Fiction

Grave and Gay

Mr. and Mrs. Pennington. By Francis Brett Young. (Heine. mann. 88. Gd.) Folk by the Sea. By Johan Bojer. (Cobden Sanderson. 7s. 6d.) Mn. BREIT YouNG's new novel marks not only a return to his best form; it finds him also in possession of new qualities.

The intense seriousness of his outlook upon life has often found its way into his actual writing, giving to it that earnest- ness which at its best compels respect, and at its worst brings boredom. The too-serious advocate may harm his case.

No one will be able to feel this about Mr. and Mrs. Pennington. Never has Mr. Brett Young affirmed his creed with such

artistic detachment or such humour.

Over the plot we need not linger. Any summary must be unfair to so full a book ; the shorter the better. Susan Lorimer, child of a narrow regime, finds in her Midland suburban life little outlet for her vitality and little food for her romantic appetite. Marriage to Dick Pennington, a sound, homespun young fellow, brings her but temporary satisfaction. She is suburban ; she is poor. A flirtation with the elderly Mr. Bulgin promises economic benefit : a more serious flirtation with young Harry Levison promises

romance as well. Levison has his way—once. This lapse is the making of Susan. Disgust with herself makes an honest woman of her ; and when poor silly Dick is arrested on a charge of murder, her real self awakens, and the new Susan carries off her man to a fresh start and a wider life.

This salutary fable, with its wealth of scene and character, is set forth with an ease which blinds one to its length. Mr.

Brett Young's stars shine clear as ever, and, with this new lightness of touch, he is their more persuasiVe celebrant. One fault he has, arising from his virtues. He comments un- necessarily upon his people. Certainly he is mature enough to interpret as well as to record : but the actions of his characters are so clearly depicted that comment is superfluous. Everything Susan says and does proclaims her : and so, while it is good that Mr. Brett Young put on the mantle of the elder novelist and give us of his wisdom, he should be careful not to disable our intelligence by telling us the same thing twice.

" At six o'clock on the following morning, the buzzer in Bulgin's. Tube and Boiler Works let out a bellow like that of a monster stabbed in its sleep—"

With these happy words the scene is set, and in this spirit the drama is developed. The chapter entitled " Living Dangerously," is delightful : so is this :

On the morning of The day on which they set out for Shropshire' Susan received a slight shock. It was a letter from the Bromwich Furnishing Emporium, in an envelope as plain as their vans, requesting her attention, in terms even plainer, to the matter of last month's instalment, now three weeks overdue. This request, though reasonable, filled her with indignation. In these days she had so many important things to think about that she had, naturally enough, overlooked their first application . . .

No : we need no comment upon Susan. If all readers enjoy Mr. and Mrs. Pennington as much as I did, its success will be enormous.

Humour is also an ingredient in Making Conversation–. indeed, it is the only ingredient. Lady Longford ranges up and down its keyboard, from the bass of a wicked satire to the treble of a lunatic inconsequence : " The first evidence of the clash of civilisations was when Martha found Mr. Murata clapping his hands at a spider . .

"' Do you like spiders f ' she asked him- I can't bear them.' " < Japanese gentleman,' said Mr. Murate, no like.

" You don't, like ? Then why do you clap your hands ? '

" Japanese gentleman no like, Japanese gentleman clap hands "

Martha, Lady Longford's conversational heroine, went to school, to Oxford, to all manner of places. The Oxford chapters are devastating. Not even in Dusty Answer was the fair flower of female higher education made to appear more intellectually futile and physically unalluring. Making Conversation is completely irresponsible, and there seems no good reason for its ending where it does : but it is one of the best pieces of entertainment that have appeared for a long time.

In support comes another volume with an even stronger University flavour. The publishers are anxious lest The Red King Dreams fall into wrong hands. They need not be worried : " ' This morning,' he said, I received a letter from the Hereditary Chancellor of Weston Poggs, informing me that my edition of the Speculum Mains of Vincent of Beauvais had been reported to him as entitling me to the degree of M.A. in that university and adding that on receipt of my cheque for £1 the diploma should be sent to me. I am already a B.A. of that university but that only cost five shillings.' "

If this sort of nonsense is to your liking, as it is to mine, you will find plenty of it, aimed at other institutions besides

universities, in Mr. Crump's well-addled and mis-documented fantasy. It is more mannered than Making Conversation ;

it is, perhaps, not everybody's money ; but it is good value, even at eight and sixpence, for the right audience.

Johan Bojer's Folk by the Sea, though the element is merci- less to them, are less oppressed by it than Synge's, less sensitive to it than Mr. Neil Gum's. The waves are heavy, and the winds blow cold : their humanity glows the warmer. When Anna, the fisherman's daughter, married young Peter Norset from inland, her parents rejoiced ; yet it was the fanner who came down in the world. The story of this couple, linked in the later chapters to the nascent story of Martin and Astrid, is the thread on which this series of pictures and incidents is strung. It contains nothing " sensational," but its quiet, sober harmonies will remain

in the mind when noisier records are forgotten.

L. A. G. STRONG.