The Pretty Sister of Jose. By Frances Hodgson Burnett. (Spencer
Blackett.)—This is an enjoyable and well-constructed story, but it strikes us as, coming from Mrs. Hodgson Burnett, somewhat of a tour de force. She is capable, unquestionably, of surveying man- kind—and still more women and children—from China to Peru. But she knows the Anglo-Saxon nature infinitely better than any other. This little book, which is not so much a story as a study of a man and a woman, will be most completely enjoyed by the reader who can by an effort of will—a very slight effort indeed is required —imagine Jose and Pepita and Sebastiano to be English folks, in spite of bull-fights and Spanish surroundings. Undoubtedly Pepita and the man whom she marries, after he has been at death's door, are powerfully executed studies in pure passion. That passion is perhaps a little too long drawn out, and Pepita's almost ferocious jealousy and superstition have occasionally the air of unreality. Jose, the self-sacrificing brother, is, however, one of Mrs. Barnett's best characters, and wears his Spanish cloak more gracefully than anybody else in this book.
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