New-York tribune., 1921-03-28
Books

Mr.. Seton's new book of the out
doors," says the jacket of Woodland
Tales, "is meant for children of six
years and upward, But in the belief
that mother or father will be active as
leader, those chapters which are de-
voted to woodcraft are addressed to the
parent, who throughout is called The
Guide.'"
So far we have found the business of
being father hard enough without
assuming the responsibilities of "The
Guide" as WELL The only piece of
woodcraft within our knowledge which
we can pass on to H. Sd comes from
Harvey O'Higgins, who says that he
can always find his way about in Lon
don by remembering that tn, moss
grows on the north side of an English
man.
Still, one could hardly use A. P. Her
bert to blaze a trail. There is capital
ingenuity in the latest novel by this
young English author, which is called
The House by the River (Knopf). Mr..
Herbert has reversed the usual fic-
tional process in this story of mur-
der. 1t is done openly for the readers
and is a mystery only to the other
characters in the book. We found a
sense of elation in being on the inside
of the job and in watching with lofty
scorn the bungling attempts of the
ignorant to solve the puzzling death of
Emily Gaunt
However, Herbert has more in mind
than the revelation Of the inside work
ings of a mystery yarn. He deals in
the disintegration of character under
the constant pressure which is brought
to bear. upon him to evadc suspicion
by diverting it toward an innocent
man. The disintegrating person hap
pens to be a great poet, and in many
respects the story is searching study
of the artistic temperament. Unfortu-
nately, it is occasionally marrcd by
the fact that it is at points unsympa-
thetic to the point of priggishness. To
be sure, A. P. Herbert has right to be
annoyed with Stephen Byrne for the
murder of Emily, even though it was
an accident. Stephen tried to kiss
Emily, the housemaid, more or less
casually, and Emily screamed. He was
afraid the neighbors would hear, and
first he put his hand. over her mouth
and then he throttled her and before
he knew what was happening she was
dead.
At this very moment the doorbell
rang, and from between the curtains
Stephen saw at the door his best friend,
John Egerton. Sorely in need of help,
Stephen called Egcrton in and told him
what had happened. The chapters con-
cerning tlfa disposal of the body which
follow are exceedingly grewsome, but
among the best written and most in
teresting of the book. There is keen
work, too, in the development of the
manner in which Stephen begins to
shift the burden of suspicion to the
shoulders of his friend
For so much it is fair enough that
the author should blame the erring
Stephen Byrne, but after that Herbert
begins to grow captious with his hero.
He is, for instance, outraged at his poet
because he kisses young woman not
his wife and even more so when he ad-
dresses love poems to her. He is still
more severe when the poet, growing
disillusioned, breaks an appointment
with the young woman because an in
spirational fit of versifying is upon him.
These things do not seem quite fit
climax to the murder nor is the rather
belated remorse of the poet convincing.
Deftness deserts Herbert at the end,
and he winds up his story with series