Novess.—The Afghan Knife. By Robert Armitage Sterndale. 3 vols. (Sampson
Low and Co.)—Thia is a really good novel, not equal, indeed, to the Indian stories of Colonel Meadows Taylor, but not at all unworthy of being classed with them. The scone is laid in the time of the great Mutiny, and the interest of the story chiefly centres in a couple of ]overs, the daughter of a high-placed Indian civilian, and a young artist. The two make acquaintance in Florence, giving the author an opportunity of introducing some picturesque sketches of Italian life. They separate, for circumstances do not favour their union. The Indian troubles begin, and the hero makes his way forthwith to India, and does good service as a volunteer. Here, however, he falls into the background. In the face of the enemy, a regular soldier comes to the front, and carries off all the laurels that the situation offers. This regular is the lady's cousin and rejected lover, Fred Seamperby, aud is certainly one of the most, attractive personages in the book. Paul, the favoured lover, is, it must be confessed, save for a certain gift of humour which he seems to possess, a not very interesting pens:nage. But the distinctively Indian part of the tale is the best. The stern old Afghan, with his scrupulous conscience, always doubting whether he is or is not justified in prosecuting a. holy war with the Infidel, is admirably drawn. The unscrupulous deputy-magistrate is a lever sketch, as are the freebooter Boui-Sing and Sorawur the shikari. The plot is skilfully managed, and the reader will follow the talc with unflagging interest.—Russ Mervyn. By Anne Bade. 3 vols. (Hurst and Blackett.)—This, again, is a good novel, though of a very different kind to that just noticed. Miss Beale skilfully avails herself of an incident which caused plenty of excitement in its time, but is now almost forgottens—the Rebecca riots, roused by the intolerable system of Welsh turnpikes. Perhaps the literary merit of the earlier part of the book is greater than that which we find in the latter ; but the story steadily develops in interest to tho close, and Rose, the heroine, is as charming as she is wise from the begin- ning to the end. She is indeed almost preternaturally judicious ; and it is a relief to find that she is capable of the weakness of falling very decidedly in love. The love-story, indeed, is very, prettily told, as is the more tragical story of her mother. There is something truly pathetic in the meeting of Mrs. Mervyn and her father. Edwyna, again, is a charming little person ; and Mervyn, the father, makes a fine, rugged sketch, which shows a power of drawing not common in a feminine hand. We cannot help remarking that Rose Mervyn shows what a genuinely interesting book may be made without the least re- sort to illegitimate excitement. We wish that the ladies who have no idea of attracting readers except by vulgarity, fastness, and passion that is over hovering on the verge of sin, would take example by Miss Beale.—A Broken. Blossom. By Florence Marryat. 3 vols. (Samuel Tinsley.)—This is as good as anything which we have read from Miss Marryat's pen. The venerable old hypocrite, the Rev. Mr. Lovett, is a capital picture ; he takes in the reader at first, as he took in the heroine I and it is only by degrees that we find him out. The heroine we do not like. We must put it plainly, that she is distinctly vulgar ; there are one or two touches in her reflections after her mother's death which make this perfectly plain. The artistic: fault of the novel is that its ;nein interest, and that from which it takes its name, is not adequate. The story of Amy is pathetic ; but she is insignificant, and the reader cannot be brought to feel much interest in her.—The Marriage Tie. From the German of Johannes von Dowell. By K. C. Stantial. 2 vols. (Remington.)— The author makes about as much as was possible of material which an English reader would deem impracticable. The heroine, a miracle of beauty and virtue, is found to have two husbands. Not all Herr von Dewall's ingenuity can account for the first divorce in a satin: factory way. To love too much seems to be as fatal to the stability of the "marriage tie," as to love too little. Apart from this, the tale is well told, and rises at its climax to a height of interest which all readers will acknowledge.
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