6 MAY 1911, Page 25

Nina. By Rosaline Masson. (Macmillan and Co. 60.)—This is one

of the books of which one counts the pages yet remaining to be read. For an expert novel reader such praise might well bo enough ; but it may be well to give a little more detail. Nina is beautiful, accomplished, gifted with a lovely voice, with a genius of acting, qualified to be a social success in every way but one : no one knows who sho is. This situation is given with much skill. Nothing could be better done than the subtle way in which Lady Jenny Thirlmere, while sho seems as thoughtful and kind as she could be, lets it be understood that this very admirable young woman is not "one of them." Nina, of course, has love affairs. These are skilfully managed, on the whole, though we are not quite sure that Mr. Britton would have acted the Puritan part that he did. The other story is altogether admirable. The Dean of Westonbury is as good a portrait as could be wished. The same can be said of the Scottish minister, Mr. Forbes, so like and yet so

unlike. But Elspeth, the Highland nurse, is the great success of the story.