AustLit

'Remington first adopted the small boy, Rags, and they lived together happily. Then he gradually fell in love with Viola. Now, the implication of the title most clearly is that "Three's none!" Far from Rags being jealous of Viola, however, he was devoted to her — in fact, did much to bring the two together. The story is very feminine in its awe-struck admiration of the quiet strong man, who, although quite amiable, was so terrible in his wrath that he was liable to injure the child seriously whenever he thrashed him — which was whenever he did wrong. "They were fated never to understand each other very well, these two; though their love might deepen every day. Neither had any wish to conceal his thoughts, but in even the smallest emotional crisis they were apt to become disastrously hard to get at; and, when matters become complicated for two simple people, life grows very difficult indeed. There is just a little too much of that kind of analysis, a little shortage in incident. Remington was a mine-manager, in a civilized but out-of-the-way part of New South Wales — presumably Miss Beresford contributes the mining experience; and in such a setting a few exciting occurrences might well have been allowed. Still, the story is wholesome, and Aus- tralian, and thoroughly readable; and the frank and friendly Viola is one of the most charming heroines in recent fiction.'

Source: 'An Australian Idyll', The Register, 22 August 1914, p.5. (Via Trove Australia)