Engaged to be Harried. By L. T. Meade. (Simpkin and
Marshall.)—This "story of to-day," as the sub-title has it, has its modern element in the determination of the heroine, or one of the heroines (the interest of the tale is possibly too much divided), to support herself. She finds herself with the alternatives of nursing and type-writing, thinks both too re- mote in their prospects, and finally decides to write herself,— and succeeds. Surely this is pessimi exempli. If we are to have books about authorship, let them be discouraging, record failures only, and not help to crowd the already overthronged avenues. However, Emmy Thorn deserves to succeed, and as she has shortly afterwards the good sense to get married, it is to be hoped that she will not spoil the market by writing more books. Altogether, this is a very bright and pleasant tale, deserving its descriptive title, though not, we hope, in the incident of a post- mistress who receives 20 for intercepting letters. This inter- cepted-letter business ought to be interdicted to novelists. One note may be thrown into the fire instead of being delivered, but as a part of a regular plan, the device is "played out."
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