The Evolution of a Wife. By Elizabeth Holland. (John Milne.)
— One feels sorry to be unable to speak in terms of quite hearty praise of this book. For the author has evidently a not incon- siderable ambition, and meant to make a genuinely good character out of the very impressionable and impressive Marie de Haute- ville, who shows herself in her true colours at the very first when she sees a man in the Grey Nuns' school. " A bright pink
overspread Marie's cheeks, two mischievous dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, and her large violet eyes, so dull and languid a moment before, sparkled with new life." Here we have the temper of the girl who is bound to get in and out of love a good deal. This is precisely what Marie de Hanteville does. At length there comes into her life a certain Count Rudolf von Ulrichstein ; indeed he saves it. And so she marries Rudolf. But he is passionate, and drinks deeply on occasions. And they separate, and she for a time "remains unmarried." But they are married a second time, and in the end they seem to be happier than ever they were before. At all events, " she looked up at him, and a faint thrill woke in her heart at the sight of his triumphant, happy smile, and the passionate tenderness shining in his dark blue eyes." Several of the characters are well drawn, though Harry Lascelles is too much of the conventional jilt. The Con- tinental scenes are almost all good.
Previous page
