Laughter in these dark days is so wholesome a corrective that we mustn't be too exacting with Mr. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM, that fertile spinner of yarns, when in _The Double Life of Mr. Alfred Burton_ (METHUEN) he presents us with the diverting idea of a mean, little, loud, untruthful auctioneer's clerk converted by the eating of a mysterious brown bean into a paragon of candid truth, refined taste and romantic desire. There's an amusing scene when _Burton's_ chief, a thoroughly resourceful specimen of his tribe, cries down, under the same mysterious influence, the pseudo-antiques he is selling, and so intrigues his old friends the dealers that, with a curious _naivete_, they make absurdly high bids in the belief that the auctioneer is up to some profitable little game. _Mr. Alfred Burton_ himself becomes at a stroke a famous author just by merely writing what he sees and seeing true. (But wouldn't his readers also need a nibble at the bean?) Finally falling from grace as the effect of this food of the gods wears off, he accepts a directorship of the new mind-food company, "Menatogen," which brings him untold wealth. Quite innocent fooling which yet leaves one with the impression that our popular authors let themselves off rather lightly from the labour of working out their themes. * * * * * Illustration: A GARGOYLE OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS. (_With acknowledgments to the etching by M. Meryon._) SPIRITS OF EVIL, WHEN THEY'RE THROWN OUT OF A CHURCH, ARE TURNED TO STONE; BUT THE ABOVE WAS PETRIFIED EVEN BEFORE HE GOT INSIDE. * * * * *