The vision comes to me of Margot, delicate, fragile, ignorant—too ignorant to be afraid. All the wisdom of the ages—past and future—seemed to her to be bound up in the King James version. I compare her with Marie. She is as strong as a peasant girl. I have given up playing tennis with her, she beats me too easily. And the certain, fearless way she looks out at life takes my breath, leaves me panting just as her dashing net play does. She speaks of Ann as early Victorian, she would I fear place Margot as Elizabethan. Most wonderful of all, these youngsters have never had to fight with God, never had to tear themselves to pieces escaping from the deadly formalism and tyranny of Church Dogma. They never had to call themselves Atheists. And then I think of how Billy and Marie are facing this biggest problem of all—this business of love. They will have their squalls no doubt and run into shoal water perhaps. But they are not blindfolded as I was, as Norman was—as all my generation was. Pure luck was all that could save us. They are steering—not drifting. Yes. My story is ended. The old troupe has been crowded off the stage. There would be little interest in writing of the work left me—brushing the wigs of the leading man, packing the star’s trunk,—pushing the swan for Lohengrin, currying the horses of the Walkyrie—it will all be behind the scene. And how I envy them their faith! Ave—Juventas—morituri salutamus! * * * * * * * * *The following pages contain advertisements of a few of the Macmillan novels.* *The Friar of Wittenberg* BY WILLIAM STEARNS DAVIS, author of "A Friend of Cæsar," "God Wills it." In the character of Martin Luther, William Stearns Davis has found admirable material around which to build an historical novel of more than ordinary importance. He has succeeded above all else in making the picturesque figure live, imparting to the stirring episodes in which he played a part so much of reality that the reader is enabled to visualize as never before the conditions leading to the religious revolt of which the Friar of Wittenberg was so powerful a leader. "In the tale the stirring episodes in which Luther played a part are invested with so much reality that one may clearly visualize the conditions leading to the religious revolt of which the Friar of Wittenberg was so powerful a leader."—_North American, Philadelphia, Pa_. "The story includes scenes and events so compelling and thrilling as to give to this master story-teller a great opportunity to use a mighty event in human progress as the splendid foundation for a great novel."—_Salt Lake Tribune_. "Verily it is a remarkable book."—_Philadelphia Public Ledger_. "No stronger picture has ever been painted than this of the German people who welcomed Luther’s appeal to all that was best in them."—_San Francisco Chronicle_.