The explanation of which is that this
one is supposed to be sent to his wife by the new _Vicar of Royd_, himself
a successful novelist, on a visit of inspection to his future parish. The
efforts of _Mrs. Grant_, at home, to disentangle essential facts from the
complications of the literary manner form as pleasant and human an
introduction to a story as any I remember. The story itself is one highly
characteristic of its author, Mr. ARCHIBALD MARSHALL, both in charm and
truth to life, as also in one minor drawback, of which I have taken
occasion to speak before. Nothing could be better done than the picture of
the household at Royd Castle, the boy owner, _Sir Harry_, sheltered by the
almost too-encompassing care of the three elder inmates, mother,
grandmother and tutor. When the fictionally inevitable happens and an Eve
breaks into this protected Eden there follow some boy-and-girl love-scenes
that may perhaps remind you--and what praise could be higher?--of the
collapse of another system on the meeting of _Richard_ and _Lucy_. I will
not anticipate the end of a sympathetically told story, which I myself
should have enjoyed even more but for Mr.
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