LITERARY STRUGGLES. 157 



The manuscript here mentioned was TJie Canadian 

 Naturalist, which pleased Mr. Bell so much that he 

 recommended it strongly to Mr. Van Voorst, the dis- 

 tinguished publisher of scientific works. Philip Gosse's 

 pride made him conceal his real state from Thomas Bell, 

 and though the latter knew his cousin to be in need of 

 employment, he did not suspect that he was in such bitter 

 straits. Mr. Van Voorst appointed a day for the young 

 author to call on him. Meanwhile the shillings, nursed 

 as they might be, were slipping, slipping away. The 

 practice of going once a day to a small eating-house had 

 to be abandoned, and instead of it a herring was eaten as 

 slowly as possible in the dingy attic in Farringdon Street. 

 Meanwhile, the response about the " aristocracy and gentry 

 of Sherborne " had been discouraging in the extreme. 

 " Nothing to be done in Sherborne," was the answer ; 

 " better stay where you are." At last the day broke on 

 which Mr. Van Voorst^s answer was to be given, and with as 

 much of the gentleman about him as he could recover, the 

 proud and starving author presented himself in Paternoster 

 Row. He was ushered in to the cordial and courteous 

 Mr. Van Voorst. He was no longer feeling any hope, but 

 merely the extremity of dejection and disgust. The wish 

 to be out again in the street, with his miserable roll of 

 manuscript in his hands, was the emotion uppermost in 

 his mind. The publisher began slowly : " I like your 

 book ; I sh^ll be pleased to publish it ; I will give you one 

 hundred guineas for it." One hundred guineas ! It was 

 Peru and half the Indies! The reaction was so violent 

 that the demure and ministerial-looking youth, closely 

 buttoned up in his worn broadcloth, broke down utterly 

 into hysterical sob upon sob, while Mr. Van Voorst, 

 murmuring, '' My dear young man ! my dear young 

 man ! " hastened out to fetch wine and minister to wants 



