The Locked Desk. By Frances Mary Peard. (National Society.) —Miss
Peard has given us here a tale of modern life, in lieu of the historical studies which we have been accustomed to have from her at this time. The motive of her story is well conceived and ably managed. Mrs. Barton, the wife—and before the narra- tive has gone far, the widow—of a fisherman, has a secret which she keeps from her children. Her brother has been convicted of a crime, and she is in agony lest they should know it. As the man's sentence is about to expire (sentences, we may remind Miss Peard, are very seldom worked out to the end), her terror has reached its height. When he actually appears, she has no idea but of flight. After all, she finds that it would have been ten times better if she had frankly communicated her difficulties to her friends. The characters of the two children, the steady son and the somewhat frivolous girl, are well drawn. Altogether, this is a pleasant tale with an excellent moral.
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