Evening star., 1938-07-17

when a bishops wife choked on her
cake at tea, the host talked afterward
about the guilty crumb "as if it had
been planted by Communists, acting
under explicit instructions from Mos
cow" The best bit Of remembered
conversation with the natives which
she gives is an item overheard from
dinner-table talk between her husband,
Henry, and High Church woman.
"I often speculate the High
Church woman said to him provoca-
lively, on what st. Theresa must
have thought Of God. A mystic like
that
"'Oh. answered Henry absently. I
guess she liked Him all right.
But that English trains are excel
lent, English policemen efficient and
polite, and the English lower class,
at least, friendly. she admits. She
also is very handsome about noting
that England's landscape j. green and
full of fine museum pieces in the way
of architecture.
The point that her book hammers
in is that Americans may as well
keep light notions Of making a good
impression in England out OF their
minds, for the reason that no Eng
lishman is physically capable of get
ting it into his head that any for
eigner is other than a lesser breed
AS she put it to an oxford scholar,
who told her generously that he rather
liked Americans. they do not like
us at all, but think it all right to
play with us if they wash their hands
afterward. She does not dwell tire
somely on this idea, but it is clear
that it was her outstanding memory
of her visit.
However, its conclusions aside, the
book is deliciously entertaining, and
SO blitke is Mrs. Halseys spirit that
the most humorless. Anglophile
ought to be able to read her with
out taking really mortal offense.
JULIE. BY Francis Stuart. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf.
THIS is one of those novels which
have for their theme the unreason-
ing. all-absorbing love of young girl,
half-child, half woman, for an older
man. For some cause, the notion
seems to be perennial one among
writers. 1t was used last year, for
example, in an exquisite tragic thing
called "The Tramp and His Woman;
it was the motivation of the best-sell-
ing novel of a decade or more ago,
"The Constant Nymph" One is al
ways coming across it. The present
exposition is good one, happily, and
sufficiently fresh in its treatment to
give the time-honored device solidity
and good story Quality.
1t is the tale of Julie, who, at the
age of Is, falls in love with Goldberg,
. man in his middle 20s so far as years
60, and even more mature in expert
ence and outlook. Julie is q convent
bred, silent, interpretive child; Gold
berg Is hashy looking, common-man-
nered, fattish fellow whose business
it is to set fires for people who want
to collect insurance Illegally. The pas
sion which develops between them is
based on no illusion, but rather on a
common delight in realism. jules
mental diet has given her love Of
adventure and definiteness; Goldberg 3
criminal activities are based on his
cheerful conviction that life itself is a
racket, and that If all of us were
used according to our deserts whipping
would be mild reward for most Of us.
He tries to make a success of honesty,
fails, and then, with placid matter-of-
factness proceeds to get rich outside
the law. He is caught and sent to
prison. Julie waits for. him. When he
comes out they are married. That is
all there Is to it.
But, as said, 1t is done very convinc-
ingly, and the twist given the we'll
worn theme has something to COM
mend 1t. The underlying cynicism Of
the book Is overlsid rather prettily
with sweepsss. A somewhat ecoen-