36 ART. III.-1. The Confessions of a Pretty Woman. By Miss 2. Emilia Wyndham. A Tale. By the Author of "Two Old Men's Tales," and "Mount Sorel." 3 vols. 1846. THE Confessions of a Pretty Woman! What ideas does the title excite; how redolent is it of grace and fashion and careless oisiveté; what visions of blonde and satins and diamonds, eclipsed by that which they are designed to adorn; what suggestions lie perdues of flirtations and gaieties all unmixed with gravities, of "nods and becks and wreathed smiles;" what quiet, or peradventure unquiet, scandal might not be looked for in a book with such a designation! And now that all these have had their effect, and that every body has read the book, we, the serious and earnest among critics, sit down to analyze and investigate it. The most renowned professor of the critical art, the august and tremendous Fadladeen, was once pleased to observe, that before he gave an opinion upon the poems of Feramorz, "he must pass briefly in review all the poems that had ever been written ;” and though it may not be necessary to review all previous novels before we examine the one before us, yet, as it is a work by no means of a common or common-place kind, it may not be useless to spend a few moments in considering the principles upon which novels are now-a-days written and published. Of all classes of literature, that to which they belong is the most extensively read; many thousands there are who never read any thing else, and if Pollok's observation be true, "A novel is a book Three volumed, and once read," it is at all events satisfactory to the novel-makers of our day that the book is once read by at least a million of persons. Our age is a practical one, and instead of solemnizing our amusements and elevating our pleasures into the rank of duties, we reverse the medal, we bring down our weightiest obligations to the level of recreations; we do our charity at a bazaar, and our patriotism at a Polish ball; we give our children "Joyce's Scientific Dialogues" instead of "Jack the Giant-killer," and try to persuade them that virtue is the finest fun in the world. In exact accordance with this practice, we are no longer visited with the visitations of Cleopatra and Cassandra, nor do we wade through the ponderous romances of chivalry; but we sip our literary whipped cream in three glasses, and even then are apt to exclaim, with one of Mr. D'Israeli's heroes, Three volumes, then,-post 8vo.-price one pound eleven shillings and sixpence, is the Procrustæan standard according to which works of fiction are to be compounded; and in obedience to this law, a pretty woman can make her confessions in no other shape, and of no other than " three dimensions." The work before us is not a novel of adventure or intrigue; nor is it what is usually considered a novel of character. It contains no detail of deep and absorbing passion, it offers little or no "sentiment," the delineation of fashionable life is not its object, it does not deal in ridicule of vulgar "parvenus," it touches not on the field of politics, nor does it meddle with the scandal of the "beau monde." There are three volumes but not one divorce, and altogether the work stands alone. It is this singularity which secures it our attention; all that Miss Pardoe puts forth will, we know, be worth reading, for few writers are more able to treat well what they think proper to treat at all. With unusual powers of description she unites a deep and searching spirit; she looks on her subject as a whole, and considers the bearing of each part on the rest; she writes, too, with a constant regard to the interests of virtue and religion; and a work from such a writer, with such a title, may naturally be expected to possess more than ordinary attractions. Let us here, however, acquit Miss Pardoe at once of being guilty of that virtuous common-place,—the writing, premeditatedly, an improving book; she has senior sisters among the tuneful Nine who save her that labour: she writes as her spirit prompts her, and ought not to be taxed with wilfully thrusting down our throats either ethics or theology. If, however, her object had been to exhibit the utter hollowness and heartlessness of FASHION, properly so called, its inconsistency with the highest qualities and most sacred duties of life, the inadequacy of the world to supply solid and enduring happiness, the necessity of loftier objects and grander hopes than are thus given us to create peace within the heart, she could hardly have adopted means better fitted to her object than by simply telling this very story in this very way. The confessions commence a long while before the beginning, for our heroine tells her mother's tale first, and her own afterwards. Her father, an English merchant, marries a Lady Madelaine Glenfillan, the daughter of a somewhat dilapidated Scotch peer, endowed with great beauty, great talents, and a plentiful lack of affection. The conversation between the right honour : able the Earl of Glenfillan and his daughter is very characteristic, and we accordingly extract it entire. "In about ten minutes the Lady Madelaine appeared, followed by her Marlborough spaniel, who, with all the confidence of a spoiled favourite, intruded himself into the conference. "There was an expression of tremour and anxiety about the young beauty very unusual; and, as she took possession of the chair to which the Earl motioned her, she raised her eyes to his face with an earnestness which bespoke at once curiosity and alarm. "You will never believe, Madelaine,' commenced Lord Glenfillan, that I have requested your presence here on such a subject as the refusal of a commoner to form an alliance with my family.' "The cheeks and forehead of the lady grew suddenly crimson, and her eyes flashed; but she did not utter a syllable. "I see how sensibly-how deeply—you feel this affront,' pursued her father, for which you must have been as unprepared as I myself was; but high birth and noble blood are now at a discount in this country,-gold is the great principle with all ranks. Yet I cannot avoid thinking that, after the extreme step which I took in mooting the subject, when I was decidedly the condescending party, Mr. Tilden should have been less abrupt in his negative.' "Surely, my dear father-surely, my lord,' said the Lady Madelaine, in a tone of offended dignity, 'you did not offer your daughter's hand to Mr. Tilden !' 66 6 Certainly not-decidedly not-' was the sententious answer. 'Your delicacy alone makes you jump to such a conclusion. I flatter myself that I conducted the affair in a manner at once dignified and diplomatic; and, for a considerable time, I had every reason to conclude that Mr. Tilden was transported with gratitude and happiness. But-in short-can you not imagine how the equivoque arose? Can you not guess in what his rejection of Lady Flora's hand originated?' "His fair daughter had suddenly become singularly interested in disentangling two curls of one of the long and lustrous ears of her little favourite, and she did not immediately reply. "That Mr. Tilden had become strongly attached to some member of my family was evident,' continued the Earl; and I accordingly never entertained a doubt that my project for the establishment of your sister had fully succeeded. I could not suppose that he had become enamoured of Miss Margery Macspleuchan'-here his lordship smiled at the facetiousness of his own conceit and I would not think that he had raised his eyes and his hopes to yourself,'-and here he fixed a long and scrutinizing look upon the young lady; 'there was, consequently, no other method of accounting for what I saw, and I acted upon that very rational conclusion. I was wrong, however, my love-wrong in all my premises, save the first. Mr. Tilden has, indeed, become attached-powerfully attached to a member of my family; but, I fear, hopelessly.' "You fear, my lord!' exclaimed the young lady, suddenly looking up with a flash of her natural haughtiness. At that moment she entirely lost sight of the interesting and refined companion, and saw only the plebeian in her noble father's guest. "I used the word advisedly, my dear Madelaine. You well know how highly I estimate our proud and ancient blood, as well as your own excelling loveliness and merit; but I have already hinted to you, that for a time our conversation was carried on in mutual misunderstanding. I, very naturally, thought only of your sister; Mr. Tilden, full of his own feelings, thought only of yourself; and thus we discussed the affair without either having named the person of whom he spoke, until, in allusion to the settlement which he proposed to make upon his wife, Mr. Tilden mentioned the Lady Madelaine Glenfillan. You may imagine my astonishment!' "And is it really possible, my lord,' asked the lady, with the pretty scorn of a spoiled beauty, that, having so long made the acquaintance of this proud commoner, you should have conceived it probable that he would become the husband of Lady Flora ?' "I did indeed commit that extravagance,' said the Earl, somewhat offended by the tone in which the question was put; 6 nor do I consider it so extreme as it may appear to yourself. Mr. Tilden is no longer a boy, therefore the age of your sister was by no means a fair objection. In other respects, the one precisely possesses what the other needs; for Tilden requires only connection to command every good which this world can offer.' "You would not include the Macspleuchan physiognomy in this list of advantages, I trust, my dear father,' laughed the lady; 'I thought that you had suffered persecution, and learnt mercy ! "The Earl could not resist the contagion of her saucy mirth: he smiled without any symptom of displeasure; and the more cordially, that his lovely daughter appeared by no means so much shocked at the presumption of my father as he had anticipated. 66 6 Imagine my delight,' he pursued after a momentary pause, 'when I heard, as I supposed, a settlement of ten thousand pounds a-year made upon Lady Flora I can well understand it,' said the beauty quietly. "Ten thousand a-year,' repeated his lordship complacently, 'upon a wife whose entire fortune consists of precisely half that amount. Nor, evidently, was this all which Mr. Tilden was about to propose, when, in my astonishment at his mention of your own name, I interrupted him. The offer was certainly most princely.' "He paused, not altogether certain how far he might proceed with safety upon this new tack-but he paused in vain; for Lady Madelaine appeared resolved not to come to the rescue.' Why was she thus silent? We can only say, with the German proverb, Das Herz lügt nicht. "What a splendid figure might be made by a woman of fashion and beauty upon an unencumbered ten thousand a-year!' once more declaimed his lordship. I must again repeat, that the offer was princely.' "And intended for myself, if I have understood you rightly, my lord,' said Lady Madelaine. It almost makes me smile, when I remember the marvellous projects of my poor aunt in my favour, that the first suitor who has seriously pretended to my hand should be a commoner, and one, moreover, who has been contaminated by commerce; and that I should say-knowing myself as I do-that I pray you not to precipitate this matter. Of course Mr. Tilden leaves the Castle at once.' "Such was his intention,' said the Earl, who could scarcely conceal his astonishment at the words and bearing of his daughter; 'but, in compliance with my request, he has consented to remain for a couple of days longer.' "With any hope of succeeding in his suit?' asked the lady with a very peculiar expression. "Without the slightest,' replied the Earl; and very reluctantly; but I asked it as a favour, to prevent the possibility of remark among the household.' 6 "You have acted wisely, my dear father, as you ever do,' said Lady Madelaine; and she removed the spaniel from her lap, and drew her chair directly opposite to that of the Earl, sweeping away as she did so the piles of papers which occupied the table before her; and then she leant her head upon her hand for a time, in an attitude of grave thought. That I was not quite unprepared for this event,' she said at length after a considerable pause, upon which his bewildered lordship did not attempt to break, I will at once concede. I could not mistake the manner of Mr. Tilden, guarded as it has been; nor was I blind to the fact that I am not altogether calculated to play respectably the rôle of a nonentity with which your lordship had favoured me in this domestic drama. Lady Flora has been de tiers, and not myself. So much for the state of things at home; and now I will give you a slight sketch of the reasons which have induced me to tolerate the proposal of Mr. Tilden.' "As she ceased speaking, she glanced towards the Earl, who replied only by a silent inclination of the head. I know that I am handsome-all the world have so decided, and all the world must be right. I know that my family, on both sides, is unexceptionable, and in antiquity would do no dishonour to a German court; and Í am assuredly not of a temperament to consider such advantages as a matter of indifference. But these are not the only truths which the world has taught me. I am young in years, but old in experience. The tuition of Lady Sinclair was able, and I have learnt somewhat of myself. I have been flattered, fêted, and followed; but the mention of my prospects has always hitherto sufficed to cool the passion created by my person. I am haughty and ambitious. Glenfillan is to me exile from all the haunts and habits of my early and brilliant girlhood. You have considerately warned me that I must not hope |