The Will-o'-the-Wisps. Translated from the German of Marie Petersen by
Charlotte J. Hart. (Chapman and Hall.)—The transla- tion is made from the " thirty-fourth " edition of the German original. This is sufficient proof of considerable popularity, a popu- larity which, while we acknowledge the general merit of these stories, we do not quite understand. Walter, a young collegian, on his way home in the midsummer vacation, falls asleep by a pool, and hears the talk Of a number of creatures commonly called dumb. But the chief talkers are the spirits of the lights, the lights, that is, which are used on various occasions in human life, and which now meet to recount their various experiences. In them there is a more or less slender thread of incident, with plenty of sentiment. Everything is pretty, but one seems to miss the briskness and gaiety which these fairy stories should have.
Previous page
