s. Slovenliness is the
aptest word to apply to the workmanship of _Maria_ (Hutchinson), the
latest heroine of the Baroness Von Hutten. _Maria_ has the air of having
been contracted for, while that fastidious overseer who lurks at the
elbow of every honest craftsman, condemning this or that phrase,
readjusting the other faulty piece of construction, has frankly
abandoned the contractor. _Maria_ was the daughter of an artist cadger
(name of _Drello_), friend of the great and seller of their autograph
letters, whereby he was astute enough to make a comfortable living.
_Maria_ had a dull brother named _Laertes_, who accidentally met a
highness, who fell very abruptly in love with _Maria_ and made her
strictly dishonourable proposals. _Maria_ drew herself up, compelled him
to apologise and go away, until the nineteenth chapter, when she made
similar proposals to the highness, now a duly and unhappily married
_King of Sarmania_. But she is saved by the chivalrous love-lorn dwarf,
_Tomsk_, who, with the irascible singing-master _Sulzer_, is responsible
for the chief elements of vitality in this rather suburban romance. And
I found myself never believing in _Maria's_ wondrous beauty and quite
sharing _Sulzer's_ poor opinion of her singing. But this of course was
mere prejudice.

* * * * *

In _Grizel Married_ (Mills and Boon) Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
exhibits the highest-handed method of treating Romance that ever I met.
For consider the situation to be resolved. _Dane Peignton_ was engaged
to _Teresa_, but in love with _Lady Cassandra Raynor_, whose husband, I
regret to add, was still alive. _Dane_ and _Cassandra_ had never told
their love, and concealment might have continued to prey on their damask
cheeks, if Mrs. Vaizey had not (very naturally), wished to give us a big
emotional scene of avowal. It is the way in which this is done that
compels my homage. Off go the characters on a picnic, obviously big with
fate. _Teresa_ goes, and _Dane_ and _Cassandra_, the fourth being
_Grizel_, whom you may recall pleasantly from an earlier book; but,
though she fills the title _role_ in this one, she has little to do with
its development. Of course I saw that something tragic was going to
happen to somebody on that picnic--cliffs or tides or mad bulls or
something. But I don't suppose that in twenty guesses you could get at
the actual instrument of destiny. _Cassandra_ chokes over a fish-bone!
That's