19 DECEMBER 1885, Page 24

The Lion. Battalion, and Other Stories. By M. E. Hellah.

(Hat- chards.)—We have been more charmed with these stories than we feel able easily to express. Perhaps the first, from the literary point of view, is the best. Little Peter with his button soldiers, among whom the "lions," subtracted from Lenchen's paletot, are, so to speak, the corps d'elite, is a charming little creation. And all the society of the little German town, Fran Taxcollector and Fran Post- =stress and the rest, are pleasantly touched off. In "The Fireman's Little Maid" the human interest is greater; little Sally is a young person who touches the reader's heart, and the scene of her rescue is particularly effective. " Mr. Greysmith," too, is a very good story.