Kelly Walsh. Price, $3.
Suppose you, a young man who has just gone up to Trinity from Eton, the son of a post-war knight who has made a quarter of a million cut of wool instead of serving in the war, suddenly 4' cover that your paternal gran father, instead of having been the distinguished bibliophile you have always been led to suppose, is at the moment "Boots," at a country hotel within car' drive the family mansion, who has disowned your father—Sir Probyn Pybus—and your uncle because they evaded conscription as indispensibles, what would be your behaviour? ' This is the situation which Mr. Warwick Doening provides in the first 30 pages of hi new novel "Old Pybus," and it holds the promise of intriguing possibilities. Unfortunately, to some extent, although the story continues. in an interesting enough way, the author seems to depart rather from what seemed to be his first intention, to give us a rattling good yarn, and the book proceeds as a study of the development of the character of the sensitive, deopthinking young man who, against the wishes of his father, fessists on adopting a literary career.
Lance, who, unknown to his family, has become devoted to hi grandfather, sets up in London at the age of 23, on an allowance from his father, to devote himself to writing the Great Novel that to make his name. He has an interlude with a girl, with whom. he finds he is not really in love, and whom he turns down: in favour: of his work. In revenge she breaks into his rooms and burns the manuscript of the precious novel. Did T hear you say "The Light that Failed?" Yes, there is even.a blind man here, only he is not the author of the novel, but the brother of the real mate. Somehow, however, the loss of "Rust" touches me not in the least like Kipling's wonderful book, which whenever I pick up, T read from the place it opens to the Nevertheless, "Old- Pybus" is an interesting book, if not quite in the first rank, at least well up in the "worth readings;" moreover it. is leagant to meet a book of 424 wellfited pages, instead of 260 of targe type that' say nothing. Some of the characters "are really interesting. Lance works out into manhood, wine his girl and rewrites his novel in a thorough manner. I with young mien, who" spend thei: among. the-devy.~vtho replied to ax time philosophizing on the Meaning, advertisement published for him by of Life, and who, at the age of Japanese friend. Smith already hhadl a: cook, and, we: read, expressing the Essence of things, She hated him into the Kitghen and the Raw Soul of Naturevete. Old Pybus is essentially the looker-on, ino Tainted" number one, fina "other "nape bright oid and Sas, acne pussy Sere mellow but not—to me—very spiring. I could, however, "have Slores ai of "hom oad arisen done with more of the. rather'
Kved eh, rarer noi appealing Sir. Probyn, the successful business man who has made an ite his study and had: directed. the cook unlimited amount of money but usher them in one by one, finds the satisfaction it can buy im very limited, his stupid, self-The passages also, too long: to.quot., indulgent, rather pathetic but very in which one of the: characters natural wife, who can't understand ashes the conduct: (or lack of-it) of why her son is always mooning American visitors: to Japan are full about by himself, the frankly, fof fecting and effect: Englishmen vulgar Uncle Conrad, who could who have lived in Paris, and have hardly have made the fortune he is keen recollections of the Easter supposed to have done if he bad, holiday tourists from their own been as fatuous as he is portrayed, country, will sympathize, and, Inst but not least, the Although Mr.. Kitiney begins with restrained little "gold-digger" who the earthquake, we have Kept it to dallies with Lance, but marries the Inst. It is by far the best and Uncle Conrad. most graphic description of that One complaint, however, 1 must almost. unsurpassed calamity' that record against the: author. In real we have ever read. "In gross and life many.people—husband and deta" those. fearful scenes are wife particularly—may address set before one witha. reality, a other constantly as "my power of selection, a cense for: the but a novel need not follow right word and' the. suggestive ife with absolute literal-Treatraint: which: is always 80. much Most of the characters in more theiliing than. itemized hor-book, particularly the senior tors,' that are beyond: praise. And Pybus, use the phrase relentlessly the human side. of the tragedy, the counted it me times in four jearthquake's reaction on: the. Taind, pages, and that seemed to be about the sense of personal ing alt, and the average throughout. indignation -which it evoked, far Altogether, if not quite a book more: than terser: (that: came. after-that you will not be able: to put} down once you have started it, at any rate it in one that you will read with interest to the end, without noticing that the clock has advanced a good deal more than you thought it had—z.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.