26 JANUARY 1878, Page 20

A Girl of a Thousand; or, Passages in the Life

of Laura Bellaire. (Walbrook and Co.)—This is a sketch of a young woman's career, put into an autobiographical form. There is a certain cleverness about it though we should say that the author wants practice in writing. The idea, we presume, is to represent a character which affects cynicism, but really possesses more affection and sense of duty than it is willing to to allow or is even conscious of. The chief part of Laura's career is that of a teacher, and there is a certain freshness about her school experiences.