Books Of The Day.

BOOKS OF THE DAY .

Books , Music , & c . intended for review , should be addressed to the Editor of the Freemason ' s Chronicle , at Fleet Works , New Barnet . The Seven Houses . By Hamilton Drummond . Illustrated by A . Forestier ( 6 s ) . —Ward , Lock and Co ., Limited . WE are pleased Mr . Hamilton Drummond has found leisure in which to write another romance , for fiction so carefully conceived

and elaborated does not come every day to the hand of the reviewer . W e were , perhaps , a little afraid lest in turning his attention again to the south of France Mr . Drummond had acted unwisely , for very few can delve again and again into the same mine with success . There can be no question as to the success of the volume before us . The plot is , we think , eminently happy ; for the astrologer

who comes upon the scene at the outset only tells us sufficient regarding ifche future of Denise to whet our appetites , and the subsequent unfolding of the story as seven phases of life is well suited to the characters . These characters are few , but well drawn . There is Brother Martin , a monk who enters the household of Lhoeac only that he may murder the heiress ; but , failing in his

purpose , loses his own life ; there is Denise de Lhoeac , every inch a woman , yet with masculine courage and discrimination which she displays on many occasions ; there is the faithful Roger Patcham , almost worthy of Scott ; the monk in the plague-stricken village , the wily di Gadol-a , the patient de Casara . Some of the incidents arc depicted with wonderful vividness , the best , perhaps , being the

abduction of Gaterina , the secret wedding , and the terrible ravages of the plague at St . Agnes . The whole story is told with commendable brevity ; and the book might easily have been twice its length . Moreover , Mr . Drummond drops an epigram or an aphorism here and there which is worth committing to memory . " Speed hath its merits , but to do a thing well counts for more than to do it quickly . "

Such truths are old enough , but the writer who gives them a new dress 'and bids us look them squarely in the face does us all a service . To be honest , much as we admire this volume , we hardly think it equal to "A man of his age , " but we do not look to see such a masterpiece equalled readily . Readers who buy " The Seven Houses " will get excellent value for their money .

The Time of Transition or The Hope of Humanity . By Frederick Arthur Hyndman , B . A . ( Oxon ) , of the Inner Temple , Barrister-at-law ( 6 s ) . —Swan Sonnenschein and Co ., Limited . THERE is so much evidene of careful thought and sincere desire for the world ' s good in this volume that we are sorry Mr . Hyndman has not expressed himself in a more interesting matter . It is not

easy for the irreponsible theologian to obtain a hearing even at a favourable opportunity , and we shall be agreeably surprised if the volume before us is much read . Mr . Hyndman modestly affirms that he has merely set down a few thoughts on the trend of the age , but we fear he has for the most part failed to tell us anything fresh touching the signs of the times . Certainly he does not lack

candour , for he is orthodox or heterodox by turns ; some of his remarks would have pleased Pusey , some would have found favour in the sight of Spurgeon , some would have caused Huxley to rub his hands together for very joy . Sometimes a passage of scripture is quoted . as corroboration of a statement when , in truth , it will hardly bear the strain ; but we acknowledge freely that this fault

is one which almost every religious controversialist seems prone to commit , from some of the Reformers and Puritan divines to the Oxford school of ritualists and the Salvation Army . You may prove anything from Scripture , as Shakespeare reminds us , and if we wished in turn to prove this statement we should refer to the

pages of "The Time of Transition . " The book is , we think , of small value . intellectually , but of great value morally . We cannot say much for it as a contribution to the thought of the age , but we should like very much indeed to think that more persons regarded these great topics as earnestly as Mr . Hyndman .

New Century Library ( 2 S net per vol . ) . —T . Nelson and Sons . The Works of SIR WALTER SCOTT , Bart . Vol . xi ., The Abbot . Vol . xii . Kenilworth . READERS who feel an interest in the characters depicted in " The Monastery " may follow their fortunes in the of " The Abbot "

pages The interest m the latter romance is brightened by its episodes from the life of Mlary Stuart , a life which interests everybody , and which nobody , with the possible exception of Dumas in ' " Les Stuarts , " has depicted so vividly as Scott . We believe we stand somewhat outside of the general opinion of criticism when we say that " The Abbot" is one of our favourites , even among the novels of Scottfor

; many prefer , for instance , "Kenilworth . " Can we blame anybody for losing their heads and sitting up all night over those wonderful pages which tell of the courtesies and discourtesies ot the statel y Elizabeth and the courtl y Leicester ? Such a book provides grand reading for the holidays . Vnrney and Foster , Giles Gosling of " The Black Bear , - Flibberti gibbert and Wayland Smith wnat a company they are ! Who does not remember the romantic %± J J . . - V UVWhS J . AVSI . A V ^ iJ . J . ^ , JI . l > JK , i . IHC X U III till 11 C of the

ure giant porter at Warwick Castle ? How is it that we remember details which we read as children in the "Waverley ^ Novels but forget the plot of the twentieth century romance which » e perused last week ? The answer is found in the passes of such works as "The Abbot" and "Kenilworth , " which put before us those great episodes in the story of our nation which must ever interest w T 1 sllmian > whereas so much modern prose fiction deals with wpics destined to be forgotten in twelve months ,

Books Of The Day.

The Story of King : Alfred . By Walter Besant . With illustrations ( is ) . —George Newnes , Limited . A SKILFUL weaver of stories and a sane and lucid interpreter of history was removed from the literary world in the person of our late distinguished Brother Sir Walter Besant . We think it most fortunate that this admirable little study of a great King has been

published so soon after the death of its writer ; for many who have recently both thought and written about that truly great writer have now another oiDportunity of seeing his work at its best . Indeed , we believe we only echo the opinion of the most able critics when we say that although the novels of Sir Walter Besant were many and , for the most part , of high excellence , his best work will be found

in his " Westminster , " his " East London , " and his " Fifty years ago . " This little volume is of the same class , and shares the merits of those larger works . Nothing could be better planned or executed than the Introduction and the chapter entitled " England in the Ninth Century , " and , in the narrative of the life and times of Alfred the Great which follows , the writer really tells all that is to be known—he has himself pointed out how comparatively meagre are

our materials for the life of the great King . And thus Messrs . Newnes have been enabled to add yet another to the long series of most excellent haindbooks already issued as " Useful Stories , " and it is almost impossible to better understand that progress which Sir Walter Besant so loved and helped than by mastering some of these " stories " and remembering that they can be bought for ninepence each . They deserve to be placed in every cottage where child or parent can read .

Victoria Vale . Miscellaneous Pages for the passing Epoch . By Wilfred Woollam , M . A ., LL . M . Cam . ( 6 d ) . —Elliot Stock . THERE lies upon our table this booklet , published by Messrs . Elliot Stock . The author , Mr . Wilfred Woollam , is known to most readers of our leading magazines and , as may be supposed , some of the trifles of which "Victoria Vale" is composed are distinguished

by such originality of thought and literary finish as is expected from one whose pen has been deemed worthy to work for " Cornhill " and " Temple Bar . " The booklet illustrates the difference between two widely differing styles—the spontaneous and the perfunctory . The stories" The price of a pair of shoes " and " Her lifelong evening "

, were , we believe , meditated at leisure , and are excellent accordingly ; but we cannot- say that we think highly of the passages , in prose or verse , touching Her late Majesty Queen Victoria . We trust , however , that the booklet is selling extensively ; for the profits are for the Memorial Fund .

Books Received

BOOKS RECEIVED

The Eternal City . By Hall Caine ( 6 s ) . —William Heinem'ann . Great Men . By Plarold Begbie . Illustrated by F . Carruthers Gould . —Grant Richards .

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