The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-21 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Sorrows of Gentility. By Geraldine Jews-
bury, author of " Constance Herbert," d-c.
2 vols. Hurst and Blackest.
This is an excellent production, full of spirit,
energy, and right feeling. It brings life before int
in a natural manner, and demonstrates successfully
the varying grades of folly, affectation, vanity, and
selfishness ; at the same time we are shown the
bright side of the case, and some examples appear
of kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity. The
heroine presents a striking instance of the sin, as
well as the shame, of leading the young mind astray
by false notions of their station, and its merit.
Gertrude was the more to be pitied, as she really
possessed good qualities, and was endowed with
many mental gifts, as well as personal attractions.
If she had been rightly instructed, she would have
been an honour, as well as a pride, to her family,
and a blessing to her immediate circle, instead of a
cause of excitement and anger, now the theme of
their envy, anon the subject of their scorn. How-
ever, the bitterest retribution that befell the proud
Gertrude was her own reflection, "as she had
sowed, so must she reap," and the harvests that
she gathered were enough to break a harder spirit
than was hers, and might have crushed the powers
of endurance in any mind, not so buoyed up with
youth, and unshadowed by experience. After her
elopement her life was begun in earnest ; she
stepped at once into the struggles of the world in
the most uncomfortable and profitless manner.
The scenes that follow on her immediate introduc-
tion to the family of her husband are artistically
sketched, and display an insight into human cha-
racter, and a knowledge•of the inner recesses of the
domestic domain that are considerable and remark-
able. The extremes were matched. Gertrude
was ashamed of her family, who had not station
to adorn their wealth, while Mrs. Donnelly was
nervously susceptible as to the prejudices of her
position, and ever solicitous to hide the scanty
ways and means she could muster to support the
dignity of her ancient family. Miss Donelly was
even more supercilious than her mother, and the
climax of her horror at the mesalliance was at-
tained, upon the first evening of the arrival of her
sinter-in-law. She produced a small work of her
own compilation, in which she had chartered the
arms of the Donnelly family. She demanded of
Gertrude what was her father's crest, what arms
he bore ? She did not know that her new
relative was the daughter of an innkeeper.
In some trepidation Gertrude answered
" The Mettringham Arms," alluding to the
sign of the inn. For a moment Sophia Donnelly
imagined that she was a distant connexion of a
noble family of that name ; but when undeceived,
and informed that the nobleman in question was
her father's landlord only, she was confounded.
Augustus Donnelly, who had been struck by the
beauty and intelligence of the young girl—(he had
met her on a visit to a schoolfellow of higher rank
than heiself)—had never once thought of his duties
in regard to her. He was well-meaning enough if
she did not come in his way ; but as to studying
her comfort in preference to his own, or in addition
to it even, was not to be thought of. He uncere-
moniously left her with his mother and sister,
whom she had never seen till that day, and hurried
away to London to amuse himself. In the miser-
able magnificence of Mrs. Dannelly's house, Ger-
trude learned the first of her bitter lessons, but it
was not the hardest. The volatile Augustus con-
trived to obtain some appointment in London, and.
summoned Gertrude. She hurried up, delighted
at the prospect of emancipation from the present
disagreeables of her position. For a few months
she was tolerably contented. Misfortune super-
vened, in the shape of Mrs. Donnelly and her
daughter taking a fancy to see a little of London,
and, of course, they took up their quarters with
their son. It was not likely that an experienced
tactician, as the old lady certainly was, would long
be held at bay by the weak manoeuvres of an inex-
perienced girl, and that a meddling disposition
would be inactive while an opportunity for making
mischief presented itself. Worse than the time in
the country was now the life in town. The do-
mestic sceptre wrested from her grasp, the amuse-
ments she had enjoyed put out of her reach, because
Augustus' friends, who admired his pretty and
gentle wife, would not be troubled with his over-
bearing mother and conceited sister. Of course
they would not hear of her going without them,
and the result was that Augustus went alone, and
the last tie that kept the ill-assorted husband and
wife together was broken. He became wild and
reckless, she discontented and morose. Some time
after this the establishment was broken up, and
the unsongenial elements of its social structuree
were dispersed far and wide. Augustus fled by
nightfrom bailiffs to a foreign shore. Mrs. Donnelly
and Sophia returned to retirement, and Gertrude
with her infant, was fetched away by her mother.
It was not " home," however, that she went to,
although under her parent's roof, and although the
dreaded inn was no longer their abode. It would
not have concerned her what the place was if she
had been at peace within, but doubts arose, diffi-
culties presented themselves, and poor Mrs. Mor-
ley's ideas of happiness at her daughter's return
were now laid low. It was her father's invincible
repugnance to her husband that induced her to
leave his house for that of her brother, who was
now settled at the "Metringham Arms," of famous
memory. Augustus announced his intention of
returning for a " change." He wished to enjoy a
little of the far-famed wealth of his wife's relations.
Simon Morley, jun., was well disposed towards
his sister, but he had married since her departure,
and Mrs. Simon was a different mistress to what
Gertrude remembered in the home of her child-
hood. A dreary season was passed here, and a
welcome change was that which removed them from
the old place. A more tranquil time ensued for
the distressed heroine. Augustus, discovered by
his creditors, was glad to profit by the chance of a
situation abroad that he had before spurned, and.
went off to Africa. It was not feasible for his wife
and child to accompany him, nor was it desirable ;
and the new life that Gertrude led was, for the
first time, an independent one. A kind friend,
who had before promised to help her, now came
forward, and bestowed upon her the greatest kind-
ness in her then harassed state—the means of
useful employment, and of honourable support.
This calm was not to endure, and the last scenes of
Gertrude's sufferings aro more painful than the
earlier ones. It was not outward irritation now,
but inward torments that she endured, and above
att was the consciousness hourly dawning
upon her that she was wrong, not only in
having first run contrary to her duty, but
in her after acceptation of its results.
Wisdom can never be too late learnt to effect some
good, and thus she, as' its votary, grew more con-
tented. After some months suffering her husband.
became a confirmed invalid, and thus the patience
of Gertrude was fully tested. It was a satisfaction
to her that they were enabled to part in peace
after so stormy and chequered a career. It is not
by the events themselves, so much as by the way
in which they are described, that the reader's at-
tention is rivetted, and interest sustained. A few
of the chief persons are most admirably delineated,
and the filling up of the portraitures evinces judg-
ment and skill. The fine shades of opinion, the
minute degrees of difference, the various and tri-
vial points seem as nothing to a casual observer,
but the reflecting mind will kuow, and see, that it
is the influence of these lesser evils, these small be-
ginnings, that create dissensions, divisions, and
sorrow in a household. " The Sorrows of Gen-
tility" exhibits human nature in its true aspect,
little
most depressed by petty annoyances, mosthux
tsrmoaulbl
ens! k i nldta domestic
nes ses , and
dramsmost
presents various
bvyalrii
.t
a and
degrees of rank, for the most part equal
in one thing—false pretences. The straits
subterfuges to which they have recourse are sun.
ciently absurd to be sometimes ridiculous in the
the mortification they underwent
' hialwlyhloelds out a powerful warning for the
eoxetreimone
would-be and the make-believe. The style which
is adopted is a sparkling and brilliant one; and
from its merit in design, and skill in execution, its
interest as a tale, and its deduction as a moral,
this novel will doubtless be welcomed as a
favourite.