SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2138, 2 May 1914, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

"THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUND.' One of- the most enjoyable novels we liavo ever had from Aus. I'orriu is her latest story, "The llappy Hunting Ground" (Alethueu and C 0.,!. As usual, the background is India, that proverbially famous "happy hunting ground" for English maidens nt search or husbands. To India goes the heroine, Caroline Gordon, who lias already had a love af* fair, rejecting the handsome but selfish Captain Falconer, in crdcr not to burden him with a dowerless mate. She is sent out by her guardians for the express purpose of marrying, ai.id ©any she does,' a reserved, unpopular, but at bottom very fine, follow, .a. District Commissioner. Misunderstandings occur" on both sides; there are no children; and finally the.'handsome detrimental officer .turns up, and poor Carelino almost falls ii victim to his revival of love-making, which had always been passionate. And passicn, under t.h'o Indian sun, can be a very seriotis matter indeed. Happily for Caroline's future, the handsome captain proves 3iimself.au arrant Cad, and slie recognises him for such. The wife, who had gone- so close ,to ruin, returns to England, hut through an ingeniously-contrived shecomes to recognise, the fine 'qualities ef her husband, and'the story eiluS with .the birth of a new and lasting lore, and the promise of permanent happiness for both. Mrs. I'errin's story t'.hrows ; s«>i)li! interesting side-lights upon the life of the Anglo-Indian officials and their wives. The quiet charm of the sterr .is undorncath. "The Happy Hunting; Ground! 1 is far and atvay the best AngloIndian story that we have had for some time past.

"SARAH -.".EO'6N.V In "Sarah Eden" (Mills and Boon; per George ltobertsoii and, Co.), thai clever writer, Miss E. S, Stevens,.whose first story, "Tho Veil," was so deservedly' popular, gives us a powerful and in its way very fascinating study of a Cornisliwoman, a widow, with a small fortune, who' naturally of a strongly religious' temperament, believes she sees "visions," one of which she interprets as a command froat on High that she and a curate, who has a strong influence over her, shall proceed to Jerusalem to await the Second Adventl She -realises her property, -and, . aeeompaniesl by some faithful.followers, settles ill Jerusalem. Years pass by, and the "vision" is not fulfilled. Still the woman believes in her destiny, but as fee goes on sli« devotes herself to practical philanthropic work in tho Sacred City,_ founding a school for Mohammedan girls and undertaking other enterprises. Her only daughter is now a'tratiia.n, and tho climax to tho mother's disappointment is reached when the girl is loved by and determines to marry a'ysmng 'English artist. Celibacy is the rule of the Eden Community,'and there is a sharp if lirief struggle between maternal lovo and long-cherisbed faitli before Mrs. Eden gives her consent. There is some admirable character drawing in the story, but its strongest feature is the vitality and convincing realism of its . pictures of modem Jerusalem, with its many groups of everlastingly-squabbling fanatics of various sects. "Sarah Eden" is in many ways a very unusual and, striking story..

RIDER HACCAROS LATEST, Sir H. Rider Haggard's latest published story, "The Wanderer's Necklace" (Cassell and Co., per S. and W. Ma'ckay), relates tire extraordinary and often thrilling adventures which fall to the lot of a Jutland warrior of'the ninth century. To satisfy the caprice of his betrothed, the lovely liiduna Olaf breaks into tiro .tomb of The Wanderer, a monarch then dead a good thousand years or more, and rots the mntnniitied corpso of a Marvellously beafltiful- necklace,, plus tho Wanderer's sword. Upon this introductory motif, Sir Kider Haggard founds a fine romance, transporting his here from Scandinavia to .Eastern Kurrpe, and giving his readers a vividly jviqturesqnc description of the old Byzantine Court at Constantinople,. the Empress Ircae playing a prominent part in the sterv, into which, also, the Caliph Haronn al Kaschid, of "Arabian Nights" fame, and many other historical and legendary celebrities are introduced. Personally I own to a preference for those of this' author's stories which have a South African background, but there is no gainsaying the fact- that his latest romance is a strongly dramatic and successful production. Illustrations by A. C. Michael. §

SHORTER NOTICES. Iu "Dickie Devon" (Mcthuen and Co.), John Overtoil, whoso excellent story, "Lynctte," may bo remembered by some of my readers, gives' lis a really excellent romance or the time when Cavaliers and Roundheads vert; struggling for supremacy. Tlio hero, Derrick Devon, a young Cayalior, insults a superior officer, Major lingo tt, and is forced by the latter, ivlgi is pursuing Devon's sister with his nnwelcoiiifi attentions, and who wants to gob tire brother out of the way, to becoiiie a spy among tlio Roundheads, Ju tlio course of his new career, Dickie meets, under most romantic ci renin stances, an at'-' quaintanco of his childhood, the pretty Sylvia Heriot. Unfortunately for the Iwi'o a line town lady, who is in iovc with his cousin, Geoffrey Devon, mistakes him for that gentleman, l>v whom she considers herself to have been iiadly treated, and Dickie is betrayed by her into a position which nearly costs him his life. Mr. Overton is not so creel, however, as to condemn such a pair of true lovers as Dickie and his faithful Sylvia to permanent' iinhappmes&. and tlio story ends as all good love stories should'. There is a Wc.vinancsq.tie flavour about the story, which, however, runs more

crisply and briskly than do' 1 the older norclist's stories. Those who remember "Lynette" will bo glad to renew iic(luaintaiico with that jolly Irish soklier, Michael Fleming, who is again a prominent figure in Mr. Overton's latest story.

"Five Years and a Month," by Mrs. Morns Wood (Duckworth and Co.; per George Robertson and Co,), is a long and rather laboured study of feminine temperament. Theodora Recce, the heroine, Js tlw wife of a 'selfish vaster/' a solicitor in a Lancashire town, Recce neglects bis wife, who, at th-3 trnift the story opens, has gradually lost whatever love she bad for him. A ffiore than ■ usually gross affront leads her to accept au invitation to visit friends, first in London,. i;ext in Normandy, and linalVy in Paris, Gradually. in her happier environment, the wife comes to recognise that her married life has bean something akin to purgatory. Handsome, and charming of mariner, she attracts male attention, but, though playing with lire, and indulging in dangerous flirtations, always manages to emerge with honour unscathed. At Paris, however, she fascinates a vory fine fellow, a wealthy American, with'whom, on her side, she fails passionately ill lore. The lover pleads that lie may be allowed to 'arrange' a divorce, but Theodora, though surely tempted to take hold of a happiness hitherto denied her, refuses, and returns to England, to a husband who, by this time, is practically ruined, and has sunk deeper and deeper into laziness ami vice. Tho end is, pathetic, for the poor woman, driven from !ier homo by her husband's callous neglect", catches cold, is struck down by bronchitis, and dies. Tim' author displays considerable ability in describing the r.ettmesses of roiddle-rlass soeioiy ill a ■provincial town), and the wenes in Nor* ■ inanely and Paris are replete with nio turcsquo local colour. The story has its longueurs, but is worth reading.'

The central figure in Sax Kohmer's "Sens of Soverac Bablon" (Cassell and Co. : .ocrS, and W. Mackay) is a handsorno and mysterious young adventurer, who, .it is. hinted, is a descendant of the great Suleiman, and wears his sacred seal. .Suddenly, appearing 'in London, he strikes .terror into the hearts of the leading Hebrew financial magnates, forcing them, by various ingenious devices, to contribute huge sums to several important {Charitable and patriotic o.bejcts. Assceiated, by accident-, with Several's caiiipatgn against the. mil-i-Ton-aires, is a journalist, whose paper, the' "Daily Gleaner," thns sceuves a succession of "scoops." The affrighted .plutocrats enlist the of Scotland Yard and Parisian detectives, plus a specially gifted' "Finkerton's man." .but all their efforts nip easily m-itwitted by the blarckjsiftilor j whose obiwt it is t,a rid the Jewish race of the stigma of selfish greed. The story is uTtra-sensatiohal, and would, I should imagine, niako a highly-attractive cinema drama. Although almost gretesciuely improbable in many of its incidents, it is decidedly readable.

There are many venerable cliches in Silas Hocking's latest novel, "Uncle Peter's Will""( Ward, Lock and Co., per •S, 'and W. Miiekay), bat Mr. Hocking is a praetisfed story-teller, and can make even the most ancient puppets danei: entertainingly, Under the terms of his uncle's will, Jerry (christened Gervase) Qkox has to marry within a year or for; fe.it a very valuable estate. The girl Im. tees, and to whom he proposes, misunderstands him, and wounded pride prevents, for some months, the reconciliation which) of'course, is filially effected: Interwoven with Jerry's «wn love story i:s that of two other people,and although, as I have said, the leading motif lacks novelty, the story makes pleasant reading,, sflvfc where, it is Warred by certain phases of .religious 'fa?*imj, .which Mr, I-fecking is clearly unable to understand, and is, it is to. he feared, only too desirous of misrepresenting.