Cousin Trix, and her Welcome Tales. By Georgians M. Craik.
(Griffith and Farran.)—The two best stories in this book are the first and third, which tell us the history of a dog in search of its little
master, and of a newly married couple of young mice. In the story about Neptune, the old watch-dog, which is stupid in all other respects but adores its young master, Harry, we have much that is very affecting, and we are within an inch of a tragedy. The married life of the mice has also its dangers, and we are prepared for something very sad when poor Longtail is caught in a trap, and Blue-Eyes comes to the bars of his prison to take leave of her husband. The picture of the two mice stretching out their arms to one another through the wires of the cage, and putting their little wet cheeks side by side, is enough to make us banish mousetraps from our houses. Miss Craik ought to know better. As it 'is, she says that the remonstrances of the children led to the escape of Longtail, and though we are too much moved by the grief of Blue-Eyes to regret his reprieve, we know that the colony which would soon people the garret would lead even the ohildren to wish that they had not spared the founders. Tho story of ." Down among the Fairies " is almost too morally impressive. It is meant as a warning to children who are idle, and it attempts to reverse existing opinions as to the nature and constitution of fairyland. This attempt gives the story a serious tone, and Miss Craik's fairyland is somewhat like a clean workhouse. We prefer the old watchdog and the newly married mice.
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