The Key of the Unknown. By Rosa Nouchette Carey (Macmillan
and Co. 6s.)—This, the latest of a long series of novels, differs but little from its predecessors, and might, in view of the small space which we can give to fiction, be passed over with a very brief commendation. We may take occasion, however, by its appearance to say a few words about the late Miss Carey's work. That this has been a very distinct success is evident enough. Here is a " Popular Edition," comprising twenty-six volumes, all still in the market, and showing an aggregate sale of several hundreds of thousands No one would contend that they have any great literary merit. This point need not be laboured. One example will suffice, so significant is it : " Lady Mary threw off her evening wrap with its costly border of sables." The epithet is absolutely unmeaning as used about the Lady Mary of the story. It is but a trifle, but a trifle which means much. And yet the novels com- mand a continued sale which makes far cleverer books sink into oblivion. Why P It is idle to answer : Because the novel-buying public lacks taste." No negative cause will suffice. The fact is that Miss Carey's stories are restful, wholesome, constructed with sufficient skill, and not without touches of humour and pathos. The writer of this notice has to pass many novels under review, and he faces his weekly task with a sinking heart. There are authors' names —feminine, many of them—and publishers' names which strike him with dismay. It will, he knows, be a pain to read them, a pain to write about them, and even a pain not to write. It would be a relief to speak his mind about some gross offence against manners and morals, but he knows that silence is better. It is this experience that makes him understand why Miss Carey's novels are popular, and be not a little thankful that they are.
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