13 MAY 1843, Page 17

THE HOME, OR FAMILY CARES AND FAMILY JOYS. 121 point

of extent and variety of story, this picture of Swedish life and manners excels its precursor The Neighbours; but it may be questioned whether it will possess the same attraction. Every- day characters and incidents described with minute elaboration may please at first from their novelty, but they are likely to pall with repetition ; and though The Home, considered merely as a tale, possesses more persons directly connected with the story, we doubt whether its pictures of Swedish life are so various or so curious as those in The Neighbours; nor has it any such strange romance as the episode of M. Bruno. Its excellencies of execu- tion, however, are equally great. There is the same painstaking in its details, and careful minuteness without heaviness in its touch, as well as a similar discrimination in its characters ; but the general effect strikes us as being less complete and entire. The story of Home is the history of a family, from the marriage of Judge Franks and Elise till their children are grown up and settled in life and the parents upon the verge of the grave The judge is of a sober, business-like character, and somewhat exacting in domestic life. Elise belonged to a family rather above his rank ; and, with delicate health and a taste for romances, does not at first settle comfortably down to household duties and the care of children. These differences become discordant. An old flame of the judge re- turns a widow ; Jacobi, a young tutor, of loose habits according to English notions, comes into the family—recommended, too, by a Bishop ; and there is some prospect of an early denouement in the gallant line. The right feeling of all parties (Swedish ideas of

right feeling—somewhat melodramatic) prevents this catastrophe. The judge and his wife come to understand each other ; and hence- forth the tale is chiefly concerned with the children.

Much of the interest is sought to be raised by a description of the common feelings and wishes of youth, and the everyday in- cidents of domestic life. The development of character, the dis- play of tastes in trifles—such as dress and amusements—are dwelt upon ; and though often lengthily, we are not sine but that these passages are as attractive as any in the work. They have the interest of our juvenile story-books, and they are facts. ..as life ad- vances, the, eldest daughter is courted, betrothed, and married; which embraces of course a Swedish betrothal and wedding. The only son—a genius—over-exerts himself in study, and dies. An adopted daughter, of a wayward temper and masculine mind, persists in marring her music-master, who carries her off; he is supposed to have brought her out on the stage ; and, after a series ofpainful ad- ventures, intimated but not told, she is left to perish,—a cleverly- managed episode, and used to illustrate the artistical as opposed to the domestic career of woman. Another of the daughters becomes attached to a libertine, and narrowly escapes his snares, but rather, it appears to us, through a series of impressive accidents than by parental or self-exertion. Indeed, the moral tone throughout is lax and foreign ; though there is no immorality directly introduced, and some morality talked. The family of Judge Franks is good enough ; but they evidently live in a country where the illegitimate births, as Mr. LAING'S statistics show, are more numerous than in any other country in Europe. Here is the sort of person that a Bishop recommends as a family-tutor.

" The candidate is warmly recommended to us by a friend of my husband, the excellent Bishop B.; yet notwithstanding this, his actions at the University did not particularly redound to his honour. Through credulity and folly, he has run through a nice little property which had been left him by three old aunts, who had brought him up and spoiled him into the bargain. Indeed, his career has hitherto not been quite a correct one. Bishop a conceals nothing of all this, but says that he is much attached to the young man ; praises his head, and his excellent gifts as a preceptor, and prays us to receive him cordially, with all parental tenderness, into our family."

This is the first appearance of Mr. Jacobi himself.

" At last the steps of two gentlemen were heard ; and there advanced through the opened parlour-door a well-shod foot and a handsome leg, belonging to a well-formed though somewhat compressed figure, which carried a twenty-year old head, of a jovial, comely appearance, gracefully on its shoulders, and was all, from head to foot, appareled in the newest mode. This was the candidate. He cast a glance first at his foot, and then at the lady of the house ; whom he approached with the most unconstrained self-possession, exhibiting the while a row of dazzlingly white teeth. Odour of eau de Portugal diffused itself through the room."

These things are straws, but they show which way the wind sets; especially as Jacobi is one of the heroes of the piece, the lover of the mother, the tutor of the son, and finally the husband of the daughter.

There are better things than this in the work, though the lax spirit we speak of rather taints the whole; but the passage most available for our columns is the following picture of a Swedish home, and girlish character, with a love-tale, all in one. The extract is rather long in itself, but exceedingly short for its matter and incidents. It is from a letter of Elise to her sister.

" How at this moment the long past years come in review before me ! I see myself once more in the house of my parents; in that good, joyful, beloved home. I see myself once more by thy side, my beloved and only sister, in that large, magnificent house, surrounded by meadows and villages. How we looked down upon them from high windows, and yet rejoiced that the sun streamed into the most lowly huts just as pleasantly as into our large saloons—every thing seemed to us well arranged. "Life then, Cecilia, was joyful and free from care. How we sat and wept over 'Des Veeux Tdmdraires,' and over .Feeodor and Maria,'—such were our cares then. Our life was made up of song and dance and merriment, with our so many cheerful neighbours ; with the most accomplished of whom we got up enthusiasms for music and literature. We considered ourselves to be vir- tuous, because we loved those who loved us, and because we gave of our super- fluity to those who needed it. Friendship was our passion. We were ready to die for friendship, but towards love we had hearts of stone. How we jested over our lovers, and what a pleasure would it not have been to us to act the parts of austere romance heroines. How unmerciful we were, and—how easily our lovers consoled themselves. Then Ernst Frank came on a visit to us. The rumour of a learned and a strong-minded man preceded hint and fixed our regards upon him, because women, whether well-informed or not themselves, are attracted by such men. Do you not remember how much he occupied our minds ? how his noble person, his calm, self-assured demeanour, his frank, decided, yet always polite behaviour, charmed us at first, and then awed us ?

" One could say of him, that morally as well as physically he stood firmly. His deep mourning dress, together with an expression of quiet, manly grief, which at times shaded his countenance, combined to make him interesting to us : nevertheless, you thought that he looked too stern, and I very soon lost in his presence my accustomed gayety. Whenever his dark grave eyes were fixed upon me, I was conscious that they possessed a half-bewitching, half-oppressive power over me ; 1 felt myself happy because of it, yet at the same time filled with anxiety ; my very action was constrained, my hands became cold and did every thing blunderingly, nor ever did I speak so stupidly as when I observed that he listened. Aunt Lisette gave me one day this maxim, ' My dear, re- men.ber what I now tell thee : if a man thinks that thou art a fool, it does not injure thee the least in his opinion ; but if he once thinksthat thou conaiderest him a fool, then thou art lost for ever with him.' With the last it may be just as it will : I have heard a clever young man declare that it would operate upon him like salt on fire : however, this is certain, that the first part of Aunt Lisette's maxim is correct, since my stupidity in Ernst's presence did not injure me at all in his opinion, and when he was kind and gentle how inexpressibly agreeable he was! " His influence over me became greater each succeeding day : if his eyes beamed on me in kindness, it was as if a spring-breeze passed through my soul; and if his glance was graver than common, 1 became still and out of spirits. It seemed to me at times—and it is so even to this very day—that if this clear and wonderfully-penetrating glance were only once and with its full power riveted upon me, my very heart would cease to beat. Yet after all, 1 am not sure whether I loved him. I hardly think I did, for when he was absent I

than seemed to breathe so freely: yet, at the same time, I would have saved his life-by the sacrifice of my own. " In several respects we had no sympathies in common. He had no taste for music, which I loved passionately ; and in reading too our feelings were so different. He yawned over my favourite romances, nay he even sometimes would laugh when I was at the point of bursting into tears : I, on the con- trary, yawned over his useful and learned books, and found them more tedious than I could express. The world of imagination, in which my thoughts de- lighted to exercise themselves, he valued not in the least ; whilst the burden- some actuality which be always was seeking for in life bad no charm for me. Nevertheless, there were many points in which we accorded ; these especially were questions of morals ; and whenever this was the case, it afforded both of na great pleasure. "And now came the time, Cecilia, in which you left me; when our fates separated themselves, although our hearts did not. "One day there were many strangers with as, and in the afternoon I played at shuttlecock with young cousin Ersil, to whom we were so kind, and who deserved our kindness so well. How it happened I cannot tell, but before long Ernst took his place, and was my partner in the game. He looked unusually animated, and I felt gayer than common. lie threw the shuttlecock excel- lently. and with a firm band, but always let it fly a little way beyond me, so

that I was obliged to step back a few in each time to catch it ; and, thus, un- consciously to myself, was I driven, n the merry sport, through a long suite of rooms, till we came at last to one where we were quite alone, and a long way from the company. All at once then Ernst left off his play, and a change was "visible in his whole appearance. I augured something amiss, and would gladly .havetmade my escape ; but I felt powerless; and then Ernst spoke so from his thaart, so fervently, and with such deep tenderness, that he took my heart at .puce to himself. I laid my hand, although tremblingly, in his, and, almost without knowing what I did, consented to go through life by his side."