A Tiger's Cub. By Eden Philpots. (J. W. Arrowsmith. Bristol.)
—This is, on the whole, a well-contrived story, though it stretches the limits of the probable at least as far as we are prepared to con- cede them. Still, something may be urged in favour of the striking denouement which Mr. Philpots has invented, that the parentage of the criminal, and his qualifications for successfully committing the crime with impunity, are ingeniously connected. But to argue this point in detail would be to spoil the surprise which is so im- portant an element in tales of this kind. There is a certain amount of creditable character-drawing in the tale. Tarrant Tinkler, with his short-lived enthusiasms, is perhaps the most suc- cessful effort. The author would do well, perhaps, to curb his desire for theological speculation. Why the needless comment, on pp. 30-31, on the accepted phraseology of all religions ? Mr. Philpots ridicules the idea that a man, "by his approximation to his ideal of rectitude, gives his Maker pleasure." But the Scrip- tures are full of such expressions. Possibly such a phrase as "My soul delighteth in the godly," is anthropomorphic, but we have the best authority for using it, and " anthropomorphic " is not equivalent to "erroneous."
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