Paid Haver. By Jerome K. Jerome. (Hutchinson and Co. 6s.)—Every
one will cry, after reading some fifty pages of Pau/ %elver, "Here is David Copperfield' over again." There is some- thing distinctly Micawberish about Paul's father; the aunt reminds us of Miss Trotwood. As we go on we see differences.
Paul's school experiences—beyond question the best part of the book—are unlike anything that David describes to us. David's school, with Mr. Creakle, Steerforth, and the rest, is not at all con- vincing. Dickens had here no originals to work from. Then the theatrical experiences are new, drawn again from the life, we should say. In fact, there is something very much like auto- biography in the story ; so, at least, it seems ; only we are sure that the author must be more interesting than he makes out Paul to be. David was something of a prig, but we like him. Paul makes fun, and is the cause of fun in others, but we do not care about him. Mr. Jerome must pardon us for saying that there are some coarsenesses in his story which we could have very well done without.
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