Blacksmith and Scholar, and from Midnight to Midnight. By Mortimer
Collins. 3 vols. (Hurst and Blackett.)—The former of these two stories is constructed after a model with which Mr. Collins has already made us familiar. A sturdy squire of the old generation, an adventurous youngster of the new, a priggish kinsman who acts as a foil to them, a beautiful girl, apt to learn the art of kissing, but simple and pure ; these are well-known personages, but as Mr. Collins has not lost the art of making them talk well, and as he still gives us plenty of paradox and some sense, we are not wearied of them. There is an effort after a plot, a thing to which our novelist seldom con- descends, and in which he is not successful. From Midnight to Midnight we should call an attempt, and a very good attempt, to out- bid tho sensationalists. If you will have incident,' we can fancy Mr. Mortimer Collins saying to a certain class of novel-readers, see what splendid entertainment a gentleman and a scholar can provide you with!' The Archdeacon is a good sketch, drawn, it is evident, from life, too good, perhaps, for its surroundings. We also carry away from our author's book things to remember, as this, for instance, that Walt Whitman is "Tapper run mad."
Previous page
