"FORE STALLED."*

Is Lucretius, Tennyson teaches us how unwise it is for a young

lady to marry a philosopher, and in Forestalled Miss Betham- Edwards inculcates the same lesson. The interest of the book is concentrated exclusively on three people,—Norland, the elderly professor; Nella, his girl-wife ; and Felix, the adopted

son and pupil of Norland, and of nearly the same age as Nella. The few other persons introduced into the story play parts no more important than that of the chorus in an opera,—necessary for the stage effect, and that is all. We are first introduced to a household composed of the aforesaid trio, living in perfect

harmony together, both the younger members being absolutely subservient to the will of Norland, who spends the time, strength, and brains of himself and his two enthusiastic fol-

lowers in star-gazing, and trying experiments in chemistry by which he thinks to advance the great discovery which

he lives in hopes of one day making. Their residence is in a little French watering-place, the mayor of which —moved by inquisitiveness and a sense of social respon- sibility—pays them a visit to find out What goes on in their mysterious establishment; they are so engrossed in their own affairs that they do not notice his approach, and what he beholds on entering the house is this :—

"The three figures familiar to him by chance encounter in the pub- lic ways were here, but all in the strangest and most alarming atti- tudes, and all, as had become clear to the listener outside, gasping for very life. A thick, odorous vapour, rising slowly from a little chemi- cal apparatus placed on the floor, had not yet so far obscured the group that he failed to recognise the bearded, square-browed, scholar-like Englishman ; the small, dark-curled, vivacious young lady, apparently his daughter, who was ever by his side ; and the fair, slim, eager youth, making up the mysterious trio. There was no time, however, for remonstrance, interference, or invective ; and the worthy Mayor, with the best intentions in the world, was driven back. The purple fames of this abominable gas, ether, or whatever it might be, now ascending in fuller, freer volumes, dulled his vision, filled his chest, impeded his speech, and seemed threatening to choke him. He stag- gered back, flushed and incoherent, and only waiting to wipe the sweat from his brow, made the best of his way out of the house, down the garden path. Monstrous, wicked, diabolical !' he muttered. A triple suicide, premeditated wholesale self-murder ! But the police, the police. I will make haste. There may yet be time !' " After this experience, it is not surprising that the poor Mayor should hardly have been reassured even when Nella recovers

herself enough to run after him and declare,—" We are not ill- We are not mad. We are only experimental. We were ex- perimenting on different gases, that is all ; and we had no idea of a stranger's presence," nor yet that the stranger should have gone away thoroughly determined "to have no more to do with such crack-brained experimenters." Experimental they are, with a vengeance, and evidently regard the sacrifice of a life or limb more or less for the cause of science as a mere matter of detail. The light-hearted description which the two assistants give of their own sensations during the experiment which the Mayor witnessed conveys a capital idea of their unhesitating submission. to the will of Norland, and their perfect readiness, at his com- mand, to inhale a gas which might mean nothing worse than sea-sickness, or might mean death :—

"'Nothing could be more comical !' she cried, as they munched a little bread during a momentary respite snatched from their noc- turnal labours. 'Felix, I shall never forget the poor Mayor's face, if I live to be a hundred ! I am quite sure we shall all be set down as mad—and I don't wonder at it. We were writhing in the strangest contortions, purple in the face, and for aught I know, foaming at the month, as he stood there staring at us !'—Felix laughed aloud. I did feel very ill—I confess it to you, Neils. I expected, from what Dr. Norland said, to be transported as on wings into the most be- witching palace ever imagined. Instead, the sensation was very like that of being tossed about on a rough sea.'—' Yes, the Bay of Biscay • Forestalled; or. the Ltte-Quese. By M. Botbsta-Edwards. 2 vols. London Hurst and Blackett. in-a-storm. - That was the ethereal paradise the professor gave us,' Linella answered, her merry voice ringing like the carol of a bird through their airy domicile. And who knows what he will do with

us next The worst of it is,' Felix said, still jesting, if anything 'went really amiss—if you or I some day should inhale a breath too -much of one of these gases, my father would be tried for murder.'"

Whether ordinary mortals might not have felt somewhat nervous in the society of beings of such a sublime order, may well be doubted ; and for our own part, we confess to a feeling of relief that our lot is cast amongst people who are not given to ex- perimentalising in every possible way, and who do not insist upon manufacturing their own dyes and narcotics, and whose souls are not wholly given up to science, and who are not so absolutely superior to mundane matters as were this elevated trio, of whose views regarding such an unimportant matter as food we are told :—

" Oddly enough as it may sound, no one of the household was on- punctual, yet no one ever came unsammoned to meals. The fact is, eating and drinking, although conscientiously, even scientifically, got through, seemed the only matter on which unpunctuality was par- donable. Appointed tasks were done to the appointed minute. Neither Neils nor Felix ever failed to be at their post, whether as sentries of the stars or laboratory servants. If Norland asked for a certain mineral, plant, or ingredient, straightway it was forth- coming. But to these star-gazers, naturalists, and alchemists—by which latter name, in a certain sense, all searchers after Nature's secrets may still be called—the business of taking food at regular times seemed irksome and almost unnecessary. Breakfast, it is true, they had, and dinner and supper, and—owing to the ministra- tions of that universal genius, a French man-of-all-work, and the gourmand's paradise in which they had pitched their tent—they fared well. But in this engrossed yet gay little household the food waited to be eaten, no one ever waited for the food, and sometimes it waited in vain."

It is quite a relief to find. that Nella can take an interest in quince-preserving, and that even she thinks her husband. some- times carries his neglect of food and sleep too far.

That special feeling of affinity for one another which is likely to spring up between two young people, when living entirely with one senior to them—the sense of comradeship which George Eliot describes Romola as feeling towards Tito—arises naturally between Nella and Felix, but never for an instant interferes with her unchanging love and devotion to her hus- band. As for the latter, he is far too much engrossed with his hobby to care very much about any one or anything else; and though the story turns upon his jealousy of Felix, yet that jealousy is excited by dread of Felix's rivalry in scientific—not in conjugal—affairs. What the great discovery that Norland was striving after may have been, we are never told, but that it must have been very wonderful is evident, seeing that it satis- fied himself, and that his own ideal of what science might do for humanity is as follows :— "Au!' he said to himself, as he stood still to gaze on a jutting pro- montory commanding the widest view= ah ! what will the life of man

. be like when this dire, unequal strife with Nature shall be fairly over, when he shall enter proudly, yet thankfully, on the heritage of ages ? Then no more shall unnecessary physical suffering or privation be the portion of the humblest, then shall human existence, ephemeral though it must be, reach heights of spiritual and bodily felicity never yet dreamed of. Step by step we have raised ourselves from bar- barism, nay, animalism, to a condition more becoming rational beings. But what may we not attain when science and a love of truth shall have done their very best ? At last man will be indeed man, and the world no longer a battle-field and a wrestling-ground, but a glorious dwelling of noble creatures. And how little do men take account of even the smallest effort of the natural philosopher, their true saviour, helper, friend ! Feeble though we are, like the rest, and liable to stumble at every tarn, we seekers after scientific truth are, neverthe- less, their true guides, who can lead them towards the light.'"

It is the belief that, just as he has attained this grand discovery, Felix has forestalled him in it, which drives Norland crazy. In Felix we have genius of a higher order than in Norland.

The discovery which the latter arrives at in advanced years, and after intense thought and labour, the former reaches almost intuitively while still quite young. He is a much more unsatis- factory character than the other two, to our mind, and his conver- sation certainly gives no indication of the surprising talents which are attributed to him. He is intended as the exemplifica- tion of the author's theory that genius is dual, on which subject

she says :—

" Every gifted being is without doubt born double, possesses two creative faculties, two ideal worlds, two intellectual careers from which to choose, ofttimes what appears to be the merest accident swaying the balance. Thus the true poet might be within an inch of being a great painter instead. The rare musician will just miss by a hair-breadth the calling of the mathematician. This duality of genius is found, moreover, wherein any kind of genius exists, which, no matter on how limited a scale, must not for a moment be compared s with mere talent. Felix was, in fact, a musician by inheritance, a

musician by nationality, a musician born ; and it was only accidental circumstance that had for a time directed his energies elsewhere. His scientific ambition ruthlessly arrested, music presented itself in the light not only of a consolation, but of a career."

But though his genius is intended to be undoubtedly superior to that of Norland, yet the flightiness and want of earnestness of purpose which enable him so easily to turn away from science to music, make him contrast unfavourably with the indomitable will and force of character which distinguish his master.

As for Nella, she commands all our sympathies. Brave, loyal, clever, and unselfish, a very incarnation of unswerving fidelity to her husband under the most trying circumstances, she suggests to us a Griselda with brains,—as to which last quality history is silent in regard to the orignal. We think that the three personages who compose this book must be considered more as studies of types of character, than as real living people ; and we are inclined to regard Norland as representing Will; Felix, Genius; and Nella, Duty. Whether the author and her readers will always agree as to how these types would act in certain given conditions, may be doubted ; but, after all, when once

we get into the domains of imagination, one person's opinion is as good as another's, we suppose. Finally, we may say that the

book is rather to be called interesting than amusing; the plot is conspicuous by its absence, and lovers of thrilling sensations and dramatic incidents are warned not to seek for such things in the pages of Forestalled. But, on the other hand, those who appreciate a short, quiet, original, carefully-written story will welcome it with satisfaction, and hail it as a pleasant and refreshing change from the greater part of the conventional three-volume novels with which publishers inundate us.