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    90 THE LEADER. [Saturday,

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    Itutil Bath. A Novel. By Tho Author Of "...

    natural reluctance on the part of the minister ; but he is over-ruled , and consents to allow the fiction . Here , according to the critic , lies the fundamental error of tho tale . That a Dissenting minister should tell a . " white lie" is a " fault in art " which damages the whole . Now , this sensitive . moralist and purblind critic must be answered that he has made a ludicrous mistake . In the first place , it is really no improbability that even a virtuous Dissenting minister should tell a " white lie ; " we fear the very best of men may be found to have done so , and Mr . Benson , although a noble and religious man , is not held up to us as a " faultless monster . " In the second place , the Artist lias to deal with human nature , not with ideal abstractions—has to show how much divine goodness is operative among even imperfect elements , and not to eliminate those imperfections ; so that the " fault in art" would have been the reverse of what is here done . In the third

    place , as a treatment of a great moral question , the highest ideal is more emphatically brought out , not didactically but artistically , by this very untruth at which Benson connives . It is to show this that we have noticed the alleged "fault in art . " The dilemma in which the Bensons are placed is a delicate one . They are convinced of the purity and goodness of this betrayed girl ; but " what will the world say ? " Is not the world notoriously and maliciously unjust in its harshness towards mothers who are not wives ? Will any one employ the unhappy girl , or suffer her to work out in peace the life before her ? If she be called a widow , no one will be " contaminated" by her .

    The fiction wrongs no one . The untruth is forced by the untruth of convention . The untruth is told , not without misgiving , not without a clear sense of its being an untruth , but with a strong ( though wrong ) conviction that it is doing a little wrong to ward off a greater . It is a question for casuistry , whether a lie may be told under any circumstances ; and our consciences clearly answer that there are some in which the lie would be imperative . Take the following case : a man is hiding from his pur-Ssuers , who will murder him ; a helpless woman knows where the fugitive is hidden ; she is asked , Is he there ? and she says , No . The lie is deliberate , yet who will say that it is wrong ?

    Such cases are rare . Indeed , a large experience of life will show that very rare are the cases wherein Truth , did we but know it , would not be the wisest and the directest course . It would in this case of Ruth . Had the Bensons confronted conventionalism , they would have awed and conquered it . Their own high characters would have been a coat of mail against which the sarcasms , the sneers , the comments , and the virtuous indignation of a small provincial town ( and every one knows what they are !) would have been powerless ; while Ruth ' s real goodness and purity , so befriended , would soon have won for her universal sympathy and respect .

    This truth we see broadly and powerfully illustrated in the novel . The fiction becomes exposed . Mr . Benson has to suffer the disgrace of his error , Ruth has to bear the burst of indignant virtue , aggravated by rage at her " deceit ; " and yet she lives it all down—lives to make herself loved and respected by all who spurned her ; conquers , at last , by that very truth and uprightness which would have conquered at first ; and the striking lesson of the book is this : Tell the truth and act the truth , then all will be well . Truth is better than contrivance . JFais ce quc dois , advienne que poicrra . Such is the lesson conveyed , not preached , through Mr . Benson ' s white

    lie . To be sure it is a " fault in art , " and delicate susceptibilities " happen to know" that it is Avrong . But for ourselves , we thank Mrs . Gaskcll as much for her beautiful and impressive lesson , as for the beauty and pathos of her story . It is that which redeems the commonplace incidents . They arc all of a character familiar to the novel-reader ; but they arc raised into another sphere by the high purpose they subserve , and by their delicate treatment . Wore it not for these considerations , we should object to the materials ; and in spite of them we may suggest that in a future Avork the author will bo wise to seek in her own experience for materials , rather than draw them with facile acquiescence from the library .

    The characters are admirable m their truth and distinctness . Bradsliaw , Faith , Benson , and Sully , are creations ; the last-named one of tho heartiest and pleaBante . st we have mot in fiction for many years . Bradfihaw is after an old type , but he lias hia individuality , and in consistent throughout . The hard , upright , pompouH , narrow , " substantial" man , from whom you cannot withhold respect , though ho has tlio unhappy tendency to make even virtues seem hateful , he carries them bo ungraciously , is drawn with firm distinct strokes . What a capital touch is this : —

    * ' Indeed , Ruth altogether found favour with Mr . Bradshaw . Her quiet manner , subdued by an internal eonsciousiuws of a deeper cause lor sorrow thiiii ho wan aware of , he interpreted into a very proper and becoming awe of him . He looked oil'from his own prayers to observe how well she attended hers at chapel ; when he came to any verso in the hymn relating to immortality or a future life , he sang if- unusually loud , thinking he should thus cowj ' ort her -in her sorrow for her deceased husband . " There is considerable exaggeration in the supposed " consequences" of tho boy ' s illegitimacy , and we cannot reconcile his inteiim ; feeling of sliarno to our experience of boyhood : we doubt whether the elastic spirit of boyhood could be Ho cowed 1 > y an anticipation of what would he thought of Iiib illegitimacy . . Ilud wo seen him undergoing humiliations , his brokonfipiritedneHS would have been intelligible J ^ uth herHclf iH perfectly charming—a little too faultless , perhaps , but very winning . The gem of tho book is Sally ; and from her queer humour wo extract two flights : —

    HALLY AND II KK H W KUTIfKA JITS . "' Well , you net ) , I don't know m 1 should call them sweethearts ; for excepting . John RawHoii , who was shut up in a mad-house the next week , 1 nover had what , you may call a downright , oiler of marriage but once . Hut 1 had onco ; and so 1 may say 1 had a sweetheart . I wiih beginning to he aleared though , for one likfH to be axed ; that ' s but civility ; and I remember , after 1 had turned forty , and afore Jeremiah Dixon had * spoken , I began to think John Rawson had perhaps not been ho very mad , and that , I'd done ill to lightly bis oiler , as a madnnin ' H , if it was to bo tho only ono 1 won over to have - I don't mean aa I'd have hud him , but 1

    thought , Kit was to come o ' er * gain , I'd speak respectful of him to folk , and say it were only his way to go about on-all-fours , but that he was a sensible man in most things . However , I'd had my laugh , and so had others , at my crazy lover , and it was late now to set him up as a Solomon . However , I thought it would be no bad thing to be tried again ; but I little thought the trial would come when rt did . You see , Saturday night is a leisure night in counting-houses and such £ ke places , while it ' s the busiest of all for servants . Well ! it was a Saturday night , and 1 d my baize apron on , and the tails of my bed-gown pinned together behind , down on my knees , pipeclaying the kitchen , when a knock comes to the back door . Come in ! ' says I ; but it knocked again , as if it were too stately to open the door for itself so I got up , rather cross , and opened the door ; and there stood Jerry Dixon , Mr . Holt ' s head-clerk ; only he wad not head clerk then . So I stood . stopping up the door , fancying he wanted to speak to master ; but he kmd ot pushed past me , and telling me summut about the weather ( as if I could not see it for myself ) he took a chairand sat down by the oven . ' Cool and easy ! ' thought

    , , I ; meaning hisself , not his place , which I knew must be pretty hot . Well ^ it seemed no use standing waiting for my gentleman to go ; not that he had much to say either ; but he kept twirling his hat round and round , and smoothing the nap on't with the back of his hand . So at last I squatted down to my work , and thinks I , I shall be on my knees all ready if he puts up a prayer , for I knew lie was a Methodee by bringing-up , and had only lately turned to master ' s way of thinking ; and them Methodees are terrible hands at unexpected prayers when one least looks for ' em . ' I can't say I like their way of taking one by surprise , as it were ; but then I ' m a parish-clerk ' s daughter , and could never demean myself to dissenting fashions , always save and except Master Tliurstan ' s , bless him . However , I'd been caua-ht once or twice unawares , so this time I thought I'd be up to it , and I moved

    a dry duster wherever I went , to kneel upon in case he began when I were in a wet place . By-and-by I thought , if the man would pray it would be a blessing , for it would prevent his sending his eyes after me wherever 1 went ; for when they takes to praying they shuts their eyes , and quivers th' lids in a queer kind o'way —them Dissenters does . I can speak pretty plain to you , for you ' re bred in the Church like mysel ' , and must find it as out o' the way as I do to be among dissenting folk . God forbid I should speak disrespectful of Master Thurstan and Miss Faith , though ; I never think on them as Church or Dissenters , but just as Christians . But to come back to Jerry . First , I tried always to be cleaning at his back ; but

    when he wheeled round , so as always to face me , I thought I'd try a different game . So , says I , ' Master Dixon , I ax your pardon , but I must pipeclay under your chair . Will you please to move V Well , he moved ; and by-and-by I was at him again with the same words ; and at after that , again and again , till he were always moving about wi' his chair behind him , like a snail as carries its house on its back " . And the great gaupus never seed that I weiie pipeclay ing the same places twice over . At last I got desperate cross , he were so in my way ; so I made two big crosses on the tails of his brown coat ; for you see , wherever he went , up or down , he drew out the tails of his coat from under him , and stuck them through the bars of the chair ; and flesh and blood could not resist pipeclaying them for him ; and a pretty brushing he'd have , I reckon , to get it oft" again . Well ! at length he clears

    his throat uncommon loud ; so I spreads my duster , and shuts my eyes all ready ; but when nought corned of it , I opened my eyes a little bit to see what he were about . My word ! if there he wasn't down on his knees right facing me , staring as hard as he could . Well ! I thought it would be hard work to stand that , if he made a long ado ; so I shut my eyes again , and tried to think serious , as became what 1 fancied were coming ; but , forgive me ! but I thought why couldn't the fellow go in and pray wi' Master Thurstan , as had always a calm spirit ready for prayer , instead o' me , who had my dresser to scour , let alone an apron to iron . At last he says , says he , ' Sally ! will you oblige me with your hand ? ' ! So I thought it were , maybe * , Methodee fashion to pray hand in hand ; and I'll not deny but I wished I'd washed it better after black-leading the kitchen fire . I thought I'd

    better tell him it wero not so clean as I could wish , so says I , ' Master Dixon , you shall have it , and welcome , if I may just go and wash ' em first . ' But , says he , 'My dear Sally , dirty or clean it ' s all the same to me , seeing I ' m only speaking in a fi guring way . What I'm asking on my bended knees is , that you'd please to bo so kind as to be my wedded wife ; week after next will suit me , if it ' s agreeable to you ! ' My word ! I were up on my feet in an instant ! It were odd now , weren't it ? I never thought of taking the fellow , and getting married ; for all , I'll not deny , I had been thinking it would be agreeable to be axed . But all at onco , I couldn't abide the chap . ' , ' says I , trying to look shame-faced as became tho occasion , but for all that , feeling a twittering round my mouth that I were afeard might end in a laugh— ' Master Dixon , I ' m obleeged to you for the compliment ,

    and thank ye all the same , but I think I prefer a singlo life . ' He looked mighty taken aback ; but in a minute ho cleared up , and was an sweet as ever , lie still kept on his knees , and 1 wished he'd take himself up ; but , I reckon , he thought it would give force to his words ; says he , ' Think again , my dear Sally . I ' ve a four-roomed house , and furniture conformable ; and eighty pound a-ycar . Yoxi may never have such a chance again . ' Thero were truth enough in that , but it was not pretty in the man to say it ; and it put me up a bit . ' As for that , neither you nor I can tell , Master Dixon . You ' re not the first chap as I ' ve had down on his knees afore me , axing me to marry him ( you see I were thinking of John Rawson , only I thought thero were no need to say he were on-all-fours—it wore ; truth he were on his knees , you know ) , and inayho you'll not be the last . Anyhow , I ' ve

    no wish to change my condition just now . ' ' I'll wait till Christmas , ' says he . ' I ' ve a pig as will be ready for killing then , no 1 must get married before that . ' Well now ! would you believe it , P the pig were a temptation . . I'd a receipt for curing hams , as Miss Faith would never let , me try , saying the old way were good enough . However , I resisted . Says I , very . stern , because I felt I'd been wavering , ' Master Dixon , once for all , pig or no pig , I'll not marry you . And if you'll tuko my advice , you'll get up oil" your knees . The Hags is but damp yet , and it would he an awkward thing to have rheumati / , just , before winter . ' With that he got up , stiff enough . Ho looked as sulky a chap as ever I clapped eyes on . And as ho

    were so black and cross , I thought I'd done well ( whatever came of tho pig ) to nay ' No' to him . ' You may live to repent this , ' snys he , very red . * But I'll not bo too bard upon ye , I'll give you another chance . I'll lot you have tho night to think about it , and I'll just call in to hear your second thoughts , after chapel tomorrow . ' Well now ! did ever you hear the like ? But that is the way with all of them men , thinking so much of thriiHelves , and that it ' s but nsk and have . They've nover had mo , though ; and I shall be sixty-one next Martinmas , so thero ' H not much time left for them to try me , I reckon . Well ! when Jeremiah said that , ho put me up inoro than over , and I says , * M y first thoughts , second thoughts , nud third thought * in ull ono und the ynnio ; you ' ve hut toinpted mo once , und that

    90 The Leader. [Saturday,

    90 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 22, 1853, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_22011853/page/18/