The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-19 00:00:00

2.14.6
7.4.0

LITERATURE.

Bond and Free. By the author of " Caste."
Three vols. Hurst and Blackett.

This is a clever novel, which exemplifies some
striking phases of the human character, and in
which the, hero is very ably delineated. Wilfred
is the exact impersonation of a weak character ;
all his wise intentions were frustrated by his irre-
soluteness, and all his good endeavours marred, if
not wholly neutralised, by the sin that did so easily
beset him. His career was indeed an eventful one,
and a more powerful mind than his might well
have been staggered at the prospect before him.
Of a far more attractive style is his friend Herbert
Southern. Not much is told us of this youth's
career, and he is cut off at an early age, but what
is revealed bears the testimony of a superior life
and the promise of a glorious future, had he been
spared to do service in his generation. The ladies
are well drawn in this novel ; they are not slurred
over, faintly praised, or covertly blamed, leavirig one
to infer that the author shares the conviction of
the irrascible poet—

" Most women have no character at all."

Felicia is the least defined of any, but still we can
clearly trace her conduct from the shadowy outline.
She is a pure and gentle creature, far removed
from the sordid and grovelling motives that ac-
tuated the world around her, and high above all
selfish considerations. Such characters are rare,
it is to be regretted for the sake of humanity, but
for the glory of humanity they are sometimes
existing among us ; they seem born to be the grace
and glory of the spheres in which they move—

" A boon in trust to mortals given,
They come awhile to cheer our earth,
Ere they shall seek their native Heaven."

Mrs. Southern is a delightful specimen of a gentle
and gracious lady, one of those wives and mothers
who are indigenous to this country, and who are
the presiding geniuses and the good spirits of many
of the free and blessed homes of England, where
they labour in retirement at the good work whose
seeds spring up to fructify the soil—whose pious
counsels and loving cares send forth sons to be the
pride of their country, and train up daughters to
be the light of many a dwelling, till the blessing
of Heaven seems to rest upon the home where the
children grow up as the young plants, and shine as
the polished corners of the temple. Of a totally
different stamp is Mrs. Lister. Wild and ithpe-
tuous, she brooked not control, and seemed to say,
with reckless defiance, "My heart may break,
but never bend." Such a course ill befits a world
whose best doctrine is humility, and where sorrow
never has such sway as over haughty and rebellious
natures. She was much to blame for her conduct
towards her son, and she had to answer for many
of his errors, for she forced him into a false position ;
and besides, she had no right to think she could
rule the decrees of fate, and avert the consequences
of her unfortunate and wrong marriage. Eleanor
Narpenth is again a contrast, and though of a most
unpleasing class, she is finely sketched. She was
naturally of most violent passions, and possessed of
a headstrong will; hence same scenes, that appear
at first sight rather strange and startling,
are more likely when one considers the an-
tecedents of all parties, and the temper
that agitated the spoiled Miss Narpenth.
It is a great flaw in the character of Wilfred to
have proposed to Eleanor, and the plea that honour
bade him do so was perfectly absurd. It was a
grand idea of the poet to make his hero say—

"I could not lave thee half so much,
Loved I not honour more ;"

but it is a miserable perversion of the original sen-
timent for lovers to declare that the dictates of
honour command any one to act contrary to their
rational convictions, and to violate the strongest
and deepest feelings of their natures. The false
vows brought their own doom upon them:in a short
time, and bitter were the sufferings that ensued
therefrom. Mr. Ireton, the guardian of Wilfred, is
a peculiar man ; he, too, made a serious mistake in
harbouring those angry feelings that destroyed his
better nature, and left but the dross behind ; they
inflamed and tortured him, as the worm that dieth
not, and the fire that is not quenched. On the
whole this novel furnishes one with some noticeable
features of human life, and though the story is not
at all pleasing, yet it is skilfully narrated, and
may be of great interest to those who seek to study
the motives and manners of men. Certainly the
reader will find an instance of the sin of deceit, as
evidenced in the marriage of Verbane, the evil
husband of Mrs. Lister, an example of the
misery of indecision to which the whole
of Wilfred's early career bore irrefrag able testimony;
and the fatal extremes to which wild and un-
checked passions may lead us are displayed in the
conduct of Eleanor. It is satisfactory to note how
Wilfred afterwards betook himself to wiser courses,
and although many like him would have fallen into
worse ways, still there are bright exceptions. The
useful existence he led when he was the secretary
..a...114.244,-garther-is-a-postrtvn fella atter the wild
and wayward style of his life in London, andit was
a blessing to himself and his friends when he
walked in the ways of reason after having so long
wandered in the paths of fancy. There is no tyranny
more severe than the thraldom which holds the
victims like Wilfred in its hands, and no freedom
more glorious than the release from it. He
might have exclaimed "I am free ! as the bird
that's eseaped from the snare," when he entered on
his new and better course. These volumes will be
found to contain great variety in their descriptions,
and among their sketches, numerous and artistic,
some must be found to call for admiration, except
from the very captious and critical. Too much
may have been made in some cases of Wilfred's
peculiar style, but taking all things into considera-
tion, the story of " Bond and Free" has plenty of
merit to redeem its faults, and abundance of inte-
resting incident to counteract any occasional
tedium that may arise in the tenour of its nar-
rative.