The London Review of Politics, Society, Literature, Art, & Science

Saturday, June 3, 1865 | No. 257.–Vol. X

Our Mutual Friend. By Charles Dickens. No. XIV. (Chapman & Hall.) —Mr. Bradley Headstone, continuing to follow the footsteps of the Templars, makes the acquaintance of Rogue Riderhood, who has obtained honest employment as deputy lock-keeper at Plashwater Weir Lock. Bradley, in the hands of Riderhood, soon betrays his hatred of Wrayburn, and tho acquaintance seems likely to lead to serious consequences for more than one of the characters in the story. The Lammiles are in pecuniary difficulties, as is also poor little harm-less Twemlow, which affords rledgeby an opportunity to distress his “friend,” which he accomplishes throngh the firm of Pubsey & Co., by the agent, Mr. Riah. Miss Wren is witness of Mr. Riah’s apparent harshness, and, from what Mr. Fledgeby tells her, she loses all confidence in the protector of Lizzie Hexam. Boflin hears from Mr. Venus of the existence of the will found by Wegg, but appears to take the information rather coolly, though he is somewhat disturbed when he finds he was watched while removing the bottle from the dust-mound. He overhears Wege’s spiteful intentions, and, while cogitating how to act under the circumstances, he is caught by Mrs. Lammle in a trap she has laid with the connivance of her husband to upset Rokesmith’s waning influence, and to get Mr. Lammle the con-trol of the Golden Dustman’s property. The story does not mako much progress in the present number, which is hardly so interesting as some of those which have gone before. The illustrations, more-over, are inferior to some in the last few parts, and are even worse than what we objected to in the earlier instalments of the work. Mr. Stone’s achievements this month are discreditable to the art of the present day, and are certainly nothing like so good as the woodcuts of the penny periodicals.