The unconsciousness of her mental analysis is at once its greatest charm and the best token of its truthfulness. Florence Nightingale realized how fully this was so with reference to the finer qualities of morals. In her tribute to Harriet Martineau's memory Miss Nightingale justly observes:-- In many parts of her _Illustrations of Political Economy_--for example, the death of a poor drinking-woman, "Mrs. Kay,"--what higher religious feeling (or _one should rather say instinct_) could there be? To the last she had religious feeling--in the sense of good working out of evil into a supreme wisdom penetrating and moulding the whole universe; into the natural subordination of intellect and intellectual purposes and of intellectual self to purposes of good, even were these merely the small purposes of social or domestic life. On the other side of the human character in her delineation of the bad qualities, she as instinctively seeks and finds causes for the errors and evils of the minds she displays. Foolishness, and ignorance, and poverty are traced, entirely without affectation and "cant," in their action as misleading influences in the lives of the poor sinners and sufferers. The stories told in the _Illustrations_ are frequently very interesting. In this respect, there is a notable advance in the course of the series. The earlier tales, such as _Life in the Wilds_ and _Brooke Farm_, are not to be compared, as mere stories, with even those written later on by only eight or nine stirring eventful months, such as _Ireland_ and _The Loom and the Lugger_. Still better are the latest tales. The _Illustrations of Taxation_ and _Illustrations of Poor-Laws and Paupers_ are, despite the unattractiveness of their topics, of the highest interest. _The Parish_, _The Town_, _The Jerseymen Meeting_, _The Jerseymen Parting_; and _The Scholars of Arnside_, would assuredly be eagerly read by any lover of fiction almost without consciousness that there was anything in the pages except a deeply interesting story. Archbishop Whately pronounced _The Parish_ the best thing she had done. _Vanderput and Snook_, the story dealing with bills of exchange, was the favorite with Mr. Hallam. Lord Brougham, on whose engagement she did the five "Poor-Law" stories, wrote most enthusiastically that they surpassed all the expectations that her previous works had led him to form. Coleridge told her that he "looked eagerly every month" for the new number; and Lord Durham recounted to her how one evening he was at Kensington Palace (where the widowed Duchess of Kent was then residing, and devoting herself to that education which has made her daughter the best sovereign of her dynasty), when the little Princess Victoria came running from an inner room to show her mother, with delight, the advertisement of the "Taxation" tales; for the young Princess was being allowed to read the _Illustrations_, and found them her most fascinating story-books.