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your friends you have not forgotten the poor | edition of Lady Chatterton's charming poem at your gate, nor sent the wanderer empty of "Leonore," which, in its present handsome away. Furthermore your Bohemian wishes you, shape, is exactly suited for a Christmas this first of January, eighteen sixty-six, present.

on

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Mr. Walter Donaldson, comedian, in his

We have seen the first number of the Argosy."Recollections of an Actor" (Maxwell), has It is indeed a bulky sixpennyworth. We say bulky advisedly; for, to tell truth, it is rather heavy. Mr. Reade's tale opens uncommonly well it is very forcible.

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The Christmas Number of Fun is able, and one of the cheapest twopennyworths it has been our good fortune to read. Especially good are the tales by the editor Tom Hood, T. W. Robertson, and W. S. Gilbert. The verses by E. L. Blanchard and H. S. Leigh are admirable. We are glad to say our old friend Mrs. Brown is still to the fore, and as amusingly obscure and garrulous

as ever.

Messrs. Macmillan have just issued an

made some strange blunders; for instance, on glancing through the work we find the celebrated Familiar Epistles attributed to Crofton Croker, when it is generally known that John Wilson Croker was the author of the lines in question, and Richard ("Gentleman") Jones is stated to have made his debut at Covent Garden as Squire Groom, in "Love à-la-mode; " but it was as Goldfinch, in "The Road to Ruin.”

We should record the deaths of Dr. Barth, and Captain Fowke, the designer of the Bromp. ton "boilers"; also that of Van Amburgh, the renowned wild-beast tamer, which event took place at Philadelphia. YOUR BOHEMIAN.

THE LADIES' PAGE.

GEOMETRICAL OR HONEYCOMB NETTING.

MATERIALS.-Boar's Head No. 2 Netting Cotton, of Messrs. Walter Evans & Co., Derby; a flat mesh a quarter of an inch wide.

This is adapted for sofa pillows, tidies, or for straining over the top of a bedstead.

1st row. An even number of stitches, and ne a plain row.

2nd. Net the 2nd stitch first, and the 1st second, throughout the row.

3rd. Plain row.

4th. Net 1st stitch, then 2nd first, and 1st second, net a plain stitch at the end. 5th. Plain row. 6th. Same as 2nd.

BABY'S KNITTED BIB.

MATERIALS.-Two ounces of Boar's Head knitting cotton of Messrs. Walter Evans and Co., Derby, No

Cast on 30 stitches; knit 6 plain rows.

16, pins No. 12.

centre stitches. Take up the 30 stitches, and 1st row. Bring the cotton forward; knit two knit the same four rows, decreasing the centre together to the end of the row.

2nd. Plain knitting.

3rd. Purled.

4th. Plain knitting.

Repeat these four rows, increasing at the beginning and ending of every plain row, and you have 80 stitches.

Thread 30 stitches off from each end of the pin, on a coarse cotton, and cast off the 20

side of every plain row; repeat this until you have but 8 stitches left; then knit 50 plain rows, cast off and join it to the side of the bib; this forms the shoulder-strap. Take up the 30 stitches on the opposite side, and repeat this. Knit a piece of simple lace, and sew all round the edge. Finish it with one and a half yard of ribbon, to tie it round the waist.

OUR LIBRARY TABLE.

ADRIENNE HOPE. By Matilda M. Hays. (T. Cautley Newby, Welbeck-street, Cavendish Square.)-Miss Hays has ventured on the dangerous plan of exploiting the secret of her plot in the fourth chapter of her first volume. We say dangerous, because in the hands of nine writers out of ten the interest of the story would be likely to suffer, and that of the reader to flag even from the first.

"In motherhood of her own;" alas! could that tender mother have foreseen the future which awaited her darling, she would have wrestled in prayer with God that one grave might hold them both; or, that she might be spared to watch over and protect her. In these few lines we have the key to Adrienne Hope's story, and know her fated to disappointment and sorrow, and it may be shame even, at this early stage of it, The book opens with the marriage of the hero, Lord Charles Luttrell, and closes with his death-anomolies sufficiently striking to give individuality to Miss Hays' story, and remove it out of the crowd of novels with the usual stereotype beginnings and endings in love and marriage. His marriage is a marriage de raison; for his lordship is an ambitious man, and marries to advance his ambition, somewhat privately and very hurriedly, a Scotch heiress of twenty-five-"a woman of whom a husband might make a friend and find his surest happiness by so doing a woman whom if a husband chanced to make his enemy he might find implacable to the last degree." The pair have extended their wedding-tour to Rome-a locality which enables the writer to introduce her personal impressions of the City of Seven Hills, and her readers, to some of its resident celebrities. From Rome our author turns to England and Devonshire, and introduces us to the interior of a quiet parsonage, and a scene that dates twenty-five years before this is the home of Adrienne Hope, the youngest child of the village rector, a gentleman by birth, a student by nature, a parish priest by vocation. So many years was Adrienne from her brothers and sisters that all of them have left home--the girls as wives, her twin brothers as colonists before she has attained her fifteenth year, when her mother dies of consumption, and thus at the period when maternal care is most requisite, Adrienne is left to the combined care of her father and Peggy, their old and faithful servant.

A bright handsome girl, tall and stout, with more of the development of a woman than is usually met with at that age. A broad square head, regular features, a fair florid complexion, with blue eyes, and a magnificent head of

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The loss of her mother preys on the fond and sensitive girl, who, subdued by her loss, develops into a staid young woman, prematurely thoughtful, taking her mother's place in the household, and becoming henceforth her father's friend and companion. At this period the HEIR to the neighbouring Hall takes possession of his estate, and with the hunting season a crowd of visitors arrive, amongst them the young squire's particular friend and college chum Lord Charles Luttrell-"wine parties, and horse-flesh being the bond of sympathy between them. And here, in order to introduce the hard, ambitious, worldly Lord Charles to the rector's pretty daughter, the author falls back upon the hackneyed expedient of a fall on the hunting-field, and a broken leg, which necessitates the carrying of the injured man to the parsonage, as the nearest house, and his remaining there for many weeks, dependent on the care and attention of her young mistress and Peggy; an intimacy of an affectionate nature springs up between Adrienne and Florence Luttrell, who also takes up her abode at the parsonage during the period of her brother's illness. All this, of course is en train for what follows. The squire falls in love with Lady Florence (both charming characters by the way), and the young lord believes himself passionate y attached to Adrienne, whose fresh young beauty and unsophisticated manners bewitch him, yet never so thoroughly as to make him forgetful of his own interests. It is the old story: the girl loves, believes, trusts, and finally submits to a secret marriage. Intermediately the intimacy and opportunities for love-making are increased by the attachment of Lord Charles's sister for Adrienne, and her consequent visits at the castle. Here we are introduced, amongst other characters, to a very clever lady, Miss Reay, whose ideas, upon most subjects, are worth listening to, and who, though occasionally didactical, is never intrusive. It would be unfair to Miss Hays to give an outline of the story, which, as far as the heroine is concerned, is a sad one. In the course of it, however, we arrive at the conclusion that Miss Reay embodies and reveals the personal ideas and opinions of the author; and though we cannot always accept them, we respect her for

the earnestness with which ihey are set forth. Like all women, Miss Reay is illogical in her reasoning, but acute in her criticism; and so we like her criticism best. As a whole, we regard Adrienne Hope as no ordinary novel; there are thoughts in it to make a reader pause and re-think them. The moral, if indeed a moral was intended to be deduced from this interesting story, turns on the imperative ne

cessity of a woman walking only in the broad and open paths which society has laid down, and that devious ways to wedlock, however holy in the victim's sight, can only bring her to grief. Adrienne pays the penalty of her surreptitious marriage with her life.

[We regret that want of space compels us to defer our notice of "Sketches and Studies of the Watercolour Society.-ED.]

THE TOILET.
(Specially from Paris.)

BALL AND EVENING DRESSES.-FIRST FIGURE-Toilet for a young lady: Pink silk dress, veiled with pink tulle, puffed up to the knees. White tarlatan body, plaited and accompanied by a black silk corslet and black silk sash. On the hair a coronet of roses, placed à la Pompadour, near the top of the comb, which is put rather high.

SECOND FIGURE.- White silk dress, veiled with puffed tulle, as high as the knee. White silk corslet. White tarlatan under-body with a bow of lace, and a cluster of roses on the shoulder. Ball cloak of white cashmere, bordered by a band of Indian Cashmere. Ponceau roses on the hair.

THIRD FIGURE.-Toilet composed of a first

skirt of blue satin. The second skirt is blue

Imperial velvet. Imperial velvet body, very low, and terminating in slashed lappets. The hair is decorated with daisies, scattered separately among the hair in front, and by a wreath of the same flowers behind. The skirt of this dress is ornamented at the bottom with puffings of tulle, interspersed with daisies.

FOURTH FIGURE.-Dress composed of a first skirt of white satin, and second of Algerian gauze, striped with gold. The body is pointed behind and before, and is made with hanging sleeves. Antoinette coiffure, sprinkled with roses, and accompanied behind by a long trail, which reaches half way to the waist.

The waterfall is ebbing away; indeed it has

quite disappeared in coiffures for dress, and the hair is now dressed high on the forehead, and tied very high behind. The long curls known as French curls, many years ago, but which are called by the French marteaux, or hammers, are again in vogue, and are arranged in the Marie Stuart style, upon the temples. Behind, the hair is worn in loops, separated by flowers.

Here is the description of genteel toilet for indoors: It is made with two skirts; the first of plain Foulard; the second of the same tissue, but presenting black stripes; the top of the sleeves and the ends are embroidered with black or white braid. Head-dress composed of several rows of velvet, the colour of the first skirt, which may be of any shade desired.

A pretty negligé toilet for indoors consists of a robe de chambre, made of either pou de soie, poplin, or cashmere. It is cut in the style of a half-tight basquine; but is left very full at the bottom. A small black velvet fichu, pointed in front and behind, is worn over the body of the dress. Sleeves tight. Head-dress, catalane of puffed muslin, trimmed with valenciennes. Wheeler and Wilson's machines, either with Black velvet jackets, exquisitely embroidered by soutache, white silk, or steel beads, and at other times trimmed with Cluny lace, promise to be much in favour. Slippers that might vie with those of Cinderella, also ornamented by those wonderful machines, and mounted on the red heels of a hundred years since, are amongst the elegant novelties for Christmas.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENT S.

"The

POETRY accepted, with thanks.-" Beech Coppice;" Lines;" "The Meaning of Marriage;" Lonely Mother"-with some alterations this shall appear. Declined." Seeming and Being;" "The Guardian's Marriage." The grammatical errors in the compositions of this contributor give us a great deal of trouble. The prose article on hand is chiefly delayed because, on looking it over preparatory to sending it to press, we found it would require to be rewritten in many parts, and we have no time for such grave corrections.

T. B., Cork.-We shall always be happy to hear from this lady. "The Old Cathedral."-We have either read the manuscript of this tale, or have seen the story in type. Which is it? The writer shall hear from us at our earliest leisure.

J. C. B.-We congratulate this contributor and ourselves on his improvement of style. We shall always be glad to hear from him.

** Books, Music, &c., for notice or review, must be forwarded by the 10th of the month, to appear in the following number.

London: Printed by Rogerson and Tuxford, 246, Strand.

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