AustLit

Emilia Bellinger, having finished school in albury, returns to Melbourne anonymously to nurse the father who rejected her years before. She discovers he is paralysed, and his proud second wife dying of poison and waited on by a disfigured servant. Mark Sinclair intervenes to help solve the mystery. (PB)

Romance of sick room and hospital. A beautiful proud orphan girl resolves to leave her aunt's house to die rather than cost her more doctor's bills. She is picked up unconscious and taken to hospital where a handsome proud doctor falls in love with her - spurning the everyday nurses. Slight; full of class concerns etc, but with certain distinctiveness of setting, structure and conception. (PB)

Two short-sighted Chinamen arrange a competition at the temple gates - and both are shown up. Humour. (PB)

Englishman's tall tales of skirmishes with American Indians - humorous lesson in exaggeration. (PB)

An English post-prandial narrative of Mr Brown's romance and secret marriage, which came to the knowledge of his rich but rabidly anti-matrimonial uncle through the government census - and cost him his inheritance. Competent, conventional narrative; includes a scheming housekeeper. (PB)

Mr Jones discovers a letter to 'Edward' on his wife's desk arranging an assignation that night. He hides himself near the spot only to attack his uncle by mistake - and discovers his wife has turned short story writer. Slight; humour. (PB)

Tale of two sons of a deceased gentleman who made his fortune in India and settled his family in Tasmania on the banks of the Derwent. The youths quarrel over gambling debts while rowing together, and the boat overturns. One runs away, fearing he has murdered his brother, and the other - Herbert - loses his memory and is not heard of until a Melbourne mesmerist restores it ... Romances and the return of the errant son complete the tale. NB: The experiences of the errant son in the Australian outback, including North Queensland, and San Francisco are a compression of the increasingly apparent bush mythos. (PB)

A kindly aunt tells her nieces and summer guests the romance of Cousin Margaret, a beautiful woman until a horse accident made her an invalid. Her fiancée was faithful, caring for her devotedly for 15 years and dying soon after her. Slight, pretty tale. (PB)

A shabby crippled man, John Weston, returns to England from Australia to visit his wealthy cousin Walter Gaylord who had made a fortune after working with him on the goldfields. He is shunned by the proud Mrs Gaylord but wins the poor but lovely Margaret Gaylord's love - and then reveals he is the rich new Master of Pennraven. (PB)

Incoherent humming and hawing of thanks. Humour. (PB)

A husband and wife learn mutual forbearance when her dream portrays his terrible injury after she quarrels with him over attending a ball. Slight, exemplary. (PB)

Negro address to the club meeting on astronomy. (PB)