LADY CHATTERTON'S TALES.

THESE volumes exhibit Lady CHATTERTON in a very respectable light as a novelist. They possess a closeness of texture scarcely to be expected from the writer of the agreeable but rather flimsy "Rambles in Ireland ;" the narrative of' all the tales is equable, and so 'natural- as to' shadow improbabilities, or even absurdities,' in the 'conduct of the story; the tales Of the present time contain •many nicely-drawn characters, and sensible reflectiens on life and morals ; and there is throughout a considerable degree of that literary merit .which • results from talent and its careaex- ercise. But Lady CHATTERTON displays the besetting fault of all inexperienced writers, that of not resting satisfied with nature. We do not mean that she indulges in serious turgidity or comic caricature ; but, having chosen a subject with certain elements, con: ceived a character with certain faults, or adopted some governing incident of a peculiar kind, she does not allow all or either to pros ceed onward to their natural consequences. Through a kindness of disposition, or a participation in the wide-spread wish for story to " end happily," she renders her characters inconsistent with themselves, and introduces circumstances into her fable which are not consonant with the general experience of life. It is things like these, much more than any high-flown sentiments or rept*. terous examples of good fortune, that render novels obnoxious to the old charge of misleading the young by giving false notions of the world; inasmuch as such examples tend to weaken a regard for the law of consequences, and to induce people to look to extrica- tion from difficulties by means too unlikely to afford a reasonable ground of reliance.

The best of the talcs, A Good Match, (though the story consists of two matches,) is somewhat damaged by these faults. Helen Bunton, a warm-bearted creature of impulse, but without fixed principles or much strength of reasoning, marries a selfish, hard, and calculating lover, who having as a needy law student won her heart from motives of interest, continues his suit with the same view when by unexpected deaths he succeeds to the Peerage. The defects in his character, which hypocrisy concealed during his poverty, develop themselves on his elevation so as to be glaringly obiious. Helen, however, shuts her eyes to every thing„ marries Lord Nightingford ; and the consequences to be expected ensue. The husband becomes entangled with some French lady; the wife, after various struggles and =eh anxiety, gives herself up to the heartless pursuits of' fashion and its extravagancies—encouraged by her husband, with the feelings of a parvenu, seeing that it gains them a reputation amongst the exclusives; so that the Good Match bids fair to end in pecuniary embarrassment and matrimo- nial indifference, or worse.

At this stage, however, the operations of another match begin. Laura, the half-sister of Helen, has married a poor curate. They are both drawn as the quintessence of human perfection—" re- ligious, punctual, frugal, and so forth," and capable of bearing all the ills of life through a reliance on Providence. The impru- dent match has been hastened by the good-nature of Helen's fhther ; but he, like many other well-meaning people, dies in diffi- culties ; a living, which Laura's husband was to have had, is lost ; and eventually Mr. and Mrs. Rookmore are reduced to five in a country town upon a miserable stipend. Sickness, in addition to poverty, ensues ; starvation stares them in the face ; and their only hope is in Laura's application to Helen. Letters avail not, for they are not, read ; so Laura travels to London ; but her sister, through extravagance, is unable to assist her, and borrows the money of a sentimental male friend. This indiscretion being discovered by a housemaid, (!) gets into the newspapers, causes scandal, repentance, and finally reformation, assisted by the death of a son and heir, and the piety of Mr. and Mrs. Rookmore. In the mean time, the Rookntores benefit by the change in the habits of their noble connexions ; and at last have a fortune left them by an old woman, whose misanthropy they have banished by opening to her view the comforts of religion.

We have already said that the narrative of Lady CHATTERTON is natural ; but, penetrating below this superficial merit, the story is improbable, and not judicious in its tendency. Passing by some business oversights, it is unlikely that the half-sister to the heiress of eight thousand a year should marry without any means ; stifi less likely that she should be without connexions to prevent her and her family from fulling into absolute destitution ; (indeed her mother is dropped all at once.) But waiving is objections, time destitu- tion itselt is forced. Human distress s heaped upon the Rookmores in various forms, if not against possibility, against the likelihood of life. All the efforts which virtue, ability, and accomplishments make to avert want, are defeated by a fatality, we believe, of Lady CHATTERTON'S creation. Yet granting every thing to the novelist, her misers is overdone as a matter of arithmetic. - Seventy pounds a year and something to start with, is nothing fiw the pomps and vanities of lordly expenditure ; but it is as much as thousands have to subsist upon and meet the accidents of sickness, and with a more creditable appearance than our fair writer gives to her hero and heroine. The Voluntary principle itself would have saved such pattern-people as the Rookmores from the want of food and firing, for a " collection" is not uncommon for a popular clergyman with an inadequate stipend. Remarkable talent, industry, and virtue, are as sure of a subsistence, at least, in the Church, as in arty other pursuit, unless their owner has to oppose alone the prejudices and customs of the time. The bitter bread of curacy is eaten by mediocrity. We have considered A Good Match thus minutely, not merely because it displays ability and promise, and is a very agreeable fiction, but because the lesson to be deduced from it is of a question- able kind. If we take life as painted in this story, conduct, open to all, is of less importance to success than accidents, which can occur but to few, and arc not likely to occur to any. Neither is Lady CHATTnItTON'S moral standard of the most elevated kind : there is always something which the mind turns against in Wealth procured by the colour of legacy-hunting ; and Mrs. Rookmore herself too touch resembles a mendicant of some religious order.

The other tales are inferior in merit to A Good Match. The d6- touement of The Cathedral Chorister turns upon the trite incidents of an unequal marriage, an heir pining in improbable obscurity, and as improbably discovered. Traces of mannerism are visible too; for the conduct and the distress, as in the previous fiction, are inconsistent with the course of present events. The truth of its parts, the skill of its handling, and the agreeableness of its narra- tion, render it, however, a pleasing story. The Heiress of Drosberg is a tale of the times of Joanna of Naples, and of that Duke Werner who was infamous as the leader of a band of free compa- nions. The incidents are of a melodramatic kind, pushed to the extravagant ; the sentiments, cast of thought, and language, are of the present age ; but the narrative redeems such an incongruous mixture from utter absurdity.

One of Lady CummeroN's merits is a felicitous marking of character by a few light touches, mixed with reflections which have a general application. Such are the following.

NATURAL CHARACTERS.

Helen Boynton was one of those engaging and captivating characters which are called nMural: every emotion that agitated her mind was plainly depicted in her evcr-varying countenance; she could never conceal her feelings or repress then). These aforesaid natural characters, though amiable in ap- pearance, are generally essentially selfish, and in the chainses mid trials and rubs of life, are rarely to be depended on ; being solely mitres the dominion of impulse, they arc by turns victims to the good and the bad, to hatred or to love.

A GOOD WOMAN.

Mrs. Boynton was one of those good though uninteresting women who in- variably act up to what they consider their duty. It is easy for persons who have no partiality, who love no one intensely, to do their duty to all. Mrs. Baynton never thwarted her husband's fancies; she never showed more favour or kindness to her own daughter Laura than she evinced towards the child of her husband's former \rife; she ntanaged the household with economy, keeping every thing and everybody in order more by terror and methoit than by love. Mrs. Bavnton had a high respect for fortune and rank, and her impartiality was suer', that she had bestowed more pains on the education of Helen Boyn- ton, because she %vas heiress to eight thousand a ;ear, than she had on that of her own penniless child. By pains, I mean, that she gave Helen the advan- tage of masters in all the usual branches of instruction, :mil placed her fir five years at Mrs. Camilla Lionel's, one of the most thshionable establishments for the education of young ladies in the neighbourhood of London, where the terms were thee hundred per annum, exclusive of washing, German, and the harp. There is a good deal of truth in these remarks on pleasant people, but they require to be limited. The charm of such persons is coufined•to their character of companions; for, though sometimes friendly in trouble, they cannot be relied upon in matters which would give trouble to themselves.

The person with whom she was now most intimate was Lady Penville, like herself, a beauty and a bride. She was English, but had from childhood lived so 111Uell abroad, that she had few of what are supposed to be the characteristics of Englishwomen. Like Helen, she was good-natured and affectionate, but devoid of principle, and systematically worldly. The intimacy with such a person as this was the more dangerous to Helen, from the naturally good qua- lities which Lady Penville possessed, and frona the firm persuasion that lady had that her own mode of thinking and acting was right. Helen Mlen acted imprudently from thoughtlessness ; but be could never reason about a fully in the clever and systematic manner that Lady Penville did. To make the most of the present moment, to enjoy at all hazards the passing hours of brilliant youth, and to Enclitic:0 even alfections which could tend to mar this adored spirit of happinesss was Lady Penville's system. It is more or 1,;s the system of utmost people who have been educated in the wide yet Ed!Iilt world of foreign travel, without local attachments, or any of those this deo:nary, place, or fatuity, which formerly contributed to make Englishwomen domestic and well-principled. Yet there is undoubtedly a great charm and ftseination in this sort of ever-sonny character, which render the English of the present day, who have lived touch abroad, the pleasantest and most captivating people in the world.

The feeling indicated in the following passage, of subjecting the affections to the reason, has grown into partial practice in the pre- sent day, though we do not remember seeing it advocated in a novel before.

"It was !Ia.:mutate they were such," replkd Bertha ; " had I had more time t3 duly consider the subject, I should not have composed them, for they do not express my genuine sentiments. At least, I could never carry on the theme further, os many others would do. I have no idea of continuing to love a per- Ma who has ceasest to deserve my infection, though I am Mi.:lid this is not an amiable feeling."

" ant delighted to hear you say so," said llosenlein, " for I have often

thought hat i us se III charecusrlias one defect, it is ii at CNtrome confidence, that blindness with vi ci lte devotes herself to the ,,ilject of her love, now many such no 1.1 he kept it the rths of duty and affection, if they were perfectly convinced that hy departing front virtue they ti ii lose the love of their mis- tress. Yes, it would he for better fa. the worl,i if the female character were mere Lidecd, wilfully blit.d love is not andabio a feelim, as it is ge- Lerally sispp:,.,ea, for it often proceeds from of disposition, which will not diet tilt tell st far as to See things in an Impleasant point of view, or try 0; exert a prop T influence over the beloved object. It is not surprising, how- ever, that PM! ■holuld admire wont( n more W110 en11 So love ; and this is per- hay; the reason Mat so many gee found with that weakness of character : it must be deiigiithil ti a man who intends to sin, 10 possess the affections of a being whii will worship hint in spite ofit all ; but I should never subject myself to the dam!,.r of that temptation, nor could I love a woman who had nut the sense to despise Inc if I deserved to be so."

Such is the sacred character of the affections, that they have been regarded by mankind with pity and respect when they have produced fidelity to criminals, or even crime itself. But, whether for ultimate good or evil, this feeling is wearing out ; and the direct effects will be ffivourable to human happiness. " Loyalty " will no longer induce honourable and gallant men to sacrifice themselves and dis- turb society for some unworthy Monarch who has reaped the re- ward of his misdoings; family ties will no longer involve the un-

, suspecting in ruin because they happen to he connected with the,

designing, the imprudent, or the extravagant ; even Love, blind so long, will have to open his eyes and exercise his reason in dispel!. ling what is called fascination. Whether this result may not destroy some of the charm and generous spirit which a trusting confidence gives to the character of a people, is a question. It may possibly, too, induce a habit of calculation, which shall fre- quently substitute considerations of profit and loss for those of right and wrong. But we are inclined to agree with the indication in the text, that on the whole the indirect effects will he beneficial; and that the profligate of all descriptions will be compelled to keep within some bounds, when they can hope for no one upon whom to shift a part of their burden.