The sun., 1916-10-14
EGERTON CASTLE TELLS HOW
1.-THE CASTLES" COLLABORATE

-
There is n new novel. a Costume
romance" from those indefa;igable coll
hborators. the Castles. this fail. This
makes about twenty books In "a many
years from Agnes and Egerton Castle.
who enjoy the reputation of having
never disappointed their established
reading public. MIR. Castle was recently
asked to tell how he and his wife had
contrived to work together so fclicitously
through these years. and he sends over
the following interesting letter Of infor-
nation:
I'VE are often asked how c%ollabora-
ton car be carried out. whether the
characters or the dialogue belongs to the
one. and the disquisition. the scenery,
the history or what not. to the other.
To such questions 1t is almost impossi-
BILE to reply--oven If one cared TO give
away the secrets Of the prison holec'
all that may I've aid tx that, when the
work is done and finally pruned and re-
yiscd. the cooperation has been complete.
Such Joint work is. | believe, only possi-
Bile as IA permanency by husband and
wife. II is conceivable between broth
ers and sisters-but even there the points
OF view. making allowances for differ
ences of mentality. seem bound in time
w A'Nt u ~ $50
friends, ! think. 1t is not On record that
the strain OF collaboration has been able
to resist the effect of years.
BE il as IL may. in this peaceful
double harness some twenty novels have
been rolled out in as many years. not
to speak Of the short stories and plays.
And now comes The Winds W.T.
which | am particularly glad to say tfor
one never knows how the public taste
,p tl.a, cod .lnN ,yiif spl Inu haasN 20.
ceived on this side most sympathetically.
1T Is, as you may imagine. in the
present atmosphere Of anxiety and sor-
row. In the mids. OF the strenuous life
OF these years. when everywhere, even
at home. deeds are done far more ro-
mantle. more incredible. than anything
that was ever presented IN fiction. II is
difficult TO select themes hat may he nc-
ceptablc 70 readers in search of distrar-
ton from the hauntings OF the war. II
you write of present days 4, is imrn Il
BILE TO got away from the atmosphere ~
war. We had to introduce it-as n cN-
listed In remote English country If" Mt
the beginning OF the great strugglc--iu
'rilo Hope Of the House
"Rui on the whole one wants 30 get
away. II possible. for a spell from pres
ert surroundings. And II was that fr"l-
ing. in the midst 81 war work Of V1ri-
Nl> Minus. WHICH Ill'A lf u 'tl''~' N''
English-Frcnch idyll. which became tho
story Of The Winds VIII
in my early days in France | hav"
seen the prussians around Paris and
witnessed the devastation they wrought
everywhere on their passage. Now NJ
the latter end OF my life when | hear Of
the same horrors. but tcnfold more fcro-
cious. perpetrated by them In that coun-
try now our stanch ally and friend, my
-- A@I H. aAs 80
French scenes Of my youth. II was
through talking OF the kindly peasant
folk Of St. Cloud. OF whom l n v sucl
pleasant recollection. that the idee mcr,
OF The Winds VIII wa evolved. Th,
love marriage of the aristocratic Brit
ish officer and the fascinating daughter
OF the soil Is. I may mention. baset
upon an actual fact In the family OF {
well known peer. Once given such
theme. the atmosphere. all III" local II"
tails, based on local acquaintance and OF
the many memoirs OF the time. GROUPED
themselves with singular ease. | ma,
say that the writing OF this book ha
been a great solace.
, "And a solace of that kind Is n pre-
cious boon in these hours OF ever prcsen
suspense and sorrow. when with ever
? friend and relative of military age some
/, where at the front. in France, in Egyp'
, IN MeSOpOtafnla, on inc seas, ono uIfi'
the arrival OF all letters or kilograms
. when the papers bring you periodical re
: port of some one you knew well gone
, like so many others at last.
Last year my ,wife-not to speak O
myself-had a severe personal blow. lie
, only brother. who during the earl
. months OF tho wal had already bee
wounded at Ypres. and whom we ha
nursed back TO health at Anthony Plac'
was sent as soon as he was suiiicientl
e recovered to take command OF the Dol
n sets. in the Persian Gulf.
"He had played, according to des
. patches, Il brilliant part in the taking c
Kut-that was during the victorious nd
vance In 1915, through Mesopotamia,
that expedition which In the end was $
IN fated. We had last heard OF him a
Ctesiphon. almost within sight OF Bal
: dad. And at last. as in so man
thousands of English homes. came III
. official telegram announcing his entry
{ the roll Of honor.
During the last six years We Ia,
{ lived almost altogether In the country.
had bought the house now known as Al
thony Place, on the edge OF the Hindhea
5 hill, by the edge OF the great heath'
stretches, merely rs n week end resor
2 That was the original idea. But the pla'
took such n hold upon us, the improN'
. ment OF its bright terrace gardens ar
q of It's few wild acres Of pine, holly N
bracken became such a fascination tn
2 Il has now become our home. a vii