Evening star., 1941-09-28

little furtively. he stole away from the
beach. taking great care to set his feet
only on the rocks, so that no print
should be left on the sand, and glanc-
ing round every projection to make
sure that he was not seen.
When he reached the clifftop, how
ever, he not only looked but felt diff
ferent man. He strode away with
youthful vigor over the soft, thyme
scented turf - not in the direction of
the Cornish farmhouse where the
farmers wife was at that moment put
ting the kettle on for his tea, but east
wards towards Ilfracombe in Devon.
He arrived at that pleasant resort,
by car, with new suitcase, a little
before dinnertime; and the name
which he wrote in the visitors book at
the hotel was not Agnew.-
Next morning, at breakfast. he dis
covered new sensation, one of the
pleasantest and most exciting of his
life. He opened the London news
papers and read that the distinguished
writer, Paul Agnew - portrait ap-
pended. with the academician's neat
mustache and beard - had been acci-
dentally drowned while bathing of the
coast Of Cornwall. The obituary notices
we're gratifying and appreciative, both
of his life and death.
Several pointed out that he had
been one of the discoverers of Max
Gregory. whom he had praised, with
great generosity and insight. as the
leader of the new school. In fact his
last written words had been. HE must
increase and must decrease"
1T WAS twelve years later. at
Pasadena. that Sydney Bellows met
Max Gregory. Youth had not yet
vanished from his keen, clean-shaven
face, but of course younger genera
ton had already begun to tread upon
his heels. He was married to charm
ing young American woman, and his
children (two boys and two girls) had
helped to keep him young.
Bellows told him that he had known
Paul Agnew slightly in the old days.
"Agnew was very good to my early
work." Gregory said.
''His prophecy that you would
eclipse him came true very soon after
his DEATH" Bellows replied.
Gregory glanced at the other writer
quickly.
"He will come back. It's my turn
to be eclipsed now. But Agnew has
been dead almost long enough to be
rediscovered. He'll be the Anthony
Trollope of the new generation"
A sudden thought flashed into Bel
lows mind and he said. "You don't
happen. by any chance. to be writing
an article on those lines. helping the
rediscovery along. do you?'
My dear fellow" said Gregory,
"you must be mind reader. have
written one under my own name and
two others unsigned, during the last
few weeks. BY dropping a word here
and word there one hopes that the
fashion will be we'll started before my
own eclipse is complete. He must in
crease, and must decrease"
"A WEEK later Bellows met McGil-
ligan, the publisher of the new popular
edition of Paul Agnew's Collected
Works, and the two discussed this
conversation.
MAX Gregory is as generous as
Paul Agnew," Bellows said. "He takes
the change of the literary fashion very
philosophically."
He can afford to do that on the
material side," said McGilligan, "for
Agnew left him a life interest in all his
royalties.
''And by the way" he added.
Gregory has dug up an old poem of
Agnew's which has never been pub
lshed. We're using it as prelude to
the whole edition. It's in the real old
Agnew style, which is coming back all
L