Muljorie Bruce's Lovers. By Mary Patrick. 2 vols. (Smith and
Elder.)—Marjorie Brace has three lovers,—three, that is, who stand out of the crowd of those who are enslaved of her beauty. These three are the Earl of Caatleton ; Mr. Crawford, a laird of long descent and large property, but of evil character ; and John Alton, a man lower in station, but of fine nature and well cultured. We may as well say at once that it would have been much better to leave out altogether the seeond of those three. His love-making does not in any material degree help out the plot of the story or develop° the character of the heroine; and the description: of the man and his doings strikes us as being untrue to probabilities and to nature, as well as beiug eminently disagreeable. The rest of the story, the rivalry between the Earl and John Alton, and Marjorie's vacillation between the two, is well told, and will really interest any reader who has a taste, OS indeed most readers have, for scenes of love-making. The denouement, when Marjorie finally makes up her mind, oh eons the better part, and announces her ohoiee in very vigorous fashion, is excellent. If all the book were up to this mark, we should be inclined to give it a high place among the fiction of the year. Anyhow, it stands much above the average level. We must object to one peculiarity of Miss Patrick's delineation of manners, and that is the very groat promptitude and plainness with which her gentlemen, on the very shortest notice, &dare their admiration. Mr. Crawford would hardly, after an hour or so's acquaintance with the heroine, have reproached her with a supposed preference for Lord Castleton ; nor would tho young officer of dragoons have ventured, on the strength of an introduction and a dance, to have spouted some stanzas of German, which declare pretty plainly that his heart had been lost to her.
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