SOME RECENT FICTION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8338, 25 January 1913, Page 10

SOME RECENT FICTION

“A FAERY LAND FORLORN.” Mrs H. H. Penrose’s "Faery Land Forlorn” (Alston Rivers; per George Robertson) is a .pretty, if somewhat patheticstory of the love of a delightful Irish girl, Evelyn Eyre, for a fine young fellow-, Terence Donovan, whom she has known since childhood. Unfortunately, Terence’s father, a retired military -officer, is possessed of a temper which is positively fiendish, and in a fit of mad rage against his neighbour, he murders Evelyn's father, whom he has quite unjustly accused of having led him into an unprofitable speculation. Terence breaks off the engagement and geos off to India, where eventually lie marries. Returning to Ireland with his wife and little daughter, lie dies rather suddenly, he dies rather suddenly, and the widow, a heartless sort of creature, agrees to her husband’s old love taking the child to live with her. The story takes its title from the garden in which the lovers meet, and in which Evelyn has dreamnt, as a child she shall some day be visited by a fairy. Mrs Penrose is at her best in her character sketches, iu which there is some excellent dry -humour, and her pictures of life in the little Irish seaport town ol Conmore, .where tho Eyres and Donovans reside, have ■ evidently been first hand studies. A simple, direct and well writ-ten-novel, well worth reading. THE ARM-CHAIR AT THE INN. In Mr Hopkinsoa Smith’s latest book, “The Arm-chair at tho Inn” (Scribners; per George Robertson and Co.) the background is a Normandy inn, much frequented by English and American artists and farmers alike for its picturesque surroundings, and the splendid collection of old furniture and artistic curios of every kind which its owner has gathered from all over Europe. The author and fits friends pass tho long evenings in toll each stories or lisening to tho yarns which their host has to tell, yarns generally connected with some of the curios in which the inn is so rich. An agree-/ able little love story is interwoven very cleverly with the general narrative, and the whole makes very pleasant reading. The book contains a number of excellent illustrations, some of which aro the work of the author, who proves himself aa clever with his pencil as with his pen. "LEFT IN CHARGE. ' Mr V. L. Whitechurch, the author of “Left in Charge” (John Long: per Whitcombe and Tombs), has written more than one novel in which an Anglican clergyman is a prominent figure. In his latest story a country vicar goes abroad for health reasons wtio leaves his parish in charge of a curate who has recently arrived from Australia. From the first this gentleman is regarded with severe distrust bv tho vicar’s daughter, a lady of a little over thirty, and of uncompromisingly correct Anglican opinions. Miss Wrehfield is greatly shocked at the conduct of the Reverend Howard Ross, who smokes, frequents the village inn, hobnobs with poachers and clearly despises croquet parties and afternoon teas. But the distrust softens with time, and from interest grows love. Then conies a terrible discovery. The curat© has a past., a past with a divorce in it, and on tho subject of divorce and remarriage poor Miss Wrenfield is terribly orthodox. How the difficulty is got over I may not say, but everything ends as it should do.

"BEYOND THE HELLS." "Beyond the Hill,” by Maihy Whittington. (John Long, per Wlutcombo and Tombs), is the story of a Dartmoor peasant girl who meets and loves a handsome young artist from London. The pair aro no sooner nqarried than the artist finds that tho fashionable lady who had, he thought, thrown him over for another man. has done nothing of the kind. Tho result of this news is that the artist behaves verv badly to hie wife, and that poor Barbara suffers pitiably. An accident. however, relieves her of her husband, and at the close of the story wo ,cavo her married to a childhood's lover, an honest young farmer, whose loyalty has never wavered. The Dartmoor scenes /■ro well done, and the Dartmoor farmer folk well drawn, hut the handsome prin,e<« Barbara's rival, bnt. in the end, rood friend, is a somewhat theatrical figure. "THE LIGHT BEAKERS.” The "White Slave” Traffic having been of late so much in evidence, it was only to be expected that it should he turned to account by some novelist. In ‘The

Light Bearers." by M. Sylvestre (John Long, per Whitcombe and Tombs), tho subject is dealt with very powerfully, the villain of the novel being one Nico de Villars, a disgusting scoundrel who hypnotises and drugs his hapless victims, amongst whom is a beautiful Irish girl, who, in the long run, avenges herself and society by shooting the hrute. ‘‘The Light Bearers’’ are a young Woman Catholic priest, who holds midnight services at a Piccadilly church, and a leading barrister, who loves and marries a clever and lovely young Irish lady dramatist, Tara O’Neill. Some of the scenes are'' a trifle lurid, but there aro many well drawn characters, and on the whole tho story may fairly be considered 4 success. "THINGS AS THEY ARE.” The heroine of Mrs B. K. Williamson’s story, "Things as They Are” (John Long, per Whitcombe and Tombs), is a .Manchester working girl, who goes up to London and becomes a leading musical comedy actress. She marries the son of a wealthy manufacturer, whoso family makes things very unpleasant for her, taunting her with her humble parentage and upbringing. The husband himself does not behave over well, but Betty triumphs when the fact comes out (quite in the good old ‘‘London Journal” or “Surrey-side" drama way) that she is, in reality, not the daughter of a poor tippling plumber, but tho long lost daughter of tho Earl of Aberglassley. There now 1 An amateurish production.