The novel of De Challes touches one of the most delicate points of the organization of a family. During eighteen years, a daughter has been educated under the eyes of her father and mother. She only loves those whom they love, and they only love whom she loves. She has reached a marriageable age; they marry her, and then comes into the family to enlarge its circle, or rather to break it, a man who immediately takes away from the father and mother the better and dearest half of the affections of their beloved daughter. He does the same with the property. This is what is called establishing one's children in the world. We well know that such is the common law, and that one comes with a bad grace, not only to complain of it, but even to be astonished at it. Nevertheless, this law is hard and is not complied with without some murmurs, which we have heard when we give ear to the secret movements of the human heart.

*

The character of Dupuis in the novel of Challes, represents those little jealousies and secret murmurings of fathers and mothers. Dupuis is at once the mother who is afraid of being less loved, and the father who is afraid of being less master of his fortune. He cannot bear the idea of having a son-in-law, that is to say, a man to whom he will give both his daughter and his property without even getting his thanks. Challes has drawn this character with remarkable tact and fidelity, and above all, he has the merit of rendering him neither odious nor tiresome. Dupuis is not tiresome, because he is not one of those characters, too common in comedy, who make their confession in some soliloquy, but who do not know how to put their passion into action. Challes is not satisfied with only defining the character of Dupuis; he makes him act. Dupuis is selfish with so much refinement and delicacy, that neither his daughter nor Desronais, who wishes to be his son-in-law, can find any fault with him, nor are they able to reproach him with being selfish; for this selfishness has always a good reason in its defence, and the reader admires in spite of himself, the resources of this very passion

* Can any thing be more tyrannical than this custom, to which fathers are subjected? Can any thing be more impertinent and ridiculous than to acquire property by hard labor, and to educate a daughter with much care and tenderness, to be robbed of both by the hands of a man who is in no manner related to you ?-MOLIERE.-L'Amour Medecin.

which offends him. Dupuis, then, is not tiresome; nor is he odious, because at bottom we feel that he loves his daughter, and that he also loves Desronais. His fault does not destroy his good qualities, and this mixture of good and evil prevents Dupuis from being offensive to us, although he provokes us; and he amuses us, although he acts contrary to our wishes. We feel towards him as Desronais himself, who sells himself, and nevertheless loves Desronais, and who could not even blame him as much as he could wish; "for this devil of a man," says he somewhere, " manages in such a manner as always to seem to be right, and drives me to despair, without giving me the power of becoming angry."

We will notice some of the scenes invented by Challes to show this character of Dupuis.

Dupuis knows that his daughter loves Desronais, and that she is loved by him; he sees that before long the two lovers will urge him to permit them to marry, and how can he resist? The marriage is suitable on both sides. Dupuis, nevertheless, wishes to postpone, if not to prevent it; and with that view, as he has made no engagement with Desronais, while the latter is on a travel to Angoulême, he promises his daughter to M. Dupont, a son of one of his old friends. Desronais, on his return, learns this scheme, and comes in despair to demand of Dupuis the hand of his daughter, offering him to marry her without any dower, without property, telling him that he loves her, and that he is loved by her. On hearing this, Dupuis, feigning astonishment, pretends that he has pledged his word to a son of one of his old friends: "I do not pretend, however," says he, "to control my daughter, and 1 leave her to the liberty of choosing for herself. If she prefers you, I will no longer think of Dupont, who is a rich match; but I will not unite you so soon." On the following day, at the moment that Dupuis was speaking with M. Dupont about the articles of the marriage contract, Desronais, to whom he took good care to give notice of it, arrives and reclaims the promise which Dupuis had made to him the day before, to permit his daughter to choose for herself. "Miss Dupuis blushed," says Desronais, who relates the story himself, "but did not hesitate, and throwing herself at the knees of her father, she made him understand that she preferred myself in every way that a discreet, honorable, spiritual, and passionate young girl could

do. The father of Dupont, very much astonished, behaved himself like a gallant man, approved our demand, and forbade his son to think of this alliance. Dupuis, pretending to be at a loss to know how to extricate himself from this awkward predicament, feigned to be more angry than he really was, and said to his daughter, that all that he could do was to let her do as she pleased."

This is a well-managed scene; for Dupuis plays the part of an indulgent and prudent father, who does not wish to constrain his daughter, and who breaks with him whom he seemed to choose for a son-in-law, without the latter being able to complain, since it is the daughter who refuses him. Nor can Desronais any longer desire it, since he has consented to withdraw his word in his favor; and if he delays for some time to give his daughter, Desronais is compelled to excuse this delay; there must be some interval between a rupture and a new marriage. In this manner, Dupuis, in the novel of Challes, is selfish at his ease, and almost with honor, without any one being able to censure him.

The success of Challes consists in knowing how to make Dupuis confess to Desronais himself this singular dread which he had of having a son-in-law; and this without either Desronais or the reader being shocked at it. Selfish fathers cannot conceal the passion which they feel; but do not dare either to avow or to justify it; they do not dare to call it by its true name; they say that they love their daughter, but will not acknowledge that they love her for themselves, rather than for herself. Dupuis is more bold; he acknowledges his fault and justifies it: "Very soon," said Desronais, "Dupuis gave me a proof of his attachment for me, which I did not expect. I had obtained from the Court the office which was bestowed upon me; but I was compelled to defray the expenses of it, and I had only twothirds of the money that was required. The delay which was granted me had expired. I did not know how M. Dupuis was informed of my situation. Without saying a word to me about it, he borrowed the amount, pawned a part of his silver, and remitted to me through the hands of his daughter, twelve thousand livres. This act of generosity touched me; I was going to return my thanks to him; he did not wish to hear me; I insisted upon it. Eh! morbleu,' says he to me, 'since you are so anxious to speak, I will

speak too. Is it not true, that if I had given you my daughter with my property, I could not have rendered you this service? Is it not true, that if you had married my daughter entirely destitute, as you desired, you would have thought that this property which I have given you would have been hers, and not mine? Is it not true, that because you are nothing to me, you would have been under a greater obligation to me, than you would have been if you were my sonin-law ?' 'I must confess it.' 'Eh! well, that is just right. My friend, be always the master of your own property, and require your children, if you ever have any, to make their court to you, without putting it in their power to compel you to make your court to them. You will have children yourself some day. Do as I do with Manon; for I regard you both on the same footing, and love you with equal affection.' I was constrained to recognize the good sense of this moral lesson, which so much enraged me. I admired this man, who trusted me with his property, and who did not wish to give me his daughter."

In this scene, the character of Dupuis is painted in a pointed and striking manner, and yet it is not displeasing. While we blame Dupuis, we recognize that there is nevertheless some truth in his opinion; he only exaggerates it; but it is for this very reason that his character is placed in relief and becomes comic.

The denouement of the novel of Challes is melancholy; but it is true and moral. Dupuis sincerely wished to give his daughter to Desronais; he only wished from selfishness to put off her marriage as long as possible. He is punished for this very fault. He becomes suddenly ill, and feels that death is approaching. Then this temporizer wishes to make haste; he wishes, before dying, to see Marianne and Desronais married in his chamber; but he dies before the marriage can be consummated; and this man who had, if we may so speak, wasted the time by his selfish delay, did not have an opportunity to accomplish the only generous thought of his life.

We are astonished that Collé did not profit more by the happy inventions of Challes. Dupuis, in Collé, is rather a misanthrope than a selfish and jealous father. His soliloquies, impressed with a certain melancholy sadness, and his capri

cious and irresolute conduct, do not give us the secret of his character.

Much has been said, in the piece, of Dupuis' want of confidence, as if it were a universal distrust and a genuine misanthropy.

You do not know the extreme distrust
With which his heart is filled against the human race.
Act iii. scene 5.

says Desronais to Marianne; but it is not the human family that Dupuis distrusts, it is his son-in-law. He is not dissatisfied with the whole world; his dissatisfaction is confined to one point, to the idea of disposing of his daughter and his fortune to a man who, receiving all from the law and the custom of society, rather than from his affection and generosity, will not consider himself bound to love him. Such is his care, and such is his character.

We much prefer the denouement of Challes to that of Collé. In Collé, Dupuis concludes by being touched with compassion, and consents to the marriage of his daughter with Desronais.

And if it is possible, be always my friend, [says he to him,]
Although you become my son-in-law.

These two last verses are the finest in the piece, and afford the best illustration of the character of Dupuis. But the denouement is vulgar. The Theatre is overrun with spendthrifts, who, in the fifth act, become economical; gamblers, who have quit gambling; misers, who have become generous; malignant persons who forget their hatred, and bad persons who become good. But we do not think that to make a moral metamorphosis of the character of the principal personage, is the natural denouement of a comedy.

We must confess, in concluding these remarks, that paternal selfishness is difficult to represent on the stage. It is better adapted to the novel than the Theatre; because in a novel, the author can easily explain, while in the drama, explanations soon become tedious to the spectators. At the Theatre, the exhibition of natural and simple emotions always