SOME RECENT FICTION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2799, 17 June 1916, Page 6

SOME RECENT FICTION

"Our Lady of the Moor." The hero of Mr. John Oxenham's latest—very latest—story, - "Our Lady of the Moor' (Longman antt Co.), is a gentleman of means ' and education, who, avenging his sister's honour, attempts the murder of an eminent statesman and l'ro-Consul. Ho serves seven years in Dartmoor, emerging therefrom none' the less determined upon completing his vengeance, from which,' however, -he is deterred by the kindly counsel and religious influence of the' heroine, ;.who--the long arm of coincidence is surely too apparent here—herself loves the, statesman. How Noel Daunt, through the beneficent influence of the heroine, ..not, only forswears his vengeance," but actually brings his enemy and his,benefactor' together again, is told by- Mr. Oxenham. in a story'which should greatly please; its .readers,. iHe:AVeH;'--.wnntry; •' Kalckground 'orthe story affords- the novelist opportunities 'for the display .of his.un-.' doubted gifts of picturesque description. .There is n.certain air of unreality about "Uur Lady of .the Moor," and the curiously rapid success of the hero as a novelist is scarcely convincing. But the story, as a whole, is one" of no small chariii. "The Phases of Felicity." Tho heroine of Olgn K-acster's and Jessica Groves's novel, "The Phases of I'elicity"—a ; novel of South Africa (George Allen aud Unwin, Ltd.), is a young English lady of good birth and education, who,'having broken off her engagement with "an eligible parti which she discovered she had nothing in common with," goes out to "South.Afrcia. On s-hipboard she meets Rudolph Bromley, a handsome and mysterious slayer of big gmne, and possessing a past, of which latter Felicity is soon made aware by a fellow-passenger, the flirtatious a'liu cattish Mrs. M'Cormack. Up-, country, Felicity meets a second admiror, a Cape Dutch lawyer, a most objectionablo person, by whom her character is very meanly compromised. Experiences of music-teacliing, journalism in Cape Town, -and country and town life generally fill up' a book, the chief merit of which is its wealth of bright local colour. In tho long run, the mysterious Bromley, his wife—a vulgar and dissipated actress—having conveniently died, again appears on tho scene, and the story ends with, a meeting of the lovers on the Continental platform at Victoria' Station, and the promise of a marriage the next morning. The satirical descriptions of South African society are amusing enough, but they atriko me as being just a little ill-natured. "The Side of the Angels."

It. is hard oh Thor Mastefmiih, '. the, young doctor, .who is the principal figure in-Basil King's latest novel, "The Sideof the Angels" (Methuen and Co.); that the girl lie loves should have, secretly pledged herself to - his - youngerandworthless brother Claude. But the doctor, .who'is wealthy,-not only sacrifices" his own happiness, but is prepared to make over a nice little income to''the scapegrace and-the girl, himself marrying a woman who has long.loved-hini, but for whom he has, so he thinks, respect, rather than deep affection. Tho scapegrace brother refuses to marry Rosina Fay, whose father has been ruined by Thor's family, and <i complicated probiem finds a tragic solution, for the wastrel brother, is murdered by. the girl's father. By this time, however, the doctor has come to perceive, that his heart liad never been , really given to anyone save the woman he has married, and tho patient Lois now lias her reward. , The story is well worthy of the pen which gave us those- fine novels, "The Inner Shrine" and "Tho Wild Olive." "As It Chanced." "As It Chanced" (Methuen aiid'Co.) ,is a collection of short''stories by that-well-practised novelist, Mr. 11. B. Marriott, Watson. .Most of them deal.with the adyentnres:of;,a;,lcnight'.of: the In.

this genre of fiction Watson has always excelled. One of . tho best of ;hi9 yarns recounts how the highwayman lioro encounters and. badly oubvits those masterful robbers, the Doones' : of Bagworthy, whom , the stalwart Johai .Bidd, of Mr. Blackinore's famous masterpiece; found such tough' fiustomors. Tho last _ two stories in the book, "Tho Railway Patrol" and "Tho Last Ditchers," are ivar stories. Thoro is hot a dull pago in tho book, •» • The Ashiel Mystery. • "The ishiel Mystery," by Mrs. Charles Bryco (John Lane) is a well-known de-tective-story by the author of the very popular "Mrs. Vanderstein's Jewels." l'ho'plat .has ~a dual interest, the Tender having' to solvo the mystery, of tho heroine's birth, a second, and yet more, complicated problem arising out of the murder of a wealthy Scots poor. Mis. Bryco's detective, MivGimblett, indulges in many original methods of criminal investigation, rivalling oven Sherlock Holmes-and the famous Le Cocq in ingenuity and resourcefulness;-. A pleasant love interest agweaidy.' alternates the sensational episodes. •