In Deacon's Orders. By Walter Besant. (Chatto and Windus.) —These
eleven stories have already appeared in various periodicals. As every one knows what Mr. Besant's excellencies are, and as many have probably seen these particular tales, it is needless to criticise them. The most powerful of all is the first, "In Deacon's Orders," telling the story of a clerical adventurer. Mr. Besant, in his preface, describes him as a victim of "religiosity," which he takes to be a liking for religious observance and even religious emotion, genuine in itself, but wholly dissociated from morality. Perhaps there may be something of the kind, but the old word " hypocrisy " seems good enough. The actor loves the excitement of his art ; the hypocrite likes the excitement, say, of preaching sermons, not one word of which he believes or intends to practise.
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