Well, I don't care if I purchase it of you, but you must be
moderate; the public are very fastidious, and the speculation may prove a
losing one after all. Let me see, will five . . . hem"--he stopped. I
looked the bookseller in the face; there was something peculiar in it.
Suddenly it appeared to me as if the voice of him of the thimble sounded
in my ear, "Now is your time, ask enough, never such another chance of
establishing yourself; respectable trade, pea and thimble." "Well," said
I at last, "I have no objection to take the offer which you were about to
make, though I really think five-and-twenty guineas to be scarcely
enough, everything considered." "Five-and-twenty guineas!" said the
bookseller; "are you--what was I going to say--I never meant to offer
half as much--I mean a quarter; I was going to say five guineas--I mean
pounds; I will, however, make it guineas." "That will not do," said I;
"but, as I find we shall not deal, return me my manuscript, that I may
carry it to some one else." The bookseller looked blank. "Dear me,"
said he, "I should never have supposed that you would have made any
objection to such an offer; I am quite sure that you would have been glad
to take five pounds for either of the two huge manuscripts of songs and
ballads that you brought me on a former occasion." "Well," said I, "if
you will engage to publish either of those two manuscripts, you shall
have the present one for five pounds." "God forbid that I should make
any such bargain," said the bookseller; "I would publish neither on any
account; but, with respect to this last book, I have really an
inclination to print it, both for your sake and mine; suppose we say ten
pounds." "No," said I, "ten pounds will not do; pray restore me my
manuscript." "Stay," said the bookseller, "my wife is in the next room,
I will go and consult her." Thereupon he went into his back room, where
I heard him conversing with his wife in a low tone; in about ten minutes
he returned. "Young gentleman," said he, "perhaps you will take tea with
us this evening, when we will talk further over the matter."

That evening I went and took tea with the bookseller and his wife, both
of whom, particularly the latter, overwhelmed me with civility. It was
not long before I learned that the work had been already sent to the
press, and was intended to stand at the head of a series of entertaining
narratives, from which my friends promised themselves consid