A Heroine in Homespun. By Frederic Breton. 2 vols. (Bentley
and Son.)—There is something noteworthy about this " Crofter Chronicle." The locality of the story is unfamiliar. North and South list are islands which few people see, and of these few most against their will, when the Stornoway steamer carries them thither out of their way. Hence 'a certain confidence that an author who chooses one of them for the scene of his tale has the motive of special knowledge. The book is quite in accord with this belief. It pictures conditions of life and thought which have a good deal of the " survival " about them. Ghosts, witches, and kindred beliefs have a firm hold on the islanders' minds, and have their part in the development of the story. Altogether, the story has a diversity of interest in it. The melancholy note is not more than suits these storm-vexed and rain-drenched islands, while the tone is wholesome.
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