WELLY ARMSTRONG. * WHAT Lillo's George _Barnwell is to the drama,

Nelly Arm- strong is to fiction,—too narrowly natural in its leading incident to impress a general example, with too much of weakness in its princi- pal personage to properly exhibit the moral whichthe author aims at. The serving-maid, indeed, has this advantage over the apprentice,

that her lapse is of a common kind, and leads to a common misery ; whereas the descent of George Barnwell to robbery and murder was extreme, and as an example contradicted by the experience of society.

Nelly Armstrong is a Scotch country girl of respectable parents, who comes to Edinburgh to "better herself" and to enjoy the capital, in the service of a kind but strict widow lady, Mrs. Elliot. Nelly, a thoughtless, coquettish, country beauty, soon becomes tired of her " dull " place, and gets another in a fashionable family, where the servants are allowed too much liberty, and she falls a victim to a spruce writer's clerk who visits the servants-hall. Dismissed from her place, abandoned by her seducer, ashamed to return home, and reduced to want, she falls into the hands of a low lodginghouse.keeper. She is finally rescued from the deepest degradation by the exertions of her first young mistress, Miss Elliot, and returns home, to die penitent. Works of imagination founded on low life have not been much

favoured by critics ; not, as it strikes us, from any conventional prejudice, but because they seem to rest upon an erroneous principle. If natural, they are apt to be narrow. The errors or passions of the high contain a warning for all ; but the higher cannot profit by lessons deduced from the low. If the object of the teacher be an attempt to remedy some social evil, not to read a ge- neral lesson, it may be doubted whether it is of much use to address the class whose benefit is aimed at. Social improvement descends ; the greater humanity, the broader recognition of the rights of others, which in theory at least distinguishes the pre- sent age, has not originated with the humble but the edu- cated. To produce an eiThet upon them, the exemplification must be broad, the logic true ; which is not the case in Nelly Armstrong. The defect, strange to say, as regards Nelly herself, is that she is too natural ; just the foolish wench to fall into errors, and which nothing but perpetual authoritative surveillance could pre- vent. She comes to Edinburgh against her parents' wishes, and she practises deceit to get there. In spite of the kindness of Mrs. and Miss Elliot, she yields to bad company knowing it is bad ; she persists in keeping up the connexion in spite of their advice ; finally she quits them, as she quitted her parents, by a deception ; and she continues the deception in her letters home.

And this is done not in ignorance of what she is about, but a self-willed disregard of consequences, and at first without that pressure of necessity which procures pardon and even sympathy for concealment. The author of the novel, no doubt, wishes to in- culcate the moral that mistresses should look after their household, and bears hard upon the fashionable lady, Mrs. Maxwell Grey : but that virtue is little worth which cannot stand alone ; and the superintendence even of Mrs. Elliot had no other effect than to cause Nelly to leave her place. The logical is accompanied by a literary defect. The earlier story of Nelly is slight in matter and wiredrawn in dialogue : we are wearied by the common nature of the kitchen and its fre- qaenters ; even the home scenes are not very vivid. The pictures

-8 Nab, Armstrong: a Story of the Day. By the Author of "Rose Dongbis." In two yoltunes. Published by Bentley. of the Edinburgh " wynds" are broader and more powerful, but reminding the reader of blue-book matter. There is also interest in a few scenes where mental agony predominates over physical trouble or distress. Nelly's return with Miss Elliot and her old country mistress, Miss Archer, after her father's death and her mother's blindness, may be instanced.

"They have glided up to the door and entered, and Nelly is once more within the threshold of her home. The father's coffin has passed over it since she trod it last. A deeper shadow even than that has crossed it, and rests on it still, and will for ever.

"They have left her there, and entered the widow's room ; the old valued friend, the young one who has wept for her sorrows, and is weeping now.

"The fire-light streams into the little narrow lobby in which she stands, from the door of the room, which they have left open. Ono step forward and she would see her mother' but that step she dreads to take. She listens eagerly to catch the tones of her voice ; and when she does, she starts so violently that the blind woman turns round and listens anxiously.

"'How are you tonight, Mrs. Armstrong ?' says poor tender-hearted Miss Archer, whose very voice trembles with nervous emotion.

" MissArcher, you are not alone,' was the mother's answer.

"In what a tone were the words uttered—no wonder the girl started ! "'I have brought my friend Miss Elliot to visit you ; she arrived today from Edinburgh.' "'From Edinburgh! then there is some news. Oh! ladies, tell me—tell me is my poor lassie found ?' "Mary went up to her chair and took the thin trembling hand in hers with reverence. Her tears fell on it as she pressed it.

"'Yes, she is found, Mrs. Armstrong,' she said distinctly..

" ' Found I—found, did you say ?—did I hear you right—you surely wouldna deceive me—did you say found ?' "'She is found, and she is in safety.' " Oh ! my God, my God, I thank Thee !' "There was a movement in the direction of the door, the faint echo of a sob that could not be repressed. "The mother heard it. She half rose in her chair—her lips apart—her head bent in the attitude of intense listening—her every nerve trembling with expectation.

"A cry that thrills through each heart present, and the girl has darted from her place of concealment, and is clinging to her mother's neck. " Oh ! mother, mother, mother !' "'My Nelly ! my Nelly !—and have ye come back to me at last ? ' " 'Oh ! mother, mother!'

" Oh ! the Lord be praised, the Lord be praised for all His mercies!' "'Oh, mother I—can you forgive me ? '

"'As I trust the Lord will forgive me.' "

Connected with Nelly Armstrong's story is a love-affair of her young mistress, Miss Elliot ; and though everything runs smooth between her and George Elliot, who is heir to the family property by entail, this is more interesting than the servant's tale. It is a pleasant story of middle life, slight but truthful; painted with less elaboration than the main tale, and with less of incident, but more effect.