The Youngest Miss Mowbray. By B. M. Croker. (Hurst and
Blackett. 6s.)—Mrs. Croker apparently has the idea at the back of her mind of giving the public in this book a modern edition of Cinderella. The result is a very pretty story, but it is impossible, for the reason just suggested, to pronounce the novel original. But whether it is worth while to follow the lines of the old fairy-story, or whether the tale would not have been just as satisfactory without this skeleton plot behind it, we may leave the reader to discover. The best work in the book is in the characters of the two older Miss Mowbmys, the "proud sisters" of the story. Augusta, tho elder, is specially well drawn. The reader will quite sympathise with the exaspera- tion of Mr. Hawkins, the old solicitor, who finds it impossible to persuade the ladies that they must not live at the rate of .6800 or £900 a year when they have but £500, even including their younger sister's portion. The book is an agreeable and entirely wholesome example of modern fiction, but Mrs. Croker has done better work than this in the past, and we can but hope will do better again in the future.
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