A Pliable Marriage. By Percival Pickering. (Osgood, Mcllvaine, and Co.)—The
title of this story is derived from the mabimonial
experiment of a young gentleman and lady who agree to go through the ceremony of marriage as an unavoidable concession to conventionality previous to their becoming business-partners for life, and her entering upon the duties of confidential house- keeper to look after his establishment and act as hostess to his guests. Both alike disclaim the idea of any more tender senti- ment for one another than mutual esteem; but this profession of indifference is true only in the wife's case, as the husband is really deeply in love with her, and sets himself—(not, however, in the boisterous fashion adopted by Petruchio)—to effect her subjugation, which he eventually accomplishes by a decidedly hazardous method recommended by a malicious lady who wants to secure his affections for herself, and who, when she has succeeded in sundering the young couple, fortunately repents of the mis- chief she has wrought and repairs the breach between them, in time to bring matters to a happy conclusion. There is a con- siderable amount of absurdity—we may almost say extravagance —in the book, but also enough brisk writing and " go " to make it fairly entertaining.
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