THE EQUINOX
same reason) it lacks just that which Zola always gives—a sense of tragedy.
Probably Mr, George will say (with a maiden blush) that his novel is none the
worse for that; he would deny the truth of the poet‘s vision—insist that the
cosmos is but incoherency of heterogeneous incident,
I may, however, urge with more hope of his attention that his novel breaks
off at the really interesting part.
What did Suzette say?
Did the family
tyranny make a man of Henri?
Were they married,and, if so, what came of it
?
I wait patiently on Mr. George; may he incline unto me and hear my cry!
A,
C.
ONE OF Us.
By GILBERT
FRANKAU.
35.64)
ADMIRABLE, this Odyssey of emasculationi
The verse is at all times facile
and clever beyond all praise, though there are three or {our faulty rhymes, and i
cannot pass (twice) “ pleeceman ” and “ pleece," unless they are so spelt.
The story is very typical and very tragic.
An idle youth without enough
guts even to go wrong.
When, after infinite struggle, he gets into debt, an aunt
conveniently dies and leaves him everything
After innumerable mild
phil-
anderings, not one of which brings him even within whistling distance of the
mil/wile du Dr. Fernandez, he returns to the lady whose acres adjoin his own;
and Mr. Frankau, with consummate art, leaves us uncertain whether he will even
summon up the energy to marry her.
Smart, shallow, shoddy society in every clime is pictured admirably well;
this book will be a classic, in a hundred years, for its historical interest.
But it
behoves somebody to write a commentary within the next twelve months, or a
good third of the allusions will be for ever unintelligible,
It is one of the most readable books I have struck for a long while
; alas!
that so depressing a portrait should be so real,
Anarchy would become the
only lhinkable political creed if One of Us represented more than a negligible
and almost outworn fringe of the antimacassar of society.
ALEISTER CROWLEY.
STRANGER THAN FICTION.
By MARY L, LEWES.
William Rider & Son,
3:.י611? net.
ANY one who likes to read rubbish can get large quantities at a reasonable
price by reading this book—but it is rather amusing rubbishl
DAVID THOMAS.
254