ured her, and for very
fear of it she erred in an opposite extreme. But with the true artist's
instinct she recognized that it was in the air, and she makes it the
theme of a romance that holds it up not only to ridicule, but shows with
relentless force into what abysms it may lead its votaries. Over this
novel Miss Edgeworth expended much time and care; it was subjected to
frequent revision, while her father "cut, scrawled and interlined
without mercy." It is certainly polished _ad unguem_, as he rightly
deemed that a book of this nature, devoid of regular story, must be; but
it might have been cut down still more with advantage.

It is the peculiarity of Miss Edgeworth's novels, and may be accepted as
their key-note, that she systematically addressed herself to the
understanding rather than to the heart of her readers, and that she
rarely forgot her educational aim. After having striven to instruct
children and young men and women, she tried, in a series of tales
selected from fashionable life, "to point out some of the errors to
which the higher classes of society are disposed." It is an open
question whether it is possible to correct society, or whether that is a
hopeless task because society is too vain and silly to listen to words
of wisdom. "England," said Mr. Pecksniff, "England expects every man to
do his duty. England will be disappointed." Miss Edgeworth, however, who
never doubted the value of tuition, attempted the task, and she was
certainly right in so far that if it were possible to open the eyes of
this class of persons, it would be by means of entertaining stories. Of
course she only appealed to those who, though not gifted with enough
good sense to go right of their own accord, are yet not past teaching,
or too devoid of sense to be teachable, and she took immense pains to
show how the greater part of our troubles in life arise from ignorance
rather than from vice and incapacity. To teach the art of living, the
science of being happy, is her one endeavor; and thus her fancy, her
wit, her strictures, are all made to bend to her main purpose, that of
being the vehicles of her practical philosophy. Yet to regard Miss
Edgeworth as a mere teaching machine is to do her gross injustice. Like
most people, she was better than her creed. Despite her doctrines, her
genius was too strong for her, and it is thanks to this that sundry of
these tales from _Fashionable Life_ are among her highest and most
successful