The Laird's Luck, and other Fireside Tales. By A. T.
Cartiller.
Couch. (Cassell and Co. 6s.)—We always thought a "brownie' was a spirit entirely given up to kind and innocent labours in the
service of specially favoured mortals until we made acquaintance with the "brownie " of Mr. Quiller-Conch's " Laird's Luck." In this very weird tale, which gives its name to the volume of short
stories it heads, the spirit of a humble foster-brother, dying in infancy, plays "the mischief" in the career of a most unfortunate young Scotchman. It is difficult to know whether we are expected to take seriously the prefatory note which gives us to understand that the incidents of this story are facts from life. If so, it is one of the most striking real ghost-stories we have ever read ; if not, it is ben trovato. The other stories do not deal with the preternatural. They use a remarkable variety of motives, and each in turn gives us a glimpse into a chapter of very real and strong human action or passion. Particularly ingenious and blood - curdling is the story of the seventeenth - century monk who kept the secret of the convent vintage against the buccaneers, and killed them and himself by poisoning the ice with which the wine was mixed. "Midsummer Fires" has more of the idyll in it than the others, and ends with a scene that is like a fine autumn sunset. The stories of "The Two Scouts" and the "Three Men of Badajoz profess to be episodes of the Peninsular War. But the best story of all is the really beautiful little bit of character and sea- adventure called " Captain Dick and Captain Jacka.". The author calls his collection "fireside tales," and that is precisely what all the stories are : tales of struggle and unrest, good to read as one sits safe and warm by a comfortable blaze.
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