SONGS OF LOVE AND EMPIRE

By E. NESBIT AUTHOR OF “LAYS AND LEGENDS,” “A POMANDER OF VERSE,” ETC WESTMINSTER ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 1898

“After Sixty Years” appeared on June 22, 1897, in the Daily News; “To the Queen of England” and many other verses in the Pall Mall Gazette; “A Song of Peace and Honour” and “A Song of Trafalgar” in the Daily Chronicle, and certain other verses in the Athenæum. To the Editors of these papers my thanks are due.

TO HUBERT BLAND

I

TO THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND [June 22, 1897]

AFTER SIXTY YEARS

TRAFALGAR DAY

A SONG OF TRAFALGAR

WATERLOO DAY [June 18]

A SONG OF PEACE AND HONOUR [December, 1895] TO THE QUEEN

II

THE BALLAD OF THE WHITE LADY

THE GHOST BEREFT

THE VAIN SPELL

THE ADVENTURER

IN THE ENCHANTED TOWER

FAITH

THE REFUSAL

PRELUDE

AT THE SOUND OF THE DRUM

THE GOOSE-GIRL

THE PEDLAR

THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

III

“SHEPHERDS ALL AND MAIDENS FAIR”

A PORTRAIT

THE OFFERING

ENTREATY

THE FOREST POOL

DISCRETION

SPRING SONG

TOO LATE

BY FAITH WITH THANKSGIVING

THE APPEAL

AUTUMN SONG

THE LAST ACT

FAUTE DE MIEUX

SONG OF LONG AGO

IN ECLIPSE

SPECIAL PLEADING

“LOVE WELL THE HOUR”

BETRAYED

THE HEART OF SADNESS

THE HEART OF JOY

THE HEART OF GRIEF

REQUIEM

TEINT NEUTRE

OUT OF HOPE

HAUNTED

A DIRGE

IV

EVENING SONG

“THIS DESIRABLE MANSION”

EBB-TIDE

ON THE DOWNS

NEW COLLEGE GARDENS, OXFORD

TO A TULIP-BULB

FEBRUARY

THE PROMISE OF SPRING

MEDWAY SONG (Air: Carnaval de Venise)

CHAINS INVISIBLE

AT EVENING TIME THERE SHALL BE LIGHT

MAIDENHOOD

V

THE MONK

THE CROWN OF LIFE

MAGNIFICAT

EVENING PRAYER

CHRISTMAS HYMN

ABSOLUTION

NOW BEING PUBLISHED The New Popular Edition OF THE Works of George Meredith Crown 8vo, 6s. each.

With Frontispieces by Bernard Partridge, Harrison Miller, and others.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

In the Tideway By FLORA ANNIE STEEL (Author of “Miss Stuart’s Legacy,” “On the Face of the Waters,” etc.) 6s.

“One has grown accustomed to the association of Mrs. Steel’s name with novels which deal exclusively with Indians and Anglo-Indians. Such powerful and remarkable books as ‘The Potter’s Thumb’ and ‘On the Face of the Waters,’ point to a specialism which is becoming one of the salient features of modern fiction; but ‘In the Tideway,’ although dealing entirely with England and Scotland, presents the same keen and unerring grasp of character, the same faculty of conveying local atmosphere and colour, the same talent for creating strong and dramatic situations, and the same originality of thought and expression.... It is too late in the day to speak of Mrs. Steel’s position. This is assured, but this book adds greatly to an established position. It is profoundly impressive.”

“Wonderfully bright and lively both in dialogue and incidents.”—Scotsman.

“Admirably written.”—Glasgow Herald.

“The story is beyond question powerful. The characters are life-like and the dialogue is bright and natural.”—Manchester Guardian.

“As it is, the book is a sheer triumph of skill, one degree perhaps less valuable than a fully conceived presentation of the actual, but none the less admirable within its limits. There is care shown in every character.... But the real art, perhaps, lies less in the sequence of events or the portrayal of character, than in just this subtle suggestion everywhere of the abiding causeless mystery of land and sea.”—Academy.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

PRICE SIX SHILLINGS Dracula By BRAM STOKER

“One of the most enthralling and unique romances ever written.”—The Christian World.

“The very weirdest of weird tales.”—Punch.

“Its fascination is so great that it is impossible to lay it aside.”—The Lady.

“It holds us enthralled.”—The Literary World.

“The idea is so novel that one gasps, as it were, at its originality. A romance far above the ordinary production.”—St. Paul’s.

“Much loving and happy human nature, much heroism, much faithfulness, much dauntless hope, so that as one phantasmal ghastliness follows another in horrid swift succession the reader is always accompanied by images of devotion and friendliness.”—Liverpool Daily Post.

“A most fascinating narrative.”—Dublin Evening Herald.

“While it will thrill the reader, it will fascinate him too much to put it down till he has finished it.”—Bristol Mercury.

“It is just one of those books which will inevitably be widely read and talked about.”—Lincoln Mercury.

“A preternatural story of singular power. The book is bound to be a success.”—Dublin Freeman’s Journal.

“The characters are limned in a striking manner.”—Manchester Courier.

“A decidedly able as exceptionally interesting and dramatically told story.”—Sheffield Telegraph.

“We strongly recommend all readers of a sensitive nature or weak nerves to abstain from following the diabolic adventures of Count Dracula.”—Sheffield Independent.

“Arrests and holds the attention by virtue of new ideas, treated in an uncommon style. Throughout the book there is not a dull passage.”—Shrewsbury Chronicle.

“Singularly entertaining.”—Birmingham Daily Mail.

“Fascinates the imagination and keeps the reader chained.”—Western Times (Exeter).

“We commend it to the attention of readers who like their literary fare strong, and at the same time healthy.”—Oban Times.

“The most original work of fiction in this almost barren season.”—Black and White.

“We read it with a fascination which was irresistible.”—Birmingham Gazette.

“The spell of the book, while one is reading it, is simply perfect.”—Woman.

“The most blood-curdling novel of the paralysed century.”—Gloucester Journal.

“The sensation of the season.”—Weekly Liverpool Courier.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

The Folly of Pen Harrington By JULIAN STURGIS. 6s.

“Decidedly to be recommended as light and lively reading.”—Manchester Guardian.

“Very pleasant reading indeed.”—Glasgow Herald.

“The tale throughout is fascinating.”—Dundee Advertiser.

“A thoroughly entertaining story.”—Daily Telegraph.

“Bright, piquant and thoroughly entertaining.”—The World.

“A clever and brightly-written novel.”—Black and White.

“Will hold its own with any work of the same class that has appeared during the last half-dozen years.”—The Speaker.

Green Fire: A Story of the Western Islands

By FIONA MACLEOD,

Author of “The Sin Eater,” “Pharais,” “The Mountain Lovers,” etc. Crown 8vo, 6s.

“There are few in whose hands the pure threads have been so skilfully and delicately woven as they have in Fiona Macleod’s.”—Pall Mall Gazette.

The Laughter of Peterkin

A Re-telling of Old Stories of the Celtic Wonderworld.

By FIONA MACLEOD.

Crown 8vo, 6s. Illustrated.

A book for young and old.

Odd Stories

By FRANCES FORBES ROBERTSON.

Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Dark Way of Love

From the French of M. Charles le Goffic.

Translated by E. WINGATE RINDER.

Some Observations of a Foster Parent

By JOHN CHARLES TARVER.

Crown 8vo, 6s.

“If there were more schoolmasters of the class to which Mr. Tarver evidently belongs, schoolmasters would be held in greater honour by those who have suffered at their hands. His ‘Observations of a Foster Parent’ are excellent reading; we hope they will reach the British parent. He may be assured the book is never dull.”—Glasgow Herald.

“A series of readable and discursive essays on Education. The book deserves to be read.”—Manchester Guardian.

“The book is one which all parents should diligently read.”—Daily Mail.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

The Amazing Marriage By GEORGE MEREDITH Crown 8vo, 6s.

“To say that Mr. Meredith is at his best in ‘The Amazing Marriage’ is to say that he has given us a masterpiece.”—Daily News.

“Mr. Meredith belongs to the great school of writers of whom Aristophanes, Rabelais, Montaigne, Fielding, are some of the most splendid examples. Mr. Meredith’s style is not ... so obscure as it is often represented to be.”—Athenæum.

“Carinthia will take her place ... in the long gallery of those Meredithian women whom all literary Europe delights to honour.”—Daily Chronicle.

“By George Meredith! Those three words have a welcome sound for reviewers.”—Literary World.

“We have said enough to show that Mr. Meredith’s plot is excellently conceived and excellently carried out.”—Standard.

“Most novels are merely dramas with padded stage directions. Mr. Meredith’s, everybody knows, are otherwise. His novels are always human life....”—The Star.

“Wholly delightful.”—Black and White.

“This is a book in which, to use Mr. Meredith’s own expression, you jump to his meaning.”—Westminster Gazette.

“The book is full of wise, deep, and brilliant things.”—Scotsman.

“This latest example of Mr. Meredith’s quality is marked by observation, wit, and variegated fancy enough to deck out a gross of novels of the average sort.”—Morning Post.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

London City Churches BY A. E. DANIELL WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY LEONARD MARTIN With a Map showing the position of each Church Imperial 16mo, 6s.

The intention of this book is to present to the public a concise account of each of the churches of the City of London. If any reader should be induced to explore for himself these very interesting, but little known buildings, wherein he cannot fail to find ample to reward him for his pains, the object of the writer will have been attained.

This volume is profusely illustrated from drawings specially made by Mr. Leonard Martin, and from photographs which have been prepared expressly for this work.

“The author of this book knows the City churches one and all, and has studied their monuments and archives with the patient reverence of the true antiquary, and, armed with the pen instead of the chisel, he has done his best to give permanent record to their claims on the nation, as well as on the man in the street.”—Leeds Mercury.

“His interesting text is accompanied by numerous illustrations, many of them full-page, and altogether his book is one which has every claim to a warm welcome from those who have a taste for ecclesiastical archæology.”—Glasgow Herald.

“This is an interesting and descriptive account of the various churches still extant in London, and is illustrated by several excellent photographs.... His work will be of value to the antiquarian, and of interest to the casual observer.”—Western Morning News.

“Mr. Daniell’s work will prove very interesting reading, as he has evidently taken great care in obtaining all the facts concerning the City churches, their history and associations.”—London.

“The illustrations to this book are good, and it deserves to be widely read.”—Morning Post.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. The Shoulder of Shasta By BRAM STOKER Author of “Dracula.”

“Will be one of the most popular romances, in one volume, of the season now opening. It is chiefly remarkable for the very marked and superior descriptive power displayed by the author in his rich and inspiring picture of the scenery of the Shasta Mountain.... So entirely unconventional, humorous, and bizarre, as to be quite unique.... The composition is bold and lucid.... He is an accomplished artist, and shows here at his best.... Mr. Bram Stoker will add widely to his reputation by this.”—Irish Times.

“A pure and well-told story.”—Glasgow Herald.

“The story is charmingly written, and deserves to be read for its brilliant open-air passages, and the portrait it contains of Grizzly Dick.”—Daily News.

“Mr. Bram Stoker has given the reading world one of the breeziest and most picturesque tales of life on the Pacific slope that has been penned for many a long day.”—Daily Telegraph.

“Mr. Stoker seems quite at home in picturing the wild beauty of Californian scenery.... ‘The Shoulder of Shasta’ is eminently fresh and readable.”—Globe.

“It is a capital story.”—Bristol Times and Mirror.

“The story is gracefully conceived, and wrought out with considerable skill.... A readable and entertaining work.”—Scotsman.

“ ‘The Shoulder of Shasta’ may fairly be classed among the books to be read and enjoyed.”—Yorkshire Post.

“A pleasant story of life in Western America.... Fresh and unconventional.”—Publishers’ Circular.

“Mr. Bram Stoker’s new book is a peculiarly bright and breezy story of Californian life.... There is nothing laboured in this description, no straining after undue effect.... The language is simple, yet the effect is always satisfying, and the word-picture is complete.”—Liverpool Daily Post.

“The narrative is entertaining throughout, with eloquent descriptions of scenery.”—Academy.

“Mr. Bram Stoker’s story is unflagging, full of vigour, and capital reading from end to end; moreover, it conveys a vivid picture of life and manners in a corner of the world better known to him than to the majority of those who will read his book.”—Standard.

The Fortune of a Spendthrift AND OTHER ITEMS By R. ANDOM Author of “We Three and Troddles,” “The Strange Adventures of Roger Wilkins,” etc., etc. AND FRED HAREWOOD

“Lightly, briskly, and pleasantly written.”—Scotsman.

“The adventures of a spendthrift, which form the principal feature of the book, are related with so much dramatic force that any improbabilities of the plot are forgotten in the reader’s eagerness to learn the dénouement.... Treated with freshness in a pleasant, graphic style, and a lively interest is cleverly sustained.... They are all told with spirit and vivacity, and show no little skill in their descriptive passages.”—Literary World.

“A collection of brightly-written short stories, well adapted for a holiday afternoon.”—Globe.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

Dracula By BRAM STOKER. Price Six Shillings.

“The reader hurries on breathless from the first page to the last, afraid to miss a single word.”—Daily Telegraph.

“Unquestionably a striking example of imaginative power.”—Morning Post.

“The most daring venture into the supernatural I have ever come across.”—Truth.

“One of the best things in the supernatural line that we have been lucky enough to hit upon.”—Pall Mall Gazette.

“A story of very real power.”—The Speaker.

“One of the weirdest romances of late years.”—Lloyd’s Newspaper.

“We have never read any work which so powerfully affected the imagination.”—North British Daily Mail.

“Interesting almost to fascination.”—Gloucester Journal.

“An exciting story from beginning to end.”—The Newsagent.

“Told in a way to hold the reader spell-bound.”—Sunderland Weekly Echo.

“Contains many passages of rare power and beauty.”—Dundee Advertiser.

“Will remain unique amongst the terrors which paralyse our nerves at bedtime.”—Daily Chronicle.

“The story is indeed a strange and fascinating one.”—Northern Whig.

“I soon became horribly enthralled, and could not choose but read on—on—until the lights burned blue and my blood ran cold.”—The Referee.

“No other writer of the day could have produced so marvellous a book.”—The British Weekly.

“The new wild and weird ‘Vampire’ story.”—The Morning.

An Indian Story. His Majesty’s Greatest Subject A Novel. By S. S. THORBURN, I.C.S. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

“Mr. Thorburn interests us immensely in his story on his theories, and in the daring romance of his situations.”—Bombay Gazette.

“A very romantic and interesting story.”—Scotsman.

“Mr. Thorburn may be congratulated ... a daring departure from the ways of story writers.”—Glasgow Herald.

Chin-Chin-Wa By CHARLES HANNAN, F.R.G.S. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

“Chin-Chin-Wa is a cleverly realised study of an Englishman who turns Chinaman.”—Daily Chronicle.

“Delightful and dramatic.”—British Review.

A Sturdy Beggar and Lady Bramber’s Ghost

Two Stories by CHARLES CHARRINGTON. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

“Two stories full of merit.”—Western Mail.

“An original turn of thought, and a vivacious style.”—The Globe.

The Love of an Obsolete Woman CHRONICLED BY HERSELF. Cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

“The suppressed fire, the pregnant brevity, the still acute misery, all tell that in these pages a human soul is written down.”—Aberdeen Free Press.

“The story of the main episode in a human life is told in these pages with a convincing simplicity, directness, and power, such as we rarely find.... We cannot think of what we have read as a fiction; it reads like a piece of sincere autobiography, as absolutely frank as that of Samuel Pepys; and though it is constructed with more art—a very delicate art—we have no consciousness of this as we read, only when we lay the volume aside and begin to think about it.... In all it aims at the story is absolutely perfect.”—Birmingham Daily Post.

“We may frankly say that this little volume is quite the strongest that has recently been written on the burning question of the relations of the sexes.”—Manchester Guardian.

ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

Hans van Donder A Romance of Boer Life. By CHARLES MONTAGUE, Author of “The Vigil.” Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d. “Mr. Montague has written another charming romance.”—Scotsman. “Admirably told. The descriptions of Big Game Shooting are highly exciting.”—Glasgow Herald. Torriba By JOHN CAMERON GRANT. Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d. “Torriba is unquestionably bold in treatment and well written.”—Globe. Madge o’ the Pool By WILLIAM SHARP. Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d. “Excellent.”—Athenæum. A Writer of Fiction A Novel. By CLIVE HOLLAND, Author of “My Japanese Wife.” Cloth extra, 2s. 6d. “Intensely interesting.”—Glasgow Daily Mail. “A striking story.”—Pall Mall Gazette. The Love of an Obsolete Woman CHRONICLED BY HERSELF. 2s. 6d. “A fascinating book. True to life and highly artistic.”—Publishers’ Circular. Angela’s Lover BY DOROTHEA GERARD Paper, 1s. Cloth extra, 2s. “Charming.”—Scotsman. A Full Confession BY F. C. PHILLIPS 1s. net. “In brief—direct and forcible.”—Literary World. The Parasite BY CONAN DOYLE 1s. net. ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO

2 WHITEHALL GARDENS WESTMINSTER

“The Game of Polo” By T. F. DALE (“Stoneclink” of “The Field”) Illustrated by Lillian Smythe, Cuthbert Bradley, and Crawford Wood; and a Photogravure Portrait of Mr. JOHN WATSON. Demy 8vo. One Guinea net.

“Likely to rank as the standard work on the subject.”—Morning Post.

“What the author does not know about it is not knowledge.”—Pall Mall Gazette.

“Will doubtless be of great use to beginners.”—Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic.

“A charming addition to the library of those who are devoted to the game.”—The Globe.

The Art and Pastime of Cycling By R. J. MACREDY and A. J. WILSON New Edition, and in a large measure rewritten. Profusely illustrated. Cloth, 1s. 6d. Paper Cover, 1s.

“One of the most complete books on Cycling—deals with every phase of the noble Sport.”—Cycle and Camera.

“An eminently useful handbook.”—South Africa.

“Full of information.”—Scotsman.

“A great fund of useful and practical information.”—The Field.

“The Fourth Edition of this book, and better than ever.... No cyclist’s library is complete without it.”—Bicycling News.

With Plumer in Matabeleland By FRANK W. SYKES With numerous Illustrations in the text, and 35 Full-page Plates and Two Maps. Demy 8vo, 15s. net.

“Operations of the Force during the Rebellion of 1896 are described in great detail, and in a very interesting fashion.”—Financial Times.