OTHER NOVELS
The Canon. By A. C. Benson. (Heinemann. 7s. 6d. net.)—No one who opens a book called The Canon can complain of being introduced into ecclesiastical society. It is to he supposed that the late Mr. A. C. Benson wrote this work as a part of a cycle, for we have already been introduced to Molly Davenant as the heroine of a former work. Canon Cuthbert Davenant is very much the central figure of this volume, and the author experiences the usual difficulty in conveying a sense of spiritual force by excerpts from the sermons of one of his characters. It ;s difficult to fathom why pillars of the Church in novels should so often be made to use a pomposity of speech quite foreign to everyday life. The Canon provides a striking example of this method. though the worldly minded bishop sets him a good example of cultivated everyday conversation. Mr. A. C. Benson writes, as usual, with a quiet distinction of style which will be much missed in the pages of contem- porary fiction.
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