The Luck of the Darrells. By James Payn. 3 vols.
(Longmans).— This is not among the best of Mr. Payn's stories. The writing is sparkling but attenw 5, and the sparkle is of a kind to which we have grown almost too accustomed. The narrative, too, is easy and natural, but not up to the usual level of the author of "Lost Sir Massingberd " in interest ; the incidents are ill-assorted, the picture, pleasing in parts, disappoints as a whole. We feel that it is no true reflection of modern life ; while there is not enough of adventure, mystery, or variety, to lend it the attraction of sensational romance. The heroine and her lover tumble into love after a quite inexcusable fashion, and the amount of slaughter needed to assure their happiness is shocking—even in fiction. They and the other personages of the novel wander about, somewhat vaguely, in an ocean of commonplace incidents, and do nothing interesting or meritorious. Even the villain is a mere vulgar rascal. The articulations of the story creak, and no particular aim is apparent—no unravelment of a plot, analysis of character, or portraiture of manners. On the whole, the story lacks finish and insight, and must trust for its popularity chiefly to the breezy optimism that pervades it, in common with most of Mr. Payn's fiction.
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