18 DECEMBER 1886, Page 24

The Driver's Bow, and other Stories. (Wells Gardner, Darton, and

Co.)—This is a collection of stories, beginning with the legend of St. Christopher told in verse. The merit of these stories, numbering twelve in all, varies much. In "Rock Cottage," for instance, there is something almost absurd in the plot. Barely a man of sense could never have been bullied into marrying as was Lionel Sherborne. Others are sufficiently well conceived. The tone and purpose are always excellent.