Tonic Bitters. By Legh Knight. 2 vols. (Chapman and Hall.)—
This is a pleasant tale, which is fairly readable, though it does not excite any strong interest, and is sometimes, perhaps, tho better for a little skipping. But the characters have a human look and talk in human fashion. One of them at least, Effie, will make most readers care about her enough to go on to the end. The plan of the story is indicated plainly enough in the stipple. A number of young persons marry or think about marrying. All of them, excepting possibly the heroine, have faults of their own, are selfish, or jealous, or fickle, or cruel, and they have a dose of medicinal trouble more or less copious to cure them. In every case the remedy has the best effect, and we leave them sitting down with perfectly healthy and well regulated appetites to a feast of good things. The arrangements of actual life are more complex, and work, as far as our vision can roach, with less exactness ; but the optimism of the writer is not extravagant, and is perfectly justifiable. Miss Knight (we suppose that the dubious name conceals a female authorship) should bo warned to look after the printers when she quotes Latin, as they are apt to make sad nonsense of it. And she will excuse us for giving her a piece of information which we hope that she will never need to use, to wit, that when a lover is dismissed it is usual to return his presents to him, and not to throw them into a pond.
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