13 MAY 1893, Page 24

Babette Vivian. By" Christel." (Digby, Long, and Co.) Exag- geration

and romance are the too evident faults of Babette Vivian; the absence of all semblance to life is too obvious. The young nobleman who fancies he has angina pectoris because he is dis- appointed in love, would not be tolerated even by the young ladies who understand no other fiction but that of the Babette Vivian type. There is, it is true, something humorous in the idea, but then we must remember it is quite unconscious. No,. noblemen of this type cannot be endured, even in fiction, and Christer had better take a note of this.