Criss- Cross. By Grace Denis Litchfield. (G. P. Patnam's Sons.)
—As in "Only an Incident," so in Criss-Cross, Miss Litchfield takes up her parable against flirtation. Humphrey Davenant travels across the Atlantic in company with Miss Boggart, who is the most audacious specimen of the genus " flirt " in its highly developed American variety. He begins with a little aversion, but she draws him on and on, till at last he fairly loses himself. She, meanwhile, does not care a button for him, except as an eligible specimen of the " admirer " class, of which she always likes to have a good stock on hand ; and all the while she calmly relates her experiences with him to her friend at home, the said friend being Humphrey's fiancee. But as she always speaks of her lover as "Mr. Duke," having first fancied that he was an English duke on his way home, the catastrophe comes before the identity of Mr. Davenant and Mr. Duke is discovered. We cannot but think that the poor man is hardly treated by the good young woman. As other good young women may be led to act in the same way, while flirts are incorrigible, the book, while it points admirable morals with admirable force, may very likely do more harm than good.
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