Gladys Anstruther. By Louisa Thompson. (Blackie.)—There is a curious combination
of piquancy and pathos in this rather badly compacted but original and not unattractive story. The most likeable and improbable portion of it is the first, in whioh Elinor Temple mistakes the eminent artist, Sir Edwin Anstruther, whom she subsequently marries, for a blind man- Elinor's experiences as a step-mother are rather commonplace. She has an imperfectly disciplined temper, and, in consequence, she does not succeed well with the management of her step- daughters. One of them, Gladys, she apparently drives to suicide. From the artistic point of view, indeed, Gladys' suicide would have been preferable to her turning up as the Lily Queen of the stage, but it would not have been so enjoyable, and it would not have had such a good effect upon Elinor. Altogether, Gladys Anstruther, from its teaching a conventional moral in an uncon- ventional way, may be heartily recommended as a book for girls.
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