10 NOVEMBER 1855, Page 17

NEW I , rovzLe.• Simplicity and Fascination belongs to the old

school of novels, which professed to paint daily life in order to impress a moral on the reader by the attraction of a tale. Edgeworth, Opie, Hof- land, Austen, and others, laboured in this line of fiction, and not without success. Clear conception and nice delineation of character, a story not very inconsistent with the probabilities of life, and carefully constructed to enforce the purpose, with a remarkable sense of reality throughout, formed their main merits. The defects were the common fault of didactic stories, the sacrifice of every- thing to the moral aimed at,—a kind of ponderous solidity akin to that of the lecture or the sermon, a limited range of life and cha- racter, perhaps a partial or even untrue view. Everything is so respectable. The conduct of our grandfathers or elderly fathers might be lax enough, but their language was correct " before com- pany "; and fictions intended for good as opposed to wicked society had much conventional correctness. These things, coupled with a change of manners, have contributed to lessen the attraction of the novels for a new generation ; but something must be allowed for their success. The reformer is apt to be forgotten when the reform is accomplished. The " Simplicity " and " Fascination " of Miss Anne Beale are two sisters; Jessie Burton, representing Simplicity—Anne, Fasci- nation. Jessie, self-sacrificing, religious in reality not merely in form, and gently fulfilling her duties as they rise before her, passes happily through youth and early womanhood, in spite of a lost love, and family cares and troubles—for, left an orphan in her teens, she has all the weight of a large family upon her. Anne, the impulsive, fascinating beauty, creates misery for herself and others by attracting Jessie's lover, then jilting him, and distressing her husband by her vanity and love of admiration. However, the death of children and other afflictions bring her, with the aid of Jessie, to a true sense of religion, and Fascination as well as Sim- plicity is happy at last. The Burtons are a decayed and embarrassed county family of long descent. The Miohelsons have grown rich by trade within one generation. Differing. as the families do in fortune and de- scent, their propertiesjoin, and they themselves are inextricably connected in the story; Captain Michelson, the son, indeed marries "Fascination." Mr. Michelson the elder is intended to exhibit the • Simplicity and Fascination• or Guardians and Wards. By Anne Beale, Author of " The Baronet's Family,"ilc. In three volumes. Published by Bentley. Gilbert Messenger. By Holme Lee, Author of " Thorny Hall," " Maude Tal- bot." Published by Smith and Elder.

Cross Purposes a Novel. By Catherine Sinclair, Author of " Modern AccOns. plishments," " Beatrice, "&c. In three volumes. Published by Bentley.

evil effects of a selfish epicureanism : and it is done exceedingly well. With every material means at his command, and with good With, good information, good-manners good looks, and no gross or shocking vices, he finds- himself at fast alone in the world ; and when through oironmstanees and Jessie he is reconciled to his family and friends, he is punished by one of the sins of his youth. All this is done quietly ; and Ms. Michelson, whether-as-the middle- aged or old beau, is well drawn. Though lively, pleasant, polite, and ready, the reader always feels there is something hollow and insincere about him. Art adheres to *him even in decay ; he be- denies earnest and religious only when palsy renders him unintelli-

gible. Age, and secret annoyances as age steals on, are one cause of his decline ; a shock when one sin of his selfishness comes upon him is another. He had privately married, abroad, the companion. of his first wife immediately on her death, but selfishly refused to acknow- ledge the match. His wife left him angrily, and died in giving birth to a daughter ; this daughter, adopted by an uncle of the '

Martens marries one of Testae s broihers. Mr. Michelson always looks at Tiny with a strange expression; handwritings and other circumstances induce her to suspect her parentage, and a ring is the final means of establishing the truth. Tiny hastold her story to her father by adoption, and he undertakes to feel the way. " Give me the ring, my love. I feel that if I do not go through with this-matter at once, I shall not do it- at all,' said Mr. Barnard. "Tiny gave the ring, and seated herself on a low seat, .almost behind her friend, where she could see Mr. Michelson, if he came in, without being particularly remarked. She took a,booliv and sat in an agony of terror better ed than described. She felt that her-hour was come.

" e door opened, and Mr. Michelson entered. Mr. Barnard-moved, and Tiny half rose. " Oh do not disturb yourselves,' said Mr. Michelson briskly : shall be dslighted to have a quiet hour with you before the dressing-bell rings.' was evidently in good health and spirits, and walked across the room, and sat down in his arm.chair, -more easily than he had done of late. " 'Mr. Barnard, I have much to thank you fora von have understood my case you have done me good,' he said, rubbing his Lands by the fire. " 'Happiness has done more for you than I have done. Cheerful society and domestic pleasures are the best physicians,' replied Uncle Timothy. "Ilny looked at Mr. Michelson, and found that his eyes were fixed on her, as she sat half-hidden in the fire-light : they were quickly withdrawn.

" You are right—right,' hastily repeated-Mr. Michelson ; 'I hope to have these doctors in future.'

"'We have been examining a curious ring,' said Mr. Barnard tremulously. "Oh ! how Tiny started, and how pitiably fast her heart beat, as she, in

tier-turn, fixed her eyes on him she believed to be the arbiter of her fate !

" 'It is a cameo : you are versed in such things,' continued Uncle Timo-

thy. 'Perhaps you.willgive me your- opinion upon it ?'' "4-With pleasure,' said Mr. Michelson, stretching out-his hand and taking the ring.

"Mr. Michelson stooped towards the fire to examine the ring, for the day was waning fast. The-ring dropped from his hand upon the hearth. . 'Where did you get that rings?' he cried, suddenly grasping the elbow ef.his' chair convulsively.: ' it was—'it woe—tell me, for God's sake!'

"lit was my mothees!' shrieked. Tiny, rising .and confronting Mr. Mi- chelson with a resolution that she had not believed herself possessed of. "'And who—who—who was she ?' stammered Mr. Michelson.

" ' You know—you must tell me,' she said boldly, as if inspired, fixing her laigeeyes upon those of the trembling man. 'She died twenty years ago, when-I was born; her name was Sophie; she had this ring and a wedding. ring next her heart. She wore a large Indian- shawl. She had hair like aline; she was—she was—' "She was my wife! and you are-0 God!' "Here Mr. Michelson fell on iiis-knees- before the trembling and excited girl, and clasped his hands. " Your daughter!' she shrieked, and.would- have- fallen, had not Mr. Barnard supported her. "She recovered herself, however, and endeavoured to raise the kneeling father she-had found, but could not. His hands clasped, his eyes fixed on her,.he seemed paralyzed. At tharmomentChatham came into the room."

Once embarked in the story, Miss Beale's work is a good speci- men of the school to which it belongs. It is a painstaking exhi- bition of incidents and persons, done with truth and reality. The preparatory part is of a slower mat. The story and position of the parties- are too elaborately unfolded l• the occurrences are of too oommon a- character to stimulate- attention. All is very natural, but the nature is of too everyday a kind.

The elements of Gilbert Iffassenger may-have an appearance of novelty, but the idea is in reality, similar to the author's pre- *ions tale of "'Thorny Hall." There is an old backward country teen; there are the townspeople, with a peculiar-family amongst Mem; the childhood and youth-of the hero are minutely painted; and' Gilbert Messenger leaves his home to struggle with the world,- A: strong Calvinistic feeling in an aunt is the substitute in the pre- sent story for the sense of gentle blood in humble circumstances.

The latter part, however, is altogether different, if not new. .

Of course there is no obvious repetition, but there is the spirit ; and this is not only felt in the early narrative, but shows itself in less of variety than was met with in " Thorny Hall." The literary pewer is the same as ever ; distinct, rich, and glowing in its de- seription of external scenery or inward feelings; keen and meta- physical in tracing the formation, the growth, and the struggles of passion. But even this power does not suffice in a tale. Story and action are the all in all. These remarks only apply to the tale as compared with " Thorney HalL" Looked at by itself, it is a work of remarkable skill and power. Love, voluntarily. disappointed by the lover discovering that the taint of insanity is in his blood; is the theme of Gilbert Mass er. In consequence of a quarrel with his Calvinistic aunt, Gilbert throws himself on-the world, and, after long struggles aa.an.engi- neer, obtains competence and sees eminence before him. He is ahneoheered- by love; but the death of his aunt places her papers in his possession. From them he learns the terrible story of his

father's confinement and death; of his aunt's rejection of her suitor, lest her children should be mad : and Gilbert follows her example as a matter of duty. This idea is not new in contemporary fic- tion, but it ispursued in a novel manner by Ilolme Lee.

Miss Sinclair's novel of Cross Purposes is designed to expose the evils of four kinds of slavery which prevail in England,— " first, the slavery of overdone education ; secondly, the slavery of overworked needlewomen ; thirdly, the slavery of intemper- ance ; fourthly, the slavery, worse than all united, of nomenism." If a single didactic object in a novel is apt to cause some sacri- fice of probability and critical truth in the effort to continually point the moral, the difficulty is increased by the introduction of four objects whioh have no particular connexion with each other. This resolution to bend the probabilities of life to the pur- poses of the writer is too visible in the tale; leading to un- likelihood in some parts, and extravagance in others. What can be more unlikely than the manner in which O'Grady, the Romanist tool and villain gets introduced to Sir Francis Brownlow; or the trial of the worthy 0', many years after- wards, for the murder of his dupe,—a trial where every form of procedure and practice is violated? What, again, can be more extravagant than the rabid rhetoric and melodramatic action of O'Hara, the great illustration of tippling, and another victim of the Popish villain O'Grady? Something of exaggeration, too, is apparent in the quieter parts. When Alderman Brownlow buys the domain of the ruined spendthrift lord, lofty anger might ex- ist in the bosom of an old gentleman like General Plantagenet, and the county at large might be enraged or envious; but either of those passions would scarcely induce the county families to refuse the millionaire's splendid entertainments, however they might sneer at him afterwards. Dick Brownlow, the solicitor, is also an extreme rogue ; and, like Miss Sinclair's wicked ones in general, is so staringly obvious with his wickedness that only the blind could be deceived by him. There is in Cross Purposes a story, with plenty of variety both in persons and incidents; while there is clearness with a species of literal truth in the narrative. The book, however, is scarcely for criticism.