SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 91, 11 January 1919, Page 11

SOME RECENT FICTION.

"A Beggar in Purple." A "ood, readable story is that told by Mr. Andrew Soutar m' "A Bwgar in-. Purple" (Hodder. : and Stoughton)., -The principal figuro is a successful- firianoicr, lan Hargrave, called by his enemies "Iron"" Hargrave;' because ■of the. force j with which he could- cngiiieer a business coup and the harshness, with which lie could treat an adversary: who had not fought fairly. Hargrave has mauo Ins "pile,", but wealth • does. not bring him happiness, for in the pursuit of riches ho has never found time to love, or the good fortune-to be loved by. a good, woman. And so the hardened novel . reader smiles grimly whon the- author introduces a handsome and'--strong-willed lady typist on the scene, and says to himself, Be--hold, here' is yet another variation of. a, by this time, very, ancient motif in fiction." But, as. a matter of fact,.the tooclever reader who argues thus soon finds he has made a mistake, for Mr. Soutar develops the love story of tho financier and bis handsome lady secretary' on very original lines. . The secretary is engaged to a young man who, like lie.r. employer,, is of the-world' of finance,'"but i»- : onlymounting' tlio "ladder. of. 'success: He deems Hargrave a rascal, and, alas, determines to fight the financier with the weapons of a- rascal.. In-doing so he. seeks tho aid of his fiancee, and, to securo her assistance, discloses the .alleged fact that the unknown strings, winch had drawn her father, into ruin had been pulled .by - Hargrave. -Upon this foundation, Mr.. Soutar builds up a clev-erly-complicated plot, which is .deftly worked out to a'conclusion which, though dramatic, is sufficiently tinged with sentiment as to Tender it extremely satis : factory to the average novel reader, whose partiality for . a happy ending is proverbial. Tho character drawing in the story is much above .-the 'average. . . [Reviews of other novels held over."]