Marlette: or, Further Glimpses of Life in France. (Bell and
Daldy.) —Marlette is described on the title-page as "a sequel to Marie." Of "Marie" we have unfortunately no remembrance; and the volume before us possibly loses something of its interest in consequence. Any one, however, may read without fear of finding it dull. It is not an objection, as tales go, to be plunged in medias res ; and one soon gets to know, or at least, to conjecture with sufficient accuracy about the per- sonages whom one meets without having been introduced to. Marlette is, in the main, the story of an English, or perhaps we should say, an Irish servant who lives in France and there "keeps company" with a certain Ernest, a French cook. One of the earliest of her experiences that we read of is when M. Ernest seeks to ingratiate herself with in belle et douce Marie by giving her a sumptuous repast of frogs dressed with all the skill of which he was master. And if any one wants to have an authoritative description of snail-cooking, let him read it here. The snails are, we believe, to be found in England. Then we have the words of Marietta's various troubles, not a few of them connected with the same subject of food ; some of them arising from this said M. Ernest, whom at one time we begin to look upon as false. Everything, how- ever, ends very well. The book is a pleasant and lively picture of manners.
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