The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-04 00:00:00

THE PRESS, Jut 4, 1857.

sitting alone in a g,irret when deserted by her
seducer, and reduced to dependence on her
own maid :

Noah's lodging was in a house which, though not abso-
lutely shabby, bore few traces of the luxury to which she
had been aceustomed.
And the sight of the guilty Norah was enowth to move
her cousin's pity. She still wore the black velvet dress
that at the lieston ball had elicited such passionate ad
miration. lint the smooth cheek that on that night
glowed with the beauty of health and guilty excitement,
was wan and pale. The flashing eye was sunken and dull.
In lieu of the gorgeous flowers and the brilliant orals-
tnents, a thin, shabby silk mantle of her maid's had been
thrown carelessly over her shoulders, to bring some life
to the languid circulation.
'there was the same Norah in the came dress. But how
altered the circumstances! how different the accessories!
Maniere% had made room for flippery ; high hopes and
a spotless fame tarnished, and as the perishable texture.
She was sitting over the embers of a scanty wood fire,
contained in a common, unpolished iron stove. On the
sofa lay some articles of linen, just retnrned from the
laundress, the bill pinned ou the top of them. The arm-
chair on which she sat was torn in more places than one,
leaving visible the hemp padding. On the stove stood a
phial and a common earthenware cup, containing a plated
tesapoon, of which the black metal substratum was ap-
parent at the edges. Near her on a small table, uneasy
on its legs, was placed a small black japanned tray, with a
brown porcelain teapot, and a cup, saucer, and spoon,
scarcely matching those on the chimney. A new and
gently carpet threw into relief these dingy objects, though
the portion near the fireplace was littered with dust and
embers, ignorant of the broom. In either corner of the
room farthest from the windows stood tall articles of
furniture, serving the triple purpose of closet, sideboard,
and writing-table. A few paintings adorned the paper on
the walls, likewise renewed for the full season. They
were had copies of well-known Italian pictures—portraits
of Machiavelli, Dante, Alfieri, the Madonna della Seggiola,
the Beatrice, and a likeness of the master of the house.
The artistic decoration was completed by a few alabaster
statuettes—the Venus fly-spotted and yellow, the Slave
deprived of his thorn-bearing foot, which lay quietly by his
aide on the console. Everything bespoke neglect and the
absence of attendance.

" Cuthbert St. Elme " is not, as the title
would seem to signify, a political novel
Politics are introduced as a means of exhibit-
ing the hero in a certain phase. But none of
the workings of English political life—none
of the social problems which await the solu-
tion of statesmen—none of the great events
which form epochs in our constitutional his-
tory—are introduced or discussed. Of foreign
politics, however, the author seems to have
some knowledge, and some of his comparisons
between Belgium, France, and England will
perhaps be thought interesting. It is the
thankless office of criticism to dwell more
upon faults than beauties ; but we hasten to
assure our readers that " Cuthbert St. Elme"
is a book to be read, and decidedly one of
" the novels " of the day.
2 The effect predicted of pouring new wine
into old bottles is analogous to that of in-
fusing new ideas into old minds. In
" The Two Aristocracies " Mrs. Gore has
penned a deliberative comparison between
the successful manufacturer and the here-
ditary gentleman, from every point of view
assigning the advantage to the former.
The mercantile hero is a better one than the
gentleman hero, and the gentleman scoundrel
a worse one than the mercantile scoundrel.
Ve are asked to believe, for instance, that
the extreme weakness, folly, and stupidity
of the " Herberts of Weald," stated to be an
old country family in the south of England, and
their servility to Lord Ullesmere, are average
characteristics of the English country gentry ;
while, on the other hand, old Lambert is, we
suppose, to be taken as the type of the English
merchant The " view " is essentially false, and
the adoption of it in the face of such facts as
the few last years have witnessed argues either
great mental perversity or equally foolish spite.
Who are the leading philanthropists of the pre
sent day, and who have been the leading swin-
dlers ? Will Mrs. Gore do us the favour to an-
swer that question literally, and then explain
upon what principle she has written " The Two
Aristocracies "? We are truly sorry to have been
driven to find fault with an old favourite like
Mrs. Gore, more especially as some of those
qualities which first won her popularity are as
brilliantly displayed as ever. Her social satire
is keen and searching, and she is a formidable
exposer of domestic and conventional humbug.
The fallowing passage deserves to he widely
circulated :

Some superannuated reader of these pages may recall
to mind how, during the popularity of Hannah More's
" Ccelebs," society eras overrun by Lnciass. Every young

657

lady on her preferment was modelled after that exemplary
heroine. Di Vernon, too, created a legion of imitators;
till drtven from the field by the more feminine Georgys of
Mr. Ward's " Tremaine ;" and as a tolerable original is
better than the hest copy, most of these artificially-drilled
damsels would have been preferable in a natural state.
But when the popularity of what is called the Serious
novel brought the artless school into vogue, the incessant
prattle of naive young ladies, especially in country houses,
became as serious a nuisance as the twittering aviaries at
the Zoological. It WlB even proposed by some crusty
bachelor, that, as it is now a matter of penalty for factory-
chimneys to consume their own smoke, every large family
should he required to consume its own prattle, on peril of
a massacre of the Innocents.
Charles Lamb, one of the most zealous guardians of the
spontaneity of the human character, inveighs against the
" coxcombry of book taught charity." And the hypocrisies
of book taught naiveté are unquestionably prominent
among the failings of' modern Miss•hood. Where parents
and a daughter or two reside together, the practicality of
the elders keeps within bounds the deluge of mi'k and
water; and the ties of human affection, closer drawn,
admit of no imposture. But a family of "charming girls"
like the Herberta, prattling in society only of school•feasts
and fl innel club', dear papa and dear mamma, dearest
Sophy and darling Anne, and some delightful preacher for
whose mediaeval church they are embroidering altar cloths,
and for whoes missionary fancy-fair they are scrubbing.
brushing sketchy landscapes,—but whose talk about them-
selves is embittered with malice, hatred, and all unchari•
tableness, is a terrible snare.

3. " Anne Sherwood " is a story of governess
life, written in a style of bold and powerful
invective that might have become a !female
Juvenal. We have not read a novel now for a
very long time which bore an equally deep
impress of truth. Every stage of the
governess's career, and every scene of her
daily life, is graven in letters of fire ;—the
weary search for situations—the insolence and
extortion of agents—the contumely and harsh-
ness which render the appointment when
obtained only one shade more bearable than
starvation or suicide—the insulting attentions
of gentlemen of fashion only lending new stings
to the insulting comments of ladies of fashion—
together with the few bright exceptions which
not even this dark phase of human existence
is entirely without—then the gradual success
which a fine intellect and a resolute will begin
to achieve—passion changed to respect, con-
tempt to fear, indifference to love—till at
length the despised teacher walks as mistress
through the proud halls which had witnessed
her deepest humiliation, triumphs over all
her enemies, and avenges the wrongs of her
sisterhood. Such—the course of Anne Sher-
wood's career—is told by the authoress with a
vividness and graphic power which at once
mark out her volumes as one of the most
remarkable publications of the present
Peason. We should add that all through this
wonderful exposure of the hardships and
sorrows of the governess, a moral is still kept
in view most skilfully adapted to counteract
the bad effects arising from a display of
successful pride and almost unfeminine
tenacity of purpose. While punishing all who
had insulted her, Anne Sherwood punishes
herself still more severely, and is made ere
the end to feel in her very heart's core the
full force of an admonition never yet found
nugatory, that " vengeance is mine." The rare
art with which this 1•"sson is intertwined with
incidents all calculated to make us forget it is
one of the most striking merits of the story.
The following extract is from a scene in which
the heroine was summoned down from the
school room to make sport for a blasé party of
fashionable ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps
the idea is in itself rather• a libel on that class,
but the author has evidently suffered great
provocation, and there cannot be two opinions
of the literary merits of the passage :

Anne was plainly dressed in black silk. The messes of
her jetty hair were twined round her head somewhat in
the fashion of a turban, and gave an additional paleness
to her cheeks, shaded with lashes of unusual darkness.

Goaded by what she considered an unwarra 'table
exercise of authority, Anne had determined to yield to a
rept .st amounting, in fact, to a command; but in doing
so, to evince that she considered her admission to Lady
Adelaide's salon only such as a professional artist might com-
mand. She felt, too, perhaps, a proud consciousness that she
could and would surpass what might be expected from her,
and would leave no room, by elation or servility, for
receiving insults like those which had been heaped on
Miss Dobson. Sydney ( while Anne was making a hasty
preparation for her appearance in public) bad inform* d
her of the mock ovation which had greeted the companion's
entrée.

When Anne Sherwood entered the drawing-room, she
bowed to the circle, precisely as if she had been s hired
performer, but noticed no one in particular.

i

658

" I will trouble you to place a table here," said she to a
servant who was crossing the room. " Thank you ;
candles on the table, if you please. Be so good as to give
me a chair. Will you bring me a thick volume which lies
on the school room table ?"

Then Anne seated herself, and, dropping the dark
fringed lids over her expressive eyes, sat composedly
awaiting the servant's return.
The book was brought; Mr. Curzon himself did
Anne the honour of arranging the lights, which courtesy
she acknowledged by a grave bow without looking to•
wards him. _ _ _

Then, with as much sangfroid as " the sublime Fanny "
could have shown on a similar occasion, Anne said, in a
peculiarly clear, sweet voice, " I shall have the honour of
reading to you Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, Dramatis
Persona,"

No one spoke. Every eye turned on the reader. Lady
Adelaide affected to yawn. She was sorry, very sorry, for
her own act. She had brought down the " ugly gover•
nese " to show that she would, and also to enjoy her
humiliation when assailed by ridicule. But now, now she
feared that admiration would take the place of that
ridicule. The pky began. The voice alone of the reader
held every ear captive ; but as she warmed in her subject,
as her expressive countenance became animated and

reflected every shade of passion she sought to delineate,
her audience became fascinated ; they quite forgot her
identity with the schoolroom drudge, so excluded from
intercourse with her noble patrons, so carefully hidden
from their guests, as though too unsightly an object to be
seen. And Anne soon forgot of whom her audience
consisted. Reading her triumph in every eye, she rose to
a proud height in her declamation; it ceased to be such—
she became identified with every character, grave or gay,
which she assumed. The coldest heart thrilled in listen•
ing to her—the very coldest, except that of óe proud
Adelaide. The fiercest passion of envy was awakened in
her bosom. She—she envious of the plain little gover-
ness !—the fright I —the dowdy, who had been as a worm
in her path ! She, the matchless beauty, who looked down
on her as the eagio might gaze from its eyrie on the nest
of the lowly wren !
4. The two last stories on our list are
decide]' the most striking, however opinions
may differ about their true merits. " Guy
Livingston," a story of fast life in every phase
pursued by a hero of high intellectual and
physical organisation, is marked by genuine
knowledge of human nature, unusual
dramatic power, and great ease in the manage-
ment of stirring incidents. Sporting, flirting,
gambling, and duelling are all handled in turn
with the same fluency of style, elegance of
language, and complete mastery of the subject,
which distinguish the authors of "Jack
Hinton" and " Digby Grand" above all their
contemporaries. But in " Guy Livingston" a
deeper note is heard at intervals than either
of these writers has as yet attempted. The
characters of the hero, of Ralph Mohun, and
Flora Bellasys, if not deserving the naine of
original, may at least claim the next best
merit—that is of displaying a combination
which many writers have attempted, in pro-
portions more truthful than most of them.
Among many of the remarkable scenes in this
volume we would specially mention the attack
on the old manor-house in Ireland—the duel
in Paris— the scene in the conservatory—and
the last interview between the hero and Con-
stance Brandon.

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.
Blackwood this month contains only seven articles,
but, as might be expected, all are above the average.
A very good naturalist article on the Scilly 151e.4;
reviews of " The Professor" and " Life of Sir
Charles Napier"; a political article on the "Repre-
sentation of the Colonies "; an historical study of
Charles V. ; and continuation of the two stories—
! e.,' Sir Bulwer Lytton's " What will he Do with it,"
and " Scenes of Clerical Life "—form a most agree-
able and palatable mixture. From the colonial
article we extract the following :
And here we cannot help adverting t, what we consider
as a gross oversight—to use the mildest expression--on
the part of our Government, in not appealing to the loyal
colonies for assistance in the prosocution of an important
war. Would it not have b"en the natural, prudent, and
patriotic coarse to have recruited our armies from the
masses of the western population—from men of our blood
and kindred, fellow•aubjects of the Queen, and inheritors
of all our traditions? lift, should be said in reply that the
attempt was not made because it was considered by our
statesmen that men could not be spared from the colonies
for such a purpose, let us entreat the attention of the
public to a fact, vouched for by Mr. Justice Haliburton,
which is of so scandalous a nature as almost to appear
incredible to those who have not hail personal experience
of the manner in which public affairs are conducted in this
sensitive and punctilious country. Alluding to the circum•
stance that in the late war Britain derived no direct aid
from her colonies, Mr. Haliburton says:—
"In your turn, you may well say, Do you (the
colonists) put forward your bonfires, your illuminations
and rejoicings, at our success at Sebastopol (if success it
was), and your legislative grants in aid of the compassion-

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