SELECTED SHORT STORIES OF W. L. GEORGE. (Chapman and Hall.
7s. 6d.)—Admirers of the late W. L. George will find many favourite stories in this representative collection. He was not a cheerful narrator : most of his characters are rather drab people, struggling in a grey world, but they are none the less real. Like 0. Henry, George mingled realism with sentimentality : he saw joy and sorrow as kinsfolk—villainy and charm going hand in hand. He has another characteristic in common with the great American —many of his stories have an unexpected twist at the end. Perhaps the best of these stories is Mr. and Mrs. Eckford." It tells of an actor who, by means of an unexpected legacy, is able to give his wife the chance of playing the great parts of which he thinks her worthy. She tries rde after role but is disregarded or insulted by the critics, until finally she plays Marguerite in Dumas' play. She dies gloriously on the stage, but when the applause subsides she does not rise to take her call. At last the doctor makes Eckford understand. He cries, "Bring the flowers," and her couch is surrounded by bouquets. "Yes, I understand!" lie continues. "In her part she had to die and so, she's dead. Who will now say that she was not an actress ? "
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