The New York herald., 1873-11-23

voluminous chapters. But she Is undoubtedly at
home In that humber sphere which concerns
ITSELF with the adventures OF wears daughters,
heroic curates reduced gentlemen. queens OF So
cety and disappointed painters who obtain re-
nown Just IN time to ludicouslg hasten the climax
without an oiileial statement from her publishers
II would scarcely be sale 10 assert how many
novels Miss Braddon has presented to the world
since "Aurora Foydn first enshrned her among
the household gods OF Mudle. She has struck
While the iron IL hot She has made hay
while the sun shoDe. She wlll plainly have moth
ing TO repr0ach herself with when her popularity
begins 10 wane and the reviews unanimously
eaculate. "i'hs writer ls not what she once was"
she PAGES like the horse whose hind feet con
stantly cover the tracks made 10y his fore. One
novel is not completed ere another IL begun.
She dJes not loosen her grip upon the public Tor
moment. she viii not give her readers time TO
forget her. SHE repcnshes her laures, but never
reposes on them. Her literary oars know no rest.
With last cnapter OF strangers and Pilgrims''
we have the hrst Of "Pubicans and SInuers.u Ere
the blue-black coils OF Aurora Floyd cease TO
dazzle you, you are called TO admire Lady Aud
ley's .nglels or ieathcry gold. There is no break
in the procession. You have to make a dictionary
oil her characters In order 10 remember them;
concordance Of events TO insure exacttuae or ref
erence. Her creations come gliding by In monthly
regiments, ike gentle pnantasnagoria, which
threatens to grow painful from It's very continuity.
Miss Braddon is, therefore, We say, Clever and
has not committed the iault OF 30 many clever
people III letting her lacultes TO seed. Her
ambition plainly Is to write a bigger number OF
novels than any other living authoress-and TO
write them herself, without depending, Dumas-like,
upon a literary manulactory. Nothing else could
account Tor such remorseiess lecundity. Doubtless
those who live long enough will see Ter going down
to extreme Old age, modifying her plots and
characters TO suit the idiosyncrasies OF the twen
tieth century and filing in odd moments with
legitimate dramas In Mtonian verse. 1t is in
credible that such writer VIII ever descend from
the literary locomotive and travel for a little way
In stage coacn. and yet we thlnA the stage coacn
progress would bs mucn the more suitable,
woman who ten years ago couid write
as good novel az Aurora Floyd" ought
TO be able TO write q much better one to-day.
Miss Braddon's iault Is the iault OF almost every
one who has reached popularity oaly after many
strueg es along the steep anu tnorhy path o. ntera
ture. For years she trod the stony nyways OF non.
success Having become known at last she could
not resist the J-npta,lo ION to make y sordd use OF
that advanta re. 1t Is lalr TO ner therefore, that
she could never haze possessed the artistic in
stinct, pure and simple, or she would have pre-
erred making little less money and composing
infinitely better booSs. MISS Braddon's sin is the
the age, the grand characteristic OF the nine
teenth century Of Christianity. Sne writes three
or iOur novels in the same space o time she ought
to dev0te to one, consequently none Of her
oooks wlll live and TO posterlty her name
without its glitter Her twenty novels
ttnere must surely be many as that altogetherl
have mad as much labor spent on them as might
have produced five or SIX really worth reading.
'',trangers and Pilgrnsn thou 1t is one OF the
best she has recently written, IS painful instance
this. II is salient illustration OF the gliuness
OF the authors pen. he style is AZ ree as an un-
duatng landscape, without the pcturesqueness
and richness OF Que. There S no beauty OF thought,
no wise opposite Iehections, no reproductions
OF human character, no vital desclplons OF nature.
no wholesome moral yerJeDrarlng tue plot and
giving backbone to thought, feeling asld fancy;
but there IS superabunoance oil that smooth and
neecy verblage which fluent writer's, capable OF
better things, so often command There Is q large
supply OF that animal admiration OF masculine
and emlnlne beauty to winch the un-
matron can slve such hearty sympathy The
heroine, EiZabeth Luttrei, the pcrestion OF
irregular beings who have the angel IN them If you
only dig deep enough. The digging IN TINS case is
done by Malcolm Ford a curate, who assists her
iatncr. tie vicar OF llawlegh parish. He managed
10 interest her IN the salvation OF her soul, aud,
waat is more, in the souls Of the poor among MS
parshioners. Under his direction the tanned
beauty reads st. Paul beside Mrs. jones' wasntuD
anu supplies coal and flannel to the W dowed and
the latherless. Flnaly she engages herself TO
Malcolm Ford to the dlsinay of her aunt Chev enix
q orll liant wording, who nd far higher match
IN vew Az tins juncture she IS whlsked or to Lon
don py Mrs. Chevenix, to catch glimpse OF the
great world before snutting her eyes 10 lt forever
aud settaag down to tue hnma' lm , duties oi a
comes social success ana endures with
eaaability the ca attentions s, or Lord Pauyn.
future husband the morning after her
great triumph, wnen she has electrified the circle
in which sue moves 10y playing Peg Wellington AT
private theatrical cntel tannent or the benefit OF
the widows OF Indleent stockholders, Malcolm
Ford breaks In upon her unexpectedly brands
her with inddehty to her engagement VOW
70 to explain, bids ssff iarewen forever The The
sequel may easily be guessed. Heart broken
at Malcom's descrtion she accepts Lord Paalyn
and plunges into wairi OF fashionable dlssipa-
tion. Her extravaganza soon disgusts her nus
band VINO removes her to Slogh na-Dyack
Arg,eshre. a secluded estate, where she mopes
her ne away and advances TO the brink OF insanity.
Without lonowlng out all the details OF q plot,
when is interesting neither in the development
oi character nor incident, we Will merely add that
she Is removed by her husband to private insane
hospital, tnat Lord Paulyn dies IN time to admit of
Eiiz beth and Malcolm having several spiritual
love scenes at Eizaoetns dying Ded, and that Just
before the heroine dies she INFORMS her lover that
sue leaves HIM half her fortune 10000, and
he informs her in turn that IN every island OF the
sea. which he visits as missionary, there shall be
an English church dedicated to ''ot. Elizabeth
People whose tastes are worth gratifying admire
his plots wonderfully Interesting pieces OF mechan-
ism. Tney admire Charles keade because he is a
hrusque satrst Of social loibles, and because, in
spite Of his egotism and animaiism there Is the
biea Ii of hte-human uesh and blood and bone-in
many oil his characters. They admire George
Eliot because ner genius is siernly cultured and
conscentousy applied, and sne not only paints
human lie but valuablv philosoDlizes upon it.
And some OF them admire Miss Braddon, not for
any thing sue has yet done, but because amid all
the ruck and hurry and unhappy facility OF her exc
cutton, tney recognize several traits which, en-
ployed in lines of rectitude and leisure, might ac-
compish work worthy to be snatched from the
circulating libraries.
.srancers and Pilgrimsn novel by Miss NJ E. Brad
don. Published by Harper Brothers.
LITERARY CHIT-CHAT.