26 MAY 1923, Page 19

John Penrose. By J. C. Tregarthen. (John Murray. 7s. 6d.)

Mr. Tregarthen has hitherto been known to the public by his Nature books, and it was with some trepidation that we ventured to read his first essay in a more sophisticated form. He has the power of telling a story, however • and that, after all, is the first principle of the novelist. His talc is of his own county, Cornwall ; and his characters are people whose daily life is influenced by an environment in the delineation of which the author has already shown some expertness. There are smugglers, gamekeepers, poachers, farmers, squires, and labourers, in a delightful setting of well- described scenery. The period of the story is about a century ago, when the heinous game laws of our country were at their worst.