The Vehement Flame

Fifty-four minutes into their marriage, nineteen-year-old Maurice Curtis and thirty-nine-year-old Eleanor are sitting beside a river, full of delight and already wondering how their families will react. Maurice celebrates their elopement with extravagant declarations, while Eleanor's happiness carries an edge of anxiety. Margaret Wade Campbell Deland opens this American novel with an intimate scene that makes their difference in age and outlook immediately visible.

As the marriage continues, affection becomes entangled with jealousy and the demands of shared daily life. Eleanor resents the presence of Edith, a young boarder whose easy manner pleases Maurice, and even a summer visit brings awkwardness over companionship and attention. Conversations, private thoughts and small social arrangements reveal the strain between the couple. Readers interested in domestic fiction will find a close study of how insecurity can change the meaning of ordinary kindness.