Outrageous Fortune. By "Bak." (W. Heinemann. 4a.)—It will not take
the ingenious reader long to discover why Mr. William Hayes, although possessed of a large fortune, only left an annuity of £450 to his wife. It must be premised that this lady, although she has a penchant for another man, is perfectly well behaved. The late Mr. Hayes, however, being an excellent man of business, probably did not see why his money should be wasted on bridge and frocks by a lady who was quite incapable of spending it in a rational manner. The consequences to Eleanor Hayes were very disastrous. She was entirely unable to exist on the sum allowed her, and very shortly her affairs were in an inextricable muddle. In parenthesis it may be remarked that the author is a fortunate man if he discovers any "fine old" rooms in a house in Queen's Gate. Queen's Gate is not old, and though some of the houses therein are large, the rooms, as a rule, suggest anything rather than those two particular adjectives. If the society butterfly, as typified by Eleanor Hayes, were ever capable of reflection, the perusal of this book might possibly be a warning to her of the extraordinary futility of the objects in the pursuit of which she wastes her time and her money.
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