We must mention together, and for lack of space dismiss
with the briefest notice, some stories for girls :—Three Girls from School, by L. T. Meade (W. and R. Chambers, 5s.) ; and from the same publishers, That Troublesome Ursula, by Mabel Quiller-Couch (3s. 6d.), and That Imp Marcella, by Raymond Jacberns (3s. 8d.) Happily there are few readers who will not recognise the names of the writers and know what they may expect. Mrs. Meade is great in school stories, and knows how to take her heroines through plenty of exciting adventures. " Troublesome Ursula " leaves home to live with her grandmother. Here, too, school comes in ; nor is adventure wanting, for what can be a more exciting adventure than to be lost ? The story of Marcella opens in the Riviera. When it is about a third through the scene is changed to England. The " imp " is true to herself in both places ; but then "imp" is a word of wide meaning—does not some one speak of Edward VI. as a " goodly imp " ?—and tho mischievous and perverse Marcella is found to be of some use.—We have yet another story from Miss Raymond Jacberns about troublesome children, A Bad Three Weeks (Wells Gardner, Darton, and Co., 2s. 6d.) This time it is a governeas who suffers from the irrepressible child; and the humours of the situation are well given. Of course, so many mischances and misdemeanours could not be crowded in real life into this space of time, but this is an unavoidable fault.
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