The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-20 00:00:00

LITERA TUBE.

Alice Wentworth. 3 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
The motto of this book contains the sum and
substance of the story—

" For he through Sin's long labyrinth had run,
Nor made atonement when he did amiss,
Had sighed to many though he loved but one,
And that loved one, alas ! could ne'cr be his."

These lines, uninviting though they
may appear
in detail, and lugubrious in description, are the
epitome of Alfred Darrell's career. It cannot be
pleasing to study such a character, who is without
principle, and destitute of any self-control ; but it
is interesting to watch how skillfully the author
has drawn the different phases of his hero's course,
alternately overwhelmed with remorse and fired
with the determination to amend, and then again
relapsing into his old habits, and stifling the voice
of his upbraiding conscience. Yet if Darrell is not
a pleasing hero, Alice is a charming heroine. She
evinces in an eminent degree that spirit of self-con-
trol which is so conspicuously wanting in her lover.
able was deserving of all praise. Many
Her conduct at the most trying moment con e,eiv-
might
have appealed in private to the sympathy of friends,
thus exposing themselves to continual comment and
uncongenialremarks, buti'onlyfew possess the power,
like Alice Wentworth, to be silent. Under the
mask of a gay life and brilliant entertainments, she
hid a broken heart and concealed a sinking spirit.
However, there is one drawback to her otherwise
faultless conduct—it was her permitting herself to
remain under the same roof with Darrell after his
previous dishonourable actions. After a time, she
bade him depart, never to see her again, but in the
mere fact of their meeting in the house of her uncle,
a shade is cast over the lofty purity of her former
demeanour. It was impossible to be on friendly
terms with him, and, therefore, no object was
gained by their coining in contact after the lapse of
so long a period. One great merit is discernible in
the conclusion, namely, Darrell's dying before Lady
Emily. The idea of a tardy reconciliation taking
place, and the events proceeding as at first pro-
posed, would have been highly objectionable, and
yet it is often so contrived in stories of this sort,
after all the parties concerned seem irretrievably
alienated, death is introduced as a remover of diffi-
culties. It must be a source of great satisfaction
to all the readers of this clever tale that no hasty
repentance and well-timed atonement restored to
Darrell the lost object of his regard, and enabled
him to taste of that happiness he had forfeited by
his own crimes. On earth his sufferings were the
only consequences of his errors, his life was a per-
fect torment to him with his ill-chosen companion,
who gave him no rest by her reproaches and regrets.
Alice led a single life. After a few years she retired
to the privacy of a country dwelling, where she
endeavoured to forget in peaceful well-doing the
sorrows that had befallen her in the commencement
of her existence. There are some other less im-
portant personages in the book, who are ably
brought in at different times, and it is a faithful
portraiture, on the whole, of some dark passages in
human history.

Linny Lockwood. By Mrs. Crowe. 2 vols.

Routledge.

The numerous admirers of " Lilly Dawson," and
" Susan Hopley," will welcome with pleasure the
announcement of a new work of fiction by Mrs.
Crowe. It is, however, inferior to her former
works, and, though commenced with vigour and
continued with interest, there are some points in
it which cannot please. Mrs. Crowe does not
excel in depicting heroes ; her forte appears to be
the heroines of lowly life. The hero of the present
work, Vaughan Edmonstone, does not appear to
possess sufficient attractions to account for the
mania which seizes the three heroines. He is a weak,
contemptible character ; indeed he commits posi-
tive crimes. He marries Linny, who is the only
pleasing character in the tale. He gets into diffi-
culties, and elopes with Lady Glenlyon, with whom
he had previously been acquainted, for what rea-
son it would be difficult to say. These are the two
first heroines, both desperately attached to Vaughan
Edmonstone. Linny is foolish in loving him, Lady
Glenlyon still more so, and Alice Mearns, the third,
is the most foolish of all. She follows him through
France (believing him to be unmarried) to lay her
fortune at his feet, and when the unfortunate hero
shows the only sense of propriety he exhibits in his
life, and sends her back again, she grows desperate
and drowns herself. This is one of the points we
object to, as unnatural, improbable, and not at all
agreeable. Our sympathies cannot be enlisted on
the side of one who, without the slightest authority
for supposing herself preferred, so far forgets all
maidenly reserve and feminine propriety. The
other incident is still more objectionable. When
Vaughan Edmonstone sets off to Germany with
Lady Glenlyon, leaving her husband and his wife
in Paris, Linny comes to London to support her-
self. After living with a friend for some mouths,
she thinks she will go into service, and accordingly
becomes the attendant of a mysterious, penitent,
and unhappy lady, whom she subsequently dis-
covers to be Lady Glenlyon. She, however, re-
mains with her, and attends her on her deathbed.
This is a most unpleasing arrangement, entirely
wanting in good taste. But when, after this,
Linny goes to Germany to join her husband, and
there becomes acquainted with the episode of Alice
Mearns, and also with the fact that he had been
unknowingly the instrument of her father's ruin,
the reader cannot wonder that even her patience
gives way, and she returns to England in disgust.
But we do wonder that, when the concluding scene
of the work re-unites them by the deathbed of the
culprit, that his last words should be, " Igo to
join the other blessed ones." The story is varied
and interesting, the characters well drawn and
diversified, and the generality of the incidents not
improbable. There are some passages of great
beauty and feeling, and none who peruse Mrs.
Crowe's works can ever doubt the talent which
they evince. The story opens very effectively,
though the commencement is somewhat marred by
the objectionable plan, now so common, of retro-
spect in the second chapter. There is no paucity
of events, or of dramatispersonce. It is only to be
wished that Mrs. Crowe should have chosen a
more pleasing selection of the drama of life in
which to exhibit them. We trust she will do
this in her next fiction, and, while giving us the
same variety of sentiment, ability of style, and
interest of narrative, she may avoid all those ab-
surdities of romance which border on the ludi-
crous, and those painful positions which jar on the
feelings and offend the taste in "Linny Lockwood."

NEW MUSIC.
Nine Songs from the Opera of Love's Alarms. The
words
Francis bync J. B. Bu?kstone. The Music by Ed-
wardis . D'Almaine and Co.,
Soho-square.
The words of these songs are taken from the
opera recently performed at the Haymarket. As
may be supposed, the words are most of them
comic, though not inelegant. The exceptions to
this rule are very pretty, though sentimental. They
are the duet of " Dearest be mine," the canzonet
" Farewell to love? and the ballad" When should
The music to all the
being lively and
original. They have the prestige of having been
sung by popular favourites, as the names of Miss
lwoovredrss birseaotfhe a their
superior voNvs ?
kind,"
Louisa Pyne, Miss Featherstone, Mr. Harrison,
&e. are appended to most of them. The admirers
of comic songs will find these well suited for them,
seem more calculated for private singing, the others
aarnd, althoughsuperior
ecertainlythe ex eteoptitohnes we have mentioned
generality of comic
music.

A Set of Songs. The Poetry Selected. The Music
by Edward Francis Fitzwilliarn.
LiAlmaine
and Co., Soho-square.

1
Y written for songs to
It is certainly a relief after the sentimental com-
monplacesfindwordkspere, Byron, and
Macaulay. There are twelve songs in this volume,
the price of which is twelve shillings. They are,
s selectedwh
therefore, much less expensive than if sold sepa-
icharferounisuasllha
rately. " The Minstrel's Monitor," by L. E. L.,
is a beautiful lyric, which expresses the same idea
as Mrs. Hemans in " The Diver." The accom-
paniment flows in harmonious unison with the
words. " Love like a shadow flies" is a fragment
from Shakspere, skilfully arranged. " The Moun-
tain breeze" and a ,‘ German cradle song" are two
pleasing ballads. One verse has been taken from
the apostrophe of the sea at the conclusion of
" Childe Harold.,, cc A Legend of Spectresheim"
is a mysterious record of unknown crimes. Its
chief point is the chorus. Macaulay's " Ivry and
the Armada" are also added. We question whe-
ther the best part of the latter has been selected,
but of course the singer can easily transpose the
words. The music is of considerable merit, and
the volume will be found very attractive to all
who prefer to see good music accompanied by words
which have something more than mere euphony of
sound to recommend them.

The Heather Bell. The Fragile Flower.—One
Morn as o'er the Hills I Strayed.-----The Merry
First of May. Campbell, Ransford, and Co., New
Bond-street.
The words of these songs are taken from Mr.
Henry Drayton's lyric sketch of "Pierre," which
was recently performed at the St. James's Theatre.
The music is composed by Joseph F. Duggan.
They are all pleasing and melodi▪
ous, and likely to
become general favourites, especia• lly the ballads of