FICTION, EARLY AND LATE. 159 



his footing to other authors, but to a publisher, 

 and, besides, such a proposal has never been 

 made to any author. " I might just as well," 

 he concludes, " put the cheque in the fire as 

 print a tale at my own expense." 



Quite so. Most sensibly put. Young 

 authors will do well to lay this discovery to 

 heart. They may be perfectly certain that a 

 manuscript which respectable firms refuse to 

 publish at their own risk and expense is not 

 worth publishing at all, and they may just 

 as well put their bank-notes upon the fire 

 as pay them to a publisher for producing their 

 works. Nay, much better, because they will 

 thus save themselves an infinite amount of 

 disappointment and humiliation. 



Before " Restless Human Hearts " is well 

 out of the binder's hands, he is ready this 

 indefatigable spinner of cobwebs with another 

 story. It is called " In Summer-Time." He 

 is apparently oblivious of the brave words 

 quoted above, and is now ready to advance 

 20 towards the risk of the new novel. 

 Nothing came of the proposal, and " In 

 Summer-Time" went to join " Only a Girl." 



