Tom Sawyer, Detective. By Mark Twain. (Chatto and Windus.) —Once
again we have TOM Sawyer to the life, and, though we cannot forget that there are weaknesses and absurdities in his adventures as an amateur detective, he is, of course, inimitable. Huck Finn tells the story in his own way, providing many a page of that racy humour we associate with life in the Southern States as seen by Mark Twain, and with touches, as the following, that no other pen can give. "Old Uncle Silas" says Huck Finn, describing his and Tom's arrival, " peeled off one of his huffiest old-time blessings, with as many layers to it as an onion, and whilst the angels was hauling in the slack of it I was trying to study up what to say." The management of the Court scene is extraordinary, and though, we believe, not out of the way for a specimen of Southern criminal procedure, would strike some people as most peculiar. The other chapters in the book, for Tom Sawyer only occupies half the volume, are " The Californian's Tale," an exceedingly dramatic story of a poor lunatic, crazed by a terrible bereavement. It is short, but a simply perfect sFeciman of a dramatic surprise. We are reminded of Poe, and scarcely expected to find even the versatile Mark Twain capable of such a tour de force. " Adam's Diary" is too far-fetched, grotesque in fact, and the humour by no means rich. When will Mark Twain learn to leave such subjects alone, as he cannot handle them with good taste nor even literary skill ? " How to Tell a Story " explains our author's method of telling a story, and defines humour as distinct from wit and comedy. This is a very able chapter, and is illustrated by examples which only suffer because they have to be read, and should, of course, be heard. Mark Twain tells us how rare the gift of telling the humorous story is, and mentions Ward and Riley as examples. It is a pity that the chapters on M. Paul Bourget's "Outre Mer " were ever written. They show much savage sarcasm, a hearty contempt for M. Bourget's attempt at a morality incomprehensible apparently to his countrymen, and indicate an even thinner skin than the average American is credited with.
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