Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 edition. Excerpt: ... To F. F. Urquhart March 1, 1916. I wrote some little while ago to Cyril, giving him an account of the routine here. Doubtless he showed you some of my letter, which after all was not very exciting: well, we are still at the same old round--though it may be broken soon, --so that shall be my excuse for a little bavardage and a letter of generalities. Your "Spirit of Man" has been invaluable, and I have begun on it again: it certainly goes up into the trenches with me. On the way out I bought Dostoieffsky's " Le Crime et le Chatiment," which has kept me absorbed ever since, though I have finished it now. It reminds one of' Le Disciple, ' and is at least as good: though everybody does such impossible things--e.g.: "La jeune fille poussa un cri.--' Hum!' dit Raskolnikoff.--" although ' Hum' may doubtless mean something more in French--and there is such a plentiful lack of gentlemanly behaviour. Still, I suppose such novels are not really morbid. By the way one has plenty of time to spare out here, even if one does usually spend it in sociability; so any old book of an improving nature would be welcome at any old time, and could probably be returned to you intact. It is curious how, realising as one does that this is not "the life for a man like me," and having as one does any amount of leisure, one is nevertheless assimilated to the atmosphere that one finds: and, instead of writing verses or very serious letters, or reading hard, or doing a praeparatio mortis, one just plods through the monotony of parades and looks for refreshment in much riding and bridge, and even has long talks of Varsity life and arguments in the Varsity manner with the Oxonians and Tabs with whom I am providentially associated. After all, if the whole war--as we...