OTHER NOVELS.--The Plot. By H..C. Bailey. (Methuen. 7s. 6d. net.)—A
spirited story written round the Popish Plot and that most disreputable of defenders of the Protestant faith, Titus Oates. If any reader have fears by the end of the first chapter that Mr. Bailey's style is going to prove too difficult for him, let him be encouraged to persevere. It is certain that by the end of the third chapter he will find that he can easily accommodate himself to his author's stride, and at the last will have nothing to regret but the end of such good entertainment.—The honest Man. By U. L. Silberrad. (Hutchinson. 7s. 6d. net.)—There arc things familiar and unfamiliar about Miss Silberrad's new book, and in so fiar as its unfamiliar features arc concerned it is particularly interesting. It tells the story of a London merchant who becomes entangled in affairs of danger and dishonour quite outside- his ordinary purview, from which, by means of high character and good sense, he contrives to extricate himself— and others. The events recorded are timed to take place during the reign of William and Mary, and it is a pity that the author has cumbered herself unnecessarily in an effort to conform to contemporary modes of speech. The reader's enjoyment of an interesting novel is spoilt by a recurring sense of perplexity as to whether he is confronted by legitimate archaisms or merely by bad grammar.--The Pyramid. By Warrington Dawson. (Heinemann. 7s. 6d. net.) —The making of a singer and the art of singing generally are the main theme of this book. Whether it is legitimate to devote so large a part of a novel to the technicalities of the art of voice production, as is here the case, may be questioned. It is certainly not expedient, for it is bound to restrict the authors public. It inevitably weakens his . appeal. But voice pro- duction apart, The Pyramid is interesting as a thoughtful character study, and it is always possible for the insuffiv. iently initiated to " skip " judiciously.. .
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