2 JULY 1904, Page 30

A Lost Eden. By M. E. Braddon. (Hutchinson and Co.

6s.) —Miss Braddon has boldly written a story of about fifty years ago. This is a date which is usually left as a sort of backwater in the annals of fiction, for it is supposed to be far enough away to be old-fashioned, and not far enough to be picturesque. It must, however, be confessed that if Miss Braddon did not now and then remind her readers that the action is not of to-day, the story might very well be supposed to have happened in far more recent times. There are, of course, details which betray the date, but in the main the fact is not of great importance. The story, which is rather of the "domestic" order, is quite readable, and occasionally its readers will find it exciting.