3 DECEMBER 1898, Page 28

A Dreadful Mistake. By Geraldine Mockler. (Blackie and Son.)—There is

something farcical about this story. A gentle- man who telegraphs to a relative the question whether she will receive his children, and is satisfied with the answer that she will take care of his orchids, must have been next door to a lunatic ; certainly not fit to be a Surgeon-Major in the Army. But the situation of troublesome children quartered upon a bachelor uncle or maiden aunt is a standing dish at this time and must be provided somehow. Presumably it interests those who can imagine themselves in a similar situation.