The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-21 00:00:00

LIT

RE.

Falkner Lyle ; or, the Story of Two TVives. By
Mark Lemon. 3 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
The famous advice of the modern lEsop " To
persons about to Marry—Don't" should have been
inscribed as a motto to this story of two wives. The
good wife who is married to a bad husband, and
the good husband who is married to a bad wife, are
equally unhappy and unfortunate, and their several
histories may serve to point a wholesome moral as
well as to adorn an interesting tale. An unhappy
star watches over the destiny of Falkner Lyle, the
hero of the book. In his early youth he falls in
love with Ethel, the good heroine, but his suit is
unsuccessful. Here is a glimpse of Ethel in those
days of early fascination :
And was Ethel deserving this devotion and admiration ?
Yes, indeed—as, as apart from her beauty, which she wore
like an every-day garment, neither seeking to secure
admiration nor conscious of provoking it, she possessed
such me sweet nature that even the old could not resist its
influence, but loved her as the aged delight to love the
young. Although there was no indication that Ethel would
become a strong-minded woman—a soul misplaced—she
was endowed with firmness of character and a quick per-
ception of right and wrong; so that her good opinion be-
came of value, and there was good promise that, should
occasion try her, she would prove faithful to any hopes
she had inspired in thoso whom she had won to love and
trust her.
In this number is not included Falkner Lyle.
His fickle affections are then transferred to the
charming and heartless Bertha Clare, an Indian
heiress, and the Belle of the Beach at Dearport—
Bertha, who boasts to her most devoted friend that'
from her earliest days she has loved no one, father,
mother, friend, or relative. This amiable lady,
however, listens to the suit of Falkner Lyle, and
becomes one of the " two wives" whose histories are
here related —hinc i 1153 lachrymx. Before quitting
the narrative of Falkner's earlier experiences, we
must mention a startling anecdote recorded for his
benefit by the prudent friend who seeks to cure him
of his love for Ethel :
A STARTLING ticCIDENT.
" It would be thought odd," replied Mr. Bumps, " that an
an old, rusty usher—l'm forty next week—should sit by a
bright boy's bed-side, and talk to him of love and heart-
aches."
" Pray do, sir—pray do, sir !" Falkner said this so
imploringly that Mr. Bumps looked at him with both eyes
at once. lie then proceeded : " I told you I was intended
for the medical profession, and should have, perhaps, made
myself a reputation, had I not met a young girl—and loved
her.

"Lyle, be warned by me ; don't fall in love, as it is
called, until you have mixed a little with the world, and
found employment for your ambition and learned the value
of success. Don't allow yourself to fall in love when love
would be all in all to you, as I did."
Mr. Bumps paused, and Falkner was impelled almost to
confess that the warning came too late—that he loved
hopelessly, and that the world was a blank ! But he had
not the courage.
"I was a prosperous wooer for a time," continued Mr.
Bumps, "until the young lady's parents discovered my
pretensions, and then I was shown the door—.l was
ejected."
" Again like me, if ho only know it," thought Falknor.
" I hoped on, however," continued Mr. Bumps. "My
affection increased, feeding upon my fancy ; and I believed
that a day would come when I should marry the love of
my youth."
"And did you not ?" asked Falkner, anxiously.
" No—l never should have done so whilst her parents
lived ; but why should I tell my ghastly story to you ?"
said Mr. Bumps, rising. "No —should we meet when you
are older I may return to this conversation."
" Pray tell me now, sir—l have a strong reason for ask-
ing you," said Falkner. "Remember, I am nearly
eighteen —"
" And I was but ono year older," replied Mr. Bumps,
resuming his seat. "`Well, you shall hear what followed.
I was articled to a surgeon, and had been sufficiently dili-
gent to be allowed to attend the anatomical lectures at St.
Thomas's. It was before Parliament had legalised the
obtaining of subjects, and such as were procured came sur-
reptitiously from violated graves. One evening I went into
the dissecting-room—chatting carelessly with a fellow-
student—just as the face of a new subject had been un-
covered. I saw it !—knew it : I had not heard that she
had been ill—her unrelenting father had kept us apart,
even when the grave had opened to receive her—l caught
her in my arms—l rushed from the dissecting-room to
become for many days a patient in the hospital. From the
hour of my recovery I abandoned my profession—l lost all
care for the future—all care for myself, and am what you
know me."
In the second volume we are introduced to some
amusing characters in the Cathedral town of St.
Gnats. Miss Eke is the scandal-monger and whist-
player of the town. Here is her portrait :
Isms EKE.

" She was an early riser, and might usually be seen at
her bow-window, about nine o'clock, apparently engaged
in reading a book or newspaper; but, as her nose was fre-
quently elevated, and her mouth slightly agape, it might be
fairly conjectured that her mind was occupied more with
the affairs of her neighbours than the subject-matter she
affected to be perusing. It was surprising how groat an
interest she took in the affairs of the butcher, greengrocer,
and fishmonger, and how accurate she became in foretell-
ing when her neighbours were likely to dine alone or re-
ceive company. She must have kept some kind of tally,
by which she could reckon how frequently the tax-
gatherer had called at the various houses, and by which
data she devised a schema of calculation to determine their
affluence or poverty. As her mind, despite her apparent
studiousness, was utterly uninformed, the staple of her
conversation was generally derived from the small scan-
dals which she heard from her little waiting-maid, and the
conjectural creations of her own fancy. She was a capital
whist-player, and must have made a small addition to hor
income by the silver threepennies which she collected from
her friends, who were principally confined to the residents
in the crescent."
With no little satisfaction we find simple, good-
hearted Tom Lazenby thus replying with the
" retort courteous" to the good lady_
" Well," said Tom, after a pause, "I will think over the
matter, and lot you know in the morning. I always re-
quire to consult two or three pipes of tobacco before I de-
cide any important question, and this is one."
" Tobacco!" muttered Miss Eke, with a sneer.
"Yes, my dear lady," said Tom, "tobacco; I know it is
condemned by some who really don't like it—by others
who dislike what any ono else approves—by those univer-
sal philanthropists who would make all the world after
their own pattern, which is never the best sample of my
ideas of angel-land. It has, however, a charm for me—a
lonely bachelor—as I can talk to my pipe, and get no
crabbed answer. The smoke, too, keeps away noxious
insects—that sting boldly at times, and backbite at others,
Miss Eke. So come, my dear ladies, and let us cut for
partners."
Tom Lazenby is throughout the staunch friend of
his old school-fellow Falkner Lyle, and Rosa
Marston on the other hand is devoted with most
obsequious adherence to the wayward and wicked
Bertha Clare or Lyle, whose heartless youth
developes into an almost fiend-like maturity. The
characters are various, the story is very intricate
and sufficiently interesting, and the style is through-
out sparkling and animated. Without claiming for it
a very high position, we may congratulate Mr. Mark
Lemon on a very well-written and entertaining
novel.