Grrey Hiawr—By Madeleine Munday. Stanley Paul, London. 7/6.
Madeleine Munday, a local author, has just had published, by Stanley: Paul & Ca, Ltd, her second novel, her first having' been "The Coast Road." The favourable impression of her earlier work is confirmed by perusal of her second. The story simplicity itself and the theme is no means a new one, though the tanner in which it is handled, the setting in. which it is cast novelty and freshness which makes ting about circus people; their no-madia life, 60 like that of the gypsies and yet so unlike, their inability to settle down to the humdrum surroundings of brick and timber with hat it connotescand the nature fetallion against the conventions of the howse-bound, when. well handled always prove. interesting readin Munday handles them well Not only that, bot there fs a quality about hee descriptive writing which is most attractive.
The weakest ig that dealing with the black: ing of Jennifer by the man claiming tobe hier father. Jennifer way born in wedlock, her mother having ma tied the husband ins frantic tempt to cover her own shame by Successfully convincing the husband hat the child was in effec: his, The months "after cessfully' bleeds Jennifer by threat. ening to prove his. parenthood. and thereby deprive the girl of the estate of her father who died intestate: The rights of a child born in wedlock fare so" well known that itis diffeult {fo see what reason Jennifer had to fear "dispossession. of het. inherit-free.. The, blackmalles'e claim to possess letters from her mother al; Reging his fatherhood, would be no more' convincing "it. la than' the Conviction of the man who had mar fied the mother in the belief that Thclcoming child was his; and even ths law would concede that Jeani= [fers "mother might have been 1 more certain of the facts than the ian she ultimately married. The payment of a small fee to even Zountry lawyer would have set Jentifers mind at rest and incidentally prevented a good stars. going. come-hat off the rails. The erger has The effect of detracting, from: the fast third of the book, which other-most readable and one. which Miss Munday is-to be con-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.