CURRENT LITERATURE.
Sunny Switzerland. By Rowland Grey. (Began Paul, Trench, and Co.)—One would think it a piece of good-luck to have a draft for 2200 given one for a tour in Switzerland; but Mr. Grey's tale makes us doubt. Anyhow, such a gift brings no little trouble and
sorrow to Dr. Dalkeith, a hard-working physician (who, by the way, travels out of his province so far as to perform an operation on p. 86). The tale is not particularly striking either in conception or execution, but it has good points ; and if it is, as we conjecture, a first effort, it shows some promise.—Sunflowers ; a Story of To-day, by G. C. Gedge, and Lenore Annandale's Story, by Evelyn Everett Green (Religious Tract Society), bear naturally a considerable re- semblance to each other. Both stories have a strong religions motive, the most prominent situation in both being the question whether a woman who has strong Christian convictions should marry a man who is decidedly worldly in his views of life or agnostic in his opinions. The fortunes of the young servant, Jessie, are, perhaps, the best part of Sunflowers, though we cannot help feeling that the young woman was something of a fool. Lenore Annandale s Story has more attractions. The family of the Egremonts are distinctly charaoterised, though in a somewhat conventional way. The heroine, too, is a clearly-marked personality, and it is possible that she may have committed the remarkable folly of accepting one brother when she was in love with the other. Miss Green does not rise superior to the temptation of making her heroine wealthy. As the virtuous Philip, however, who has to be made happy, was unluckily for himself a farmer, it was necessary to invent a rich aunt, who at the opportune moment finds the friend she needs in Lenore. It must be allowed that the fortune of Mrs. Boghey (surely a very curious name) makes a happy ending very easy. It is certainly much easier to be good— at least for one particular occasion—when money is abundant. The meritorious action of restitution, e.g., can hardly be performed without it. The story has its faults, but its merits more than out-
eigh them.
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