Phantom. By Gerhart Hauptmann. (Seeker. 7s. Gd.)
The story, written in the first person, of a yoUng school- master's infatuation for a beautiful little girl and his conse- quent degradation. Finally, his evil courses land him in gaol, after which he marries a more homely female and retires into the country. It is improbable that anything written by Hauptmann could be lacking in force, but this present stork is perhaps the feeblest he has ever produced. In the original German it is quite possible that the style may carry it through, but in this present translation it reads like one of the spasmodic nightmarish impressions that we know so well now, relieved here and there by a few really imaginative touches. The prospective reader will be well advised to send his sense of humour upon a holiday before he begins this present work, a notable example of what happens when the cobbler leaves his last.
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