Provincial Tales. By Gertrude H. Bone. (Duckworth and Co. 6s.)—The
vague title of Miss Bone's collection of short stories affords little clue to their contents. She deals mainly with the ignorant poor, and is especially concerned with the way in which, under the stress of suffering or poverty or some strong passion, they are rendered articulate, and even eloquent. As Lucretius puts it- " Nam verse voces turn demum pectore sb imo Ejiciuntur et eripitur persona, manet res."
The stories are of unequal merit in regard to workmanship, but their themes are original—strikingly so in the case of the strange tale of the converted pitman who killed his favourite dog, and that of the belated convert to Mormonism—the scenes are clearly visualised, and the appeal to the reader's compassion is direct and poignant. Miss Bone's further adventures into fiction will be awaited with interest.
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