A Humble Lover. By Miss Betham-Edwards. (Hurst and Blackett. 6s.)—This is
a novel of the old-fashioned kind, a description which is as far as possible from disparagement. There is no problem of life in it, no pessimism, no cynicism,— unless we are to include in this the smart remark about a certain parson that "the only explanation of his profession seemed to be his unfitness for any other." But there is a quiet humour, a not too harrowing pathos, and a very pleasant story of love amidst rural surroundings. The "humble lover" is a farmer, a little too thin-skinned for his occupation, and the objects of his affection, for there are two, are sisters. Miss Betham-Edwards treats the situation, not an easy one in itself, with much tact, and makes us quite ready to pardon William Luff both for his difficulty in choosing, and for the apparent fickleness with which he chooses at the last. This is a very pleasant and Wholesome story.