The Black Familiars. By L. B. Walford. (J. Clarke and
Co. 6s.)—We are accustomed to see Mrs. L. B. Walford's name on the title-pages of novels of modern life, and accustomed also to find something good in them. We cannot congratulate her on having achieved success in this new venture of an historical tale. Human causes of action were much about the same in Queen Elizabeth's time as in Queen Victoria's. We feel sure that had Mrs. Walford located her story in the latter reign she would not have created so unreasonably wicked a creature as Lady Delaval. A more obvious fault is a strange want of preparation for the task. We were staggered at reading on p. 6 of a "prosperous community of the Cistercian Order,"—near a small estuary, let it be noted, on the Hampshire coast. But we found afterwards that Mrs. Walford is under the impression that the work of destroying the English monasteries was going on in the early years of Elizabeth. It would not be easy, we fancy, to find one among her readers who does not know better.
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