Byways : a Novel. By Mary W. Paxton. (Samuel Tinsley
and Co.)—This is unquestionably a clever novel ; very carefully written, hardly ever dull, some of the characters highly entertaining, and all more or less contriving to interest us, in right of their well-defined individuality and sustained life. The Caldwell family, consisting of mother, four daughters, and a scapegrace son, living beyond their means and straining every nerve to keep up appearances, "wholly worldly," and, after a fashion, making a success of life—gaining, that is, their main end—is a well-drawn sketch. Dundas, of Castlecroft, who is trapped by one sister into marrying another, is also a distinct figure; and, perhaps, Colonel Elderslie, who eventually espouses the managing Miss of the family, and runs a risk almost beyond credence in doing so opened-eyed, is the best. Towards the middle of Vol. II., our authoress almost comes to a stand-still with her plot ; her com- plications seem unravelled, and the good ending for everybody is at hand, when lo ! with a candid reference to this state of things, as thus,—" If he could but have seen through the gay laughter that fretted him so ! Well, if he had, this story of mine, so far as these twain are concerned in it, might have ended here,"—the story starts afresh. We may add, there was no conceivable reason why he should not see through the gay laughter that fretted him so, except that some few hundred more pages of Byways had to be written. So here our novelist takes a fresh departure, and the story is continued with much spirit. These volumes are peopled with thoroughly pleasant and well-bred folks, all of whom, with the exception of the Sizers, of Sizer Park, engage our interest, by their sprightliness and their naturalness of behaviour and conversation. The vigour and smart- ness of the latter are occasionally overdone; the range of the ladies' reading, as evidenced by their ready quotation of all the "best authors," must have been astounding, except that it is character- istic of all of them alike. With a little compression and rearrange- ment, this would be really a creditable literary effort, particularly if it be, as we gather by inference from the title-page, Mrs. (or Miss) Paxton's maiden attempt.
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