Tante. By Anne Douglas Sedgwick (Mrs. Basil de Selincomt). (Edward
Arnold. 6s.)—This is an extraordinarily able book, though the reader will close it with a slight feeling of exasperation against all the characters. The picture of the great pianist, Madame Obraska, who is known in private life as. Madame von Marwitz, is a really masterly piece of work, the meanness and selfishness of her narrow nature being gradually and delicately revealed to the reader under her picturesque and attractive out- side. Both the hero, Gregory Jardine, and the stiff little heroine, Karen, the great artist's ward, are very provoking personages, and though they are possessed of the most admirable virtues they can- not be said to be either of them attractive. Mrs. de Selincourt's rather sly sense of fun is exercised with much point in the descrip- tions of the Bohemian society beloved by " Tante," as her ward calls the groat pianist. Perhaps, however, the most delicately humorous portion of the book is the description of the dinner party given by Gregory and Karen after they are married for the entertainment of Tante, in which Gregory's Philistine and conven- tional friends entirely refuse to put Tante on a pedestal, and insist on treating her like everybody else. The book is worked out in great detail, but in spite of its length the reader will be extremely sorry when he reaches the last page.
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