William—An Englishman. By Cicely Hamilton. (Skeffingtons. 6s. 9d. net.)—A graphic
story giving an account of the over- taking of an English honeymoon couple by the German invasion of Belgium in August, 1914. This bald statement conveys no idea of the power and poignancy of the book. The opening chapters are concerned with the early life of William Tully, a professional social reformer, formerly a clerk in an insurance office. He falls in love with a suffragette worker, and these two prosecute the " Battles " of their mimic " Warfare," the author at intervals relentlessly reminding the reader of the dates—May, June, and July, 1914. With the passing of every month the reader feels the tragedy of the World War drawing nearer and nearer. Then comes the unfortunate loan to William Tully and his bride of a cottage in the Ardennes for their honeymoon, where the unhappy couple have their eyes opened to the real meaning of battles and war. They are taken prisoner by the Germans, and Griselda, the wife, dies after unspeakable outrages. William escapes, enlists, and, not having the necessary physique for service in the ranks, finds his subsequent lot as an Army clerk almost unbearably wearisome and trivial. Certain aspects of the psychological effects of the war have seldom been more forcibly put than in this remarkable novel, which cannot fail to hold the attention of the reader, though it will leave him in no pleasant frame of mind.
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