Evening star., 1934-02-04
Book Form


taking the place with Lumb & Co. vacated by
his father whose health has completely broken,
but who is continued on the pay roll at re-
duced wages This first association of Walter
with Leonard Tasker is disastrous for Walter.
though it brings such immediate brilliant re-
suits Tasker is son OF mill workers. who has
left his origins behind, has become successful
through a combination of ability and trickery
and is now a cloth manufacturer on a large
scale. He was originally, perhaps, just such a
wholesome boy as Walter. On the day of his
visit to Tasker Walter sees. in her grandfathers S
big outside Victory Mills. Elaine Crosland,
granddaughter of Henry Clay Crosland OF
Clay Mills and Clay Hall aristocrat of the
West Riding. This sight of Elaine Is also
disastrous for Walter The temptations onered
him by Tasker, who shrewdly estimates him as
young man whom he can develop for his
needs with his ambition to marry Elaine,
prove too much for the fundamental honesty OF
Walter. At the start he yields to TaSkerS S
devious plans for the acquisition of the closed
Heights Mill, for dye.ng and finishing, which
will be serious blow at the business of the
Lumbs Thereafter he Is pliable material In
Tasker's hands, and a result he attains a
speciouS prosperity and wealth, and marriage
with Elaine. But the end is a court room scene
with both Tasker and Walter on trial for de-
frauding sharehoders-and others.
ROsamond Haigh sister of Walter the tragic
heroine in type. a high school teacher, and &C
tive in the Hudley Harlequins, an amateur dra-
matte club is one of the best developed char
acters. Arnold Lumb widower, has without
passion, selected her as an agreeable and suita-
BILE wife when better husincSs shall justify his
incurring obligations; but RoSamond. strict
in all her views and overconsciousnesS, has,
nevertheless fallen in love with Leonard Tasker,
of whom she thoroughly disapproves. The
workers of Hudlcy and Ashworth are repre-
sented in the story by the Schofeld family all
living together in a small house in Thwaite
street bound by strong family feeling. which
does not however. prevent frequent discords.
There are the matt iarch. Ada Schofield con-
tributing her od-age pension to the household;
her son Harry. good workman, wretched and
Inundated when unemployed and chafing
against union domination, with his wife and
children and the second son. Mlner, sour
but ineffective agitator enamored with his own
ch-phraSe oratory. AS In inheritance"
Miss Bentley ends with call for understanding
and cooperation between owners and workers.
1t is Rosamond who says: And can see that
not till men have learned the mutual love which
casts out fear the economic problem be
solved. and as long it remains unSOlved.
fears will multiply By "A Modern Tragedy"
Miss Bentley has decidedly strengthened her
reputation as a novelist Of character and as the
fiction historian Of Industrial Yorkshire.
ROMAN ROUNDABOUT. BY Amelie Posse
Brazdova New York: E p Dutton & Co.
IA /HII.E her husband. Oki Brazda, painted,
w Nine. Brazdova observed and she had as
keen an eye as he for the unusual and the pic
turesque and probably keener ear for all the
high and low life gossip of the part of Italy in
which they were staying. She demonstrated
this in her earlier book, "Sardinian Sideshow."
Politics interested her somewhat. of necessity.
for her husband was one of the exled Czechs
who. during the World War worked with Ma
Saryk and BeneS to build from the ancient BO-
hemia new nation. But her chief interests
domestic and social and early in Roman
Roundabout she imparts the information: On
September 13, 1916, 1 made my first definite
contribution to the Czech cause. I increased
the Czech colony in Rome by chubby little
boy. To me of course, this event was great
deal more important and remarkable than all
the revolutions ard wars in the world A lit
tie later another small boy was also added to
the Czech colony and the arrangements re-
quired for the health and comfort of the two
children caused many amusing incidents, which
are related with humor. The two servants, a
Sandman cook and Sabine nurse, who were
jealous of each others prerogatives
garded the children and their mistress favor,
nearly caused G murder scandal in the refined
and artistic Brazda household.
The whole book abounds in episodes full OF
local color and character revelation When
Nine. Brazdova invited to lunch a young Rus
sian artist and his childIike wife, with
Gretchen pigtais," she herself prepared deli
cate pie of pigeons and olives and chestnuts in
marsala sauce and was surprised to see dsap-
pointment in the eyes of her guests when the
pastry cut. The reason was that they lived
almost entirely on pigeons, caught by the hus-
band from nests on the church Spire just
above their studio under the roof of house
built against the church These were supple
mented by few olives and chestnuts bought
in the market place. The hostess was able to
substitute veal outlets for the pie. The de-
parture of the whole Brazda family for Monte