ph wife, ph ysician and his patient, a clergyman's pardonable. The
utter seduced or been seduced by Dr. Campbell, and died on giving birth to misapprehension of the author on this point is amazing. The very his child. Her betrothed husband and cousin, then in India, hears guilty-minded wife (unfaithful in all but the one act which saves her of it, and determines to be revenged on Dr. Campbell. He comes to dull conscience) is spoken of throughout by the authoress as " pure," lire in the neighbourhood, disguised as a Hindoo. His business is " refined," " innocent"—" a beautiful type of womanhood." Now, to appear at all lovely places and frighten the lathes, like the lion in we are prepared to grant that a woman (even with six children, like " Pyramus and Thisbe." Mrs. Davenport) might deceive herself, and carry on a very plea- This brings us to the beginning of the book. The Earl of North. seatrenewal of love with her first lover, sanctioned by her un- wood, an old friend of Mr. Bolton's, comes with his son and daughter suspicions husband's liking for the man, and desire to have him fre- to reside at Northwood Abbey. Lady Caroline, a silly, spoiled, quently in the house, and firmly believe herself to be pure and innocent, sickly girl, falls immediately in love with her new doctor, the irre- She might even shut her eyes to the fact that her husband had no idea sistible Campbell, much to the disgust of her brother. About the how fondly they two had loved and still loved each other, and yet not same time an absurdly high-minded heiress in the neighbourhood, know that she was untruthful in word and deed. Many tolerably good Miss Neville, does the same thing. Dr. Campbell, the sad and in- people deceive themselves, for the truth is not in them. To know oneself tellectual sufferer from disappointed love, who spends half his time Is the most difficult knowledge. A woman, not vicious, but weak and in not very decent love scenes with Milly, spends the other half in blinded by a strong affection, might deceive herself to this extent— visiting these ladies professionally and encouraging their attachment. but the fault in this tale is not so much that Mrs. Davenport does After an immense deal of scarcely readable writing about both these not know she is false and guilty of daily wrong-doing, but that the love affairs, Dr. Campbell consents in the most insane way lo marry author does not know it, does not use the power he has to show that Lady Caroline, to whom he has behaved very uncivilly. Miss Pur- right and wrong are very different things, and that the indulgence of don's cousin mixes himself with this business, and Miss Neville joins a forbidden passion is not beautiful, but the reverse. In this, the her desire of revenge with his. Between them they carry out a plot most essential element of the best novels and the best poetry, the to kill Campbell on his wedding-day. This is very elaborate, and is lesson of submission to the noblest human law, that of doing right carried out by the cousin's shooting Campbell close to Miss Purdon's because it is right, this book is quite deficient. By implication, itave in Ashcombe Churchyard. Miss Neville and Lady Caroline
th
teaches rather at right is perhaps a mere matter of convention, groth go mad in various ways. Mrs. Davenport dies when she hears Much as we dislike the ordinary religious novel which talks as of her lover's death, and with the charming taste of French heroines familiarly of the Almighty in every page "as maids of puppy dogs," and requests her husband to bury her in Robert Campbell's grave ; and, refers every turn in the little drama to his special intervention; much from all we can learn, the Rev. Arthur Davenport consents to do so. as we also aislike the morbidly ethical kind of novel, which makes all Mr. Pardon, the benefactor of Dr. Campbell, has the consolation in its charming young men and maidens give up earthly happiness upon his old age of receiving his daughter's illegitimate child into his principle, and prefer "contentment in its stead," with the conscious house as a legacy from Dr. Campbell. To this sketch of the main heroism of giving up their true love to somebody else, and being points in this story, it is necessary to add that more than a dozen fully aware that everyone admires them for it,—little as we like either other persons are elaborately described and brought into the book of these kinds of novel, we would rather read such all the year round who are of no use to the story, and each more absurd or stupid than than see any more such strange worship of selfish passion as that ex- the other. There are passages of coarseness and bad taste in this hibited in this pretentious and incongruous tale, book that might be written by a young medical student—they should A. slight sketch of the chief characters and events will suffice to show be professional not to be positively disagreeable to him. that it is quite inartistic. Mr. Bolton, formerly a rich man, now ruined We have spoken thus fully and strongly against this book, because by riotous living and the turf, but with six hundred a year and four it goes beyond the sin of being utterly bad as a piece of fictitious healthy children, is living in retirement at a village called Northwood. writing, it is simply very bad in feeling and irreverently immoral; we He is paralyzed and takes no part whatever in the tale, yet we are do not say stupidly immoral, because, as we have intimated already, favoured with a detailed account of his life up to this point. We the author or authoress shows some cleverness. A second novel of have, also, careful pictures of his two sons and his two daughters, this kind we hope never to see.
and for the first half of the first volume it seems clear that the
Boltons are the people of the story. On the contrary, they have THE HYRETHRON OF GREEK TEMPLES.* nothing whatever to do with it, except that Sarah Bolton becomes OR all the monuments of ancient classic architecture, the Parthenon the friend and confidante of one of the heroines, and in the last has perhaps received the fullest share of study, as it has claimed chapter, after everybody else is dead, marries that lady's brother. also the greatest admiration. Known to be the work of the two Sarah is a very disagreeable young woman, and is the only one in greatest masters of architecture and sculpture after the Greek style, the book who is represented as having high and truthful principles, it has always been looked up to as the model of the grand and the The hero, Dr. Campbell, is the character upon which the author (or • Asheensbe Churchyard By Evelyn Benson. 3 vols. Saunders and Otley. "Daedalus." By Edward Falkener. Longmans. tina.s with the book of Ecclesiastes, but very probably the present authoress) has lavished the most pains. He is a "Werther_faced editor has scholarship on his side, strange as is the taste of some of man," with that
.--at least weighty. But it cannot be otherwise than a pain to part He is the son of a country surgeon, and in childhood the companion and death. Amelia safe at home until Robert Campbell is sent to London to study. After a few years Amelia is charmed by a fashionable young clergyman, Mr. Davenport, as handsome, though not as in
ASHCOMBE CHURCHYARD.* tellectual, as Dr. Campbell, nor so distinguished a lady-killer. The THERE seems to be a foolish notion afloat just now that any one can strength of passion in the latter is proved by his falling into a write a novel. It is a popular fallacy, injurious, we hope, chiefly to fainting-fit when he sees the announcement of Amelia's marriage the patience of reviewers, and to the pockets of those who " publish in the Times, and being laid up with a bad fever for a long time on their own account." The three volumes before us are a sufficient after. During his illness in London he is kindly attended by a clergy_ proof that not every person who tries—not even every clever person man, Mr. Pardon, the vicar of Ashcombe, near Northwood, who who tries—can write a novel ; or, we may add, ought to write one finally prevails on Dr. Campbell, after his recovery and the death of if he could. The first fault of dehcombe Churchyard is, that the author his father, to come and settle at Northwood. Mr. Purdon is a second (or authoress) is rather clever, but not half clever enough for the father to him, and Dr. Campbell is beginning to get a good practice work undertaken. This creates in the mind of the reader a constant in that neighbourhood when Mr. Davenport is appointed to the sense of shortcoming throughout the book. Everything is manqué— living of Northwood. He and his wife are one day walking in the the pathos, the satire, the philosophy, and the wit. The last, by the Strand, when a gentleman passes them who faints at the sight of way, is worse than manqué, it is offensive, consisting of the worst Mrs. Davenport, and is carried into a chemist's shop. A few minutes puns and silly playings upon words, and of awkward jokes that require after Mr. Davenport is obliged to take his wife into the same shop, a page or so of explanation. The next fault which strikes us, is the because she "feels ill." The quondam lovers meet, and the strangely multitude of persons introduced who have nothing to do with the unsuspicious husband who sees their mutual emotion, never makes chief story, and the consequent confusion and never-ending-still-be- any inquiry, but insists on his wife's former friend calling on them. ginning sort of effect they produce. Thirdly, the impossibility of When they are settled near to each other, Dr. Campbell becomes believing in or sympathizing with the hero round whom all the inte- more than husband or brother to Mrs. Davenport—physician, ac- rest and sentiment of the book is meant to circle, is a great error in coucheur, friend, master of the house, and ruler of the nursery. He fiction. Lastly, strength and persistency of Passion are put in the and his " sweet pure Milly" are together from morning till night, place of that old fashioned thing called Virtue. This is the sort of and the affection between them is of the most demonstrative kind. morality we used to see glorified by the eloquence of George Sand ; In the mean time a wild young daughter and only child of his bene. but it is not the sort we desire to see palliated, sympathized with, factor, Mr. Pardon, falls desperately in love with the fascinating Dr. almost applauded in a domestic novel on this side the Channel. No Campbell. She dies suddenly and mysteriously—the truth being un- amount of early attachment can make the love scenes between a young known to her father, and, indeed, known to very few persons. She had ph wife, physician and his patient, a clergyman's pardonable. The utter seduced or been seduced by Dr. Campbell, and died on giving birth to misapprehension of the author on this point is amazing. The very his child. Her betrothed husband and cousin, then in India, hears guilty-minded wife (unfaithful in all but the one act which saves her of it, and determines to be revenged on Dr. Campbell. He comes to dull conscience) is spoken of throughout by the authoress as " pure," lire in the neighbourhood, disguised as a Hindoo. His business is " refined," " innocent"—" a beautiful type of womanhood." Now, to appear at all lovely places and frighten the lathes, like the lion in we are prepared to grant that a woman (even with six children, like " Pyramus and Thisbe." Mrs. Davenport) might deceive herself, and carry on a very plea- This brings us to the beginning of the book. The Earl of North. seatrenewal of love with her first lover, sanctioned by her un- wood, an old friend of Mr. Bolton's, comes with his son and daughter suspicions husband's liking for the man, and desire to have him fre- to reside at Northwood Abbey. Lady Caroline, a silly, spoiled, quently in the house, and firmly believe herself to be pure and innocent, sickly girl, falls immediately in love with her new doctor, the irre- She might even shut her eyes to the fact that her husband had no idea sistible Campbell, much to the disgust of her brother. About the how fondly they two had loved and still loved each other, and yet not same time an absurdly high-minded heiress in the neighbourhood, know that she was untruthful in word and deed. Many tolerably good Miss Neville, does the same thing. Dr. Campbell, the sad and in- people deceive themselves, for the truth is not in them. To know oneself tellectual sufferer from disappointed love, who spends half his time Is the most difficult knowledge. A woman, not vicious, but weak and in not very decent love scenes with Milly, spends the other half in blinded by a strong affection, might deceive herself to this extent— visiting these ladies professionally and encouraging their attachment. but the fault in this tale is not so much that Mrs. Davenport does After an immense deal of scarcely readable writing about both these not know she is false and guilty of daily wrong-doing, but that the love affairs, Dr. Campbell consents in the most insane way lo marry author does not know it, does not use the power he has to show that Lady Caroline, to whom he has behaved very uncivilly. Miss Pur- right and wrong are very different things, and that the indulgence of don's cousin mixes himself with this business, and Miss Neville joins a forbidden passion is not beautiful, but the reverse. In this, the her desire of revenge with his. Between them they carry out a plot most essential element of the best novels and the best poetry, the to kill Campbell on his wedding-day. This is very elaborate, and is lesson of submission to the noblest human law, that of doing right carried out by the cousin's shooting Campbell close to Miss Purdon's because it is right, this book is quite deficient. By implication, itave in Ashcombe Churchyard. Miss Neville and Lady Caroline
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