10 OCTOBER 1903, Page 27

The Yellow Crayon. By E. Phillips Oppenheim. (Ward, Lock, and

Co. 6s.)—Mr. Oppenheim, without fear of the pains and penalties of lase-majeste, has given the secret society of tho Yellow Crayon no less august a head than the Emperor William himself. True, the sole use he makes of his power is to "crush " the Order; but this is only on the last page, and all through the story the Yellow Crayon has a splendid time. The book is, of course, frank melodrama, but it is amusing in its own line, and the idea of the Order spoken of above being (to quote its Imperial head) "a society composed of aristocrats pledged to resist the march of Socialism," is decidedly amusing and original.