Passions Subdued. By Louisa Lacy. (London Literary Society.) —This is
a very quaint book. Brongh Duval is left in charge of two brothers much younger than himself, whom he trains by a liberal one of the horsewhip. Brough had very decided views. He objected to dancing, to football—" a dangerous game which hoe been forbidden at an American college "—even to confirmation, because he bad once known a young woman who " drowned herself directly after she was confirmed, because she found a postman, who had paid her attention, already had a wife of his own." One of the brothers takes charge of a London shop belonging to Brough, and is ordered by him always to wear the dress of the Scotch Volunteers. It was not, however, a tobacconist's shop, nor did he stand at the door. He goes on very well, and is even allowed to marry ; but in an unlucky moment, he thinks of having family prayers for the establishment. Brough looks upon this as a waste of time, and asks him to give it up ; and when he declines, horsewhips him and locks him up, a married man, let it be understood, of three or four and twenty. All of a sudden the tyrant breaks down, acknowledges hie brother to be right, and "accepts salvation there and then." But this, we regret to say, does not prevent him from boxing the brother's ears sixty pages further on, for saying,
"To see brother married, will be like treeing one's father married,"— a reflection on his age which be has enough of the old Adam in him to resent. Apparently he is more succesafel with other people's passions than with his own. We leave him engaged in a conflict with his wife as to serving in the shop will not serve in the shop,' said Nora, tossing up her head. What could Brough do ? He was sadly vexed, but he could not strike a woman." The passion. tamer was left without his weapon. The author is cruel enough not to tell us how it ended. The wife is advised to give up her will to her husband's, " which in the end she did, in a great degree," an ambiguous sentence which does not satisfy us. We should like to hear more about the married life of Brough and Nora Duval.
Previous page
