Jussieu stood within the room, a black statue of horror."Jussieu stood within the room, a black statue of horror."
Jussieu stood within the room, a black statue of horror."Jussieu stood within the room, a black statue of horror."
At the sound Marion's eyes opened. She looked up at me. I uttered a cry of agony and, throwing away my smoking weapon, I sank on my knees beside her.
"Are you hurt?" she breathed.
"No—no—but you—you are wounded—you are dying," I wailed.
She gave me a most wonderful and tender smile. "For you," she gasped. "To save you! He would have killed you—but his bullet is—here." With a great effort she raised one hand and caught at her breast.
"Oh, God! oh, God!" I groaned. "Marion, you will not die and leave me! Tell me what to do."
"Kiss me," she whispered.
But even as I stooped to obey, her spirit fled, and I kissed the lips of a corpse. No other kiss shall my lips know while I have life.
At the fall of noon I carried her from the house of death and buried her in the grave which Sir Charles Venner had destined for us both. It was in the middle of a pine forest, and perhaps that is why the saddest sound on earth to my ears is still the sighing of pines. I left the bodies of my enemies where they had fallen—accursed carrion! I would not have touched them if I could. They were not discovered until more than a week had passed, and by then I was a thousand miles away, a desolate and broken-hearted wanderer on the face of the universe. Many years have passed and I am now a millionaire, accounted by the world a hard-headed, flinty-hearted financial magnate, and also something of a misogynist. But I have recorded these chapters of my history to show those who come after me, when I am dead, that, rascal as I was, and abandonedly selfish, I was yet capable of passion and of constancy, and that no deep-seated hatred of the softer sex has inspired the invincible solitariness of my life.
FINIS.
Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London.
Ward, Lock & Co.'s
POPULAR FICTION
STANLEY WEYMAN
MY LADY ROTHA.
A Romance of the Thirty Years War.
The Saturday Reviewsays:—"No one who begins will lay it down before the end, it is so extremely well carried on from adventure to adventure."
ANTHONY HOPE
COMEDIES OF COURTSHIP.
The Speakersays:—"In this volume Mr. Hope is at his happiest in that particular department of fiction in which he reigns supreme."
HALF A HERO.
The Athenæumsays:—"Mr. Hope's best story in point of construction and grasp of subject. His dialogue is virile and brisk."
MR. WITT'S WIDOW.
The Timessays:—"In truth a brilliant tale."
A. E. W. MASON
LAWRENCE CLAVERING.
SIR A. CONAN DOYLE
A STUDY IN SCARLET.
With a note on Sherlock Holmes by Dr. Joseph Bell. Illustrations by George Hutchinson.
H. RIDER HAGGARD
AYESHA.
The Sequel to "She." Thirty-two full-page illustrations by Maurice Greiffenhagen.
S. R. CROCKETT
JOAN OF THE SWORD HAND.
The Daily Mailsays:—"A triumph of cheery, resolute narration. The story goes along like a wave, and the reader with it."
STRONG MAC.
The Morning Postsays:—"At the very outset the reader is introduced to the two leading characters of what is truly a drama of real life. So vividly is the story told that it often reads like a narrative of things that have actually happened."
LITTLE ESSON.
The Scarborough Postsays:—"One of the most popular of Mr. Crockett's books since 'Lilac Sunbonnet.'"
The Newcastle Journalsays:—"The book is one to read with great enjoyment. It is a true Crockett in every respect."
MAX PEMBERTON
PRO PATRIA.
The Liverpool Mercurysays:—"A fine and distinguished piece of imaginative writing; one that should shed a new lustre upon the clever author of 'Kronstadt.'"
CHRISTINE OF THE HILLS.
The Daily Mailsays:—"Assuredly he has never written anything more fresh, more simple, more alluring, or more artistically perfect."
A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN.
The Daily Chroniclesays:—"This is very much the best book Mr. Pemberton has so far given us."
THE GOLD WOLF.
The Illustrated London Newssays:—"From the beginning Mr. Pemberton weaves his romance with such skill that the tangled skein remains for long unravelled ... marked by exceptional power, and holds the attention firmly."
THE LODESTAR.
The Standard:—"'The Lodestar' impresses us as an exceedingly poignant and effective story, true to real life. Written with cleverness and charm."
E. F. BENSON
LIMITATIONS.
JAMES BLYTH
A HAZARDOUS WOOING.
The Morning Leadersays:—"A rattling good yarn of a kind which many writers of historical novels might envy."
The Scotsmansays:—"Delightful reading from beginning to end."
E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM
CONSPIRATORS.
With Illustrations byA. Wallis Mills.
THE SECRET.
The Standardsays:—"We have no hesitation in saying that this is the finest and most absorbing story that Mr. Oppenheim has ever written. It glows with feeling; it is curiously fertile in character and incident, and it works its way onward to a most remarkable climax."
A LOST LEADER.
The Daily Graphicsays:—"Mr. Oppenheim almost persuades us into the belief that he has really been able to break down the wall of secrecy which always surrounds the construction of a Cabinet, and has decided to make an exposure on the lines of a well-known American writer. He also touches upon the evils of gambling in Society circles in a manner which should be applauded by Father Vaughan, and, in addition, treats us to a romance which is full of originality and interest from first to last."
MR. WINGRAVE, MILLIONAIRE.
The British Weeklysays:—"Like good wine, Mr. Oppenheim's novels need no bush. They attract by their own charm, and are unrivalled in popularity. No one will read this present story without relishing the rapid succession of thrilling scenes through which his characters move. There is a freshness and unconventionality about the story that lends it unusual attractiveness."
A MAKER OF HISTORY.
The Standardsays:—"Those who read 'A Maker of History' will revel in the plot, and will enjoy all those numerous deft touches of actuality that have gone to make the story genuinely interesting and exciting."
THE MASTER MUMMER.
The Dundee Advertisersays:—"'The Master Mummer' is a remarkable novel, such as only E. Phillips Oppenheim can write. No other author could make the wildly extravagant not only natural, as make-believe goes, but actually moving. It is a beautiful story that is here set within a story."
THE BETRAYAL.
The Dundee Advertisersays:—"Mr. Oppenheim's skill has never been displayed to better advantage than here.... He has excelled himself, and to assert this is to declare the novel superior to nine out of ten of its contemporaries."
ANNA, THE ADVENTURESS.
The Globesays:—"The story is ingeniously imagined and cleverly wrought out. Mr. Oppenheim has the gift of invention, and keeps his readers on the tenter-hooks of suspense."
THE YELLOW CRAYON.
The Daily Expresssays:—"Mr. Oppenheim has a vivid imagination and much sympathy, fine powers of narrative, and can suggest a life history in a sentence. As a painter of the rough life of mining camps, of any strong and striking scenes where animal passions enter, he is as good as Henry Kingsley, with whom, indeed, in many respects, he has strong points of resemblance."
A PRINCE OF SINNERS.
Vanity Fairsays:—"A vivid and powerful story. Mr. Oppenheim knows the world and he can tell a tale, and the unusual nature of the setting in which his leading characters live and work out their love story, gives this book distinction among the novels of the season."
THE TRAITORS.
The Athenæumsays:—"Its interest begins on the first page and ends on the last. The plot is ingenious and well managed, the movement of the story is admirably swift and smooth, and the characters are exceedingly vivacious. The reader's excitement is kept on the stretch to the very end."
A MILLIONAIRE OF YESTERDAY.
The Daily Telegraphsays:—"The story abounds in dramatic situations, and there is more than one note of pathos which at once captures our sympathies. We cannot but welcome with enthusiasm a really well-told story like 'A Millionaire of Yesterday.'"
THE SURVIVOR.
The Nottingham Guardiansays:—"We must give a conspicuous place on its merits to this excellent story. It is only necessary to read a page or two in order to become deeply interested. A story marked by brilliant and terse narration, vivid touches of characterization, and a plot that is consistent and yet fruitful in surprises."
THE GREAT AWAKENING.
The Yorkshire Postsays:—"A weird and fascinating story, which, for real beauty and originality, ranks far above the ordinary novel."
AS A MAN LIVES.
The Sketchsays:—"The interest of the book, always keen and absorbing, is due to some extent to a puzzle so admirably planned as to defy the penetration of the most experienced novel reader."
A DAUGHTER OF THE MARIONIS.
The Scotsmansays:—"Mr. Oppenheim's stories always display much melodramatic power and considerable originality and ingenuity of construction. These and other qualities of the successful writer of romance are manifest in 'A Daughter of the Marionis.' Full of passion, action, strongly contrasted scenery, motives, and situations."
MR. BERNARD BROWN.
The Aberdeen Daily Journalsays:—"The story is rich in sensational incident and dramatic situations. It is seldom, indeed, that we meet with a novel of such power and fascination."
THE MAN AND HIS KINGDOM.
The Freeman's Journalsays:—"It is high praise to say that in this novel the author has surpassed his previous thrilling and delightful story, 'The Mysterious Mr. Sabin.' Yet that high praise is eminently deserved. The story is worthy of Merriman at his very best. It is a genuine treat for the ravenous and often disappointed novel reader."
THE WORLD'S GREAT SNARE.
The Worldsays:—"If engrossing interest, changing episode, deep insight into human character, and bright diction are the sine qua non of a successful novel, then this book cannot but bound at once into popular favour. It is so full withal of so many dramatic incidents, thoroughly exciting and realistic. There is not one dull page from beginning to end."
A MONK OF CRUTA.
The Bookmansays:—"Intensely dramatic. The book is an achievement at which the author may well be gratified."
MYSTERIOUS MR. SABIN.
The Literary Worldsays:—"As a story of interest, with a deep-laid and exciting plot, this of the 'Mysterious Mr. Sabin' can hardly be surpassed."
L. G. MOBERLY
THAT PREPOSTEROUS WILL.
The Daily Graphicsays:—"We could wish that every novel were as pleasant, unsophisticated and readable as this one."
HOPE, MY WIFE.
The Gentlewomansays:—"Miss Moberly shows the same nice skill In sketching character in 'Hope, my Wife' as in her earlier novel, 'That Preposterous Will.' She interests us so much in her heroine, and in her hero, that we follow the two with pleasure through adventures of the most improbable order."
DIANA.
The Scotsmansays:—"So cleverly handled as to keep its interest always lively and stimulating; and the book cannot fail to be enjoyed."
DAN—AND ANOTHER.
The Daily News:—"Must be considered one of the best pieces of work that Miss Moberly has yet produced."
JUSTUS MILES FORMAN
JOURNEYS END.
The Court Journalsays:—"Surprisingly fresh, abounding in touches of observation and sentiment, while the characters are drawn with exceptional skill, the 'red-haired young woman' being a haunting figure."
MONSIGNY.
The Daily Telegraphsays:—"The novel is admirable, the idea is very cleverly worked out, and is of an interesting character. The book is worthy of much praise."
THE GARDEN OF LIES.
The Daily Newssays:—"This novel is far in advance of anything that Mr. Forman has hitherto accomplished. 'The Garden of Lies' belongs to that class of story which touches the heart from the first. It contains scenes which are alive with real passion, passages that will stir the blood of the coldest, and whole chapters charged with a magic and a charm. It is a real romance, full of vigour and a clean, healthy life."
TOMMY CARTERET.
The Daily Chroniclesays:—"This is a fine book, thoroughly fine from start to finish. We willingly place our full store of compliments on Mr. Forman's splendid and successful book."
BUCHANAN'S WIFE.
The Daily Telegraphsays:—"'Buchanan's Wife' may be regarded as another success for an already successful author. It contains all the reader is to attract, and is written in such a graceful manner that the elements held delighted and enthralled to the end."
A MODERN ULYSSES.
People's Saturday Journalsays:—"Full of exciting incidents, handled in a bright, crisp style."
GEORGE FREDERIC TURNER
FROST AND FRIENDSHIP.
The Pall Mall Gazettesays:—"A tale one reads without effort and rises from with brightened wits. It is good and original. King Karl, with the steel hand in a velvet glove; Miss Anchester, an enigma of love and duty; and the hero himself, a typical Englishman, are personages who make a sharp impression of reality."
THE CONVERSION OF CLAUD.
The Daily Graphicsays:—"A well-written book, the characters are natural and amusing."
THE TOAD AND THE AMAZON.
ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT
WHEN I WAS CZAR.
The Freeman's Journalsays:—"A very brilliant work, every page in it displays the dramatic talent of the author and his capacity for writing smart dialogue."
BY SNARE OF LOVE.
The Outlooksays:—"As a writer of political intrigue, Mr. Marchmont has scarcely a rival to-day, and his latest novel worthily upholds his reputation."
THE QUEEN'S ADVOCATE.
The Liverpool Couriersays:—"Mr. Marchmont's narrative skill is at his best in this tale. One has sometimes wondered in reading this author's works when his invention will give out. But his resource seems inexhaustible, and his spirits never flag."
A COURIER OF FORTUNE.
The Dundee Couriersays:—"The author has succeeded in producing a most thrilling and romantic tale of France, which has the advantage of being exciting and fascinating without being too improbable. An additional feature of the book is the amount of wit that runs throughout the story."
BY WIT OF WOMAN.
The Leicester Postsays:—"The novel rivets the deep interest of the reader, and holds it spellbound to the end. Mr. Marchmont, accordingly, must be complimented on making a very welcome and notable addition to the library of fiction."
IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM.
The Daily Telegraphsays:—"A well-sustained and thrilling narrative."
The Daily Expresssays:—"It is sure to have a great success."
THE LITTLE ANARCHIST.
GEORGE HORTON
A FAIR INSURGENT.
The Daily Telegraphsays:—"Mr. George Horton has given us a most thrilling romance which, both in invention and workmanship, should take high rank among books of adventure. The author has the power of exciting real interest in the puppets of his capital book, and the art of telling an exciting story thoroughly well."
PRINCESS ROMANOVA.
The Dundee Advertisersays:—"A stirring tale of the Far East, full of adventures, narrated in an impressive style."
THE MONK'S TREASURE.
FRED M. WHITE
THE CRIMSON BLIND.
The Sheffield Telegraph:—"'The Crimson Blind' is one of the most ingeniously conceived 'detective' stories we have come across for a long time. Each chapter holds some new and separate excitement. The pace is kept with such vigour that the reader arrives breathless at the last page."
THE CARDINAL MOTH.
The British Weekly:—"A brilliant orchid story, full of imaginative power. This is a masterpiece of construction, convincing amid its unlikeliness, one of the best novels of the season."
THE CORNER HOUSE.
The Western Morning News:—"The secret of 'The Corner House' is kept until the closing chapters, and it is impossible to lay the book aside until the secret is discovered. It is an excellent romance which will be eagerly read."
THE WEIGHT OF THE CROWN.
The Dublin Daily Express:—"Mr. F. M. White is one of the princes of fiction. A stirring tale full of the spice of adventure, breathless in interest, skilful in narrative.... Who could refrain from reading such a story?"
THE SLAVE OF SILENCE.
The Sheffield Telegraph:—"Attention is arrested at the outset, and so adroitly is the mystery handled that readers will not skip a single page."
A FATAL DOSE.
Irish Independent:—"A work in Mr. White's best style, so brimful of action and excitement that the reader would fain finish it at a sitting if possible."
ARCHIBALD EYRE
THE TRIFLER.
The Daily Express:—"A most cleverly contrived farcical comedy full of really fresh incidents, and a dialogue that is genuinely amusing; there is not a character who is not always welcome and full of entertainment."
THE CUSTODIAN.
The Morning Post:—"An exceptionally clever and entertaining novel; the reader is compelled to finish the book when he has once taken it up.... It is impossible to resist its attractions."
THE GIRL IN WAITING.
The Daily Mail:—"This is quite a delightful book. The note is struck ingeniously and hilariously on the doorstep. It is a most enjoyable comedy, which must be read to be appreciated. We can cordially recommend it."
HEADON HILL
A RACE WITH RUIN.
The Morning Advertisersays:—"A book by Headon Hill may always be relied on to provide good reading with plenty of incident. In 'A Race with Ruin' he fully maintains his reputation. A good, stirring story with an admirable and well-worked-out plot."
MILLIONS OF MISCHIEF.
The Stagesays:—"Not even the late Guy Boothby imagined anything more magnificently preposterous than the motive of Mr. Headon Hill's 'Millions of Mischief.'"
THE AVENGERS.
The Tribunesays:—"Mr. Hill's new book, 'The Avengers,' has not a dull line, and one's pulse is kept on the jig all the time."
UNMASKED AT LAST.
The Sheffield Telegraphsays:—"The story is in the author's most approved style, one of those alluringly audacious plots that Headon Hill revels in."
THE HIDDEN VICTIM.
SIR Wm. MAGNAY, BART.
THE RED CHANCELLOR.
Lloyd's Newssays:—"A story full of action, with its characters strongly drawn. The book altogether is one that can be most heartily recommended."
THE MAN OF THE HOUR.
The Pall Mall Gazettesays:—"Of sterling merit. The plot of the book is as well contrived as in any tale of the kind we have read."
COUNT ZARKA.
The Worldsays:—"Clever and entertaining. The narrative is brisk; it affords us glimpses of forest scenery which we like, and one remarkable departure from beaten tracks, a woman's duel in earnest. This feat of arms forms the subject of an illustration in his best manner by Maurice Grieffenhagen."
FAUCONBERG.
The Fieldsays:—"The book has a grip, and should be a success. The ultimate fate of Fauconberg is always in doubt from the beginning to the unexpected ending."
THE MASTER SPIRIT.
The Court Journalsays:—"A capital story. The intensely interesting situation is developed with much ingenuity and power.... A really fascinating novel."
THE MYSTERY OF THE UNICORN.
GUY BOOTHBY
THE RACE OF LIFE.
The English Reviewsays:—"Ahead even of Mr. Cutcliffe Hyne and Sir Conan Doyle, Mr. Boothby may be said to have topped popularity's pole."
FOR LOVE OF HER.
The Court Journalsays:—"The many admirers of Mr. Guy Boothby will welcome another volume from his pen, and will not be disappointed in their expectations. The book shows vivid imagination and dramatic power. Moreover, sketches of Australian life, from one who knows his subject, are always welcome."
A CRIME OF THE UNDER SEAS.
The Speakersays:—"Is quite the equal in art, observation, and dramatic intensity to any of Mr. Guy Boothby's numerous other romances, and is in every respect most typical of his powers."
A BID FOR FREEDOM.
The Sheffield Telegraphsays:—"As fascinating as any of its forerunners, and is as finely handled. 'A Bid for Freedom' discloses a powerfully written romance, which bristles with thrilling passages, exciting adventures, and hairbreadth escapes."
A TWO-FOLD INHERITANCE.
Punchsays:—"Just the very book that a hard-working man should read for genuine relaxation. This novel is strongly recommended by the justly appreciating 'Baron de Bookworms.'"
The Glasgow Heraldsays:—"Contains all the elements that have made Mr. Boothby's works popular the world over, and it will be read with zest by thousands of his admirers."
CONNIE BURT.
The Birmingham Gazettesays:—"One of the best stories we have seen of Mr. Boothby's."
The Glasgow Heraldsays:—"Contains many stirring scenes of life in the Bush, and some really clever and attractive sketches of Australian character."
THE KIDNAPPED PRESIDENT.
Public Opinionsays:—"Brighter, crisper, and more entertaining than any of its predecessors from the same pen."
MY STRANGEST CASE.
The Yorkshire Postsays:—"No work of Mr. Boothby's seems to us to have approached in skill his new story. It is worked out with real ingenuity, and written with so much skill that the reader's attention is from first to last riveted on the narrative."
FAREWELL, NIKOLA.
The Dundee Advertisersays:—"Guy Boothby's famous creation of Dr. Nikola has become familiar to every reader of fiction."
MY INDIAN QUEEN.
The Sunday Specialsays:—"'My Indian Queen' shows Mr. Boothby at his best. A vivid story of adventure and daring, bearing all the characteristics of careful workmanship."
LONG LIVE THE KING.
The Aberdeen Free Presssays:—"It is marvellous that Mr. Boothby's novels should all be so uniformly good. The story is written in Mr. Boothby's best style, and is full of interest from start to finish."
A PRINCE OF SWINDLERS.
The Scotsmansays:—"Of absorbing interest. The exploits are described in an enthralling vein."
A MAKER OF NATIONS.
The Spectatorsays:—"'A Maker of Nations' enables us to understand Mr. Boothby's vogue. It has no lack of movement or incident."
THE RED RAT'S DAUGHTER
The Daily Telegraphsays:—"Mr. Guy Boothby's name on the title-page of a novel carries with it the assurance of a good story to follow. This sprightly imaginative writer's latest romance is a clever and fascinating narrative."
LOVE MADE MANIFEST.
The Daily Telegraphsays:—"A powerful and impressive romance. One of those tales of exciting adventure in the confection of which Mr. Boothby is not excelled by any novelist of the day."
PHAROS THE EGYPTIAN.
The Scotsmansays:—"This powerful novel is weird, wonderful, and soul-thrilling. There never was in this world so strange and wonderful a love story, and Mr. Boothby's admirers will probably agree that the most marvellous fiction he has ever produced is 'Pharos the Egyptian.'"
ACROSS THE WORLD FOR A WIFE.
The British Weeklysays:—"This stirring tale ranks next to 'Dr. Nikola' in the list of Mr. Boothby's novels. It is an excellent piece of workmanship, and we can heartily recommend it."
A SAILOR'S BRIDE.
The Manchester Couriersays:—"Few authors can depict action as brilliantly and resourcefully as the creator of 'Dr. Nikola.'"
THE LUST OF HATE.
The Daily Graphicsays:—"Mr. Boothby gives place to no one in what might be called dramatic interest, so whoever wants dramatic interest let him read 'The Lust of Hate.'"
THE FASCINATION OF THE KING.
The Bristol Mercurysays:—"Unquestionably the best work we have yet seen from the pen of Mr. Guy Boothby.... 'The Fascination of the King' is one of the books of the season."
DR. NIKOLA.
The Scotsmansays:—"One hairbreadth escape succeeds another with rapidity that scarce leaves the reader breathing space.... The interest of their experience is sufficient to stay criticism, and carry him through a story ingeniously invented and skilfully told."
THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL.
The Yorkshire Postsays:—"A more exciting romance no man could reasonably ask for."
A BID FOR FORTUNE.
The Manchester Couriersays:—"It is impossible to give any idea of the verve and brightness with which the story is told. Mr. Boothby may be congratulated on having produced about the most original novel of the year."
IN STRANGE COMPANY.
The Worldsays:—"A capital novel. It has the quality of life and stir, and will carry the reader with curiosity unabated to the end."
THE MARRIAGE OF ESTHER.
The Manchester Guardiansays:—"A story full of action, life, and dramatic interest. There is a vigour and a power of illusion about it that raises it quite above the level of the ordinary novel of adventure."
BUSHIGRAMS.
The Manchester Guardiansays:—"Intensely interesting. Forces from us, by its powerful artistic realism, those choky sensations which it should be the aim of the human writer to elicit, whether in comedy or tragedy."
SHEILAH McLEOD.
Mr. W. L. AldeninThe New York Times, says:—"Mr. Boothby can crowd more adventure into a square foot of canvas than any other novelist."
DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT.
Illustrated bySidney Cowell.
JOSEPH HOCKING
ROGER TREWINION.
T. P.'s Weeklysays:—"It is a foregone conclusion that Mr. Hocking will always have a good story to tell. 'Roger Trewinion' can stand forth with the best, a strong love interest, plenty of adventure, an atmosphere of superstition, and Cornwall as the scene. And the scenes of lawlessness, the curse of hatred between two brothers, the greed of a selfish mother, and the steadfastness of a sweetheart withdrawn from a grave, all serve to lead, in a series of graphically and finely written scenes, to the conclusion that 'there's no curse can stand against love.'"
THE COMING OF THE KING.
The Glasgow Heraldsays:—"Mr. Hocking's latest romance exhibits no diminution of ability, and is marked by insight and dramatic power. His imagination is fertile, and his skill in the arrangement of incident far above the average, and there is an air of reality in all his writing which is peculiarly charming. The author steadily but surely engages our attention, and we pass from episode to episode with a deepening sense of the reality of the tale. This is art of no common order."
ESAU.
The Outlooksays:—"Remarkable for the dramatic power with which the scenes are drawn and the intense human interest which Mr. Hocking has woven about his characters. 'Esau' is sure to be one of the novels of the season."
The British Weeklysays:—"A brilliant, exciting narrative by a writer who has never penned a dull page."
GREATER LOVE.
The Newcastle Chroniclesays:—"Though of a totally different character from 'Lest We Forget,' Mr. Hocking's latest story is entitled to take rank along with that fine romance. The story arrests the attention from the first chapters, and soon becomes highly dramatic."
LEST WE FORGET.
Public Opinionsays:—"His story is quite as good as any we have read of the Stanley Weyman's school, and presents an excellent picture of the exciting times of Gardiner and Bonner."
AND SHALL TRELAWNEY DIE?
The British Weeklysays:—"We can strongly recommend both stories as healthy and hearty tales, sensational but not incredible."
The Weekly Sunsays:—"An engaging and fascinating romance. The reader puts the story down with a sigh, and wishes there were more of these breezy Cornish uplands, for Mr. Joseph Hocking's easy style of narrative does not soon tire."
JABEZ EASTERBROOK.
The Rocksays:—"Real strength is shown in the sketches, of which that of Brother Bowman is most prominent. In its way it is delightful."
The Recordsays:—"A book that can be read with interest and with profit. A clever tale, cleverly told."
THE WEAPONS OF MYSTERY.
"Weapons of Mystery" is a singularly powerful story of occult influences and of their exertion for evil purposes. Like allMr. Hocking'snovels, "Weapons of Mystery" has an underlying religious and moral purpose, but merely as a story, and quite apart from the purpose which was in the mind of the author, the tale has a curious fascination for the reader. The cleverly conceived plot, and the strange experience of the hero and heroine make "Weapons of Mystery" a story which it is not easy to put down when once commenced.
ZILLAH: A ROMANCE.
The Spectatorsays:—"The drawing of some of the characters indicates the possession by Mr. Hocking of a considerable gift of humour. The contents of his book indicate that he takes a genuine interest in the deeper problems of the day."
THE MONK OF MAR-SABA.
The Starsays:—"Great power and thrilling interest.... The scenery of the Holy Land has rarely been so vividly described as in this charming book of Mr. Hocking's."
The Manchester Guardiansays:—"The author has turned his visit to Palestine to good account.... His descriptions of the wild scenery of different parts of the Holy Land are both vigorous and graphic, and the stories themselves are interesting."
THE PURPLE ROBE.
The Queensays:—"Mr. Hocking's most interesting romance. It is exceedingly clever, and excites the reader's interest and brings out the powerful nature of the clever young minister. This most engrossing book challenges comparison with the brilliance of Lothair. Mr. Hocking has one main fact always before him in writing his books—to interest his readers and he certainly succeeds admirably in doing so."
THE SCARLET WOMAN.
The Methodist Recordersays:—"This is Mr. Hocking's strongest and best book. We advise every one to read it. The plot is simple, compact and strenuous; the writing powerful. It brings out sharply the real character of the typical Jesuit, his training, motives, limitations, aims."
ALL MEN ARE LIARS.
The Christian Worldsays:—"This is a notable book. Thoughtful people will be fascinated by its actuality, its fearlessness, and the insight it gives into the influence of modern thought and literature upon the minds and morals of our most promising manhood."
The Standardsays:—"A striking book.... It is strong and earnest and vigorous; it shows knowledge of the lower class, and impatience and contempt of shams of all sorts."
ISHMAEL PENGELLY: AN OUTCAST.
The Recordsays:—"As a story this book is a splendid piece of writing; every detail is interesting, and the situations it creates are novel and striking."
The Athenæumsays:—"The book is to be recommended for the dramatic effectiveness of some of the scenes. The wild, half-mad woman is always picturesque wherever she appears, and the rare self-repression of her son is admirably done."
THE STORY OF ANDREW FAIRFAX.
The Manchester Examinersays:—"Rustic scenes and characters are drawn with free, broad touches, without Mr. Buchanan's artificiality, and, if we may venture to say it, with more realism than Mr. Hardy's country pictures."
The Liverpool Mercurysays:—"Beautifully told. There are few books better adapted to widen the mind and discipline the judgment than this noble story."
THE BIRTHRIGHT.
The Spectatorsays:—"This volume proves beyond all doubt that Mr. Hocking has mastered the art of the historical romancist. 'The Birthright' is, in its way, quite as well constructed, as well written, and as full of incident as any story that has come from the pen of Mr. Conan Doyle or Mr. Stanley Weyman."
MISTRESS NANCY MOLESWORTH.
The Scotsmansays:—"'Mistress Nancy Molesworth' is as charming a story of the kind as could be wished, and it excels in literary workmanship as well as in imaginative vigour and daring invention.... It would hardly be possible to tell a story of its kind better, or to leave the reader better pleased at the end."
FIELDS OF FAIR RENOWN.
The Scotsmansays:—"Mr. Joseph Hocking's 'Fields of Fair Renown' is a novel with a purpose, and the theme is worked out with a good deal of force and effective power.... it is both interesting and powerful."
The Dundee Advertisersays:—"Mr. Hocking has produced a work which his readers of all classes will appreciate.... There are exhibited some of the most beautiful aspects of disposition."