation and charity, it does so entirely by the acts and thoughts of the characters without any sermonizing on the part of the author. Some good authorities that have seen this book place it even above "The Prisoner of Zenda," which we probably shall see on the stage next year, as the author has a friend busily engaged on its dramatization.

      R. H.

      July, 1894.

      [Pg xii]

       [Pg 1]

      A CHANGE OF AIR.

CHAPTER I.

       Table of Contents

      A Mission to the Heathen.

      When the Great King, that mirror of a majesty whereof modern times have robbed the world, recoiled aghast from the threatened indignity of having to wait, he laid his finger with a true touch on a characteristic incident of the lot of common men, from which it was seemly that the state of God's Vicegerents should be free. It was a small matter, no doubt, a thing of manners merely, and etiquette; yet manners and etiquette are first the shadowed expression of facts and then the survival of them; the reverence once paid to power, and now accorded, in a strange mixture of chivalry and calculation, to mere place whence power has fled. The day of vicegerents is gone, and the day of officers has come; and it is not unknown that officers should have to wait, or even—such is the insolence, no longer of office, but of those who give it—should altogether go without. Yet, although everybody has now to wait, everybody has not to wait the same length of time. For example, a genius needs not wait so long for what he wants as a fool—unless, as chances now and then, he be both a genius and a fool, when probably his waiting will be utterly without end.

      In a small flat in Chelsea, very high toward heaven, there sat one evening in the summer, two young men and a genius; and the younger of the young men, whose name was Arthur Angell, said discontentedly to the genius:

      "The brute only sent me ten and sixpence. What did you get for yours?"

      The genius blushed and murmured apologetically:

      "That agent chap I've sold myself to got twenty pounds for it."

      The second young man, who was not so young, being, in fact, well turned of thirty, and growing bald, took his pipe out of his mouth, and, pointing the stem first at the genius, then at Arthur Angell, and lastly, like a knife, at his own breast, said:

      "Pounds—shillings—and pence. He sent me nothing at all."

      A pause followed, and the genius began:

      "Look here, you fellows——" But Philip Hume went on: "Ten and sixpence is a good sum of money, a comfortable sum of money, and, my dear Arthur, I should say the full value of your poem. As to Dale's poem, who knows the value of Dale's poem? By what rod shall you measure——" He broke off with a laugh at Dale's gesture of protest.

      "I'm making the deuce of a lot of money," said Dale in an awestruck tone. "It's rolling in. I don't know what to do with it."

      "Littlehill will swallow it," said Philip.

      "You don't mean that he sticks to that idea?" exclaimed Arthur. "You don't, do you, Dale?"

      "I do," answered Dale. "I'm not going permanently. I'm not going to forsake our old ways or our old life. I'm not going to turn into a rich man."

      "I hope not, by Jove!" cried Arthur.

      "But I want to see the country—I've not seen it for years. And I want to see country people, and—and——"

      "It'll end in our losing you," prophesied Arthur gloomily.

      "Nonsense!" said Dale, flushing a little. "It'll end in nothing of the sort. I've only taken the house for a year."

      "A gentleman's residence," said Philip; "five sitting rooms, twelve bedrooms, offices, stabling, and three acres of grounds."

      Arthur groaned.

      "It sounds a villa all over," he said.

      "Not at all," said Dale sharply; "it's a country house."

      "Is there any difference?" asked Arthur scornfully.

      "All the difference," said Philip; "as you would know if you moved in anything approaching respectable circles."

      "I'm glad I don't," said Arthur. "What will respectable circles say to 'The Clarion,' eh, Dale?"

      "Who cares what they say?" laughed Dale. "They seem to buy it."

      Arthur looked at him with revengeful eye, and suddenly inquired.

      "What about Nellie?"

      "That's just the delightful part of it," answered Dale eagerly. "Nellie's been seedy ever so long, you know. She was ordered perfect rest and country air. But it didn't run to it."

      "It never ran to anything here," said Philip in a tone of dispassionate acquiescence in facts, "till you became famous."

      "Now I can help!" pursued Dale. "She and Mrs. Hodge are coming to pay me a long visit. Of course, Phil's going to be there permanently. You'll come too, Arthur?"

      At first Arthur Angell said he would not go near a villa; he could not breath in a villa; or sleep quiet o' nights in a villa; but presently he relented.

      "I can't stand it for long, though," he said. "Still, I'm glad you're going to have Nellie there. She'd have missed you awfully. When do you go?"

      "Actually, to-morrow. I'm not used to it yet."

      Arthur shook his head again, as he put on his hat.

      "Well, good-night," said he. "I hope it's all right."

      Dale waited till the door was closed behind his guest, and then laughed good-humoredly.

      "I like old Arthur," he said. "He's so keen and in earnest