Untold Tales of the Past. By Beatrice Harraden. (W. Black-
wood and Sons.)—Miss Harraden chooses some time in the past, and, taking some name, generally one about which little or nothing is known, weaves a romance round it. There is a Viking in the first story, a City apprentice in the second, the third introduces us to Joan of Arc before she went on her mission. After this we hear about William of Wykeham, Caxton, and Queen Elizabeth, this last appearing in an unusual mood of leniency. The last six stories take us back to classical times. We may venture to suggest to Miss Harraden to be more careful about Roman names. Valens Claudius, for a Roman about the middle of the first century, is a quite impossible combination. The stories are very prettily written indeed—perhaps "Phidias and the Image Maker " is the best—and the illustrations, though unequal, are attractive.
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