A Prophet of the Real. By Esther Miller. (W. Heinemann.
Gs )—Lord Westbury, when a barrister, ottee gave the following
advice to his pupils : "Never make a mistake in logic—you are
sure to be found out. The facts remain at your disposal." Miss Esther Miller has freely avsitled herself of the permission contained in the last sentence, and starts her book with a rather in- credible set of events The doings of everyday life are so full of extraordinary coincidences that no coincidence is really beyond belief. But a novelist, when dictating to his female secretary his heroine's doubts as to whether to tell her fiancé that she is the daughter of a murderess, may well be astonished if the said secretary suddenly exclaims, "It is the story of my life" And the reader will share his stupefaction. Another odd fact is that Anthony Verschoy le, a confirmed literary bachelor, should later proceed to propose to the secretary without love and with the idea at the back of his mind of studying at first hand the development in character of a lady of such unfortunate ancestry. However, once grant Miss Miller her facts, and she certainly makes good use of them. That a couple united under such curious circumstances should have to steer the bark of matri- mony over some stormy waters will surprise no one. It is as much as one can expect that at the end they should reach a safe and pleasant harbour. On the whole, the book is above the average, and bears internal evidence of having been written with considerable care and theught.
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