THE TWO BROTHERS. * .TBZES novel is a. translation from the

German. In addition. to intrinsic merit of a certain kind, it is attractive for the freshness of its characters and manners, with enough of general resemblance to those of England to have the effect of novelty without strange- ness. There is a spice, too, of German Liberalism and the rights of man thrown. into it, that iniparts a passing flavour without un- duly predominating, and indicates that a. social as well as a politi- cal struggle is springing up in Germany. The weakness chiefly exposed by the writer is one that is uni- versal in civilized society, and might have been thought more ;predominant in our own happy isle than on the Continent. The moral pointed by The Two Brothers is the folly of sacrificing every- thing to. an ideal fashion. In the story, comfort, fortune, family affections, domestic happiness, and almost life itself, are thrown away to keep up a. supposed necessary position in society, and to enable a handsome and favoured daughter to make a brillient, match, while the other children are negeeted, or rendered wretched by a coercion that amounts to tyranny. One of the "two bro- thers" is a military man who served in the war of Liberation, and whose fame and epaulets procured a not very rich but a well- born wife of the family of Von Emmedinger " his brother, an advocate, marrying a woman in his own middle-elass grade. Henceforth the life of the brothers lay in two different paths ; the advocate attending to his profession, and happy in his family ; Lien- tenant-Colonel Hattesohl living an expensive and fashionable life, I which he did not like his affairs continually getting involved ; through the expenses of his position. At the opening of the story, the daughters of the Colonel are grown up, with a sonjust verging upon young manhood. One daughter, Amelia, is beautiful., superfi- cially accomplished, thoughtlessly goodnatured, and the darling of her parents especially her mother. Clara is reserved, not striking in 'person, while 'both her powers and affections are chilled and re- I pressed by coldness and neglect. Hugh, the son, has a tarn, al-. most a genius, for music, and. wishes, to-the great horror of father and mother, to be a musician ; but the army has been decided on, and into the army he is forced. Such are the ingredients of The Two Brothers. The action or , end of the story is the marriage of the two daughters Amelia ; fancies herself in love with Count Steinheim, the leading man in the town' where the scene is laid ; and Mrs. Lieutenant-Colonel ; Hattesohl is anxious for the match, on account of its fashion and advantages. Through such love as frivolous and selfish I minds can. feel,. aided. by accident and artifice, Steinheim is got to propose ; but as it is made without his mother's consent the be- trofiiment is not legal, and eventually the affair is shabbily broken off by the Count. In. the interim, everything has been made to. give way to the idea. of this marriage. The Colonel is forced to -increase. his debts and to. sell a portion. of his pay ; young schoolmaster recognizes the good qualities of Clara, but he is for- bidden the house; Hugh, after frequent quarrels with Steinheim, and domestic disturbances, is turned out of doors. to seek his for- tune. Pecnninry clifficulties, conjugal annoyances, the failure of his hopes and a gloomy future, prove too much- for the old Colonel's strength; he dies, and leaves his widow -with nothing but her pension and their furniture; and she turns narrow means into ab- solute privation by her ignorance of affairs and by keeping up an ! appearance. Amplio, after trying in vain to make a match, &AM of consumption.; and then the widow consents to the mar- riage of Clara and Heldman. Through the whole of the story, the advocate llattesohl, the man of the middle-classes stands out in striking contrast to the empty frivolity of the fashionables, for manliness sound sense, and kindly feeling. In every difficulty he , and his excellent wife coins forward andextricate the persons, when they are permitted, which is not very often. Although disappointment and death would seem to be tragic , elements there inlittfe that is tragic in the story. The troubles

are evidently owing to conduct, and the deaths do not spring di- ; redly from, the inaidents, so that they appear natural though connected with the story. The writer's mind, too, is more given to exposition, satire or reflection, than to pathos ; and per- I haps the elements of the story might have been presented with more effect had the author possessed greater art according to i English notions of art. Once n a way, the defects are not felt, redeemed as they are by great reality and naturalness, and by a truthful depiction of provincial German life, with its oddities, its

weaknesses, its bonhomie' and its good W 'mile books often met with, the reader might turn om too much of householdness), and, a bald simplicity- which to our perhaps more sophisticated ideas looks like childishness. At present these minute peculiarities of German habits rather give interest to the book.

In primitive times the pleasures of eating and drinking are not

• The Two Brothers; or the Faintly that Lived. in the First Society. In two vo- hunts. Published by Bentley.

only regarded iii practice but are prominent among .; uttered thoughts.. Refreshing the carnal mania a frequent topie Scrip- ! tine, and With 'Reiner • perhaps it is indigestion. and want of hearty appetite, as much as refinement, that attaches the idea of grossness andwant of feeling to an avowed relish for dinner. Ger- many has n.ot reached: this point of sophistication. The substan- tial as well as the sentimental must be regarded. The dinner of the following extract is one given by uncle Hattesohl when. Clara , is betrothed to Ifeldmann, before the state of affairs is known at home-; and it combines both substance and sentiment. '

"During the foregoing events, which had wrought so great a revolution . in Amelia's position, Clara, wrapt in bliss, was sitting at her uncle's house, between her lover and her warmhearted and loving relations. Her aunt, , in order-to do her darling honour, or rather to please her, had prepared all her favourite dishes. The friendly attention was duly appreciated; every new dish, as it appeared receiving an unanimoce welcome, such as, 'Oh, wife ! how extraordinarily amiable you are today !'—' Aunt, that is excellent I' Each bottle of wine met with the same approbation ; the uncle, in his glee, making their corks fly up to the ceiling. But the- dessert of strawberries, gathered by Ifeldmann, was to Clara the most delicious of all. The utmost cheerfulness reigned at this little feast; and the advocate was indefatigable in his joke; toasts, and good wishes. The soft eyes of his wife glistened with yleasure ; and Ileldmann, his arm encircling his rosy, joyous, and prattling bride, thought himself at this moment the happiest man in the wide world."

One great merit of the book is its naturalness. There is no at- tempt at exaggerating merits or defects, or painting angels and dwmons instead of men and women. The worst have their human traits, and the best are not exalted above humanity. Mrs. Colonel Hattesohl causes more misery from- folly- and ignorance than from intention. Either naturally or as a consequence of her education, she cannot be brought to see things as they are, or to consider that a certain state of show is other than a necessity for a person in her position. On her husband's death, she declines the assistance of his brother; trusting to her brother-in-law' Count Maltenberg. Affairs are such that he, being straitened, only advises pretty- much. what the advocate would have advised—economy, and if that will not suffice, that her daughters must go out "Mrs. Lieutenant-Colonel returned home in such a state that both her daughters started up as she entered the room, and exclaimed with one voice, My dear mamma, what is the matter? what has happened ?'

" Instead of making any answer, she sank upon the sofa. and burst into team. It was some time before she was able to give an account of the scene in the Maltenbergre house. The repetition of what she had undergone there exasperated the bitterness of her feelings ; and she found no words for the expression of the cruelty, iniquity, and unbounded heartlessness of her rela- fives.

"'These are their promises of assisting me, of using all their influence to serve me !' she cried. Oh, it is monstrous!, it is abominable ! '

"Amidst her own excitement she had failed to see that Amelia had grown paler and paler at every word. Now for the first time rlld the poor child realize-that they-were in actual poverty; for- the first time she saw before her, and looked it in the face' a future of misery and degradation. For her, but a little while ago the affianced bride of a. count, for her to become a bonne or a music-mistress ! She had received her own instructions in music from a lady ; her mother had kept a bonne herself a few years ago. Amelia knew, too, by experience, what vexations and annoyances fall to the lot of a girl who has to- earn a aubsistence amongst strangers. But it was not her pride alone which shrunk before such a prospect ; the thought of having to toil from morning till evening had even still greater terrors for the spoiled and weakminded girl, who had never in. her life thought of anything but of amusing herself. She was far too delicate, her health too weak, to be equal to any exertion : if the maid chanced not to be in the-room and Amelia waii obliged to tie her own shoe-string, she thought it an heroic effort. Oh, no ; A was impossible! she could not work; nobody could expect she should. She threw her arms round her mother= Mernme, mamma! for God's sake, don't compel me to go into service ! I could not do it ; I should die ! Kill me at once rather ! '

" hfrs. Lieutenant-Colonel folded her in her arms. Compose yourself, my dear, dear Amelia! I never will part from you! As long as I have a crust to share with you. nobody shall tear you from me. Let our proud cone nexions be as envious and spiteful- as they like, it sha nt avail them, Arent drive us out of the place. You will see, my darling, things mend; we shall yet triumph over them. It is true, for once, their attempts did succeed'; for nothing will persuade me that my eider Eleanor was not the cause of Steinheim's withdrawal. But it won't be always so. God A just; and I shall still live to see you a proud. and happy bride, and Ernestine Wallenberg an old maid !'

"Clara had listened in silence to her mother's story, and to the sources of consolation she suggested. But ever and anon a shade had passed over her quiet and thoughtful countenance, expressive of her grief and her disap- probation :- she-was, however, so accustomed to utter no opinion in her me

titer's presence., that she said nothing yet. She felt that she must-bear as inevitable and that resistance served no other purpose butte make Z'hhealZden heavier. This hour had destroyed her last hope. She knew her mother well enough to feel sure that the affront her pride had received in her conversation with the Countess would determine her, more decidedly than ever, to refuse her consent to the marriage with liel;linann. itrrived at the end of her consolatory speeches, in which Mrs. lieutenant-Colonel had suggested- all sorts of plans and projects for herself and Amelia, she found herself again at the point from which she had started, and on account of which she had gone to the Maltenbergs, namely; the question how to extricate themselves from their most pressing creditors. The solution of this difficulestruck down at once all her newly-raised courage. if rable, deserted woman that I am !' she cried, with nobody to ad- vise me, nobody to assist use! I don't understanclanything of these business matters.'

"It was now Clara's- turn to break silence.

"Uncle Hattesohl; mamma, promised to help you. Shall I go, or,' cor- recting herself, whilst a bitter smile played round her month, Anal I write a line to him, or to aunt Maria ?'

"The proud woman sighed profoundly over the necessity of applying for assistance to Advocate ifattesohl; but she could think of nothing else; so she said, at last, Welt, I must, for/ can't help myself. Write to him, Clara, and way,—or wrhaps better, ask him and his wife to come to dinner tomor- row- : we shall! their more readily find an opportunity, and I shall not be obliged to ask him in form to give me his assistance."

The following pretty lines may be taken as a poetical variety.: they are supposed to have been written by Clara at the, outset of her atiquaintamee with Hellmann. Oh, rose ! swect rose ! why droopest thou,

So withered and wan thy bead? Say, has the tempest bowed thee. And thy bloom of beauty shed?

No, the tempest has not bowed me—

I. wail for a deeper wo ; The blooming stem and the flowery pride 'Twas never mine to know.

For alas! on this lonely corner No sun's bright beam may shine ; No light, no heat to cheer me, In silent grief I pine.

Tears fill my eyes ; my bleeding heart Is bursting 'neath my zone : Oh, rose ! poor fading flower, Thy sorrow is mine own."