Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-25

of impressive naming as authentic source OF
knowledge about England any part of that
island at one time in its high career. Speak
of it as one step in the great adventure Of
Hugh Walpole in the picturesque and romantic
story of his country. I'm sure it is all of these
things. But. primarily, to most readers it will
be the story of finely human woman, OF
great strength in times of stress, of much folly
in times of eaSe-but always the woman OF
our own understanding, of our own admiration,
once in a while Of own envy modern
Judith, despite the actual period of her exist
ence and despite the careful work of Mr.. Wal
pole in keeping her within her own day. Just
couldn't be done, in its effect, however. And
that is one of the great points in story that
will receive no end of praise and appraisal.
TWO PEOPLE: A Novel. BY A. A. Milne au-
thor of when We Were Very Young" etc.
Illustrated by E. H Shepard New York:
E P Dutton & Co.
4 AARRIED. The two" Another novelist
M almost any other, would have made mere
episode of the wedlock, short-term sentence,
so to speak Only conjurer could produce
permanency plus happiness out of such
union. For Sylvia, party of the first part, has
not grain of sense. But, Sylvia to look
at-Oh! Pearl and rose, azure and gold that
is Sylvia thing to fiutter and then to settle
deep into mans innermost, to its great dis
quoting
And so they were married The girl and the
young novelist. They "lived happy ever after"
Such the purpose Of the story. Designed, no
doubt as an offset to the ribald volumes on
marriage that so prevail as current reading
Having, however. made the beautiful creature
that he did make Mr. Milne seems to have lost
his head over her. just as the new husband
did. Seduced away from serious intent Mr..
Milne must have decided Sensiby, to turn the
pastoral into comedy Of modern SophiStica-
ton.
bands growing success as q novelist. In no
time at ALL however, he discovers that he has
in his keeping very little to sustain the de-
mands of happy wedlock, save something to
look at Not SO much OF actual resource in
that Eyes. darling mo, darling" just about
budgets the mind of Sylvia and its recordings
in speech.
Now what could any do. save to make
play Of an episode that was meant, originally
to be an idyl, maybe meSSage2 Nothing at
all. And that is what Mr.. Milne does The
garden spot Of Westaway expands beyond its
first Edenc limits to include the social and
literary purlieus of LondoS as the celebrity of
the new author grows And here, too, Sylvia
goes her dumb but dazzling way to the con-
founding of maledom Happily, the young
husband has the secret resource of every poet
and novelist. He is able, through the divine
gift Of imagination, to exc out the shortages of
his womankind by inventing women of his own
with whom he holds communion, irreproach-
smiling story MiInesque in every line. Gay
whimsicalty genial mood, genuine humor,
mark the mastery shift of this novelist from
the true picture of "A Happy Marriage" to
the subtle, softly tronic lines Of comedy, based
upon the seemingly unanswerable problem Of
modern domestic life
NORMAN DOUGLAS. BY H. M. Tomlinson.
New York Harper g. Bros.
M TOMLINSON engaged In literary ap-
!. praisal is certainly worth attention of
highly expectant sort. Recall literary criticism
by-well, say by Henry Mencken and those who
follow after the methods Of this writer. You are
sure not to be offered anything like those devas-
tating performances. It will be something else.
First it will be a reasonable outlook, based upOn
pretty wide and fairly deep understanding of
the in hand, of the writer In question
Here find Mr.. Tom1inson engrossed In
Norman Douglas, who has his time evoked
praise and blame, both ardent and feeling. The
blame overlapping the praise, in bulk, maybe.
Now it seems TO this critic that the only stand
point to take is to get at the man himself.
What about him as man, under the writer,
under this high-tensioned prolific writer? The
man Is super-active as SUCH interested in q
host Of things, expert in many things. Mind
and writing hand go along with these numerous
enterprises. Stories, travel tales adventures Of
fact and of fancy, too. spill from the writing
machine in such abundance as to worry slow
going folks.
A man Of exceeding versatility Is Norman
Douglas. And here upon this foundation does
Mr.. Tomlinson rest the whole of his discus
sion OF the work Of Douglas. BY this alone does
he account for the great variety Of theme used
by Mr. Douglas Here, too. he places the I'M
petuosity and plunge Of his writings sourcing
charges against Mr.. Douglas of inconsistency,
even of contradiction And mildly, Mr.. Tom