Tun theme of Mr. Basil King's extremely interesting story is
not wholly original. The literary impostor who climbs to fame by appropriating the work of another is familiar to readers of The Giant's Robe, to take the first instance that occurs to us. But if there is a family resemblance in the motive, Mr. King's setting and treatment are entirely his own. To begin with, the brain-theft that wins Anthony Muir popularity, and smooths his path to social recognition and matrimony, is entirely gratuitous. He was quite capable of dispensing with this dangerous short-cut to success and relying on his own unaided powers. But at a critical moment the chance perusal of a long-forgotten and un- successful book which had anticipated the trend of modern ethical speculation tempted him, a brilliant young Harvard Professor, to incorporate his predecessor's thoughts in his own scheme. He was hardly conscious of the extent of his borrowings until it was too late to acknowledge them. The book had a resounding success, and while it secured him the applause of the many, appealed especially to the most desirable and eligible of his women friends. Then, on the very day on which his engagement to Agatha Royal was made public, he was challenged by Paul Dunster, his most formidable rival, to explain the strange resemblance between the two books, and in the presence of his betrothed positively denied that he was indebted to, or acquainted with, the work of his anticipator. Having thus once committed himself, Muir is driven to continue in the course of deception, and one lie becomes the father of many. Agatha Royal believes so implicitly in his innocence that she actually appeals to Paul Dunster, who is convinced of Muir's guilt, and dislikes him into the bargain, to take up the cudgels on her lover's behalf when he is assailed in the columns of a leading literary paper; and Dunster, though naturally unable to take such a course, chivalrously destroys his copy of the incriminating book. But though Dunster thus puts himself out of action, Muir's other assailant continues his campaign in the Press with relentless persistence, driving home the charge of plagiarism with parallel and identical extracts which render the theory of coincidence untenable, until Muis policy of denial and silence gradually estranges every one but Agatha. He is " cut " by his club friends, and avoided by his colleagues. Still, he keeps a bold front, until the force of example drives him to make a clean breast of the whole business. It is brought to his know- ledge that one of his pupils has supported himself during his College course by money which he stole from an uncle ; and, as the result of Muir's advice, the boy goes home, tells his uncle everything, takes his name off the College books, and prepares to make a fresh start elsewhere. Muir is resolved • The Steps of Honour. By Basil King. London : Harper and Brothers. [6s.] not to fall below the level of his humble exemplar. He resigns his post, releases his betrothed from her engagement, and unhesitatingly accepts all the consequences of his con- fession, quitting his comfortable College rooms for an obscure lodging in the distant suburbs, where he devotes himself to the gratuitous coaching of a number of poor scholars of both sexes, beginning with the boy mentioned above.
Though there is some danger of an anticlimax when once the dramatic scene of Muir's self-accusation is passed, the interest of the story is well maintained in the sequel. In particular, Mr. King shows great subtlety in indicating the curious and unexpected results of Muir's downfall. Agatha, who bad championed him so fiercely up to the moment of his confession, allows her pride to get the better of her love, and his ultimate rehabilitation is chiefly engineered by those who had held aloof from him when he was suspect. In particular, Dunster, a dogged, honest, angular young don, who had cordially disliked his brilliant rival, never fully realises the meanness of his own motives until Muir's disgrace is complete. Thus a very pretty situation is created when Agatha, fully expecting that Dunster is about to propose to her, and more than half prepared to reward his constancy, receives from him, instead of a declaration, an eye-opening lecture as to her uncharitable attitude. The growth of the benevolent conspiracy for the restoration of Muir's self-respect is very happily conceived and ingeniously worked out, a lead- ing part being assigned to the charming old pseudo-cynic, Professor Wollaston, who had already been responsible for indirectly suggesting to Muir the mode of his act of expiation. Sceptical readers may of course doubt the likelihood of Muir's acting as he did. But it is made clear from the outset that here was no wholly unscrupulous or vicious impostor, but one who in a moment of carelessness drifted into a com- promising position, from which his ambition and pride pre- vented him from receding. If we take all the circumstances into account, the portraiture involves no undue credulity on the part of the reader, but may be reconciled with the facts of life, and the notoriously mixed quality of human nature. We have only to add that, apart from the main plot, Mr. King gives us, by way of episode and interlude, a most genial and quietly humorous picture of the domestic and social life of the Professorial staff of an American University.
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