Marchcroft Manor. 2 vols. By C. A. Roberts. (Remington and
Co.)—A graceful and unpretentious love-story, showing a vein of tenderness and a kind of humour for which we have learnt to be thankful. Two men, Julian do Treseaney and Roger Osborne, love two maidens, Ella and Olive Mahoney, and two volumes pleasantly relate the trials of young affection. Except a fresh and pretty Beene in a library, there is nothing new in incident or circumstances, and this is also true of the misunderstandings which cause the happily short- lived misery. The merit of the novel is wholly in the treatment of familiar scenes and characters, and in the kindly tone of the writer. The vague initials on the title-page puzzle the reviewer as to the sex of the author ; but in the picture of the hero we have our doubts re- solved ; here, there is a strong presumption that the author is of the novel-writing sex, for after all, Julian has too close a likenose to the prevalent prig of the lady-novelist. Roger Osborne, the able and lazy young man, is a type of character often attempted, too rarely as successfully drawn as in the present instance. The oharaoterisa- tion wants sureness, owing, perhaps, to the author's doubt of his or her powers ; but there is no cause for fear, and next time we shall expect to find individualities more strongly declared. An unaffected style, only seldom showing the 'prentioe hand, and a quiet humour, too little indulged, make smooth the reading of a novel which is the precursor, we hope, of higher achievement.
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