A Friend in Ten Thousand. By Mrs. J. Harcourt. 2
vols. (Remington and Co.)—This tale consists, in fact, of two tales joined together in a not very artistic fashion. "The friend in ten thou- sand "appears—indeed, plays an active part—in both ; and, moreover, he is a fine character, and well deserves the title. We cannot say very much for the other heroes ; and there are jarring notes to be heard now and then, little phrases which indicate a certain want of taste. The admirable clergyman, for instance, meets the lover of the lady to whom he is engaged in an East-end street. It is a most tragical moment. The good man is about to give up what has been the great hope of his life. He has searched for this lover, because he knows that the heart of his betrothed has been given to him long ago. And we read, " ' I cannot talk in this noisy street,' looking at the az- dressed men and women who walked past them." How strangely out of place is this epithet "ill-dressed" ! But there is certainly promise in the book—the more so if it is, as we suppose, a first work.
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