Shorter Notices
Lovely Is the Lee. By Robert Gibbings. (Dent. 12s. 6d.)
LOVELY is the Lee no doubt ; but that is not Mr. Gibbings' theme —not, anyway, more than an incidental phase of it. His main theme is himself, a man of gusto and good humour, of quick eye and friendly heart. No wonder County Cork took, him to herself so readily, when he returned to his native home, so that he might write a book about her, to stand on the shelves. alongside his exuberant eulogies of Thames and Wye. Everywhere the hand was stretched out in welcome ; and when at last it came to saying good-bye, " If ever anything happens to you," were the last words, " and you want a home, come over and live here. But don't bring any money with you, for you won't want it." So through that seemingly so open-handed land, Tir nan-Og, land of the ever young, Mr. Gibbings wended his comfortable way, passing from one friend to another, one adventure to another ; and here, aided by a fertile draughtsmanship, he has set it all down in a story calculated to keep old men from the chimney-corner. Tales out of history, tales-
out of fairyland, conversations in hotel and cottage—it is all here and well-savoured with good-will for everybody. One feels that if
the author enjoyed his year in Ireland he in turn was enjoyed ; and Lovely is the Lee is as much the gift of his generous hosts as it is of his own happy talents.
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