None Other Gods

A disagreement between friends opens in a comfortable room at Trinity College, Cambridge. Jack Kirkby thinks Frank Guiseley is behaving foolishly, while Frank meets his concern with a grin. Recollections of bread and butter parcels addressed to a college dean and a train stopped with a red handkerchief establish Frank's habit of turning unlikely schemes into actions. The conversation places youthful mischief beside a more serious question about determination and the limits of friendly advice.

Robert Hugh Benson frames this religious novel with a dedication that draws on Frank's diaries and his friend's recollections. Its account of six months in Frank's life connects personal change with ideas of divine grace. In another scene, Jenny asks Dick to wait for an answer to his proposal because her recent engagement to Frank leaves her uncertain. Readers interested in faith and character can follow a story built around strong intentions, unsettled attachments and the difficulty of understanding another person's choices.