The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-08 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

On Guard. A Novel. By Annie Thomas, author
of " Denis Donne." 3 vols. Chapman and Hall.
The brilliant author of " Sir Victor's Choice" is
rapidly attaining a prominent rank among the
favourite novelists of the day, and we are glad to
notice a steady improvement in her latest efforts.
Since the successful issue of " Sir Victor's Choice,"
about a year back, the reading public have been
startled by the continuous and occasionally the
simultaneous publication of various three-volume
novels, and other works of fiction, from the same
hand ; the most striking of which, "Denis Donne,',
we had the pleasure of noticing last summer. We
had remarked with regret that some of the later
works recently issued by the same writer had not
equalled the ability of the two above specified pub-
lications, but now the cause of this difference, and
also the secret of this wonderful and almost in-
credible fertility of composition is revealed to us.
In the preface to one of her latest -issued works,
" A Dangerous Secret"—itself a very interesting
and enthralling narrative--the fair authoress tells
us that many of her earlier works, which happened
to be in the hands of others, have been, since the
success of " Sir Victor's. Choice," hastily given to
the public. Hence the amazing rapidity with which
" Sir Victor's Choice," and " Denis Donne," and
" Bertie Bray," and "Bryan O'Byrne," and "A
Dangerous Secret," and others which we forget,
and, lastly, "On Guard," have succeeded each
other in the short space of a year ! Before the
mystery was revealed to us we had recognised
the superior merit of "Denis Donne" to the
other (and, as it now appears, earlier)
works of the same writer simultaneously issued
from the press, and that steady development of
her abilities we are glad yet more fully to recog-
nise in her *new work, " On Guard," which is, in
many respects, one of the best productions
of that industrious hand. With some of
the same faults that were prominent in its pre-
decessors, with a little too much of an inclination
to the " fast" school, as evidenced by an occasional
oath, hardly suited to the pen of a lady writer, and
an occasional introduction to questionable company,
with such drawbacks—and we the more willingly
draw attention to them on account of the writer's
manifest abilities—" On Guard " is a very able and
a most enthralling novel. Bella Vane, the Beauty
and the Coquette, is as fascinating, but not as heart-
less as the brilliant heroine of " Denis Donne." The
authoress, who evidently inclines to these sparkling,
treacherous types of womanhood, had not the heart
to render Bella heartless. She frankly tells us, " I
like the girl whom I have created, or rather, I like
the prototype from whom I have drawn her, so
well, that I feel there will be pain in telling how
little worthy she was," &c. The other heroine
Florry Villars, the good, gentle, loving Florry, is
represented as so weak and easily led that she suffers
her nearest and dearest to have cause to doubt in
her affection. Throughout the book, as one of the
chief characters sums up at the conclusion, every
one is "on guard" against the wrong thing. Most
vigilant of these most mistaken, self-constituted,
guardians is young Lady Villars, the sister-in-law
of poor amiable Florence and of Stanley Villars,
the unhappy hero of the tale. Her husband, Sir
Gerald, lives in a wholesome dread of " Carrie"
being " upset" about anything. With a heart in-
clined to his falling brother, he suffers his wife to over-
rule his best desires. Perhaps, the happiest specimen
we can give of the lively style and animated interest
which characterise this story, is the following scene
when Lady Villars stands so faithfully and cleverly.
ON GUARD.

She had done no more than humanity had a right to ex-
pect from her. She had found a man in dark despair, in
penury, in ill health ; and the certain conviction was hers
that she had been the cause of his fall into these things.
However weak and erring he had been—however blindly
perverse, and wickedly wasteful of the good gifts God had
given him, which no woman could destroy—she could but
feel herself to have been the first cause of the weakness
and error, of the blind perversity and reckless wasteful-
ness. What amends she could it was her bounden duty to
make. This she knew. She also knew that she had set
about making it in the wrong way. " Why didn't I write
and tell Claude abobt it yesterday, before it grew?" she
thought, as she found herself walking alone •into Lady
Villars' room, having thought it well that Marian should
wait in the carriage till the ice was broken.
There were three of Lady Villars' sisters in the room
when Bella entered. She saw at once that they were
sisters, and shrewdly guessed that they had come up for
the wedding.
" I think Florence is taking off her habit," Lady Villars
said, "or else she's trying on some dresses ; would you
hear ?" addressing one of her sisters ; " she'd so like to see
Mrs. Walsingham."
"And I want to see her very much," Bella commenced
in an agitated tone. " The fact is—l hope you won't think
She broke down, and Lady Villars began to smile,
and continued the same till her little short nose was almost
lost in the plumpness of her cheeks.
"Think you late in your congratulations? Oh, dear,
no ! It's a very recently arranged affair—a brilliant match
for the dear girl—if she were my own sister I could't have
desired a better.
"I suppose not," Bella replied, looking at the ,aforesaid
sisters. She did not mean to look sarcastic or anything
else antagonistic to the "Carrie" interest just now; but
she could not help feeling and showing that she felt that
Lady Villars' fraternal toleration would not have been
very severely taxed. The marriage that was pronounced
fitting for Miss Villars, might surely have been held suit-
able for one who owed all of social consideration that she
enjoyed to the Villars alliance.
"I suppose not. No, it was not congratulations I came
to offer." Then she rose from the seat she had taken on
first entering the room, and said hurriedly, "I had better
not go round the subject. Stanley is dying—and his wife
has come here with me (she's in my carriage) to tell