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'And Mr Alf my particular friend! It does see hot tears from her cheeks

'It won't do us the least harm, Lady Carbury'

'It'll stop the sale?'

'Not , you know The "Breakfast Table" gave it an excellent lift, and caht time I rather like the notice in the "Pulpit,"in every fibre of her self-love froernaut's car-wheels

'Anything is better than indifference, Lady Carbury A great many people remember si as to the purport of the review It's a very good advertiseot to learn the A B C of history after working as I have worked!'

'That's a mere form of speech, Lady Carbury'

'You think the book has done pretty well?'

'Pretty well;--just about e hoped, you know'

'There'll be so to er, and turned over a few pages and ran up a few figures, and then scratched his head There would be soine that it could be very reat deal could be made by a first book Nevertheless, Lady Carbury, when she left the publisher's shop, did carry a cheque with her She was smartly dressed and looked very well, and had smiled on Mr Leadham Mr Leadham, too, was no more than man, and had written--a small cheque

Mr Alf certainly had behaved badly to her; but both Mr Broune, of the 'Breakfast Table' and Mr Booker of the 'Literary Chronicle' had been true to her interests Lady Carbury had, as she promised, 'done' Mr Booker's 'New Tale of a Tub' in the 'Breakfast Table' That is, she had been allowed, as a reward for looking into Mr Broune's eyes, and laying her soft hand on Mr Broune's sleeve, and suggesting to Mr Broune that no one understood her so well as he did, to bedaub Mr Booker's very thoughtful book in a very thoughtless fashion,--and to be paid for her work What had been said about his work in the 'Breakfast Table' had been very distasteful to poor Mr Booker It grieved his inner conteence that such rubbish should be thrown upon him; but in his outside experience of life he knew that even the rubbish was valuable, and that he must pay for it in the manner to which he had unfortunately become accustomed So Mr Booker himself wrote the article on the 'Cri that what he wrote would also be rubbish 'Re character' 'Excellent choice of subject' 'Considerable intimacy with the historical details of various periods' 'The literary world would be sure to hear of Lady Carbury again' The co of the book, consuether perhaps an hour of Mr Booker's ties, but here and there read those that were open He had done this kind of thing so often, that he knehat he was about He could have reviewed such a book when he was three parts asleep When the as done he thren his pen and uttered a deep sigh He felt it to be hard upon hiencies of his position, to descend so low in literature; but it did not occur to him to reflect that in fact he was not compelled, and that he was quite at liberty to break stones, or to starve honestly, if no other honeston his career was open to him 'If I didn't, somebody else would,' he said to himself