The Penance of John Logan, and Two other Tales. By
William Black. (Sampson Low and Co.)—The first of these three tales is one of the most striking and effective pieces of work that we have ever seen from Mr. Black's pen. John Logan takes a locket from among the clothes of a man who has been drowned near the little island where he plies the trade of a lobster-catcher. His is no vulgar greed of gain ; he wants to find an adornment for his grand- daughter who is about to be married. But his heart fails him when he has done the deed. Finally, his conscience drives him to make restitution. His journey to London—an awful undertaking for one who has never left his home among the Hebrides, and, indeed, not unaccompanied by serious peril—is excellently described, and the scene in which he confesses his guilt to the daughter of the drowned man is eminently pathetic. "A Snow Idyll" is another good Highland story. Here, a painter who has gone up to a Northern loch in the spring, partly to sketch, partly to catch salmon, falls in with a young lady. The " Snow Idyll " that follows is very prettily told. "Romeo and Juliet" is another love-story, and though wanting in the special charm of Highland scenery, is worth reading.
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