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The Times.—'One might begin to read The Luck of the Vails lying back in a comfortable chair, and chuckling over the natural talk of Mr. Benson's pleasant people. But after an hour or so, assuming that it is a hot day, and that you turn the leaves without great energy, you find yourself sitting up and gripping the arms of the chair, and glancing uneasily over your shoulder at the sound of a step upon the gravel. For this is a really thrilling and exciting tale of crime and mystery that Mr. Benson has written. It is readable all through and full of entertainment.'

The Bookman.—'Mr. Benson has got hold of a very pretty sensation, and treated it most effectively.'

The Spectator.—The book is very ingeniously constructed, and delightfully easy holiday reading, while the machinations of the septuagenarian villain, with his cheerful flute, his rosy cheeks, and his brisk enjoyment of life, are calculated to give a proper Christmas thrill on the hottest midsummer afternoon.

The Outlook.—'Admirably conceived and admirably written; it touches the supernatural with tactful fingers, but does not clutch it, introduces us to some charming people and some original scoundrels, and sends us to bed enthralled.'

The Daily News.—'A rattling good tale. The story is well worked up to a thrilling climax, and as a clever tale of plot and counter-plot, it can be cordially recommended.'

The Athenæum.—'There is brilliance, lightness of touch. The dialogue is neat and brisk, and the miniature Court and its courtiers are amusingly treated.'

Literature.—'Told with verve and wit. If the novel is to amuse we cannot recommend a more agreeable companion than Mr. Benson's brilliant friend The Princess Sophia.'

The Westminster Gazette.—'A gay and spirited performance, and the Princess herself a clever picture. It is lively reading, and the characters bubble along in true Bensonian fashion.'

The Daily Telegraph.—'Bright, piquant, and entertaining from beginning to end, full of humorous sayings and witty things spoken by men and women who are merry and captivating. There is little to find fault with. It is a very clever, smart novel, wherein lies a little lesson and much entertainment.'

The Pall Mall Gazette.—'Mr. Benson's new story is in his happier and clever style. Happily, also, the liveliness does not tire. The repartee and rattle of the "smart set" are the genuine thing, and his own pretty conceits and happy little audacities of turn are not too forced.'