FELLOW PASSENGERS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 96, 27 April 1929, Page 21

FELLOW PASSENGERS

COMEDY ON A TRAIN

"Aeeident." By Arnold Bennett. London: Cassclls, Ltd. Those who have read "The Old Wives Tale," and recall with pleasure their first acquaintance with "Claybanger" and "Hilda Lessways," will seek, in vain in Mr. Arnold Bennett's latest novel, "Accident," for further chronicling of events oi! the Fivo Towns. "Accident" does not fall into their category, but into that of other and lighter novels, but tho workmanship is obviously that of a master, just as there are fine craftsmen in wood capable of making as. good a job (in its way) of a henhouse as they would of an intricate spiral staircase. Mr. Bennett, however, is nothing if not up to the minute iv "Accident." By comparison with his Five Towns stories, it is quite of our time, whereas they now seem old-fash-ioned works of a remote literary age, and not of a living and quite robust author. Not in Staffordshire then must one look for the setting of this comedy entitled "Accident," but iv a railway carriage, and the principals are four, with a generous number of subsidiary, characters. Mr. Alan FrithWalker is what is sometimes called a typicaJ Englishman, middle-aged, married, comfortably off, and with a transient fondness for Wordsworth. He i.. a rather particular gentleman in his tastes, habits, and preferences, and he has a treasure in Miss Office, his secretary. She makes herself indispensable to him, and, like post men of middleage to elderly, he appreciates having things done for him, things done just right, and to time. Miss, Office is highly capable, and no wonder he thought that "if anything happened to her, my life would be hell." She arranges all necessary details for Mr.Frith-Walkers Continental journey. Seeing him off and safely tucked up in a Pullman for Dover on his way to Boulogne, Miss Office catches a glimpse of Mr. Frith - Walker's daughter-in-law, Pearl, but she does not mention the. fact to her employer. He discovers it for himself ' tor on in the journey, and the reason why Pearl is travelling apart from her husband. Mr. Frith-Walker, devotes himself to ; studying his ..-fellow-pas-sengers. There are th&.Lueass's, for. in- ■ stance, also going to the Continent, and they are described as a pair ; living in. a state of acute emotion. Mr. Bennett describes Mrs. Lucass *as a '' hag beauty." . The plain woman of fifty, not smartly dressed, but glinting and jingling with' precious jewels, had the assured gestures of a spoilt and discontented beauty at wliose feet knelt worshipping crowds. Every time tlio door banged she struck the defenceless wood with the lightning glance of her resentful eye. The simio glance followed homlcidally the backs of the innocent attendants. Sho would lnivc tea and she would not. Orders were countermanded and reinstated. The man gavo her a lettei^to read; she took it as though as it stank of polecats and' read it with sniffing disdain and dropped it and grunted. And she knitted savagely the while. This graphic portrait of the hag beauty is resumed when tho passengers change into the waiting railway carriage' of the Boulogne-Paris express. She continues making her husband miserable, and seems to thoroughly enjoy doing it. Happily for the reader, no less than for Mr. Alan Frith-Walker, the "hag beauty" and her husband leave the train (at her command) at an insignificant halt station, convinced, as, she declares, that the express will meet with an accident, as French expresses have a habit of doing. ' . Then Pear] is discovered by her father-in-law aboard the train." Shefrankly admits that she lias left her husband and is going to her mother. Her father-in-law naturally suspects that the cause of tho separation is just. one of thoso little matrimonial breezes that disturb the smooth surface of so many happy unions during the first year 1 or so. But the cause is graver than that, for Jack, the pride of his true-blue Conservative 1 father's heart, has threatened to stand for a Labour constituency, iv fact, he has- a virulent attack of political scarlet fever. Pearl, rich,' pretty, accomplished, and wilful, loathes the idea, as she says of "having these conceited democrats to tea in some private room of a cheap restaurant; because it wouldn't bo nice to have them at your hotel, or in your home. And putting on your oldest clothes for them. And flattering them." All this Mr. Frith-Walker is to learn later,, when Jack, coming by air, outstrips the express and overtakes his fugitive wife, and explains his behaviour as best he may to his'stricken-father. Soon afterwards comes the "Accident." Something of a surprise must bo left for the reader, but if the novel is not likely to stand out as one of Arnold Bennett's best, it is of sound literary workmanship, entertaining, and thoroughly characteristic of tho writerfs crisp and vijrorous attractive;style.