daughters of the Marquis de L'Aubespine. The children had all grown finely; the good curé of Champrond was attending faithfully to their religious instruction, but other care and training were needed for their education.

Martin at length consented with sadness to a separation, which had become necessary for the good of his pupils, and lovingly placed them under the kind protection of the nuns, who promised to complete his work.

The education of the little one, Louis, began to give the good man much solicitude. The hospital of Nogent-le-Rotrou, which Sully founded, and which held his honoured tomb, sent for this purpose some money to the faithful servitor. Of all the inheritance of the minister and the friend of Henry IV., the portion which he bequeathed to the unfortunate was the only one which benefited his posterity. This assistance, however, proved insufficient. Then some generous friends proposed to meet

the need by subscriptions, and one benevolent Bishop offered to the little lad an asylum in a convent. But Martin did not like to have his young master dependent on private charity, and he wished for them a more cheerful home and a more manly education than a convent could afford.

Finally, the King appointed him to a scholarship in the College of Henry IV. This was done for the memory of the minister who once served France well, and left an honourable name on her annals: it was also done for the faithful retainer, who nobly merited the reward of seeing his young master and pupil placed in a way to rise again to the rank from which he had fallen, through misfortune.

Thus, noble Alexander Martin, your task has been accomplished. You have merited the good word of all good people. You have given to our age an example, in all times too rare, of gratitude, fidelity, and respect.

OUR LIBRARY

CECIL FORRESTER. 2 vols. By Frederick Sheridan.-(London: T. Cautly Newby.)-We cannot compliment the author of these volumes on the originality of his plot, or the newness of his materials. Bigamy as a means to the end of complicating a story is overdone, and a whole scene from the "Corsican Brothers," without the grace of an acknowledgment, is rather too bold a piracy for even the most youthful writer to venture on. But, in spite of these faults, and of the introduction of some repulsive scenes and characters, which require art of a more masterful description than the author of "Cecil Forrester" at present possesses (to make us tolerate their hideousness or the power and truth of their drawing), the story is not without interest. The gradual weaving together, thread by thread, the ravelled proofs of Cecil Forrester's identity, exhibits a power of construction on the part of the author which we have no doubt will result in better work hereafter. The story, as we have suggested, turns on the hackneyed incident of Lord Langmuir marrying a second wife in the lifetime of a first. The character of this nobleman is, we trust, for the honour of the peerage, unique. We are glad to say that there is an unreality even in the description of his wickedness, which gives us hopes that no living member of the upper ten thousand has sat for the portrait. With the aid of an unscrupulous servant the Marquis manages to rid himself, with little trouble or expense, of wife the first, who is convicted, on the false evidence of his accomplices, of the murder of her child, and is only saved by dying in prison from suffering the penalty of her presumed crime. In the meanwhile her child, who had in reality been stolen from her, is rescued by a clergyman-a relative, and former lover of the recognized Marchioness from the arms of a tramp, who has just time to avouch

TABLE.

the innocence of Ellen Winter, when she also dies. A locket, bearing the name of "Cecil Forrester"-the assumed name of the child's father-is the only clue to the history of the babe which the clergyman (Mr. Sinclair) who adopts him, sets himself the task of discovering, and accomplishes step by step, till the superlative villany of the Marquis is laid bare, and he chooses suicide to avoid ignominy. The description of the school-life of the half-brothers (Cecil Forrester the foundling, and the young Glenailsa, the son of Lady Isabella and Lord Langmuir) is the most pleasingly written portion of the book. The author, who boasts of being an Etonian, evidently feels at home in the Dame's house, the chapel, and the playmeadows, and the characters of the two boys are very nicely drawn. But as Lord Langmuir be comes convinced that Cecil is really his son, a fiendish desire to put him out of the path of his child by his later marriage resolves itself into a hideous scheme. He entices the lad, who is a fine, robust fellow, fond of all manly exercise, to go out in a boat, which he has contrived shall founder with him; but instead of Cecil going alone, as was intended, Glenailsa accompanies him, and both are drowned. Lady Langmuir, relieved of her unamiable lord, and the only child of their illegitimate marriage, is left to poetical justice and the Rector of Hamphill.

THE FAMILY FRIEND: LABOUR AND WAIT. By Emma Jane Warboise.-(Houlstone and Wright, Paternoster Row.)-As the latter tale, which has since been separately published, appeared originally in the Family Friend," we shall be doing no injustice to either work in discussing them together, And first, of the "Family Friend" we cannot flatter the publisher or assure our friends that either its appearance or contents are improved. It is not

the only publication on which we have observed that the removal of the paper duty has acted in the very opposite way from that we were led to expect. In the present instance, while the paper has considerably deteriorated, the type has not improved with time, and we cannot hide from ourselves that "The Family Friend" of the present has fallen off considerably from what it was in the early days of our intimacy with it. The redeeming and most important feature of the present volume is the tale we have just alluded to, and which, without possessing any

THE TOILET.
(Specially from Paris.)

FIRST FIGURE Indoor toilet: Dress of a robe made with a round waist, finished with a Irish poplin, trimmed at the skirt with a flounce, wide ceinture and buckle enriched with brilliants; mounted in groups of five plaits, headed and the body ornamented with revers à la paysanne intersected by a fancy trimming, and large of white guipure. The sleeves of this robe should lozenges of the same, which alternate between be composed of a puffing of velvet. I have the groups of plaits. We do not ourselves seen a very charming toilet of grey pou-de-soie, admire this new style of trimming; but a deco- garnished at the bottom of the skirt with five ration in the same style of black velvet has a black biases, surmounted by a narrow black lace, very beautiful effect, and suits every shade of headed by a velvet. The corsage formed a habit material. The same trimming goes round the behind, and a vest before, encircled like the body, which is made with a round basque, and busque habit, and the top and bottom of the ornaments the top of the sleeves, down which sleeves, with a trimming to match that on the it is continued, and finishes at the cuff. Lace skirt. There is really no alteration in the form collar, with turned-down corners. Under-sleeves, of robes. The crinoline is giving way to a with cuffs to match. Narrow black lace cravat. reduplication of petticoats, the effect of which On the hair an invisible net; and a ribbon to is far more graceful and natural. match. The ribbon is interlaced with the tresses. SECOND FIGURE-Visiting toilet: Dress of pou-de-soie, with the lower part of the skirt, as high as the knees, composed of the same coloured pou-de-soie, with black stripes in the Pekin style; this is cut in deep scallops, and finished with a black velvet and bows of the same; at the points of the scallops. Body composed of a waistcoat with Pekin stripes. Jacket in the Zouave style, with a short tail behind of plain pou-de-soie. Sleeves with Pekin stripes, close fitting, having a jockey at the top, formed and trimmed to match the trimming on the shirt. Linen collar, with turned-down ends, bordered by a row of fine Valenciennes, cuffs to match. A scarlet velvet in the hair. For full-dress the robe of the season is actually of velvet. This is worn in all its splendid simplicity, only relieved by rich guipure. Nothing is more charming than such

The most elegant bonnets are always in the fanchon form. Those intended for dress generally have the crowns formed of flowered tulle, white or black; but these are only the foundations, which are overlaid with velvet, ribbon, artificial flowers, jet, and lace, in the most bewildering and fantastic manner. I will endeavour to describe one of the simplest models-a bonnet of black velvet, with a little drawn crown of black tulle; above the hair fall loops of ribbon of a gilly-flower shade, and beneath them a cache-peigne of lace. In the interior a neige of tulle, and tufts of velvet gilly-flowers of their natural tint. Coiffures de bal are simply composed of a neige of tulle in front, with a rose or other flower placed in the middle. Others take the form of a diadem embroidered with stars of pearl; the favourite shade is ponceau; and a little white plume sometimes accompanies this style of head-dress.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

POETRY received and accepted, with thanks.- Lilac Tree." May we impress upon this writer his "Our Friends Beyond the Sea;" "Lines for the own advice to the said buds? "To Kitty on the Little Ones ;" "Tempted;" "The Widow's Ice;" "The Fireman," a very capital subject if Marriage ;"" ;" "Love ;" "What is the River Saying?" only the author's imagination were sufficiently on DECLINED, with thanks. "The Gamut of fire.

Odours!"" Coming Home;" "To a Budding

London: Printed by Rogerson and Tuxford, 216, Strand,