The Rod of Justice. By Alice and Claude Askew. (T.
Fisher Unwin. 6s.)—The scene of this novel is a South African farm, owned by Peter Van Naas, and the house and its inhabitants are typically Boer. Tho person who imagines herself to wield "the Rod of Justice" is Peter's cousin, Keziah Stolberg, who is described by the authors as being " South Africa incarnate." Keziah's marriage is about to be arranged with Peter when, unfortunately, a waggon suddenly appears on the veld containing a beautiful Englishwoman called Ivory Creighton, who is terribly ill, and who is taken in and devotedly nursed back to health by Keziah and her mother. Peter falls desperately in love with her, and Ivory, who has fled from England to escape from a love affair with a man who has a lunatic wife, thinks to make secure her retreat by marrying Peter. Meanwhile the wife of Allen Osbourne (the man in question) has died, and he has come to South Africa in search of Ivory, and arrives at the farm to ask whether she has been seen. Peter, wishing to marry her himself, denies having seen her. So far the story, though picturesque, is commonplace, but when after Ivory's marriage to Peter she tries to fly with her lover, and Peter, pursuing them, is shot by his own gun, a series of dramatic scenes occurs. Keziah takes charge, accuses the would-be runaway couple of murder, and attempts to execute lynch law on them. The chapters in which all this is described are extremely vivid, and Keziah's extraordinarily primitive methods of revenge are strikingly presented. In the nick of time a rescue is effected by some neighbouring Boer farmers, and, Peter being conveniently out of the way, the story ends with the marriage of the hero and heroine. The book is remarkable only for the figure of Keziah, who is one more instance of the hard fate which Nature deals out to a woman when she gives her at the same time the capacity to love and an outward form which has not the power of attracting love in return.
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