Chapter XXIII (1)

LAUNA’S first feeling was relief, relief—so intense, so endless, that she felt buoyant, joyful, secure. But after some days she felt shame. What had Hugh Wainbridge thought of her? What could a man think of a woman whom he could propose to wrong so terribly? And what had Paul thought of her? Why did he not come?

Why should she think he cared still? She had no reason to think so. Doubt, misery, and loneliness, became torturing demons; in action she saw the only relief possible, and then she remembered Canada, “Solitude,” the woods, the shore. Paul despised her, she was sure; she would go away, go home.

The penetrating depressing autumn mist was slowly making its way over the land, it was almost rain, it was so thick, and far more wetting. The river was shrouded in a white ghostly mantle. She thought of the keen air at “Solitude,” of the clear sky, and of the shore with the far-away landscape, mysterious and, always to her, enticing. And then of the storms, howling, fierce, and powerful, like the terrible force and presence of an unseen mighty power, the devastating Great Spirit of the North who, for five months of the year, reigns supreme, who is real, tangible, brutal, unlike the horrible slowness of this climate.

“Solitude” was empty, Launa cabled to the gardener’s wife who inhabited a lodge, and who once had been housekeeper.

When Paul got her letter, she and her maid were out on the Atlantic, rapidly going farther away.

Launa was beginning to forget the Wainbridge incident, though at first her anger had seemed unending.

The weather became very cold as they neared Halifax. The big blue harbour, with its white-capped waves and white-covered shores, was home. The drifting bits of ice were gaily rushing on, tossed by the waves, the tide, and the wash of the big steamer. The decks and rigging were covered with ice, the sea had swept the ship, and, after sweeping it, the frost demon bound everything in his cold arms. She wondered how she had existed so long in that grey land without sun. The sky looked higher and more deeply blue.

“Solitude” was quite ready for her, huge fires blazed everywhere, old servants had come back. She drove ten miles from the nearest station, how the sleigh runners creaked, and the bells rang clear, a big yellow moon was up before she arrived; everything was so strong, so intense, so cold.

“Solitude” was lonely. She spent the greater part of the days out of doors. She was young, and the horribleness of Mr. Wainbridge’s behaviour became dimmer. She had only been angry, how would she have felt if she had loved him?

After a week of driving and snowshoeing she got out her toboggan.

The land from “Solitude” to the Bay sloped down for about half a mile, and then the Bay was frozen, the ice covered with snow, and she could toboggan straight across it. The crust of the snow was very hard. The toboggan started slowly, then went faster, faster, little bits of crisp snow flew in her face, the air whistled past her as she rushed along, the pace became swifter,—it was glorious: the sun, the air, and the clear blue sky were life-giving as she tore on. The toboggan bounded over the rough blocks of ice on the edge of the Bay which were broken by the tide. On the flat stretch of ice it began to move more slowly and then stopped. It was splendid. She spent all the afternoon at it; the thermometer was ten below zero, but it was so still and sunny that she could not feel cold.

It was snowing hard and blowing from the north-east; the view from “Solitude” was dim, whirling snow hurled by the wind, little drifting eddies of snow curled round the top of the drifts already forming quickly.

Launa started on snowshoes. The wind knocked her about and she staggered before it. She waited in the shelter of the porch until the fury of the blast seemed to have swept past, then she went on again. The snow was loose, and the walking, even on snowshoes, very heavy. She struggled to the little post-office, though there was no need for this, for they would have sent up her letters; the one she wanted was not there. She wandered on in the storm to pass the time hoping to grow very tired. The road was gone, it had disappeared in a level plain of snow, only like black specks occasional stones showed up in the walls. The snow drifted and whirled, and the wind was so keen and cold, like knives, with a stinging burning sensation. The snow made its way under her big fur collar and chilled her neck and face though she was so hot.

Suddenly she saw a dark figure coming nearer. It was a man. “Good-night,” she said as they passed. She doubted if he could hear, the wind crashed by them, it roared over their heads and howled behind them.

The man turned, and with two steps towards her, said:

“Launa, darling!”

He put his arms round her, and then walked on her snowshoes, nearly knocking her over, and Launa lay in his arms; her feet were most uncomfortable, one snowshoe was on its side.

“Paul!” she gasped.

His thick blanket coat against her mouth prevented conversation.

“Come back to ‘Solitude,’” he said; “it is too cold and too stormy for you to be out.”

He took her hand, and they trudged on for the greater part of the way in silence; it was too windy to talk, and neither knew when the other spoke unless their heads were close together.

At “Solitude” Paul undid her snowshoes and his own, then they went into the hall, all bright with a huge fire and flowers. Paul put his arms round her and kissed her. She was covered with snow.

“I must go. Let me go, Paul; you will stay. There are things you can put on in the dressing-room; but I must get them for you. I want to tell you about him.”

“I don’t want to know anything. He was a beast; you are mine now. I am not wet, Launa; you have forgotten the snow is dry. Even Mrs. Grundy could not turn a man out on a dark night, with the thermometer at zero and a gale blowing.”

When she came down he was waiting. He came towards her. She loved him, he loved her; was there anything in the world she needed now?

He put his arms round her.

“You have forgiven me?” he said, and he kissed her.

“Paul, you won’t hate me?”

“Probably I shall. Tell me why?”

“Well, you know I do not like—much kissing.”

“I have observed that with regret, or rather I hear you say it with sorrow; for since I came I have kissed you several times and you—”

“Yes,” she interrupted, “but do you not think we had better be careful? It might get—common, we might grow accustomed to it, and not—like it as much.”

Paul laughed.

“Oh, Launa!”

“Tell me how you got here?” she asked. They were sitting by the tea-table. “The roads are blocked, and it snowed all night as well as to-day.”

“Changing the subject rapidly was always one of your accomplishments. Kissing and roads—I see the connection to you.”

“Paul!”

“I started to drive,” he answered. “At last we stuck in a drift near Montague’s; so I came on snowshoes.”

“It was a dreadful tramp.”

“It was the best I ever had—with you at the end of it. I wonder if you will ever know? How soon will you marry me? I cannot stay at ‘Solitude,’ and fifteen miles is too far apart for you and me.”

“You never came back! You never wrote to me at ‘Shelton.’ I thought you did not care—that you despised me, and thought me a beast.”

“And you? You were going to marry someone else. I tried to stop you—”

“I believe I was going to run away the day of the wedding,” she said. “Wasn’t it ghastly?”

“Awful,” he said briefly. “Sylvia has promised to marry the Member for Hackney. Did she write to you?”

“No. She will marry Lord Fairmouth? Ugh! how can she? Is it true?”

“You will marry me soon,” he said. “And we will go—where shall we go?”

“We shall stay here until the spring, and then go up to the North,” she answered. “I am glad we are ‘born Canadian.’ Aren’t you?”

And Paul kissed her.

THE END.

_Printed by Cowan & Co., Limited, Perth._

MR. BART KENNEDY’S NEW BOOK,

=A MAN ADRIFT,=

_BEING SOME LEAVES FROM A NOMAD’S PORTFOLIO_,

=By BART KENNEDY,=

_Author of “The Wandering Romanoff,” “Darab’s Wine Cup,”_
_&c., &c._
Crown 8vo, Art Cloth, Gilt, Top Edge Gilt, =6/-=.
_A few early Press Opinions_:—

=DAILY TELEGRAPH.=—“It is vivid and strong, touched with that picturesque, vigorous fancy with which intellect illuminates and interprets the life of action. . . . Mr. Bart Kennedy has talent of a strong order: He shows it clearly in this latest book, in the strength with which he puts these scenes before us, in his power of conveying his impressions, and his picturesque point of view. No one can read this tramp’s reminiscences without adding to his knowledge of human nature, and to his comprehension of a somewhat unknown walk of life.”

=ACADEMY.=—“The rough-and-ready, unvarnished, straightforward narrative of a rover about the World, living from hand to mouth, getting down on his luck, running strange risks, and meeting picturesque wastrels.”

=SCOTSMAN.=—“The book is fascinating, and is written with a force which seems born of sincerity, without any sensationalism. It cannot fail to interest readers.”

=MORNING LEADER.=—“The record of an adventurous life, when well told, always appeals to the imagination and sympathy of the reader, and ‘A Man Adrift’ is such a record. Presumably the adventures are real; they have all the vividness of reality at all events, and one follows the hardships and wanderings of the narrator with keen interest. . . . Mr. Kennedy is to be congratulated on his ‘Man Adrift.’”

=TO-DAY.=—“I have discovered in ‘A Man Adrift’ one of the most remarkable autobiographies ever penned. There is on every one of the incidents the stamp of reality. There does not appear to be a page of fiction in the book, and in his devil-may-care language the author secures the effect of absolute truth.”

=UNIVERSE.=—“This is really one of the best books we have had the pleasure to read for a long time. . . . The author evidently understands what he is writing about, and the whole is so beautifully written, that as the reader scans the pages the various scenes treated of are brought in a vivid manner before the mind.”

=REVIEW OF THE WEEK.=—“Each chapter is vivid with actuality. The book is interesting by reason of its absolute sincerity, and the strange quaint phases of life in out-of-the-way places, with which it deals. Mr. Kennedy’s style is peculiarly his own, and we are not prepared to contest its effectiveness. His story of the power of the human eye in obtaining a free lunch is altogether admirable. This is a book which should be widely read, and few will lay it down before the last page has been scanned.”

GREENING & CO., Limited, 20 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road,
London, W.C.

==TWO SMART STORIES.==

=MY LADY RUBY - - -=

—AND—

=- - - JOHN BASILEON=

CHIEF OF POLICE,

=By G. F. MONKSHOOD,=

_Author of “Rudyard Kipling: The Man and His Work,”_
_“Woman and the Wits,” &c._
Crown 8vo, Cloth, Top Edge Gilt, =2/6=.

=OUTLOOK.=—“Good work in which the influence of Mr. Saltus is perceptible. There are whole pages of admirable rhetoric. The story illustrates the enormous power of woman to excite and obsess man—an old theme, but an inexhaustible one.”

=SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH.=—“A good half-crown’s worth of smart clever writing. Both stories are quite off the conventional line.”

=ST. PAUL’S.=—“The dialogue in ‘My Lady Ruby’ is crisp and distinctly good. The second story, ‘John Basileon,’ is very striking.”

=ST. JAMES’ BUDGET.=—“‘My Lady Ruby’ is a dainty trifle, of the genre made familiar by Anthony Hope, wittily and gracefully told. . . . ‘John Basileon’ is a lurid story in which the senses run riot, and in one of the chapters, ‘The Glory of the God of Sex,’ we have a phrase suggestive of the outlook on life of practically all the characters engaged.”

=WOMAN’S WEEKLY.=—“‘My Lady Ruby,’ by Mr. G. F. Monkshood, whose work on Rudyard Kipling was so much appreciated, is a dainty little study of a pair of lovers; the other story, ‘John Basileon,’ shows the author has several styles, and while a less pleasant theme has a strength that one cannot but admire.”

=LIVERPOOL REVIEW.=—“‘My Lady Ruby’ is a little love story told in an extremely unconventional fashion. Between the same covers is a short lurid story of passion called ‘John Basileon,’ in which the moralities are discussed in a very free and easy, and not altogether commendable, style. Still Mr. Monkshood can write.”

=MONITOR.=—“‘My Lady Ruby’ is charming, and as witty as she is charming. . . . ‘John Basileon’ evinces imagination and subtlety of a highly vivid and intense quality. The note of the book is modern, but of a modernity far removed from that of the term understood by the French Symbolists and the English Degenerates. Messrs. Greening & Co. are to be congratulated on a publication which is likely to arouse considerable attention in those literary circles from which approbation is praise indeed.”

=NORTH BRITISH DAILY MAIL.=—“The titular story—one of two—displays a lightness of touch and a deftness of construction that make its perusal a source of keen mental stimulation, while the wit of its dialogue and the gentle and kindly humour that permeates the whole of it serve to increase and intensify the intellectual exhilaration, which every cultured man who reads it, must feel. . . . The second tale, ‘John Basileon,’ is of a different stamp. The language is strong, and its suggestion ever stronger, and it displays a real power over the emotional states, and an insight into the psychology of a man’s love, seldom arrived at by writers of Fiction.”

AT ALL BOOKSELLERS AND LIBRARIES.

GREENING & CO., Limited, 20 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road,
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_BOOKS WORTH READING_

BEING A LIST OF THE

=New and Forthcoming Publications=

OF

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20 Cecil Court
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_OCTOBER 1899_ LONDON, W.C.
GENERAL LITERATURE, CRITICISM,
POETRY, ETC.

_=English Writers of To-Day=_: Being a Series of Monographs on living Authors. Each volume is written by a competent authority, and each subject is treated in an appreciative, yet critical, manner. The following are the first volumes in the Series:—

_=Rudyard Kipling.=_ The Man and His Work. Being an attempt at an “Appreciation.” By G. F. MONKSHOOD, Author of “Woman and The Wits,” “My Lady Ruby,” etc. Containing a portrait of Mr Kipling and an autograph letter to the author in facsimile. Second Impression. Crown 8vo, buckram, gilt lettered, top edge gilt, 5s. nett.

=Daily Telegraph.=—“He writes fluently, and he has genuine enthusiasm for his subject, and an intimate acquaintance with his work. Moreover, the book has been submitted to Mr Kipling, whose characteristic letter to the author is set forth on the preface. . . . Of Kipling’s heroes Mr Monkshood has a thorough understanding, and his remarks on them are worth quoting” (extract follows).

=Globe.=—“It has at the basis of it both knowledge and enthusiasm—knowledge of the works estimated and enthusiasm for them. This book may be accepted as a generous exposition of Mr Kipling’s merits as a writer. We can well believe that it will have many interested and approving readers.”

=Scotsman.=—“This well-informed volume is plainly sincere. It is thoroughly well studied, and takes pains to answer all the questions that are usually put about Mr Kipling. The writer’s enthusiasm carries both himself and his reader along in the most agreeable style. One way and another his book is full of interest, and those who wish to talk about Kipling will find it invaluable, while the thousands of his admirers will read it through with delighted enthusiasm.”

VOLUMES OF E.W.O.T. (=In preparation.=)

_=Thomas Hardy.=_ By W. L. COURTNEY.

_=George Meredith.=_ By WALTER JERROLD.

_=Bret Harte.=_ By T. EDGAR PEMBERTON.

_=Richard Le Gallienne.=_ By C. RANGER GULL.

_=Arthur Wing Pinero.=_ By HAMILTON FYFFE.

_=W. E. Henley=_, and the “NATIONAL OBSERVER” Group. By GEORGE GAMBLE.

_=The Parnassian School in English=_ POETRY. (ANDREW LANG, EDMUND GOSSE and ROBERT BRIDGES.) By Sir GEORGE DOUGLAS.

_=Algernon Charles Swinburne.=_ By G. F. MONKSHOOD.

_=Realistic Writers of To-day.=_ By JUSTIN HANNAFORD.

_=The Wheel of Life.=_ A Few Memories and Recollections (de omnibus rebus). By CLEMENT SCOTT, Author of “Madonna Mia,” “Poppyland,” etc. With Portrait of the Author from the celebrated Painting by J. MORDECAI. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, crimson buckram, gilt lettered, gilt top, 2s.

=Weekly Sun= (T. P. O’Connor) says:—A Book of the Week—“I have found this slight and unpretentious little volume bright, interesting reading. I have read nearly every line with pleasure.”

=Illustrated London News.=—“The story Mr Scott has to tell is full of varied interest, and is presented with warmth and buoyancy.”

=Punch.=—“What pleasant memories does not Clement Scott’s little book, ‘The Wheel of Life,’ revive! The writer’s memory is good, his style easy, and above all, which is a great thing for reminiscences, chatty.”

=Referee.=—GEORGE R. SIMS (Dagonet) says:—Deeply interesting are these last memories and recollections of the last days of Bohemia. . . . I picked up ‘The Wheel of Life’ at one in the morning, after a hard night’s work, and flung myself, weary and worn, into an easy-chair, to glance at it while I smoked my last pipe. As I read, all my weariness departed, for I was young and light-hearted once again, and the friends of my young manhood had come trooping back from the shadows to make a merry night of it once more in London town. And when I put the book down, having read it from cover to cover, it was ‘past three o’clock and a windy morning.’”

_=A Trip to Paradoxia=_, and other Humours of the Hour. Being Contemporary Pictures of Social Fact and Political Fiction. By T. H. S. ESCOTT, Author of “Personal Forces of the Period,” “Social Transformation of the Victorian Age,” “Platform, Press, Politics, and Play,” Etc. Crown 8vo, art cloth. Gilt, 5s. nett.

=Standard.=—“A book which is amusing from cover to cover. Bright epigrams abound in Mr Escott’s satirical pictures of the modern world. . . . Those who know the inner aspects of politics and society will, undoubtedly, be the first to recognise the skill and adroitness with which he strikes at the weak places in a world of intrigue and fashion. . . . There is a great deal of very clever sword-play in Mr Escott’s description of Dum-Dum (London), the capital of Paradoxia (England).”

=Court Circular.=—“It is brilliantly written, and will afford keen enjoyment to the discriminating taste. Its satire is keen-edged, but good-humoured enough to hurt no one; and its wit and (may me say?) its impudence should cause a run on it at the libraries.”

=M. A. P.=—“A sparkling piece of political and social satire. Mr Escott besprinkles his pages with biting epigram and humorous innuendo. It is a most amusing book.”

=Athenæum.=—“He constantly suggests real episodes and real persons. There are a good many rather pretty epigrams scattered through Mr Escott’s pages.”

=Scotsman.=—“A bright, witty, and amusing volume, which will entertain everybody who takes it up.”

=Newcastle Leader.=—“Messrs Greening are fortunate in being the publishers of a volume so humorous, so dexterous, written with such knowledge of men and affairs, and with such solidity and power of style as Mr T. H. S. Escott’s ‘A Trip to Paradoxia.’”

=Public Opinion.=—“Mr T. H. S. Escott throws abundant humour blended with pungent sarcasm into his work, making his pictures very agreeable reading to all but the victim he has selected, and whose weaknesses he so skilfully lays bare. But the very clever manner in which the writer hits the foibles and follies of his fellows must create admiration and respect even from those who view his satire with a wintry smile. We like his writing, his power of discernment, and his high literary style.”

_=People, Plays, and Places.=_ Being the Second Series of “The Wheel of Life,” Memories and Recollections of “People” I have met, “Plays” I have seen, and “Places” I have visited. By CLEMENT SCOTT, Author of “The Stage of Yesterday and The Stage of To-day,” “Pictures of the World,” “Thirty Years at the Play.” Crown 8vo, cloth gilt. (In preparation.) 5s.

“_=Sisters by the Sea.=_” Seaside and Country Sketches. By CLEMENT SCOTT, Author of “Blossom Land,” “Amongst the Apple Orchards,” Etc. Frontispiece and Vignette designed by GEORGE POWNALL. Long 12mo, attractively bound in cloth, 1s.

=Observer.=—“The little book is bright and readable, and will come like a breath of country air to many unfortunates who are tied by the leg to chair, stool, or counter.”

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_=Some Famous Hamlets.=_ (SARAH BERNHARDT, HENRY IRVING, BEERBOHM TREE, WILSON BARRETT and FORBES ROBERTSON.) By CLEMENT SCOTT. Illustrated with portraits. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

_=Some Bible Stories Retold.=_ By “A CHURCHMAN.” Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=Bye-Ways of Crime.=_ With some Stories from the Black Museum. By R. J. POWER-BERREY. Profusely Illustrated. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

=Outlook.=—“Decidedly you should read Mr Power-Berrey’s interesting book, taking laugh and shudder as they come.”

=Sheffield Independent.=—“We do not remember to have ever seen a more popularly-written summary of the methods of thieves than this bright and chatty volume. It is the work of a writer who evidently has a most intimate knowledge of the criminal classes, and who can carry on a plain narrative briskly and forcibly. The book fascinates by its freshness and unusualness.”

=Literature.=—“It contains many interesting stories and new observations on the _modus operandi_ of swindlers.”

=Scotsman.=—“A most interesting account of the dodges adopted by various criminals in effecting their purposes. The reader will find much that is instructive within its pages.”

=Liverpool Review.=—“This is no fanciful production, but a clear, dispassionate revelation of the dodges of the professional criminal. Illustrated by numerous pen and ink sketches, Mr Power-Berrey’s excellent work is useful as well as interesting, for it will certainly not assist the common pilferer to have all his little tricks made public property in this lucid and easily rememberable style.”

_=The Art of Elocution=_ and Public Speaking. By ROSS FERGUSON. With an Introduction by GEO. ALEXANDER. Dedicated by permission to Miss ELLEN TERRY. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, strongly bound in cloth, 1s.

=Australian Mail.=—“A useful little book. We can strongly recommend it to the chairmen of public companies.”

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=Literary World.=—“The essentials of elocution are dealt with in a thoroughly capable and practical way. The chapter on public speaking is particularly satisfactory.”

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_=A History of Nursery Rhymes.=_ By =Percy B. Green=. This interesting Book is the result of many years research among nursery folklore of all nations, and traces the origin of nursery-rhymes from the earliest times. Crown 8vo, cloth, 4s.

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_=In Quaint East Anglia.=_ Descriptive Sketches. By T. WEST CARNIE. Illustrated by W. S. ROGERS. Long 12mo, cloth, 1s.

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=Glasgow Herald.=—“Mr Carnie’s book is thoroughly charming.”

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=Graphic.=—“It is a prettily got up and readable little book.”

=Saturday Review.=—“Will be welcomed by all who have come under the charm of East Anglia.”

_=A Man Adrift.=_ Being Leaves from a Nomad’s Portfolio. By BART KENNEDY, Author of “Darab’s Wine-Cup,” “The Wandering Romanoff,” etc. This very entertaining book is a narrative of adventures in all parts of the world. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.

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_=Fetters of Fire.=_ A Dramatic Tale. By =Compton Reade=, Author of “Hard Lines,” “Under which King,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.

_=A Virtue of Necessity.=_ A Powerful Novel. By HERBERT ADAMS. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.

_=A Cry in the Night.=_ An exciting Detective Story. By ARNOLD GOLSWORTHY, Author of “Death and the Woman,” “Hands in the Darkness,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.

_=A Social Upheaval.=_ An Unconventional Dramatic Satirical Tale. By ISIDORE G. ASCHER, Author of “An Odd Man’s Story,” “The Doom of Destiny,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 6s.

=Scotsman.=—“The plot is bold, even to audacity; its development is always interesting, picturesque, and, towards the close, deeply pathetic; and the purpose and method of the writer are alike admirable.”

=Eastern Morning News.=—“It is a clever book, splendidly written, and striking in its wonderful power, and keeping the reader interested. . . . The author has not failed in his effort to prove the case. The awful truth of its pages is borne home upon us as we read chapter after chapter. The book should have a good effect in certain quarters. One of the best features is the dividing line drawn most plainly between Socialism and Anarchism. To its author we tender our thanks, and predict a large sale.”

=Daily Telegraph.=—“The hero is an interesting dreamer, absorbed in his schemes, which are his one weakness. To women, save when they can further the good of his cause, he is obdurate; in business, strong, energetic, and powerful. He is shown to us as the man with a master mind and one absorbing delusion, and as such is a pathetic figure. No one can dispute the prodigality and liveliness of the author’s imagination; his plot teems with striking incidents.”

=Vanity Fair.=—“The story tells itself very clearly in three hundred pages of very pleasant and entertaining reading. The men and women we meet are not the men and women we really come across in this world. So much the better for us. But we are delighted to read about them, for all that; and we prophesy success for Mr Ascher’s book, particularly as he has taken the precaution of telling us that he is ‘only in fun.’”

=Aberdeen Free Press.=—“A story in which there is not a dull page, nay, not even a dull line. The characters are well drawn, the incidents are novel and often astounding, and the language has a terseness and briskness that gives a character of vivacity to the story, so that the reader is never tired going on unravelling the tangled meshes of the intricate plot until he comes to the end. ‘A Social Upheaval’ is, indeed, a rattling good book.”

_=A New Tale of The Terror.=_ A Powerful and Dramatic Story of the French Revolution. By the Author of “The Hypocrite” and “Miss Malevolent.” (In preparation.) Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.

=POPULAR FICTION=
NOVELS AT THREE SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE

_=Shams!=_ A Social Satire. By ——? This is a remarkable and interesting story of Modern Life in London Society. It is a powerful work, written with striking vividness. The plot is fascinating, the incidents exciting, and the dialogue epigrammatic and brilliant. “Shams” is written by one of the most popular novelists of the day. Crown 8vo, art cloth, gilt, 3s. 6d.

_=Miss Malevolent.=_ A Realistic Study. By the Author of “The Hypocrite.” Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=A Comedy of Temptation=_; or, The Amateur Fiend. A Tale by TRISTRAM COUTTS, Author of “The Pottle Papers,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=The Weird Well.=_ A Tale of To-day. By Mrs ALEC M^{C}MILLAN, Author of “The Evolution of Daphne,” “So Runs my Dream,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=Loroastro.=_ An Historical Romance. By =Creswick J. Thompson=, Author of “Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries,” “The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=The Temptation of Edith Watson.=_ By SYDNEY HALL. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=The Gentleman Digger.=_ Realistic Pictures of Life in Johannesburg, By ANNA, COMTESSE DE BRÉMONT, Author of “A Son of Africa,” etc. New Edition, revised to date, with a new Preface. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=The Sword of Fate.=_ An Interesting Novel. By HENRY HERMAN, Author of “Eagle Joe,” “Scarlet Fortune,” etc., and Joint Author of the “Silver King,” “Claudian.” Crown 8vo, art cloth, 3s. 6d.

=Vanity Fair.=—“The hand that wrote the ‘Silver King’ has by no means lost its cunning in painting broad effects of light and shadow. The description of life in Broadmoor is, we fancy, done from actual observation. It is quite new.” And the critic of =Black and White= sums it up pithily as “a story which holds our attention and interests us right from the first chapter. The book is as exciting as even a story of sensation has any need to be.” Speaking of the scene of Mr Herman’s drama, the beautiful county of Devonshire, where the greater part of the story takes place, the =Manchester Courier= says: “The author’s descriptive powers vividly portray the lovely spots by the winding Tamar, while the rich dialect of the district is so faithfully reproduced as to become not the least feature of an exciting tale.”

=The Weekly Mercury.=—“Mr Henry Herman has carefully studied the little weaknesses of the great army of readers. Like a celebrated and much advertised medicine, he invariably ‘touches the spot,’ and hence the popularity of his works. His latest novel, ‘The Sword of Fate,’ contains all the essentials of a popular story. It is well written, sufficiently dramatic, full of life and incident, and above all, right triumphs over wrong. We must, too, congratulate the author upon the omission of all that is disagreeable or likely to offend the susceptibilities of the most delicate minded. It is a clean and healthy novel, a credit to the writer, and a pleasure to the reader. . . . These are quite capable of affording anyone a pleasant evening’s reading, a remark which does not apply to the great majority of the modern novels.”

_=Seven Nights with Satan.=_ A Novel. By =J. L. Owen=, Author of “The Great Jekyll Diamond.” Cover designed by W. S. ROGERS. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

=St James’s Gazette.=—“We have read the book from start to finish with unflagging interest—an interest, by the way, which derives nothing from the ‘spice,’ for though its title may be suggestive of Zolaism, there is not a single passage which is open to objection. The literary style is good.”

=Truth.=—“I much prefer the ghastly story ‘Seven Nights with Satan,’ a very clever study of degeneration.”

=London Morning.=—“The story told is a powerful one, evidently based upon close personal knowledge of the events, places, and persons which figure in it. A tragic note pervades it, but still there is lightness and wit in its manner which makes the book a very fascinating as well as eventful volume.”

=Public Opinion.=—“Mr J. L. Owen has given a title to his work which will cause many conjectures as to the nature of the story. Now, if we divulged what were the seven nights, we should be doing the author anything but a service—in fact, we should be giving the whole thing away; therefore, we will only state that the work is cleverly conceived, and carried out with great literary ability. There are numerous flashes of originality that lift the author above ordinary commonplace.”

_=The Green Passion.=_ The Study of a Jealous Soul. A Powerful Novel. By ANTHONY P. VERT. Cover designed by ALFRED PRAGA. Crown 8vo, art cloth, 3s. 6d.

Mr. DOUGLAS SLADEN in =The Queen=.—“A remarkably clever book. . . . There is no disputing the ability with which the writer handles her subject. I say _her_ subject, because the minuteness of the touches, and the odd, forcible style in which this book is written, point to it being the work of a female hand. The book is an eminently readable one, and it is never dull for a minute.”

=Daily Telegraph.=—“It is a study of one of the worst passions which can ruin a life-time and mar all human happiness—one of the worst, not because it is necessarily the strongest, but because of its singular effect in altering the complexion of things, transforming love into suspicion, and filling its victim with a petulant and unreasonable madness. All this Anthony Vert understands, and can describe with very uncommon power. The soul of a jealous woman is analysed with artistic completeness, and proved to be the petty, intolerant, half-insane thing it really is. . . . The plot is well conceived, and well carried out. Anthony Vert may be congratulated on having written a very clever novel.”

=The Monitor.=—“A wonderful piece of writing. The only modern parallel we can find is supplied in Mr F. C. Philip’s ‘As in a Looking Glass.’”

=World.=—“As the study of a jealous soul, ‘The Green Passion’ is a success, and psychological students will be delighted with it. . . . The tragedy which forms the _dénouement_ to this story is of such a nature as to preclude our doing more than remotely alluding to it, for he (or is it she?) has portrayed an ‘exceedingly risky situation.’”

=Whitehall Review.=—“In ‘The Green Passion’ the author traces with much ability, and not a little analytical insight, the progress of jealousy in the breast of a woman who is born with a very ‘intense,’ although not a very deep, nature. . . . There is in Mr Vert’s work a certain tendency towards realism which has its due effect in making his characters real. They are no loosely-built fancies of the journalistic brain, but portraits—almost snapshot portraits—of men and women of to-day.”

_=Outrageous Fortune.=_ Being the Confessions of Evelyn Gray, Hospital Nurse. A story founded on fact, proving that truth is stranger than fiction. (In preparation.) Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

_=The Dolomite Cavern.=_ An Exciting Tale of Adventure. By W. PATRICK KELLY, Author of “Schoolboys Three,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

=Daily Telegraph.=—“Lovers of the sensational in fiction will find abundance of congenial entertainment in Mr W. P. Kelly’s new story. In the way of accessories to startling situations all is fish that comes to this ingenious author’s net. The wonders of primitive nature, the marvels of latter-day science, the extravagances of human passion—all these he dexterously uses for the purpose of involving his hero in perilous scrapes from which he no less dexterously extricates him by expedients which, however far-fetched they may appear to the unimaginative, are certainly not lacking in originality of device, or cleverness of construction. . . . This is a specimen incident—those which succeed it derive their special interest from the action of Rontgen rays, subterranean torrents, and devastating inundations. The book is very readable throughout, and ends happily. What more can the average novel reader wish for in holiday time?”

=Observer.=—“A story full of exciting adventure.”

=Saturday Review.=—“The plot is ingenious, and the style pleasant.”

=Literature.=—“‘The Dolomite Cavern’ has the great merit of being very well written. The plot is sensational and improbable enough, but with the aid of the author’s bright literary manner it carries us on agreeably until the last chapter.”

=Critic.=—“It is a sensational novel with a dash of pseudo-scientific interest about it which is well calculated to attract the public. It is, moreover, well written and vigorous.”

=Manchester Guardian.=—“Mr Kelly’s fluent, rapid style makes his story of mysteries readable and amusing. His Irish servant, one of the principal characters, speaks a genuine Irish dialect—almost as rare in fiction as the imitation is common.”

=St James’s Budget.=—“Truly thrilling and dramatic, Mr Kelly’s book is a cleverly written and absorbing romance. It concludes with a tremendous scene, in which a life-and-death struggle with a madman in the midst of a raging flood is the leading feature.”

_=Madonna Mia=_, and other Stories. By =Clement Scott=, Author of “Poppyland,” “The Wheel of Life,” “The Fate of Fenella,” “Blossomland,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d.

=Punch.=—“‘Madonna Mia’ is genuinely interesting. All the stories are good; you are ‘Scott free’ to pick ’em where you like.” (The Baron de B. W.)

=Weekly Sun.=—“Shows Mr Scott’s sturdy character painting and love of picturesque adventure.”

=Weekly Dispatch.=—“The book is characteristic of the work of its author—bright, brilliant, informing, and entertaining, and without a dull sentence in it.”

=St James’s Gazette.=—“Full of grace and sentiment. The tales have each their individuality and interest, and we can recommend the whole as healthy refreshment for the idle or weary brain.”

=Pelican.=—“Full of living, breathing, human interest. Few writers possess the gift of bringing actual existence to their characters as does Mr Scott, and in the pages of his newest book you shall find tears and smiles, and all the emotions skilfully arranged and put in true literary fashion.”

=World.=—“Clement Scott is nothing if not sympathetic, and every one of the ten stories is not only thoroughly readable, but is instinct with sentiment; for Mr Scott still retains a wonderful enthusiasm, usually the attribute of youth. ‘Drifting’ is a very fresh and convincing narrative, founded, we understand, upon truth, and containing within a small compass the materials for a very stirring drama. ‘A Cross of Heather,’ too, is a charming romance, told with real pathos and feeling.”

_=The Shadow on The Manse.=_ A Tale of Religion and the Stage. By CAMPBELL RAE-BROWN, Author of “The Resurrection of His Grace,” “Kissing-Cup’s Race,” etc. Crown 8vo, art cloth, gilt, 3s. 6d.

_=The Lady of the Leopard.=_ A Powerful and Fascinating Novel. By CHAS. L’EPINE, Author of “The Devil in a Domino.” Crown 8vo, art cloth, 3s. 6d.

=Public Opinion.=—“A remarkable book. . . . We are plunged into a delicious and tantalising romance; incident follows incident like a panorama of exciting pictures. Fertility of imagination is everywhere apparent, and the _dénouement_ is artfully concealed till it bursts upon the reader with a suddenness that fairly takes away his breath.”

=Liverpool Mercury.=—“Lovers of the marvellous will enjoy it, for it is cleverly and dramatically written.”

=Dundee Advertiser.=—“Written with dramatic force and vigour.”

=North British Advertiser.=—“This is a weird and strange story that interests and fascinates the reader, with its occult fancies and marvellous experiences. . . . It may be added, in conclusion, that it is a book well worth reading, and will easily bear a second perusal.”

=Liverpool Post.=—“A very skilfully constructed story, mysterious and strange, with a natural explanation suggested of all the mystery which does not spoil one’s enjoyment (here follows analysis of plot). This is the bare outline of the story up to a certain point; it is impossible to convey adequately an idea of the awe-inspiring characteristics of the story. Readers can safely be recommended to turn to the book itself.”

=POPULAR FICTION=
HALF-CROWN NOVELS

_=In Monte Carlo.=_ A Tale by HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ, Author of “Quo Vadis,” “With Fire and Sword,” etc., etc. Translated by S. C. de SOISSONS. Crown 8vo, art cloth, with a new Portrait of the Author, 2s. 6d.

_=The Tragedy of The Lady Palmist.=_ By W. LUTHER LONGSTAFF, Author of “Weeds and Flowers,” etc. An exciting tale, descriptive of the “Behind-the-Scenes of the Palmist’s Bohemia.” Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

_=My Lady Ruby, and Basileon, Chief of Police=_. Two stories by G. F. MONKSHOOD, Author of “Nightshades,” “Rudyard Kipling: The Man and His Work,” “Woman and The Wits,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

_=The Hypocrite.=_ A Modern Realistic Novel of Oxford and London Life. Fourth Impression. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

⁂ _This book has been “boycotted” by Messrs Mudie and Messrs W.
H. Smith & Son as being “unfit to circulate in their libraries,”
yet it has been praised by the press as being “a powerful sermon
and a moral book.”_

=Daily Telegraph.=—“A book by an anonymous author always arouses a certain inquiry, and when the book is clever and original the interest becomes keen, and conjecture is rife, endowing the most unlikely people with authorship. . . . It is very brilliant, very forcible, very sad. . . . It is perfect in its way, in style clear, sharp and forcible, the dialogue epigrammatic and sparkling. . . . Enough has been said to show that ‘The Hypocrite’ is a striking and powerful piece of work, and that its author has established his claim to be considered a writer of originality and brilliance.”

=Daily Graphic.=—“A very moral book.”

=Court Circular.=—“The work is decidedly clever, full of ready wit, sparkling epigram, and cutting sarcasm.”

=Echo.=—“The story is thoroughly interesting, the wit and epigram of the writing are not to be denied, and altogether ‘The Hypocrite’ is so brilliant that it can only be fittingly compared with ‘The Green Carnation’ or ‘The Babe B.A.’”

=Liverpool Courier.=—“A genuinely clever book. Furthermore, it is a book with a wholesome moral vividly enforced.”

=Lady.=—“Whoever the author may be, he has the right literary method, his work is absolutely realistic, his style is fluent and distinctive, and he has the rare faculty of gripping the reader’s attention at the outset and retaining it to the very last. . . . ‘The Hypocrite’ is something more than a remarkable novel—it is, in effect, a sermon, conveying a definite message to those who have the wit to understand it.”

=Morning Post.=—“It is entitled to be regarded as one of the clever books of the day. The writer shows artistic perception. He maintains throughout an atmosphere perfectly in harmony with the idea that has suggested his work.”

_=The Wandering Romanoff.=_ A Romance. By BART KENNEDY, Author of “A Man Adrift,” “Darab’s Wine-Cup,” etc. New and Cheaper Edition, crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

_=Dona Rufina.=_ A Nineteenth Century Romance. Being a Story of Carlist Conspiracy. By HEBER DANIELS, Author of “Our Tenants.” Second Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

=Bookman.=—“A highly emotional, cleverly written story.”

=Lady.=—“A thrilling romance with a mediæval atmosphere, although the scene is laid in the Cotswolds in the year of grace 1898. The story is well constructed, and is a good example of the widely imaginative type of fiction that is so eagerly devoured by young people nowadays.”

=Lloyd’s.=—“The author has woven a clever story out of strange materials. . . . The interest of the book only ceases when the end is reached.”

=Society.=—“Altogether a very intelligible and interesting story of intrigue and love. The author has put some excellent work into the book.”

=Eastern Morning News.=—“Readers will be fascinated by the stirring scenes, the swiftly moving panorama, the enacted tragedies, the wild, passionate, lawless loves depicted in the most sensational manner in this volume.”

=Englishman= (Calcutta).—“It is a lurid tale of Spanish plotters. . . . Around this central figure the author weaves an effective story with more than considerable skill. He has achieved a brilliant success with the character of Rufina; it is a masterpiece in its own way, and invested with freshness, grace, and a magnetic personality.”

_=Lord Jimmy.=_ A Story of Music-Hall Life. By GEORGE MARTYN. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

=Outlook.=—“The book is both humorous and dramatic.”

=Pelican.=—“It is amusing and interesting—two very good qualities for a novel to possess.”

=Sheffield Telegraph.=—“The book is vivaciously written, several of the characters being human enough to look like studies from life.”

=Aberdeen Free Press.=—“The characters are skilfully depicted, and the whole book is amusing and interesting.”

=Glasgow Citizen.=—“‘Decidedly clever’ will be the verdict of the reader on closing this book.”

=Vanity Fair.=—“The author has a peculiar knowledge of the ‘Halls’ and those who frequent them; and especially, as it seems to us, of those Jewish persons who sometimes run them. And he has made good use of his knowledge here. But there is more than this in the book; for ‘George Martyn’ has considerable descriptive talent. His account, for instance, of the fight between the hero and the butcher is quite good. The story is straightforward, convincing, and full of human nature and promise.”

_=The Lady of Criswold.=_ A Sensational Story. By LEONARD OUTRAM. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

=North British Advertiser.=—“A thrilling tale of love and madness.”

=Whitehall Review.=—“No one can complain of lack of sensation, it is full of startling episodes. The characters are drawn with a rapid and vigorous touch. The interest is well maintained.”

=Court Circular.=—“It reminds us forcibly of a story in real life that engrossed public attention many years ago. Whether this was in the author’s mind we cannot say, but the book is deeply interesting, the characters well and strongly drawn, and we doubt not this tale will fascinate many a reader.”

=London Morning.=—“The story is cleverly constructed, is full of incident with more than a dash of tragedy, and holds the attention of the reader to the close. Dealing with modern life of the higher class, Mr Outram’s story is consistent, and though it aims at romantic effect, is not strained or overdrawn.”

=Church Gazette.=—“We can heartily recommend ‘The Lady of Criswold.’ One likes to meet now and again a book which forsakes the eternal sex question, or the hair-splitting discussion of ethical or psychological problems, and treats us to simpler and more satisfying fare. . . . There are several good hours’ reading in the book, and plenty of excitement of the dramatic order. Another good point is that it is healthy in tone.”

_=The Gates of Temptation.=_ A Natural Novel by Mrs ALBERT S. BRADSHAW, Author of “False Gods,” “Wife or Slave,” etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

=Weekly Dispatch.=—“This is a story full of power and pathos, the strong dramatic interest of which is sustained from the opening chapter to the close.”

=Midland Mail.=—“The characters are vividly drawn. There are many pleasant and painful incidents in the book, which is interesting from beginning to end.”

=London Morning.=—“Mrs Albert Bradshaw has done such uniformly good work that we have grown to expect much from her. Her latest book is one which will enhance her reputation, and equally please new and old readers of her novels. It is called ‘The Gates of Temptation,’ and professes to be a natural novel. The story told is one of deep interest. There is no veneer in its presentation, no artificiality about it.”

=Aberdeen Free Press.=—“Mrs Bradshaw has written several good novels, and the outstanding feature of all of them has been her skilful development of plot, and her tasteful, pleasing style. In connection with the present story we are able to amply reiterate those praises. The plot again is well developed and logically carried out, while the language used by the authoress is always happy and well chosen, and never commonplace. . . . The story is a very powerful one indeed, and may be highly commended as a piece of painstaking fiction of the very highest kind.”

_=The Resurrection of His Grace.=_ Being the very candid Confessions of the Honourable BERTIE BEAUCLERC. A Sporting Novel. By CAMPBELL RAE-BROWN, Author of “Richard Barlow,” “Kissing Cup’s Race,” etc. Second Impression. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

=Gentlewoman.=—“Fantastic and impossible, but at the same time amusing. . . . The whole story is strongly dramatic.”

=Saturday Review.=—“A grotesquely improbable story, but readers of sporting novels will find much amusement in it.”

=Scotsman.=—“The book is lightly and briskly written throughout. Its pleasant cynicism is always entertaining.”

=Star.=—“An ingeniously horrible story with a diabolically clever plot.”

=St James’s Budget.=—“A sporting romance which is indisputably cleverly written. . . . The book is full of interesting items of sporting life which are fascinating to lovers of the turf.”

=Edinburgh Evening News.=—“It has certainly an audacious idea for its central motive. . . . This bright idea is handled with no little skill, and the interest is kept up breathlessly until the tragic end of the experiment. The whole story has a racy flavour of the turf.”

=Sporting life.=—“The character of the heartless roué, who tells his story, is very well sustained, and the rich _parvenu_, Peter Drewitt, the owner of the favourite that is very nearly nobbled by the unscrupulous Beauclerc, is cleverly drawn. Altogether it is an exciting and an uncommon tale, and is quite correct in all the sporting details.”

_=Anna Marsden’s Experiment.=_ An interesting Novel. By ELLEN WILLIAMS. Crown 8vo, art cloth, 2s. 6d.

=Outlook.=—“A good story cleverly told and worked out.”

=Echo.=—“A very natural and interesting tale is carefully set forth in Ellen Williams’ clever little book.”