There is an unmistakable and pleasant flavour of Dickens about the first three chapters of Mr. Harold Begbie's "The Latest Thing" (Hutchinson, 8s. 6d. net), in which Colonel John Dendy arrives home from: the war and is publicly received by the Mayor, with the help of a brass band and a speech from the Archdeacon. The next morning, when -we find him asleep in a four-poster bed, with all his windows closed and the additional protection of heavy curtains, a holland blind, and wooden shutters, we begin to wonder if this round-faced English squire may not turn out to be Mr. Wardle himself when he was young. Moreover, Colonel Dendy, having been away from England and fighting for her for five years, has returned very much more in love with her than ever.before, to discover, to his horror, that everyone is busy with schemes for reconstructing her. Here is the promise of excellent and jovial comedy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.