"Mrs. Atherton has written an original and unusually able book." -Black and White "Not one of the stories could be called commonplace; they are strong and cleverly written, as might be expected from their author." -Country Life "That find gift of imaginative insight that has always stood Mrs. Atherton in good stead, is seen at its best in some of these short stories....The best that is in the book is very good indeed." -Vanity Fair "Mrs. Atherton has done work far above the average before, but there are one or two tales in this collection that bring her very close to the company of the immortals." -Bystander "'The Monarch of a Small Survey,' and 'The Tragedy of a Snob,' are, to our thinking, the pick of the bunch. The description in the first of the scene where a doctor refuses morphia to a morphia maniac, with the direct intention of ending her wretched life and freeing her husband from lifelong bondage, is tragic in its intensity....In the third, Mrs. Atherton has painted with much skill the disenchantment of a very ordinary young man who has unexpected come into a fortune, but finds that mere money will not always open the way to the best fashionable circles." -The Bookseller "A book to mark down to be read." -Week's Survey "A certain rough power of presentation and an insight into character, especially feminine character." -The Academy and Literature "Something unique in weirdness, mystery and wickedness." -New York Observer "The same ability shown by this author in her brilliant novels named 'The Conqueror' and 'Rulers of Kings,' is evident throughout these shorter tales. The writer's aptitude for dramatic development is notably present in the titular one, as well as in that entitled 'Talbot of Ursula' at the close of the book." -The Publishers' Circular and Booksellers' Record of British and Foreign Literature "These tales are exceedingly well written, and are the product of an original mind." -Public Opinion Contents I. THE BELL IN THE FOG II. THE STRIDING PLACE III. THE DEAD AND THE COUNTESS IV. THE GREATEST GOOD OF THE GREATEST NUMBER V. A MONARCH OF A SMALL SURVEY VI. THE TRAGEDY OF A SNOB VII. CROWNED WITH ONE CREST VIII. DEATH AND THE WOMAN IX. A PROLOGUE (TO AN UNWRITTEN PLAY) X. TALBOT OF URSULA