The Bride's Home. By Emma Marshall, (Nisbet and Co.)— This
is a story of a bride who comes from an elegant home to an old place where everything seems to be antiquated and dull, But the elegant home has been kept up on false pretences, and the bride is followed by money difficulties. The via prima salutis comes from an unexpected source. The heroine sprains her ankle,—an accident which is amazingly common in fiction, and is always turned to some useful purpose. As is proper in an English story, the difficulty ends in a compromise. Barbara accepts her position ; but then the position is made more acceptable.—The Breaking of the Clouds. By Lady Dunboyne. (Same publishers.)—Here we- have the history of a family reduced to something like poverty by the death of its head,—a captain in the Navy. The selfish son, who will go his own way ; the sturdy lad, who gives up his career as a sailor to take a stool in an office ; the wise daughter, who yet cherishes a fierce hatred of the lad who unwittingly caused her father's death, and so hinders the conversion of an unbelieving doctor, are among the characters. There is something of novelty in the last ; the others are more familiar. The tale is sufficiently well told, the pathetic element being represented by some good scenes..—Little Count Paul. By Mrs. E. M. Field. (Wells Gardner, Darton, and Co.)—This is an excellent tale, first published, unless our memory fails us, in the Sunday at Home. The little Count is a young noble of Brittany, brimming over with the spirit of the old regime, and therefore needing to be taught a good deal by the experiences of the Revolu- tion. Mrs. Field, who clearly knows something of Breton ways of thinking and Breton legends, describes the scenes of the Revolu- tion with considerable power. Nor does she dwell wholly on its horrors, though the Terror naturally occupies a prominent place in her story. She sees clearly enough that there are two sides to this question as to all others, and can put herself into the place of those who were for change, as well as for those who were against it. "The Revolution," as she puts it, "was like a terrible tempest, which breaks and shatters, and yet sweeps some hurtful things away."
Three pretty little books, and bearing, appropriately enough, the title of " The Dainty Books " (A. D. Innes and Co.) may be mentioned together. A Mannerless Monkey, by Mabel Wotton, relates the exploits of a little girl who is sent home from India to be under the charge of her grandmother. She is one of the children found, one is glad to think, more frequently in fiction than in reality, who are continually getting into scrapes,—who do nothing, in fact, that does not end in some disaster. Idonia is a, little too absurd in her goings-on ; but she is, nevertheless, enter- taining in a way. —A Hit and a Miss, by the Hon. Eva Knatch- bull Hugessen, is more to our taste. The "Hit" or " Dramatic Effect" which she unwittingly produces is, indeed, a striking scene, and the amusement with which one reads it, is brought about in a simple and natural way. The other story which makes up the volume—" The Miss " or " The Pass6-D6fini Girl"—is still better. The scene of the examination, and the prize-giving, over which M. Lerou presides with such satisfaction, is particularly excellent.—Lily and Water-Lay. By A. Comyns Carr.—Here we have two fairy-stories, both prettily told. The second would hardly have been written, had it not been for " Undine ; " but it has something of its own by right of which it pleases.
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