A FLOCK OF BIRDS. By Kathleen Coyle. (Cape. 7s. 6d.)-Miss
Coyle's work has quality : it has atmosphere too, but of so rarefied a nature that not all readers will be able to survive it. Her story, dealing with the actions and reactions of the friends of a man who is about to be-hanged, is exqui- sitely written and full of little, unexpected truths. The beginning, for instance, with its picture of the mother of the condemned man going out of court and noticing every detail of a hat-shop window, is saturated with truth. So, too, is the description of the same woman making strawberry jam; being grateful for the occupation; but knowing " that she would never eat strawberries again." One cannot help feeling, however, that Miss Coyle has so concentrated on the production of a subtle atmosphere that she has forgotten the main duties of a story-teller. She knows her characters, but she does not make us knowthem._--We are only conscious of them as creatures in' a dreamaii forms who have no beginnings and no contact with ourselves. Nevertheless, in spite of its curious omissions, the bOok is well worth reading.
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