LADY BLESSINGTON'S MARMADUKE HEREERT.
IN general structure and composition, 21farmaduke Herbert resembles those fictions in which a natural idiosyncracy and family training pro- duce a peculiar character, who is involved in some extraordinary diffi- culties; and the reader's interest is to be excited by depicting the mor- bid anatomy of the hero's mind, and narrating his troubles at large. With a fluent style and a smattering of metaphysics, this kind of writing, when once invented, was not very difficult ; for, not protesting to repre- sent general life, it could not be called upon to imitate it ; yet it gave the author a species of philosophical repute, and seemingly raised him above the mere romance-grinder. When, however, the novelty of the mode passed away, the class of composition fell into disuse ; for fictitious morbid anatomy is not an attractive general study, and the remoteness from life, the paucity of incident, with the disposition for mere sentiment and writing, which this class of fiction generates, rendered it tedious and unreal. The attempt by Lady Blessington to revive it is not very suc- cessfuL
The circumstances which give peculiarity to Marmaduke Herbert's character are partly descent, partly training. His father was a Welshman, his mother a Spaniard; and he inherits the fiery soul of both races. This it supposed to be checked by the death of his father, the inconsolable grief of his mother immured in solitude, and the conduct of his guardian, Mr. Trevyllan, who, thinking young Marmaduke's mother half mad, in- duces her to send him to school. This Mr. Trevyllan is an odd and rather rare compound of bon vivant and cynic. He corrupts Master Herbert's simple habits of life; at the same time he infuses into him suspicion and distrust of everybody, and succeeds pretty rapidly too. Young Herbert becomes reserved and unpopular both at school and college, and altogether a very unpromising young man. The "fatal error of Marmaduke Herbert consists in his being a fatal fooL Suddenly summoned home on the death of his mother, he swallows a large dose of eau de cologne on returning from the funeral : wandering out, he finds a young lady asleep in an alcove : Mr. Herbert is habitually shy, but the eau de cologne seems to have made him tipsy.
"It flashed through my brain that the fair sleeper must be one of the daughters of my mother's friend,—perhaps the one designed by her to be my wife; and oh what a tumult of rapture thrilled my heart at the thought, that the wondrous charms before me might one day become mine. I forgot my grief, deep and sincere as it had been. How could it exist while I gazed on the exquisite beauty, so softly slumbering near me, whose sweet breath, passing through her half- opened lips, came to me as the odour from some balmy and fragrant flower? "Intoxicated with delight, I mold no longer resist the uncontrollable impulse to press my lips on that snowy forehead; but I would press them so lightly as not to awaken the sleeper; and Heaven is my witness, that, excited as I was, no thought that could have wounded her purity presented itself to my mind. No, I would retire after having kissed that beautiful brow; and, concealed behind the rustic alcove, watch over her safety, and prevent her repose being intruded on. I ap- proached close to her, trembling with emotion; her sweet breath fanned my cheek, and tempted me almost beyond my power of resistance to press the crimson portal whence it passed; but there was something so pure, so innocent, in the beauteous face, that I dare not profane her lips; these could I only hope to touch with mine when they should have pronounced her consent to become my wife. So, gently bending down I lightly imprinted a kiss on her fair forehead. No sooner had I done so than she started up, opened her eyes wildly, uttered a cry, and rushed from the alcove."
• Marmaduke rushed after her, to explain and apologize ; but Miss Maitland, seeing in him nothing but an Apollo pursuing Daphne, fled faster, fell down a Welsh mountain-precipice, and was killed on the spot. Instead of stating the truth, or doing nothing, Marmaduke carries off and hides the body in a mountain-cave. This catastrophe occurs towards the middle of the first volume, and the rest of the book is occupied with the
troubles consequent upon the "fatal error." But it is not remorse that disturbs Mr. Herbert so much as the dread of being found out. At first, indeed, he is rather horror-struck, though less at the deed, it appears, than with the grief of the survivors, and the death-scene haunts him in his dreams ; but the real source of misery is the dread of detection, and the trouble of keeping up appearances. Shortly after the catastrophe, he marries the sister of the woman whose death he has undesignedly caused; and lo ! on his wedding-day everything is turned topsy-turvy by news that the body has been found in the river, in a state of decomposi- tion. Marmaduke knows this cannot be, since he buried it in the cave, reading the funeral service over it ; but he has to leave his bride to at- tend to the unknown corpse, and make arrangements for the funeral. Then he can only repose by stealth, as it were, and as little as possible; for, learning from his wife that he talks in his slumber, he resorts to various contrivances in order not to go to sleep first, and to awaken as quickly as may be. It were idle to pursue this tragic travestie. Suffice it to say, that his strangeness, his moodiness, and his soured temper, in- jure his own health and throw his wife into a consumption. On her death at Nice, his health gives way ; a discarded servant is engaged by the doctor to watch him during his delirium ; and this fellow hears enough to induce him to threaten Mr. Herbert with the criminal law un- less he "comes down." Foolishly consenting to buy silence, Marmaduke and the reader of his autobiography are persecuted by Figgins for a volume and a half; then the finis is reached through a double trial; the low rogue is convicted of extorting money, and Marmaduke ac- quitted on Figgins's accusation of murder.
There is a good deal of that kind of cleverness which falls of its pur- pose, in the contrivances to torment poor Marmaduke, and to ward off suspicion from him when he would seem about to be transfixed. AS a story, there is clearness of narrative ; but there is no real interest, for there is no reality in the subject, or sympathy with the alleged sufferer ; and the parts which profess to describe men and manners are caricatured in Lady Blessiugton's usual way. The scenes at Nice, descriptive of the decline and death of Mrs. Herbert and a schoolfellow of Marmaduke, are pretty, almost touching ; though the subject is easy from its frequency. As soon, however, as we get to Figg,ins and Marmaduke's fears, we are back again in absurdity, occasionally relieved by some sketches of South- ern Europe. The composition of this novel has been praised : and if we consider words only, without regard to the ideas they contain or the fitness of those ideas to the context or circumstances, it is entitled to praise. But all is second-hand, like the scheme and its conduct. There is no style as an expression of original or independent thought ; it is a mere reflex of the shelves of the circulating library.
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