Page 4 Advertisements Column 4

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5654, 27 August 1896, Page 4

NEW NOVEL OF ABSORBING INTEREST COMMENCED IN ttmHEpANTEBBUBT miMES" ON AUGUST 13. "THE BROKEN FETTER," JOHN K. LEYS Lovers of thrilling and sensational fiction will be delighted to learn that the Proprietors of " The Canterbury Times" have secured the right to publish an absorbing new work of singular interest from the pen of JOHN K. LEYS, Author of " The Lindsajs," " In the Toils," " The Mystery of Lowdon Castle," •' On the Track of the Iron Horse," " Guilty or Not Guilty ," " A Bird of Prey," &c, &c. "THE BROKEN FETTER" possesses an unusual plot and an abundance of incident, and is, moreover, written in a style to please the most fastidious reader. The author of our new story, Mr John K. Leys, ia well known as a writer of skilfully constructed stories. His works, whilst quite within the domain of probability, nevertheless derive much of their interest on account' of the fertility of their author's imagination. They are essentially stories of action, rapid in movement, and are written in a vigorous style. Mr Leys has few compeers in the art of constructing a story so us to sustain and increase the interest with each succeeding chapter. He lures the reader on from scene to scene, and holds him spellbound to the end of the story. In a serial competition instituted by one of tho great English weeklies, Mr Leys obtained the first prize of £15u for his sensational story " In the Toils." THE FIRST INSTALMENT OF "THE BROKEN FETTER" COMMENCED IN THE " CANTEEBUET TIMES" ON AUGUST 13. OUTLINE OF THE OPENING CHAPTERS. Dr Stanford is summoned to atteiid a young Russian, lady who seems to be dying from an inexplicable cause. On examination he decides that she must have inhaled some poisonous gas from a scent bottle placed by someone ou the table. The doctor manifests an unusual interest in his patient. When he re-visits the girl, he discovers the in. criminating sceut bottle has been removed by Madame Fabrini, who is, ostensibly the housekeeper. On being closely questioned, she reluctantly produces a bottle, which is recognised by Ursula Beritza, the patient, as the identical bottle. Dr Stanford's suspicions of Madame Fabrini aro temporarily allayed, but in leaving the house his eye is ca'ight by a sparkle of glass in the gravel, which proves to be a fragment of a similar scentbottle. The doctor returns, but finds that Madame Fabriui has disappeared; he* is informed that Ursula has also gone, but is sceptical about the latter information. He casually sees her at a window whilst he is going through the gardens, and goes back, when she confides in him, informing him of the plot to destroy her life. Her story is a sad and exciting one. The foregoing conveys hut a faint idea of the opening incidents of a very exciting serial. The story itself is largely concerned with the affairs of a Nihilist Society, one of whose members-is a traitor, and the evil genius of the story. He plots and counterplots, his. chief design being to ootaiu possession of the Beritza estates. To further his purposes nothing is too diabolical for his scheming brain. He causes Ursula's brother to be arrested, thereby hastening her father's death, and matures plans by which he hopes to get rid of Ursula herself. Attempting far too much, ho defeats his own enas. A strong love element runs through the story, which one ot extraordinary power and sensation

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