4 JULY 1896, Page 30

The Little Duchess, and other Stories. By Ethel Turner. (Ward,

Lock, and Bowden.) -These pleasant little stories have their scenes laid in Australia. The local colour is therefore fresh and interest- ing, and besides the plots we get an insight into the way people live and the way things look in New South Wales. One of the best is the story of a man of no account called Ebenezer, who suddenly becomes possessed of .210,000, and marries on the strength of this windfall the girl of his heart. There is not much in the tale it is true, but it is brightly and unaffectedly narrated, as, indeed, are all the others.