SOME RECENT FICTION
The Latest Locke. A "new Locke" is quite an event for a goodly number of folk who enjoy fiction which is at once wholesome and interesting, and permeated, as is almost always the case with a Locke story, by some; delightfully : whimsical humour. His latest story, "Jaffery" (John Lane ; per Wliitcombe and Tombs), should bo vastly enjoyed by the novelist's admirers. To 'tell the truth, not a few of us were somewhat disappointed with its two immediate predecessors, "Tho Fortunate Youth" and" "Stella -'Maria" Here,'in "Jaffery," however, ivo aro back , to the standard of "Septimus," and the yet .more delightful "Glory of Clementina Wing." : The plot'turns upon the mean trick played upon his dead 'Varsity chum, Tom Castleton, by a. dilettante man of letters Adrian Boldero, to whom Castleton, before sailing for Australia, confides the manuscript of a novel, for the publication of which his friends is to arrange. Castleton dies on the voyage, and Boldero, a poor man, appropriates tho story, and pub-lishes-it as his own production. The incident recalls a somewhat similar motif in Mr. Anstey's story "The Giant's llobe," but its outcome -is quite original. Boldero, to .whom..
"The Diamond Gate" brings fame and wealth, is besieged by offers for his sec- ■ ond story: He marries a woman who adores him, and who belioves him to bo the greatest literary genius of tho age. But tho second novel, alas, is nover written. The. unhappy Adrian (who is destitute of any creative ability) tries ■in vain to produce an original story, but' fails, takes to drink, and dies from an attack of paralysis. Then and there tho truth is discovered by his two friends. Hilary Freetli (in whoso mouth the telling'of the story is placed) and Jaffery Chayne, the latter a burly, genial, and utterly unconventional war correspondent, who lias been secretly : and hopelessly in love with the woman . Adrian had married. ; .The pair como | to the conclusion that Adrian's secret ! must die with him. But how about tho ! masterpiece which, so poor Doria Boli dero so fondly believes, was reposing in : her husband's safe? To tell,'in detail,'how tho faithful Jaifery gets over ' this difficulty; how he is misunderstood and: very badly treated by Doria (a woman, quite unworthy of his love): ■ hoiv finally the , widow learns tlie sad secrot.of her husband's deception, and : how it - affect's her relations with the devoted Chayne,. would bo unfair to Mr. Locke. Tho humour of the story is provided by a most eccentric but very lovable woman, -Liosha, of mixed American and Albanian extraction, of whom the' good-natured Jaffery has been constituted tho guardian by a brother correspondent', whose marriage to the fair Albanian had rapidly been.followed by bis death. Liosha is clearly intended by Nature to be Jaffery's mate, Us for a time the good-natured fellow is bHud to lier love and devotion. He has a narrow escape from. marrying - Doria, but" everything is set right in 'lie lastchapter. . The charm of the story lies in its delineation of• the splendid lanioraderie' of. Hilary and Jaffery; tnd their unselfish devotion'to_ their dead friend and his widows Hilary's wife and little, daughter are'both very charming characters, and .whenever the plump and pleasing and amusingly unconventional . Liosha is on the stage, the :fun. is fast' and furious. The"new Locke" should not b'e'missed by lovers of : good fiction. It is far and away the best story wo have had from Mr. Locke for some time past. •. ■ • ■ • "My Friend Phil." Messrs. Ward. Lock and Co., who first, introduced Mrs. Curlewis (Miss Ethel Turner) to Australasian readers, must be congratulated upon having discovered in an Auckland lady, Miss Maud Peacocke, a very worthy rival to the popular Sydney : writer. For Miss Peacock has, in "My Phil" ; (Ward, Lock and Co., -per. Whitcombe' and Tombs), written a. story of child life 'which .ivill bear; comparison with Miss' Turner's deservedly popular books. It , is. a very simple' story, as to its incidents, being practically a series of passages from of a mischievous,'but very lovable, little youngster, who, not content with making himself as happy as a good-natured, jolly little lad only can do, plays the good angel to some equally agreeable grown-ups, . smoothing -over ! certain misunderstandings, and bringing. aboutthe happiest of happy .endings' to what in Miss Peacocke's'hands is a very, pretty.iittle love story. The author has a ; graceful.'and attractive literary'style,, aaia exhibits,, also, i talent for. charac-ter-drawing,- from which excellent results may be-expected, \yhen, as I trust may be'the case,' she.tries her handjon a more ambitious' subject, and writes a novel in which adults ratlier than children will provide the main interest'. Meanwhile she _is to bej,complimented, upon having written a, very charming story, tho title, of which vshould be carefully remembered when the Christmas:' season' eppies round once 'again, and ■ pater-' familiis„p.uzxles''his.head to find "a. suit-'-able giftrbook for young people.' In his; own way Phil is quite as fascinating a character" as even Peter Pan himself. Margaret:.W. Tarrant contributes some cleverly, drawn, and cleverly treated illustrations. 1 i A Good War Story, ; ;Mr. Burton E. Stevenson, an 'American, author, whose excellent detective story, :"The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet,". I commended to the attention of my readers a few I weeks back, now gives jus in "Little Comrade" (London, Eveleigh Nash), an equally exciting; and admirable war' story. "Spy story," I ■should perhaps have said, for the "little 'comrade," whom the young American ■ meets at: Vienna, on the .fateful thirtyf'first of July, 1914, is .a young French lady who is suddenly, called upon;.to act as ah- emissary of the French Embassy, being entrusted wjtli a secret message,', of immense importance, which is being sent to General Joffre. The. young American, an easy-going, : handsome, young doctor, suddenly finds his fortunes . inextricably entangled with those of the bewitching and mysterious little French lady. As the pair journey across Germany: by rail they become the objects pf curious ' and suspicious attention by tho "Hun police, their adventures culminating in a hurried flight on foot across : the German frontier into Belgium, where they at once find themselves in tho war zone. Their adventures, hitherto cxciting, but not untinged by a touch of comedy, now rapidly become dramatic, even tragic. The fateful message is delivered, by tho young doctor, between whom aiid his little comrade affection has quickly ripened into deepest .love. The story . closes, it is true; with the plucky little French lady .lying, terribly wounded, in a German hospital, her whereabouts unknown to her lost friend, _ but .every reader of the'story will believe, as well as hope;' that the prediction of, tho good Belgian nurse—that the lovers will somo' day be happily reunited—is fated to be'fulfilled." A well-written, excellent story of its kind. ! Shorter Notices. Pressure on my space renders it imperative that notices of other recentlyreceived novels must bo brief. Three additions to Messrs. Bell's Colonial Library (per AVhitcombe and Tombs) are "Alice and a Family," by St. 3'ohn G.. Ervinc, the clever Irish playwright, whose first story, "Mrs. Martin's Man," was recently reviewed in these'columns; "Tares," by E. Temple Thurston;, and "Tho Stanhope Gate Mystery," by Robert Machray. "Alico and a Family" well deserves a much longer notice than I can give it this week. It is a 3tudy of London East End life, with a plucky, resourceful, honest, little Cockney girl' as heroine. Alico is a born "manager," and the way in which she takes charge of that pathetically help less widower, Mr. Nudds, and his children, and steers the whole household into something like decent comfort, acting, too, as matchmaker for her own widowed mother, is told by Mr. Ervine with much- delightful humour, humour which reminds one, in turn, of that with which Messrs. Pctt Ridge, Neil Lyons, and W. W. Jacobs havo so often delineated London life.
In "Tares,"' Mr. Temple Thurston collects a round dozen or so of short stones which have already made their appearance in various magazines. Tho titlo story deals with a tragic and terribly pathetic war incident in Belgium. All the stories are very readable.
Tho "Stanhope Gate Mystery" is a really good detective story, the opening episode in which is tho discovery, late one night, of the dead body of a wellknown city financier outside the Park Lane residence of a great Canadian railway millionaire. A lirst-class criminal mystery story, with a cleverly-inter-woven sentimental'interest.
Two recent additions to the Overseas Library (Loudon, T. Werner Laurie) are "The Imperial Malefactor," by Miss Winifred Graham, and "The Monstrous Enemy," by Ranger Gull. Miss Graham's story; has for a heroin^
an English lady (resident in Germany), who is loved by a Gorman count, but who is rescued from a lover, who sadly degenerates as the story proceeds, by a handsomo young American. The War Lord of the Hohenzollerns is introduced and tho wholo story is intensely topical.
"Tho Guarded Trust," by Mona Dunlop (Ward, Lock and Co., per WJiitcombo and Tombs), is tho story of twin sisters, scions of a .French royalty—the royalty that was—who reside in a quiet little English town. One of the sisters is beloved by a local doctor who, in tlio long rati, succeeds in overcom-. ing the opposition of her guardian and marries her. Tho story is distinctly amateurish in style, but its liberal provision of sentiment—plus a touch' of the morbid—may please a certain class of reader.
In "Greater Than Gold," by L. T. Meade (Ward, Lock and Co., permitcombe and Tombs), wo are introduced to an orphan heiress, in love with and loved by a poor but handsome—and very proud young Irish cavalry officer, also to a really first villain, who sticlcs at nothing to gain his ends. For a time there is a : conflict between wealth and pride, and the villain causes terrible trouble. In the end, however, but there by this tim© we all know how Mrs Meade's stories end. Readable; only that and nothing more.
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Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2588, 9 October 1915, Page 9
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1,649SOME RECENT FICTION Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2588, 9 October 1915, Page 9
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