Daphne's Daring. By Mrs. A. Phillips. (Joseph Hughes.)— Daphne's Daring
is a very charming story. Without intending to show any profound study of character, Mrs. Phillips's creations are full of life and personality, the whole action of the story is vivid and real, and the description of the slow, well-to-do pro- vincial town, with its small excitements and self-importance, which serves as its setting, is humorous and not overdrawn. Daphne is a very fresh and innocent heroine, and if we are amazed and rather incredulous at her absolute want of conventional know- ledge at a certain crisis of her life which seems rather in- compatible with the propriety and correctness of her bring- ing-up and surroundings, we hardly feel that this detracts from—it rather adds to—our interest in her fortunes. Her sorrows and her joys have a childlike pathos about them, and her unshaken loyalty to her husband in a trying moment has much in it of simple heroism. The husband himself is but an out- line. We are doubtful throughout as to what he will develop into, but when we find out in the end that he is honest and good, we are ashamed of the worldly wisdom and too expectant precocity of our doubts. The cleverest and most amusing character is that of Mrs. Lee, Daphne's mother. Her pride and satisfaction in her well brought-up family ; her ambition as to the symmetrical dis- position of her daughters, the fulfilment of which Daphne's daring behaviour destroys ; the triumph of her motherly sympathy and affection when the last pathetic remnant of her scheme is swept away,—are capitally given. So are the minor sketches of Mr. Lee and James. Without aiming to be more than a simple story simply and pleasantly told, Daphne's Daring keeps up the reader's interest throughout, and its merits leave a very happy impression upon his mind.
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