The Bow of Orange Ribbon. By Amelia E. Barr. (J.
Clarke and Co.)—The scene is laid in New York, in the days before the revolt of the Colonies ; the hero is one Captain Hyde, the heroine Katherine, daughter to Joris Heemekirk, one of the Dutch aristocracy of the town. The serious, dignified aide of the life of these Hollanders, proud of their descent from the heroes who fought against Alva, is finely given in these pages,—we commonly think of them under the comic aspect which they wear in the pages of " Knickerbocker." Katherine's love-story is, indeed, very effectively told ; we hardly know whether wo like better that which deals with her maiden, or that which carries on the anbject into her married life. But we cannot help objecting to the end of the story. That Captain Hyde should resign his commission rather than fight in a cause which he felt to be unjust, was unquestionably right ; but that he should renounce his English allegiance and fight against his own countrymen, was monstrous. Miss Barr would not pardon one of her own countrymen who acted in this way because he believed the policy of the States to be wrong. In such a ease, the utmost that an honourable man can do is to sit still.
Previous page
