ld never have lived in those of a
colder historian. Dancing, riding, hunting, raking and fighting, we are
bound to feel about him much as old PEPYS did, who called him, in a
memorable and picturesque phrase, "skittish and leaping," and, for all
his righteous disapproval, admired with the best. "How he would have
loved flying!" is Mrs. NEPEAN'S very characteristic comment upon a
record of her hero's graceful activities. For one thing especially does
the writer of this study deserve gratitude. She dwells purposely as
little as possible upon the details of the rebellion; but she has made
it her duty to win back for MONMOUTH some of the credit for personal
courage of which popular history has been too ready to deprive him. Here
you may read how, after the short agony of nerves was over, he faced
death with a placid and untheatrical bravery, than which the long
records of the scaffold show nothing finer. It is a profoundly moving
end to a fascinating story.

* * * * *

[Illustration: OUR CURIO CRANKS.

THE MAN WHO TAKES IMPRESSIONS OF THE FOOTPRINTS OF FAMOUS AUTHORS.]

* * * * *

After reading _Two Women_ (METHUEN) I hope to avoid "girl bachelors" for
a very long time. They are, Mr. MAX PEMBERTON says, curious products of
the century, and I am not disposed to contradict him. In _Gertrude
Wynne's_ flat, "Debussy's music was open upon a miniature grand, and a
volume of Anatola France stood upon the marquetry table near the
fireplace"; but in _Doris Holt's_ room "an open piano had a song from a
revue upon it, while a translation of one of Paul de Koch's novels lay
upon the window-seat." That ought to give the key to their characters,
but if it does not, let me boldly add that _Gertrude_ was clever and
sedate, while _Doris_ was a queen of minxes. _Doris_, indeed, got
herself into a pretty mess with a vulgar philanderer called _Lord
Raymore_, and was justly punished by marrying him. This _Raymore_ man
despised politics, but all the same he had made up his mind to "win a
place in the Tory Cabinet, and to pose there as the new Disraeli," which
makes me think that Mr. PEMBERTON is occasionally funnier than he means
to be. Not until we get away from the girl bachelors and are off on a
spying expedition to Germany with _Captain Ainsworth_ does the story
grip. Then, however, things begin to happen, and the flight from the
German fortress, in which _Ainsworth_ had been