r shop-girls,
school-girls, chorus-girls, factory-girls and stenographers throughout
America are probably devouring _Athalie_ at this moment. My personal
opinion that the book is a potboiler, turned out on a definite formula,
like all of Mr. CHAMBERS' recent work, to meet a definite demand, cannot
deter a single one of them from sobbing over it. As for that section of
the public which remembers _The King in Yellow_ and _Cardigan_, it has
long ago become resigned to Mr. CHAMBERS' decision to take the cash and
let the credit go, and has ceased to hope for a return on his part to
the artistic work of his earlier period, when he wrote novels as opposed
to Best Sellers.

* * * * *

Let me heartily commend to you a book of stories by doughty penmen
turned swordsmen for the period of the War--A. E. W. MASON, of the
Manchester Regiment; A. A. M., of the Royal Warwicks; W. B. MAXWELL,
Royal Fusilier; IAN HAY, A. and S. HIGHLANDER; COMPTON MACKENZIE, R.N.;
"Q.," of the Duke of Cornwall's L.I.; OLIVER ONIONS, A.S.C.; BARRY PAIN,
R.N.A.S.; and just short of a dozen others. Published by Messrs. HODDER
AND STOUGHTON, under title, _The Red Cross Story Book_, to be sold for
the benefit of _The Times_ Fund. It's the sort of book about which even
the most conscientious reviewer feels he can honestly say nice things
without any too thorough examination of the contents. With that thought
I started turning over the pages casually, but found myself dipping
deeper and deeper, until, becoming entirely absorbed, I abandoned all
pretence of professional detachment and had a thoroughly good time. I
should like to be able to state that the quality of these stories of
humour, adventure and sentiment was uniform, if only for the sake of
this appropriate word. But I can say that the best are excellent, the
average is high, and the tenor so varied as to suit almost any age and
taste.

* * * * *

[Illustration: Severe mental collapse experienced by a journalist who
attempted to write an article on the rat plague in the trenches without
making any reference to "The Pied Piper of Hamelin."]

* * * * *

Mr. B. G. O'RORKE, Chaplain to the Forces, has written a short account
of his experiences in confinement--_In The Hands of the Enemy_
(LONGMANS). Seeing that he was allowed, as a minister of religion,
unique opportunities of meeting our officers (though not