her origin, I am prepared to allot to _Sir Henry_ and _Lady Daring_,
who adopted her, their fair share in the blame. A girl of the sweet
type, endowed liberally with virtues, is produced as an antidote to
the minx, but is no match for her. The present is not perhaps the most
happily chosen time for a novel with such a theme, but I can at least
say that Miss PETERSON is an expert in her subject and is never at a
loss for incident. And _Ruth_ (if that will console you) pays full
price for her sins.

* * * * *

Mr. HERBERT VIVIAN is the complete partisan. He will believe always
the worst of an enemy, the best of a friend--a credulous loyal fellow.
And in _Italy at War_ (DENT) he sets out to tell us a good deal that
is interesting about the fine feats of our Italian Allies, especially
of those Titanic gymnasts, the heaven-scaling Alpini. It is fair to
warn the reader that it is a rather desultory scrap-book of the type
the War has made common; fair also to add that some of the chapters
least connected with the War are exceedingly interesting, as that
about the elaborate sport of pigeon-netting at Cava dei Terreni. What
I like least about our ready author is his fatuous little jokes, such
as "Noli remained a sovereign republic for centuries ... had her own
bishopric (hence the phrase '_Noli episcopari_')"; or, "Briand came to
Rome the other day with much _brio_." And inconsequences like this:
"One of Disraeli's heroes discovered two nations: the rich and the
poor. In a similar spirit General February may be said to command two
distinct armies." All the same, an interesting book.

* * * * *