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    NOTICES OF BOOKS. 63

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    Mrs. Henry Wood's Dstovels. The Four Com...

    _grouping , that she has named her two best novels after places rather than peopleJEast Lynne and Verner ' s Pride being the

    , estates owned by her heroes , in which , though the central figures , they are by no means the sole , nor _jaerhaps the chief points of

    interest . This , again , is as much as to say that the said heroes are excellent , gentlemanly , and good-tempered men ; not Rochesters or

    Heathcots , to sweep down all minor interests in the sympathy they _create ; nor yet Ninian Graemes or John Halifax's , round whom every

    body else clusters . Of the two brothers , Lionel and Jan " Verner , Jan is the original character , and we cared the most for his

    marriage . This is very like real life , in which younger brothers are sometimes known to carry off the affection of their acquaintances ,

    and the love of earls' daughters . The storv of " Verner ' s Pride" is somewhat intricate , insomuch that

    in a less skilful hand it might have become confused . Mr . Stephen Verner was a gentleman who , at the opening of the tale , owned a

    fair estate left to him by his father , to the exclusion of his elder brother , Sir Lionel Verner ' s only son , the motive being that Sir

    Lionel died in India , that the boy was too young to take the responsibility in regard to the estateand that Stephen Verner had

    , worked steadily with his own father in the amassing of the property , and was , therefore , not unjustly the owner for the term of

    Iris natural life . Stephen Verner , being childless , it was understood by the old man that his grandson Lionel would be his uncle ' s heir ,

    ¦ and as such , the young Lionel was brought up chiefly at Verner's Pride his widowed mother , Lady Verner , living at Deerham

    , Court , in the neighbourhood . Bat though Stephen Verner was childless , his wife possessed

    by a former marriage two grown-up sons , John and Frederick Massingberdwho lived with her at Verner ' s Prideidling , shooting

    ; and fishing , , being-supplied with clothes and pocket , -money by their mother , and taking no thought for the morrow .

    The scene opens with the intended departure of John Massingberd for the diggingswhich ishoweverdelayed hy a fearful accident

    occurring on the , estate . Rachel , Frost , , a pretty girl who had been brought up at Verner ' s Pridehalf lady's-maidhalf companion , is

    , , found dead in a pool one bright moonlight night , about half an hour after she had left her father's cottage to return to the great

    house . Proceedings at the inquest reveal a clue to Rachel ' s possible motive for suicide , and suspicion falls on one of the three young men

    of Verner ' s Pride ; But which ? Frederick Massingberd was secretly ¦ engaged to Sybilla Westthe belle of the neighbourhood ; John , a

    -careless , rollicking , but , goodhearted fellow , comes in for a strong _ishare of icion ; as to Lionelhis high character stood him in

    positivel stead , and y susp known the reader was does that not quarrelling even , glance voices that were way . heard All near that was the

    pass pool , along and that the lane about towards the same Verner time ' s Pride a tall , gentleman and was met was near seen the to

    Notices Of Books. 63

    NOTICES OF BOOKS . 63

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), March 2, 1863, page 63, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_02031863/page/63/