Olivia Raleigh. By W. W. Follett Synge. (Chapman and Hall.)—
The interest of Olivia Raleigh lies in the answer to a curious question in casuistry. A young man has a large fortune left to him, on the con- dition that he marries a certain young lady within a year. He sees her, and loves her dearly, but the question occurs, "Would it not be mer- cenary to seek a love which would bring me so large a gain ?" The problem is interesting, but no slight improbabilities in the story are re- quired before it can be put. Is it credible that a man of sense like Silas Fletcher would ever have made such a will, besides committing the addi- tional folly of giving the reversion of the money to a man of whose selfishness he must have been convinced Apart from this fault, as we take it to be, the story is a good one. The two brothers, Parson Join, the priest of the old school, and the lively Frenchwomen Penelope —Madame do S4gala.s—are all skilful studies.
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