An Imperfect Gentleman. By Katharine Lee. 3 vols. (Long- mans.)—We
suppose that comparatively few readers belonging to this generation know Mr. Samuel Warren's " Ten Thousand a Year." Those who do will have a fairly good idea of the story of An Imperfect Gentleman. Thomas Rowley is a clerk in a banking- house, with a moderate salary and some small private means. Suddenly he hears that he has succeeded to a baronetcy and an estate of eight thousand a year. He enjoys it for a time, and makes a great fool of himself. Then comes in the representative of an elder branch, who succeeds in proving his legitimacy, and Thomas is dispossessed. The hero is not a caricature of the "Tittlebat Titmouse" kind. On the contrary, his character is drawn with no little delicacy of touch. And there are other characters in the story that are still better worked out. Lord Badlesmere is particularly good ; and his two sons, the Benedictine monk and his brother, the Viscount, are not far inferior. But the author cannot keep quite clear of caricature. The scene where the newly found Sir Thomas goes down to his ancestral home and is introduced to his relatives, the Comberbatches, goes distinctly beyond the limits of comedy. There is an interesting love-story worked in with the main plot ; and, on the whole, we have a dis- tinctly readable story in An Imperfect Gentleman. The end is managed with especial skill.
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