29 JANUARY 1898, Page 41

Blight. By the Hon. Mrs. W. R. D. Forbes. (Osgood,

McIlvaine, and Co.)—We do not quite understand the develop- ment of the heroine's character, though the Blight of the latter part of the book is more intelligible, and is a strong, perhaps too strong, portrait of a selfish, narrow-minded woman. Her crime is a horrible one, and it is hard to conceive that she should not have seen that the blow dealt at her daughter-in-law would also strike her own child. She is decidedly a most• unpleasant character. More interesting people are Mr. Ross and the Duchess. Some of the dialogue is clever, and one or two of the scenes are good.