Chapter IX: “the Sorrows of Satan”

As a Book--How the Critics Missed the Allegorical Idea of the Story--The Opinion of Father Ignatius: “Tens of Thousands will Bless the Author”--A Plea for more Womanliness among modern Women--Geoffrey Tempest--£5,000,000 from Satan--Prince Lucio Rimânez and his Associations with Tempest--Lady Sibyl Elton--The Effect of Perfect Beauty on a Man--The Modern Gambling Mania--Viscount Lynton’s Last Wager--The Character of Mavis Clare,--Lady Sibyl’s Bitter Description of Herself--Her Marriage with Tempest, and the Disillusionment--Her Passion for Prince Rimânez and Subsequent Suicide--The Conception of Satan, and an Explanation of his Position: “Satan becomes on Terms of Intimacy with Man only if Man shows that he wishes to Travel an Evil Course”--The Yachting Cruise and Tempest’s return to Christian Ways--Opinion of the Late Rev. H. R. Haweis.

“The Sorrows of Satan” as a Play--How Miss Corelli has Suffered from the Defective Law of Literary Copyright--The Play Written, and Read at the Shaftesbury Theatre--Miss Corelli’s Opinion of it--Miss Evelyn Millard’s Attitude with Regard to the part of “Lady Sibyl”--“The Grosvenor Syndicate”--The Play Produced--Other Versions--How the Dramatic Rights of Novels have to be Protected 164

CHAPTER X

“THE MIGHTY ATOM” AND “BOY”

Novels with a Purpose--The Criminally Mistaken Up-bringing of Children--Lionel Valliscourt an Eleven-year-old Atheist--The Cramming Process and its Effect on him--His Breakdown and Holiday--His Return to find that Little Jessamine is Dead--His Grief and Pathetic End--The Power of a Book like “The Mighty Atom” to _Teach_.

“Boy”--A somewhat Similar Work--The Responsibilities of Parents--“Boy’s” Childhood--His Neglected Condition--Miss Letty and the Major--“Boy” goes to School--The Change Wrought in him--His Entirely _blasé_ Demeanor at sixteen--“Boy” Guilty of Drunkenness and Fraud--His Final Reformation and Death 192

CHAPTER XI

“THE MURDER OF DELICIA” AND “ZISKA”

Modern Husbands--The Money Marriage--The Average Man and his Attitude in this Respect--Delicia Vaughan, Novelist and Beauty--Her foolish Infatuation for Lord Carlyon and Consequent Misery--“The Rare and Beautiful Blindness of Perfect Love”--The Penalty Paid by Delicia.

“Ziska”: A Cairean Romance--Ziska the Flesh-clad Ghost of a Long-ago Dancer--“The Mighty Araxes,” her Former Lover, Presented in Modern Shape as Armand Gervase, a French Painter--The Renewal of his Passion for Ziska--His Rival--“The Attraction we Call Love” a Preordained Destiny--Dr. Dean, _savant_, and his Interesting Theories--Beneath the Great Pyramid--Ziska’s Terrible Revenge 207

CHAPTER XII

“THE MASTER CHRISTIAN”

How it was Commenced and Interrupted--The Novelist’s Severe Illness--Death of George Eric Mackay--The Literary Dinner and the Critic--Sir Francis Burnand Describes “Boy” as “a Work of Genius”--Mr. Stead and “The Master-Christian”--The Novelist’s Views on Roman Catholicism--Miss Corelli’s Open Letter to Cardinal Vaughan--The Story of the “Master-Christian”--Cardinal Bonpré at Rouen--Paulism--The Discovery of the Boy Manuel--The Miraculous Healing of the Lame Fabien--The Cardinal and Manuel at Paris--Angela Sovrani--The Abbé Vergniaud, Atheist--A Flower Legend--Manuel and Angela 222