A Fearful Responsibility (And Other Stories)

Mr. Howells' refined humor is one of his most charming characteristics. It creeps out, however, on the most solemn occasions, and many a situation that might have been pathetic or commonplace is given a piquant turn by some deft touch of mellow satire which pleases and never wounds. This delicate, subdued humor, appealing to the finer sensibilities of the reader, is purely American. It is allied to the French in subtlety, but it has none of the Gallic dash and effervescence. It is a Puritan...