The Frontier, By Maurice Leblanc. Translated by Alexander Teixeira de
Mattes. (Mills and Boon. (i3.)—It must first be said that Mr. de Mattes's translation of M. 'Maurice Leblanc's new novel is extremely good. The book almost everywhere reads as if it were the original. Tho story is an extremely curious study of modern France, and a most exciting element is intro- duced by the fact that the home of M. Morestal, Mayor of Saint- Elopho, is situated quite close to the German frontier. Tho book deals with wars and rumours of wars and ends with a declaration of hostilities from Germany, and the first violation by the German army of French territory. Here the author very wisely leaves his story and nothing is said as to which side is victorious. In truth, the interest of the tale is not in the inter- national situation, but in the psychology of a philosopher of peace. Philippe Morestal, Professor of History at the LyeSs Carnet in Paris, is the secret author of a pamphlet entitled "Peace Before All." As the result of a frontier incident the unfortunate Philippe finds himself placed in the position of having either to betray before his wife the fact that the daughter of a neighbour has become his mistress, thereby furnishing himself with an alibi, or to make a false declaration which will lead to war. In the and the point at issue is far more finely narrowed than this, and Philippe in a violent scene betrays the girl. His alibi, however, comes too late, and the situation created between France and Germany ends in an ultimatum and a declaration of war. Philippe, shut up in his father's house on the frontier, thinks that he will escape with the Friends of Peace to Switzerland where they will issue a mani- festo. But the moral effect of the example of the French soldiers calmly doing their duty and of every one in the house as a matter of course placing their services at the disposal of their country is too much for him. In the end when the French soldiers, taking advantage of the fact that the house has been placed in a state of defence by old M. Morestal, make use of it to delay the Germans for the two hours necessary for the French reinforcements to arrive, Philippe, instead of escaping, shoulders a gun and kills a German soldier at his first shot. So ends the book. It is a question whether it was wise to write a book like this in the present state of public opinion, but the novel is extremely powerful and gives a vivid and thrilling account of the beginnings of a great war,
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