The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-20 00:00:00

as she did so, on past scenes, and on past feelings, now for ever gone.
" Nanette took the cross, Maitre Charpentier's gift,
from the paper and cotton in which it reposed. The
gold wasp as bright as ever ; shining brilliantly beneath
the light of Nanette candle.
" Ah !' she thought, as she looked on it,' the things
of heaven remain for ever bright and lasting, whilst
those of earth tarnish_and pass away.' ,
" Nanette slowly returned the cross to its envelope ;
little wotting that her mind had entertained a; poetic
sentiment.
" Then she took the packet of Antoine's letters from
the chest : letters so carefully preserved ; whilst her's
to Antoine had served him to show off, and to light
Pipes with. Not one .of Nanette's was then in ex-
istence.

•
" She read the first and the last of these epistles, and
shed many tears over them ; then locking up her chest,
she sought her bed with a sad heart,/ yet with an ap-
proving conscience.
" On awaking the following morning, Nanette took
from beneath her pillow, the letter she had written the
night before. Having read it over several times, she
found nothing to alter, either in that or her resolution.
" Nanette left the letter with her mother ; begging
her to read it and think over the step she was about to
take, whilst she proceeded to her hard work in the corn-
field.

" In the course of that day, the tears often stole down
her brown cheeks as she reaped ; but she strengthened
her heart by reflecting that she was obeying the voice
of her conscience : a voice which, from childhood, she
had resolved should never call to her. in -vain,
" Everything is for the best to the righteouS ; if not
in this world, at least in that which is to come.' "

The Heir of Vallis. Ey William. Mattltovrs. 3 vols.

Smith and Elder.

This is not au ordinary work ; in fact it is out of
the usual range of romances, and differs, essentially
from the stories of the present day. Its plot is
exceedingly intricate, and the personaobTs are so
numerous that it is with difficulty that the reader
can remember all the varying interests and con-
flicting claims at once. It is arranged with great
skill, and the many striking scenes and effective
tableaux that appear are shadowed forth with most
artistic power. It is impossible to give an account
of the story, for it could not be done in a summary
sketch. It is sufficient to say that the long-lost
and deeply-lamented heir is in disguise for many
years,, and hence all sorts of false stories are abroad
in regard to his disappearance. Two old county
families—the Nevilles and the Napiers—live near
each other, and are on friendly terms. However,
it is-in consequence of the weakness of the fatherC
and the vice of the son, in the house of Neville,
that all the calamity heals the heir of Vallis which
is the name of the Napiers' property. An Italian
woman is introduced into these eventful pages, who
is filled with all the burning jealc nay and vindic-
tive spirit of revenge that forms the worst feature
of the children of her land. In the wonders and
mysteries before us, the most interesting person is
the Captain Currary, who is also under an assumed
name, and figures as
" Langton" before his un-
known cousins. It is to be questioned if many
would not prefer a less brilliant work, provided it
were easier to peruse, and less awful in some of its
details and descriptions. It must not be taken up
to beguile a few spare hours, or resorted to as an
amusing subject for a wearied mind ; but to those
who can appreciate and admire the evidence of un-
deniable talent in construction and composition
these pages will afford a desirable study.

Doise ; or, the Songs and Legends of Romania.
By E. Grenville Murray. Smith, Elder, and
Co.

The universal excitement which has recently
prevailed respecting the fate of the provinces of
Moldavia and. Wallachia will probably lend to this
collection of their national songs and legends an
extrinsic- interest. Indeed, to most readers, the
introduction will prove the most attractive part of
the volume. A slight sketch of the early history-
of the country is given. Having been long op-
pressed and misgoverned, there was no literature
except a few religious treatises. The fashionable
language was a mixture of Sclavonic, Greek, Turk-
ish, and Latin, but the ancient Rouman dialect
was still to be found among the lower classes. But
forty years ago a change took place. The national
language, which is so soft 'and musical as to have
bee n called the golden tongue, 'was revived, and
many writers have contributed to it. But, un-
happily, the censorship is severe, and after 1848
almost all poets, historians, or novelists, indeed
almost all authors of any class, were banished.
Of this class of political refugees and .exiles
the author writes with much earnestness and feel-
ing. Excepting the Red Republicans and such
characters, he asserts that it is some of the best and
bravest of foreign lands who are houseless, banished
wanderers. He remarks on their unfortunate po-
sition, and the difficulty which all foreigners ex-
perience iu finding employment, and that the edu-
cation of the higher classes abroad is extremely
unpractical.

The legends are something of the imaginative
and allegorical kind of eastern romances. They
are graceful and poetical, with much similarity be-
tween them. As a specimen of a literature almost
unknown to us they present a striking novelty.