31 OCTOBER 1885, Page 25

Master of his Fate. By A. Blanche. Translated by the

Rev. M. R. Barnard. (Griffith, Ferran, and Co.)--The scene of the story is laid in Stockholm, and its opening chapters describe the goings on of school- boys in that city, goings-on which somewhat resemble what may be seen here, except, perhaps, that there seems to be more fighting than play in them. Adolf Axner makes an enemy of a gigantic bricklayer, and more than once narrowly escapes with his life. This is the chief incident of the early part of the story ; the principal personage in the second part is the "princess," with whom Axel' s fate is strangely bound up. We may venture to suggest to the publishers that there are one or two touches in the final scene which, for the sake of edifi- cation, might perhaps have been omitted.