Evening star., 1936-11-26
mo. 21 OF a series.)
BY I. WILLIAM HILL,
STAFF Correspondent OF rhe Star.

BY i. WILLIAM HILL,
STAFF Correspondent OF fhe Star.
n VICE, France.-It is fitting when
N a man has travelled that there
" should be a place of peace
a where he can go to let time
and his mind weave the new threads
into his personality.
Such a place is the Villa Mauresque,
on the sunny, palmy Cote d'Azur,
the retreat OF a great traveller, great
writer and a grand mind-W. Somer-
set Vaughan. Each year, after al
: lotted months of travel and a short
stay at his London home, he comes
here to add to the production of a
life made famous in America by
the photographed novel "Of HUI
man Bondage"
As Writer and Traveller.
His is a personality best known to
the world by the dozen novels, the
half dozen volumes of short stories,
the 80 plays and the travel books
that he has written. Sometimes one
\ gets further glimpses of it from stories
in the preSs-storieS that say he is
seeing people in the Far East, or that
he is voyaging to Martinique or Devils
Island, or that he is visiting Eugene
ONeill at the latter's Sea Island, Ga,
home, or that he has stopped in Cali
fornia to get some flower or plant
that will embelliSh the gardens OF
the Villa Mauresque.
From chance conversations on a
liner or a train one gets another
view of the personality. The head
of large American corporation says
there Is no greater poker player in
the world. A dowager twitters over
his ability at bridge. A dramatic
critic praises him as conversational
ist. And an author says no one can
better fit a satiric remark into a
velvet glove Then, too, there is praise
of his golf, his tennis and his SWIM
ming.
But when a personality is interest
ing it Is not enough to know what
others say of it. That was why we
welcomed the invitation to dine at the
Villa Mauresque. We wanted to know
the man whose every work indicates
a view of life where everything is seen
clearly but with detachment. 1t is a
faculty that enables the artist to
find terrible beauty in slumS or in the
northumberland character of a
Sadie Thompson.
To the White Villa.
Jean, Mr. Maugham's French chauf-
feur, called for us at $50 pm. We
left Nice and began winding trip
along the road that skirts the edge
of the Mediterranean. At one point
Jean slowed up and pointed across
an inlet of the sea to mountain
whose side sloped sharply downward
to the water.
Half way up" he said, "the white
villa"
We looked and nodded, then re-
sumed our reflections as We stared at
the mother f-pearl miniature of an
Oriental lady inlaid on the back Of
the front seat. We wondered if Mr..
Maugham's interest in the Far East
was due to the stole detachment of
the Orientals. There seemed to be
so many sides to his personality. We
pondered and recalled that he was
born in Paris of English parents,
that he grew up speaking French
and English equally well, that he
gave up the practice of medicine as
soon as he had served his interneship
to write.
The road wound on. Then sud-
denly we turned in between two white
pillars, each bearing the strange and
Oriental design that appears on the
covers of Mr.. Maugham's books. The
driveway curved through the gardens,
then stopped abruptly at the door OF
the great white villa. Two men in
white uniforms stepped forward to
open the door.
Author in Tennis Clothes.
Not far behind came MIR. Vaughan,
suavely gracious with his welcome. He
was Just from. the tennis court and
was wearing Iri linen shorts and
Jacket, heavy white socks and tennis
shoes. A man Of medium height, he
VcIy CICSG, dlu yOu WCAC SOii-
scious Immediately of his dark brown
eyes. --
He escorted us past dog that was
as big as a lion and into a great hv-
ing room, walled with books and fur
nished with wondrously soft over
stuffed furniture.
"I thought it would be interesting
II we could talk by ourselves before
dinner" he said, closing the two giant
doors. Then, indicating service ia
BILE: do you like Scotch and soda,
or do you hate it?"
There was in that passing question
IN indication of our first impression
Of the man-his directness. You
sensed that here was q man for whom
there was no middle ground, who had
no patience with circumlocution, who
wanted to 60 directly to the point.
We sat down, and the impression
Geepened as we talked.
Has Written New Novel.
He told us that he was making
final revisions in a new novel to be
published in the Spring. It will be
novel with an actress as the main
= Icharacter.
, 1.-The story has been in my mind
for years." he said. Il suppose I got
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