New-York tribune., 1903-01-27
CONTTNU4 TIONS.
Some Comic Sonnet Sequences to
AOreLS

Andrew Lang. in The London Morning Post
Last week 1 reading The Athenaum, "
wherein were four sonnets. signed. indeed, by
Mr.. Watts-Dunton, but headed Percy Aylwin
midnight standing in front Of his chalet.
where he has been living alone since the death
Of Rhona. was much pleased by the idea of
a novel To be continued in next''-in SON
nets. Fielding never thought of this. Dick
ems, nor Sir Walter Scott. They merely went on
and on, writing new novels. But / reflected,
when a potent character mas once seized an au-
thor,s ina gination with the matchless grip Of
Percy Aylwin. no doubt II actually dominates.
possesses, its creator and perhaps writes
sonnets by his hand automatically
At this moment both Of my own hands began
to trembe and jerk each clutched a pencil
and took piece Of paper. and-aS / am living
and honorable man-set off writing without my
conscious interference ] had recently Obliged
the town with a romance, in which there were
two heroes, and when my hands ceased to write
found that each hero had taken possession of
one hand, One hero IN plain prose. set out his
replies TO critics. He was not a compound
he said "of Mr. Jerore's Three Men in a Boat
and of the creations of Mr.. Benjamin Swift or
Mr.. Jacobs (the gentleman at all events who
writes stories with comic pictures of intoxicated
1nariners). He was rather blend of Guy Liv-
ingston with Marius the Epicurean.' That was
The left hand; the writing. reversed read in a
mirror. Tf- right hand had written in verse a
friolet-
VIII nobody boom me?
oh. Robertson Nicollt
vii nobody boom me?
With scorn they review me.
With pen points they prickle
viii nobody boom me?
Oh. Robertson Nicolli
Much pleased. but 4 little frightened Gor, un-
ike Mr.. Stead, I am not accustomed 70 be taken
had IN this automatic way). / went TO the office
of The Athen8um." not doubling that the edi-
tor would welcome these mysterious utterances
Of my two split personalities" / found him
deep in manuscripts. which overfiowed the many
sumptuous wastepaper baskets and flooded the
floor
You have got it, too" he said, on glancing at
the effusions of my two heroes They have all
Of them got il, all the novelists. / cannot pub
lish ali OF them Here is a letter from 'slum
Novelist" "
He handed to me the epistle. It began:
Sir: Everywhere snobbery. everywhere social ex-
se: nv hero Jack SNUG. does not an e IS man
Of the people So Percy shall stand in front OF his
Of his shanty, shan't he?
There are dozens of them like that" said the
editor. Here is one sonnet sequence headed The
Hound Of the Baskervilles at midnight standing
in front Of his kennel, where he has lived alone
since the death OF his late spirited proprietor" q"
On this felt rather depressed in spirits,
mine was clearly no unusual case of inspiration
Would you care TO look at a few Of them?
-sked the editor. You may take them away
ith you" he added. remarking except in d
supplementary Volume of the Encyclopedia
---.'anrica' CO -l3t see how / can get them all
out" Perceiying, with intuitive acuteness. that
he would fain be alone. / grasped a sheaf OF
these automatic manuscripts, bowed and with
drew
On reaching my garret perused the produc-
tiOns OF the heroes of novels. and was much
struck By a sonnet headed THE Pope at mid
night standing Ia front of his Vatican where he
has been living alone since the death Of his
Wife
Though now the Hermit of the Vatican.
in youth I wooed and wed. / told.
Is whispered IN a novel, widely sold
BY him who spoke the spectre hound OF Man.
Some things cannot CO. and some ] can.
But not for store of relics set in gold
Could T. when young, nor can I. being old
PerlIse Hall Caine-not in Italian
Nothing I know Of wives. Of my
wonder II his Latin fair.
u his hexamefers were deftIy done.
And might with mine and Horace's cornpare7
Could I but read Hall Cainel Away The sun
shall 5ie before the dreadful task I dare
1t appears that kind of unconsciousnsss.