Mr. Leighton pulled up a chair for his wife, as the others, including even Aunt Katharine, faded from the balcony. "I take this as an omen, they are all leaving us," he said in a sad manner. Mrs. Leighton sighed gently. "We did the same ourselves, didn’t we, John?" And with a Strauss waltz hammering out its joyous commanding rhythm, a son and daughter engaged, and Elma just deserted, Mr. Leighton replied very dismally indeed, "I suppose so." "Hush," said Mrs. Leighton. "Who knows? This may be another." It was Jean with a University acquaintance of Cuthbert’s. He placed her carefully in a chair and bent in a lounging manner over her. "You see," said Jean in a high intense voice, "it’s the method that does it." "Ha," said Mr. Leighton joyously. "Herr Slavska may yet save me a daughter." Butler and Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. * * * * * * * * _BOOKS BY_ _CHRISTINA GOWANS WHYTE_ Nina’s Career Uncle Hilary’s Nieces The Five Macleods ILLUSTRATED IN COLOUR BY JAMES DURDEN. Crown 8vo. Cloth. Price 6/- each. "We have been so badly in need for writers for girls who shall be in sympathy with the modern standard of intelligence, that we are grateful for the advent of Miss Whyte, who has not inaptly been described as the new Miss Alcott."--_Outlook_. "The characters are such as one may see and meet almost any day, and the writer has the happy knack of making them live in her pages."--_Morning Post_. LONDON HODDER & STOUGHTON, 20, WARWICK SQUARE, E.C. HENRY FROWDE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS. BOOKS FOR GIRLS. By BESSIE MARCHANT A Girl of the Northland Illustrated in Colour, by N. TENISON. Crown 8vo, cloth, olivine edges. 5s. The scene of this story is the Stikine country of Western America, and the contrast between the small mining town at a time of boom, and the same town when the boom is over, is very vivid. Mr. Scarth, an inhabitant of this town, learns of the whereabouts of what is alleged to be a valuable gold find. He starts to make his fortune, and in his absence his family have great difficulty in making ends meet. One day an empty canoe is brought down the river, which is quickly recognized as the one in which Mr. Scarth went away; and in it is a packet of what appears to be gold, but which an Alaskan miner pronounces to be "false hope." Finally word is brought by an Indian runner that Mr. Scarth is in dire straits in the ice and snow; and it is only after many exciting adventures that one of his daughters manages to rescue him. By MARJORY ROYCE