Sidney. By Margaret Deland. (Longman and Co.)—The success of Mrs.
Deland's first notable work, "John Ward, Preacher," has encouraged her in writing on similar lines,—that is to say, in depicting the peace and comfort that are derived from breaking with every form of orthodoxy, and surrendering our- selves to the vague ; in fact, to the sort of thing that used to be -called (before it became so prevalent) " the religion of the blue sky." In the case of Sidney, there comes " a bolt from the blue," and she grows more and more convinced in her vagueness. There is a good deal of the forcible-feeble in the story, but it is readable, if not gravely impressive. Mrs. Deland will not make -converts, we fancy, among educated persons of thoughtful minds, given to consider the meaning of a Divine Revelation ; but she will please readers who like a story that interests them in fictitious people not violently "naughty," and rather "nice," while it enables them to flatter themselves that they are materially improvin g their minds.
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