Page 6 (1/1)

Yours sincerely,

MATILDA CARBURY

ALFRED BOOKER, ESQ, "Literary Chronicle" Office, Strand

There was nothing in this which shocked Mr Booker He laughed inwardly, with a pleasantly reticent chuckle, as he thought of Lady Carbury dealing with his views of Protestantisht also of the numerous historical errors into which that clever ladyaboutBut he was quite alive to the fact that a favourable notice in the 'Breakfast Table' of his very thoughtful work, called the 'New Tale of a Tub,' would serve hih written by the hand of a female literary charlatan, and he would have no co the service by fulsome praise in the 'Literary Chronicle' He would not probably say that the book was accurate, but he would be able to declare that it was delightful reading, that the feminine characteristics of the queens had been touched with a masterly hand, and that the as one which would certainly -rooms

He was an adept at this sort of work, and kneell how to review such a book as Lady Carbury's 'Cri He could al the book, so that its value for purposes of after sale ht not be injured And yet Mr Booker was an honest ainst many literary malpractices Stretched-out type, insufficient lines, and the French habit of e, had been rebuked by hith He was supposed to be rather an Aristides a reviewers But circuether to the usages of the ti friend orking with his are there that we do! But if ere to attempt to refor I aht, and I doubt if you are' Such was Mr Booker

Then there was letter No 3, to Mr Ferdinand Alf Mr AlfPulpit,' which during the last two years had become 'quite a property,' asThe 'Evening Pulpit' was supposed to give daily to its readers all that had been said and done up to two o'clock in the day by all the leading people in the metropolis, and to prophesy onderful accuracy ould be the sayings and doings of the twelve following hours This was effected with an air of wonderful onorance hardly surpassed by its arrogance But the writing was clever The facts, if not true, ell invented; the argu spirit of the paper had the gift, at any rate, of knohat the people for whoet his subjects handled so that the reading should be pleasant Mr Booker's 'Literary Chronicle' did not presume to entertain any special political opinions The 'Breakfast Table' was decidedly Liberal The 'Evening Pulpit' was iven to politics, but held strictly to the motto which it had assuistri and consequently had at all ti done, whether by one side or by the other A newspaper that wishes to make its fortune should never waste its coluy is invariably dull,--a fact that Mr Alf had discovered and had utilized