21 JULY 1923, Page 20

Miss Johnston can always be trusted to produce a "

sound" novel even if it be sometimes a little dull. Her present subject, the journeys of Columbus, is a romantic one, and she does full justice to a theme in itself so fantastic, and she even contrives to lend a further glamour by her style, which gives a dreamlike quality to the most extravagant adventures. It is not an easy novel to read but it repays an effort.