Diana of the Crossways

The powers of harmony would seem to be tried to their shrewdest pitch when Politics and Love are planted together in a human breast. This apparently opposite couple can nevertheless chant a very sweet accord, as was shown by Dacier on his homeward walk from Diana's house.

Politics and Love fused before the mine springs — plot engine is leak-as-passion consequence — so plot scores 91.

Among the Diaries beginning with the second quarter of our century, there is frequent mention of a lady then becoming famous for her beauty and her wit: 'an unusual combination,' in the deliberate syllables of one of the writers.

Beauty-and-wit named as unusual combination before we meet her — cast as public type then private woman — so cast scores 92.

She looked at the signpost of The Crossways whilst dressing, and submitted to follow, obediently as a puppet, the road recommended by friends, though a voice within, that she took for the intimations of her reason, protested that they were wrong.

Puppet road after fight-over morning — choice delayed as obedience vs inner protest — so pace scores 87.

Let Love lead, the God will make music of any chamber-comrade. He was able to think of affairs of State while feeling the satisfied thirst of Love.

Chamber-comrade music for State-and-Love — compressed Meredith paradox — so prose scores 93.

On the third day of the Easter recess Percy Dacier landed from the Havre steamer at Caen and drove straightway for the sandy coast, past fields of colza to brine-blown meadows of coarse grass, and then to the low dunes and long stretching sands of the ebb in semicircle: a desolate place at that season.

Easter recess mapped as brine dunes — political calendar as geography of passion — so world scores 89.

Among the Diaries beginning with the second quarter of our century, there is frequent mention of a lady then becoming famous for her beauty and her wit.

Fame-before-face — reader hooked by gossip archive, not by meet-cute — so hook scores 90.

A lady of high distinction for wit and beauty, the daughter of an illustrious Irish House, came under the shadow of a calumny. It has latterly been examined and exposed as baseless. The story of Diana of the Crossways is to be read as fiction.

Real calumny framed then declared fiction — roman-à-clef energy made explicit method — so innov scores 94.

Emma watched them on their way through the park, till they rounded the beechwood, talking, it could be surmised, of ordinary matters; the face of the gentleman turning at times to his companion's, which steadily fronted the gale. She left the ensuing to a prayer for their good direction, with a chuckle at Tony's evident feeling of a ludicrous posture.

Barely willing nuptial as ludicrous rush into gale — ending comedy after political wound — so ending scores 90.