ot likely
that I would tell her I detested your books while I asked for an
introduction to you. She took it for granted that I meant to say
pleasant things to you, whereas I had made up my mind to do the exact
reverse. No one would be more shocked than Mrs. Woodford--unless,
perhaps, it is yourself--if she knew I was going to speak frankly with
you."

"I am not shocked," said the young man, seriously; "I recognize that
there are many things in my books that are blemishes."

"Of course you don't mean that," said the frank young woman; "because
if you did you would not repeat the faults in book after book."

"A man can but do his best," said Streeter, getting annoyed in spite of
himself, for no man takes kindly to the candid friend. "A man can but
do his best, as Hubert said, whose grandsire drew a longbow at
Hastings."

"Yes," returned Miss Neville, "a man can but do his best, although we
should remember that the man who said that, said it just before he was
defeated. What I feel is that you are not doing your best, and that you
will not do your best until some objectionable person like myself has a
good serious talk with you."

"Begin the serious talk," said Streeter; "I am ready and eager to
listen."

"Did you read the review of your latest book which appeared in the
Argus?"

"Did I?" said Streeter, somewhat startled--the thought of the meeting
that was so close, which he had forgotten for the moment, flashing over
him. "Yes, I did; and I had the pleasure of meeting the person who
wrote it this evening."

Miss Neville almost jumped in her chair.

"Oh, I did not intend you to know that!" she said. "Who told you? How
did you find out that I wrote reviews for the Argus?"

"You!" cried Streeter, astonished in his turn. "Do you mean to say that
you wrote that review?"

Miss Neville sank back in her chair with a sigh.

"There!" she said, "my impetuosity has, as the Americans say, given me
away. After all, you did not know I was the writer!"

"I thought Davison was the writer. I had it on the very best
authority."

"Poor Davison!" said Miss Neville, laughing, "why, he is one of the
best and staunchest friends you have: and so am I, for that matter--
indeed, I am even more your friend than Mr. Davison; for I think you
_can_ do good work, while Mr. Davison is foolish enough to believe you
are doing it."

At this point in the conversation Streeter looked hurriedly at his
watch.

"Ah! I see," said Miss Nev