The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-21
LITERATURE.
REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.

literary CaTeer, turned ner amOUlOn away uOm
the channel of novel writing, and undertaken
the editing of popular edition of the "Newgate
Calendar" we do not doubt but that she would
have made great success. Endowed with won.
derful fertility OF imagination, and much better
versed in the criminal law of Great Britain than
in the rules Of syntax. we regret, both for her
own reputation asd for the good OF the literary
world, that her good angel had not pointed out
TO her that the road TO glory was through the
"Oalendar.n But fate made her novelist; and
with all her faults, she can certainly write
most entertaining work. BY series of rapid
executions she is enabled to manufacture works
with alarming rapidity. Not six months
pass but some new "folly," or "crime,"
or somebody's daughters" comes from
her pen; and it is thus only in the course OF
nature that, with the commencement of the
summer season, we should have the regular
instalment. This time the book has come in the
shape of "Elster's Folly" which Messrs. Peter.
son, with their usual energy, have published this
morning. We have read with goody amount
of pleasure the advance copy sent US, and must
acknowledge that we derived much amusement,
considerable entertainment but very little profit
from it,. 1t is written as all Mrs. Woods books
are written. This style is such as an author
can only have at high pressure, and when
writing at steam-power; and as to literary
merit, though critic for morling contempo
rary tells us it is literary curiosity" and "well
constructed" 1t possesses none whatever. The
details are rushed together and the plot evolved
out of the details. The denoueneat IS certainly
well conceived, but at the same time it is so i'm
probable that IT is far beyond the most
acute penetration to discern its drift. Let us
look at the book. The scene opens in the coun.
try, amid rural district which is described in the
following elegantly constructed sentence:-
"The harvest was nearly gathered-ths had
been late season-but a few fields Of golden
grain, in process of reaping, impaired their
warm tints to the landscape"
1t was amid this healthy scene that the hero
appeared. We have vainly sought to discover
from various remarks what sort of q looking
man the hero was. We are told on page 81 that
he was "a tall slender man, of about four-and-
twenty, man of evident good breedihg.n And
another valuable piece of information "He
wore light summer overcoat on his well-cut
clothes, and had most attractive face" An
Overcost in August is rather warm, but he may
have had his reasons. This hero was Val Ester
afterwards Lord Hartleton. 1t was he that was
guilty of all the folly of the book. To let our
readers know what his folly was, we make the
following extracts:-
"a physiognomist might have found fault
with the face; and, while admitting its sweet
expression, would have condemned it for its
utter want OF resolution. Want OF that, the iuabi
hty TO say mo- to any sort OF persuasion, whether
for good or for i'll; in short, total absence
OF what may be called moral courage, had been
from his childhood Val listers besetting sin.
There was joke against little Val when he was
Gnu EIa akn1 hnA
upon his walking into pond and standing
there. Poor Val, completely unable to say
no. walked in, and was nearly drowned for
his pains. 1t had been made Joke against him
then; how many such Jokes could have been
brought against HIM since he grew up, Val HIM
self could alone tell. As the child had been SO
was the man; the scrapes that his lrresolution
brought him into he did not care to glance at;
and while all too aware of his one lamentable
deficiency, he was equally aware that he was
powerless to make stand against it. People, in
speaking of this, called il 'Elster's Folly"
Further on, however, we fad him guilty of
other follies little nearer crimes. We do not
know what Mrs. Wood expected in gentle
man, but we are told, as an evidence OF his great
virtue, that he always answered people politely
seven if they were his interiors" As general
rule, gentlemen do. But we must leave our
hero for the present, and proceed to what we
are told sis link upon link-link upon link-an
awful, heavy, despairing weight of burden,
which no hand could lift, and which would
have to be borne for the most part in dread
secrecy and silence"
Lord Hartleton dies, and Val becomes Earl
He is engaged to young lady, who, we are told
on page So, was lone OF the sweetest, most
loVable, most charming of girls, almost without
compeer in the world for grace, beauty, and
goodness He however fails in love, or rather is
inveigled into love, with Lady Maude, and be.
comes engaged to them both. This was little
exhibition Of his folly. Lady Ma lde, we are told,
had Handsome black eyes," but there was a
"hardiesse" (?) about her. He marries Lady
Maude, but continues to love and seek to court
the 'most lovable girl in the world" Another
folly. After his marriage it appears that Lord
Hartleton had been married to some one else
for a number of years. His marriage was
a secret one, he being told to stand up and
call the woman his wife. He did so,
continued to live with her, and was astonished
to find that by the laws of Scotland he was
legally married The breaking of the news TO
the Earl was rather exciting. We quote the
account, with an apology to the reader for its
indelicacy. Mr.. Carr was a friend of the Earl's:-
81 hope you are well, Lady Hartleton," said
Mr.. Carr.
She would not see the offered hand, but swept
onward with q cold courtesy stopping Just a
moment to speak TO her husband.
You are not going out with me, Lord Har.
tletOnln .."a
81 cannot tonight, Maude. Business is
OBTAINING mem -.
She swept onward up the stairs, vouchsadng
no other word. They fingered a minute before
following, TO let her get into the drawing room,