Cotton is King. By Gladys Murdoch. (Sands and Co. 6s.)—
'Neither the title nor the first chapter, a melodramatic account of a selfish man ruining himself at Ascot, should deter readers from finding the better stuff which follows in this book, for even the subsequent sporting scenes are well described. 'The young heir to starved cotton-mills and to a home falling into disrepair has promised his dying grandfather not to sell the old Abbey. His young wife begins with misunderstandings on their wedding day, and Kenneth has misery at home, at his mills, and with his Indian cotton-field. At last, as in old-fashioned novels, love is restored and prosperity looms in the distant view. Though the destruction of the Abbey by fire is unfortunately far-fetched, the story ranges over widely different scenes with ease and interest. After some socialistic dreams Kenneth learns that his own hard work is the thing needful and aims at profit-sharing in his mills. His excellent friend, the Devonshire landlord and master of hounds, exemplifies the same personal effort in another sphere.
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