Denis O'Neil. By Mary Bradford-Whiting. 2 vols. (R. Bentley and
Son.)—Miss Bradford-Whiting has produced a moderately well-written and not uninteresting, though a rather improbable and decidedly gloomy, story. The hero is a young Irish surgeon of considerable promise, who has owed his education and all his chances in life to a benevolent uncle. While shooting on the sea-shore, he accidentally becomes a witness of the proceedings of a secret society, and being discovered and captured, is forced by a threat of imme- diate death in case of refusal, to become a member of the society, and take the oath of secrecy and obedience. Shortly afterwards he is appointed to " remove " his uncle, who as a landlord has proved obnoxious ; and after much mental conflict, he brings himself to fire a pistol, though the author leaves it doubtful whether he really intends the act to have a fatal effect. Mr. O'Neil senior is wounded, but not killed; Denis is arrested for the crime, convicted and transported for life to Australia,—which is surely an anachronism, as the events are supposed to be of re- cent occurrence. The woman whom he loves follows him into exile, and as she is nurse, and he a convict assistant to a very unfavour- able specimen of the colonial doctor, they have frequent though hardly satisfying meetings. Finally she falls a victim to diphtheria, and he is killed by an emissary of the secret society,—a gloomy ending to a depressing story which, however, is not lacking in vigorous passages.
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