New-York tribune., 1921-09-18
British Novelists of First Rank
Write Stories of Life IN London
Walpole Studies Effects of War on Men and
Women and Gasworthy Com
pletes Forsyte Series

Duchess of Wrexe," on "Westcott." /"
Working with deft and at times
meticulous care, Walpole acquaints us
with little group of people who suffer
reactions" to the war, and the bring
ing in, casually, of trio or more of
names that suggest scenes in his other
books, infuses this collection with a
semblance Of authentic history. The
word reactions" has nearly been done
to death. People suffered in variety
of ways during the war, from taxed
nerves, from the obvious discomforts
necessitated by the strain of the con-
flict on personal pockets, from a thou
sand and one unhappy inroads Of the
orderly. "Reactions" seemed to blan-
ket a whole acre of evils and it be-
came famous word. We're going to
try to gesture it away after dragging
it into this review, for we find it ap-
licable to our present performance,
that of giving an inkling of what
Walpole does in "The Thirteen Ira
vellers."
The sketches in this book are brief
but subtle. Each is concerned with a
special phase of national neuras-
thenia and deals with typical in
dividual case. Absalom Joy, Of the
opening story, an elderly fellow with a
small income, an habitue Of circles just
under the upper crust, is appointed to
war position. The resultant increase
in his funds enables him to spread
himself bit. Then comes the armis-
tice and the end Of the war. Absalom
flickers out from this world His little
candle burned merrily during dark
days. 1t went out in the rays Of
new light.
Fanny Close, a pleasing contrast to
the unfortunate Absalom, moves her
self into place financially above her
former stratum. Possessed of an abil-
ity to make herself of service, she
steps up instead of down when the
war closes. Absalom could not see
beyond his nose. Fanny could. On her
heels follow one Of the ingratiating
figures of the thirteen, the Hon. Give
Torby. He had left an arm in France
and the sudden loss of his income,
after November, 1918, found him a
jolly fellow of the London clubs, face
to face with the bread and butter mat
ter. We like Give. He climbed lad
der with pail of paint and began
quiet career as a house decorator.
The pendulum swings back to the
gloom-side in the study of Miss Nor
ganhurst. To us Walpole Is at his best
in this analysis Of the heart and mind
of an old woman who tries to shunt off
the war in q spirit of abandon, giving
herself over wholly to card playing and
dog-loving. Walpole is inexorable ir
his handling of the enforced attitude
of this proud woman, revealing a close
knowledge of the currents Of thought
that move increasingly, hidden under
the mask of false exterior. Through
the slight incident of the sudden death
of pet dog, the whole of Miss Nor
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ground. The huge tragedy of the war
stalks in over the dead body of her pet
and the woman collapses.
1t is an extremely difficult art, tha-
Of reversing the telescope Of a time
and seeing men and women clear but
as puppets. In "The Thirteen Ira
velers" we get the impression of ,
miniature stage. Around and above i
are eternal things Of great moment
On it are ephemeral human beings
each acting out his part, yet fashioned
and directed by something tha
presses and confines him, in which h,
moves as weakling or as play
fellow with-perhaps Destiny.
Galsworthy's patrician prose glows
through the body Of his novel ITO Let
as phosphorescence, seen at night
CLEANS in the currents of the sea. In nc
chapter is there a diminution of this
color Of excellence. Both in his study
of his characters and IN his brief plc.
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