Artist or Amateur ; or, the Surface of Life. By
Mrs. Caddy. 3 vols. (Chapman and Hall.)—Elma Deane is a young lady of strong artistic tastes, which seem, before their work is subjected to practical tests, to amount to genius. Domestic circumstances suggest to her the reso- lution to earn her own living, by the exercise of the gifts which she believes herself to possess. Happily for herself, at the very outset of her career the "amateur " meets, in the person of an old school-friend, one Flora Potts, with a genuine " artist." The contrast between the frivolity of the life which Elma has been sharing with her wealthy relatives, and the genuine happiness and excellence of Flora's home life, is admirably described. No attempt is made to invest the latter with a refinement which it did not possess. The picture is a real one, full of a truthfulness and naturalness which cannot be too highly praised. The story itself is not, indeed, of more than moderate interest. It does not pretend to anything like a plot, and the author is satisfied with giving his readers a gentle satisfaction when they find that the beautiful Elma is saved by the intervention of a very common-place incident from the necessity of becoming an "artist" indeed. But the talk about art, and indeed the conversation generally, the sketches of character, the descriptions of life and scenery, show no common degree of excellence, and make Artist and Amateur an emin- ently readable book. We cannot help expressing, by.the way, a firm conviction that the name of " Mrs. Caddy " on the title-page is a pseu- donym. We hope that we may be pardoned for saying that the book shows throughout, in an easy sort of way, an amount of miscellaneous knowledge which not many women possess. And there are humorous passages which we feel sure no woman over wrote, not because they are particularly good (for that would not be a reason), but because they are peculiarly masculine. For instance, Fred is per- suading his sister to take some food, and not injure the beauty of her outline by undue abstinence. "Take some chicken and fried potato, to oblige me, and to help to train the eye of the Phidias of the street. Who knows but you may be unconsciously helping the School Board ?"—If. By the Author of " Casque and Cowl." 3 vols. (Tinsley Brothers.) Here is another novel dealing with art life, but dealing with it from outside, and in an unsatisfactory way. Horace Raleigh and Hermia Stuart are two lovers, whose parting is described in the 'first chapter. Horace is a painter. He goes to Italy with the highest prospects, but unluckily makes the acquaintance of a very beautiful
saves her from an unhappy marriage, and makes a marriage him- -self that turns out most unhappily. 'He has unmasked • the villainy of a certain Count, and the Count reappears upon the scene when the painter has returned to England, and pursues him with a vengeance that looks much more like melodrama than real life, which abounds with spites but not with long-cherished and elaborate revenges. Hermia meanwhile has become a celebrated pianist. But these two careers are not described, as it seems to us, with any real mastery of the subject. The ordinary social life, love-making, dtc., which make up the rest of the volume are tedious and common-place. We found if very difficult reading.
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