The Sun. — 1841-02-11 (London, England)

THE SCHOOLFELLOWS. Bentley, London, 1841. The idea of this story is a good one, and ithe6 been skilfully worked out. The two schoolfellows, who are its heroes, and from whom it de; rives its title, are—the one, a rich, well-connected youth, son and heir of a country Baronet, of air cient descent, and great local influence; and the other, the only child of a lady who has been seduced, through the means of a•sham marriage, by a scoundrel, who afterwards is tried and Cow • victed of forgery, but, escaping from confinement' • persecutes the innocent victim of his intrigues • and her illegitimate son, for years, until he 1 finally removed to the colonies by the GoverinneLl • for whom he had consented to act as a spy. Fail: fully conscious ofthe stigma attached to himself ag • his helplessmotherby this,conection, young Ma;`: . ring—such is the name of the Spy's son—becomel even in his boyish days, the unresisting slave , of his rich, high-born schoolfellow, Mandevibel, who has accidentally discovered the secret 0' his birth, and threatens to expose him, Unle66 he will consent to be his drudge—that is to saYi. write all his school exercises for him, assist hint •' in the annual scholastic examinations, .and anew* , him to carry off the prize. To this Manning,' though not without a sore struggle, consents ; an at Cambridge, whither in due time the se fellows are sent, the same system is pursued; Mandeville so working on Manning's semilild apprehensions, that the poor youth, insteu.o s' trying to secure college honours for himself: le o , compelled to assist his task-master in sectuirit' them. When they afterwards meet in Londouj Mandeville still exerts his despotic influence, an. is mean and unprincipled enough to take credit for the authorship of certain popular works whict,. Manning has written, but which he dare not ile" knowledge. This constant sense of slavish de pendenoe on a man whom he fears and despise . produces a most blightin,g effect on the unfrienue. and obscure youth's mind ; he toils, and toils -1,,0 vain,toprocure a competence for himself,and thre; ,;41 off his tyrant's iron yoke ; but, at length whe sq, he has becothe almost desperate, his luck take a turn ; Mandeville commits suicide; Mannin; prospects begin to brighten ; the competence t e so long coveted, lie obtains; and ultimatelY e is enabled to marry the girl to whom /ei had for years been attached. Such is a brle abstract of a tale which possesses much of oh,/ gloomy power of Godwin, and in its contrasts character exhibits more lan ordinary tact e,rli6 ingenuity. Mr. Johns, the author, proves by forcible delineation of Manning, that he 110 derstands the subtle workings of the hula e{ heart, and can trace its hidden springs , action. Some of his chapters, however, see„ to have been thrown off in a great 11111.„7,4 for in one place we find Mannino; erho • " Henry," and in another " Charles ;” anuf:r. mother, now answering to the name of " I‘-1--re garet," and now to that of " Edith." These aid negligences which a little patient attention wollof - • have rectified ; and we point them out, by waY: iu a friendly hint to the author, who should heal mind that if a thing is worth doing, it is `v°' doing correctly. Verbuni sap.