The Prophet's Mantle. By Christabel Coleridge. (Isbister and Co.)—This is
a capital story, fully up to the standard of Miss Coleridge's work,—more it is needless to say. The motive is one of a fascinating kind, but very difficult to manage with success. It is highly interesting to see a man trying to win the love of his wife ; but how, we ask, do they come to be man and wife without that love being already won ? Here the difficulty comes in. Circumstances have to be contrived which sufficiently account for the complication without throwing any discredit upon either husband or wife. Miss Coleridge contrives them with fair success. We are bound to own that they do not seem very probable. A foolishly romantic aunt persuades two young people to go through the form of marriage by telling them, each in a different way, that it is the only way of setting right some wrong that has been done. This being accepted, the story goes on very well. We shall not anticipate its interest any further, but simply commend it very strongly to our readers. The delicacy and good taste, the vigorous drawing of character, the easy
dialogue, serious or humorous as the circumstances require, are quite admirable. The aunt is excellently done. One feels a desire to shake her, so provokingly foolish is she. George Glad. wyn, too, is an admirable figure, and makes us hope that the fates were kind to him after all.
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