The Root. By Orme Agnus. (Ward, Lock, and Co. 6s.)—
" Orme Agnus" gives us in The Root another story concerning the same world of countrymen with whom he dealt in his last and most enchanting novel, " Sarah Tuldon." Tho present novel, however, is a domestic tragedy of a very poignant type, and " Orme Agana " treats it in such a manner that his readers will find the book almost too moving. Relentless as Nemesis in a Greek tragedy, the awful consequences of the degeneration of character lie in wait for the persons of this domestic drama. The end, tragic as it is, will come almost as a relief to kindly souls who do not care to dwell too long on evil motives relentlessly analysed. Tho subject of tho book is tho corroding effect of an ex- pected inheritance on a sot of people of average virtue, living in a West Country village. "Orme Agnus" is quite pitiless in his unfolding of tho gradual deterioration of the characters of his personages. But oven this deterioration is not quite the worst feature of the story, for the expected inheritance is a cheat, and the village sells its soul to the Devil without even receiving the mocking payment which this debtor usually deals out to his deluded creditors. Tho one and only unconvincing thing in the book is the character of Uncle Ezra, the old man who perpetrates the fraud, thereby reaping great benefit for himself. He is rather a nice old man, and it is difficult to credit him with a sufficiently evil disposition to continuo in his deceit when he perceives the moral ruin which he is bringing on his whole family. The bright spot in the book is the courtship of the cousins Arthur and Lizzie, who, almost alone among tho characters, have the strength of mind to refuse to allow their lives to be ruined by the expected "damning heritage." Here "Orme Agnus" gives some of the most idyllic pictures of real country people which have ever fallen from his pen, and the reader will be thankful for the relief the love episode affords to the more sombre parts of the book. The Root from the point of art fully reaches the very high level attained by " Orme Aguas " in " Sarah Tuldon," but, powerful as it is, it is not, like the annals of that delightful lady, a book to read and re-read. As a rule, sequels are the most dreary things in literature, but we cannot help thinking that " Sarah Tuldon " would prove an exception. Therefore we suggest to "Orme Agnus" that ho should some day let us hear something of her furthor adventures.
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