Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown

I believe that all novels begin with an old lady in the corner opposite. I believe that all novels, that is to say, deal with character, and that it is to express character-not to preach doctrines, sing songs, or celebrate the glories of the British Empire, that the form of the novel, [Pg 10]so clumsy, verbose, and undramatic, so rich, elastic, and alive, has been evolved. To express character,