The Orchard Thief. By Mrs. Henry Dudeney. (W. Heinemann 6s.)—In
this extremely clever novel Mrs. Dudeney draws a picture of a man with a largo soul encased in a small body,—contrasting him with the woman on whom his whole happiness depends, who has a beautiful body and no soul at all. Stephen Fairmanner is not only the most interesting person in the book, he is really the only one of the dramatis personae who counts at all. The world has seen many women like Julia Wing, and studies in- numerable of them have been drawn. But the figure of Stephen stands out in contemporary fiction as original, and on this achievement Mrs. Dudeney may be warmly congratulated. The pictures of the village of Penny Pottage and of the 'Blue Bark' Inn, which belongs to Stephen, are well drawn ; and the minor characters, among whom Oliver Heron, Julia's other lover, must be included, are adequate. But the story is simply a setting for the character of Stephen, and- Mrs. Dudeney indicates his progress from complete agnosticism to faith with considerable art. The book may be warmly recommended to those readers who like an interesting story, and if it is not virginibus puerisgue, it is at any rate unmistakably on the side of the angels.
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