Puritan life of New England." The scene is laid around Williamsburg,
the colonial capital of Virginia, in the years immediately preceding the
Revolution. In Cooke s mind this was a striking period of social tran
sition. "It was the period of the culmination of the old regime," says
Cooke in the preface to the 1883 edition. "A splendid society had
burst into flower, and was enjoying itself in the sunshine and under
the blue skies of the most beautiful of lands. On the surface the era
is tranquil, but beneath is the volcano. Passion smolders under the
laughter; the homespun coat jostles the embroidered costume; men
are demanding social equality, as they will soon demand a republic;
and the splendid old regime is about to vanish in the storm of Revolu
tion." The novel is, therefore, a picture of the "golden days," and in
this way it is perhaps best to take the book. The reader who looks for
story interest will find himself disappointed. There is plenty of action,
ardent love-making, duels, and the like, and there is bright talk,
but the plot is not well sustained throughout. Its weakness is evi
denced by the fact that the book is now published as two separate
books, " Beatrice Hallam "and its sequel," Captain Ralph," either of
which can be read without the other.
SELECTIONS FROM " THE VIRGINIA COMEDIANS "
MR. CHAMP EFFINGHAM OF EFFINGHAM HALL (PAGE 124)
Kidderminster: an English manufacturing town noted for its carpet industry. tout ensemble: whole. point de Venise: Venetian point lace. Mr. Joseph Addison s serial: the Spectator essays.
GOVERNOR FAUQUIER S BALL (PAGE 128)
House of Burgesses: the legislative body of colonial Virginia. Governor Fauquier: a colonial governor of Virginia, whose term extended from 1758 to 1768. the Raleigh: the noted tavern at Williamsburg. Benedick: one of the characters in Shakespeare s
"Much Ado About Nothing." the Twopenny- Act: see the action brought by the Reverend Mr. Maury^ etc., page 132. In the early days of Virginia the salaries of the clergy were paid in tobacco, the clergy receiving the advantage of a rise in price and suffering from a low price. In 1758 the legislature of Virginia enacted a law to the effect that these salaries should be paid in paper currency at a less amount than the price of tobacco in that year. This provoked a protest, one
