13 DECEMBER 1890, Page 24

Dumps and I. By Mrs. Parr. (Methuen and Co.)—Mrs. Parr

does not altogether overcome the difficulty of telling a story in the first person without affectation. When, indeed, the staple of a narrative is adventure, this difficulty is inconsiderable ; when, on the other hand, it is sentiment, it becomes very serious. Sylvia Carleton is the daughter of a lawyer in a country town. Her father has a mysterious grudge against a neighbour, Lady Deloraine, and we are here told how be satisfies it, and how things are brought right in the end. Sylvia has, of course, a great part

in this work of restoration, and she has the very difficult task of describing this part in a simple way. There is much that is pleasant in the book.