Competitors : the Story of a Friendship. By Mrs. Seymour.
(Griffith, Farran, and Co.)—This is, we suppose, a new book ; but there is no date on the title-page. This is an omission against which we would seriously remonstrate, for reasons which it is needless to state, as publishers know them quite as well as we do. We do not wish to make any hard-and-fast rule ; but there will
always be a risk of undated books being passed by. As for the volume before us, we should be sorry to have neglected it. It is a really delightful study of character. Elinor Foster, the daughter of parents who reside in India, and Mildred Carey, whose father has made a second marriage, live with a certain Mrs. Bolton. Elinor is clever and accomplished. She looks down upon her companion, and yet is jealous of her position in the house. A rivalry, accompanied by not a little dislike—at least on Elinor's part—springs up, and the kindly, sensible woman with whom the two " competitors " live, is sadly perplexed how she shall bring them to a better mind. Then we have the story of how the pride and hardness of Elinor Foster's nature is subdued by the discipline of life. Her parents are suddenly reduced to poverty, and she has to work for her living. Mildred behaves to her with the utmost generosity, a generosity which at first only wounds her pride, but which at last she accepts in a different temper. All this is worked out admirably well in Mrs. Seymour's story, which should teach its readers much, if readers are ever taught by books. But this, in view of the piles of didactic tales which load our table at this season, it would be too cruel to doubt.
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