Phebe of Plasthwaite. By M. L. J. 3 vols. (Tinsley
Brothers.)— This is a pretty, well-written story, the chief fault of which is the dis- proportion between its length and the magnitude of its subject. An introduction in which the great North road was compared to a giant made us fear that we were going to have an imitation of Dickens, but after this extravagance, the style became natural. How Phebe Veins and John Graemo, her lover, raise themselves by self-culture and honeat effort in doing their duty, to a higher social and intellectual level of life, is told in a pleasing manner. There is an episode of an earnest, sensible vicar, stirring up new life in a Sloepdale parish ; and another love-affair, in which Phebe is able, on the strength of her newly-gained powers, to intervene with excellent effect.
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