23 OCTOBER 1897, Page 26

The Thirteenth Brydain. By Margaret Moule. (Jerrold and Son.) —

Of course one knows what is coining in a tale with such a title. Some disaster is to happen to the unlucky representa- tive of the thirteenth generation. Now some of the finest stories in the world are stories of doom. But the fate of the house of Thyestes or of CEdipus is connected with the principles of life. That a man must perish because he is "No. 13" is a wholly inadequate motive. We may venture also to criticise the means by which the tragical end is brought about. The victim drinks a poisoned cup of coffee meant for some one else, —and it is poisoned with laudanum. One may poison oneself with laudanum, but hardly any one else. The taste and smell would be a sufficient warning, if the quantity were sufficient to cause death.