Item 06: Frank H. Molony diary, 25 March 1918-7 August 1918 - Page 221

[Page 221]

July 25
282.
Arrived from T.B.C. ordinary book of Lady Gregories: I'll return it. With mail T.L.S. of July 18, and noting by S.J. of the compleat book of Rupert Brooke, with memoir by E.M.: the today's Chronicle has a column of reviews – and the book is the "Poetry and Life of R. Brooke", so a writing to T.B.C. for it, and answering their letter of July 19 – "in answer to your letters of June 16 and 20 resp.".

Sadler's The Anchor reviewed of Laddie: "Mr. Sadler has sketched him only, not painted him, and … a well-written short story could have told us as much about him as does this full length novel".

At best it is a poor combination of a good novel, at worst a readable and quiet tale.

McKenzie's "Sylvia Scarlett" I'm looking forward to: it was the disappointment in "Guy and Pauline" that Michael Fane was not in the tale. If "Sylvia Scarlett" takes him from Rome, there will be the facinating combination of "Sinister St.".

July 26
283.
Slow heavy rain.

To the farmhouse on the flat below, where the madame of the thick short forearms frys chips and eggs. On the way down we covenanted – Ken and myself to fag French together: but now I think I'll find out some system of working up planing and designs of buildings. I have Mitchell's Building Construction, and at the beginning of the month promised myself a knowledge of Masonry before July 31, in the meantime I've reviewed half a dozen of some sixty pages.

News from the Aisne of further slight advancing: wire reads of no prisoners. Today, to compleat the map of the areas won by us since the 13 April, a long studying of Patrol Reports. Early in April, amongst a couple of prisoners brought in by patrols, one was lately a schoolmaster.

His capture in his own words, "I was in a post by myself, and suddenly heard three rifle grenades pass over my head: they gave me the shudders, I started to put