p. "Ah," said he, as soon as I entered, "I am
glad to see you." There was an unwonted heartiness in the bookseller's
tones, an unwonted benignity in his face. "So," said he, after a pause,
"you have taken my advice, written a book of adventure; nothing like
taking the advice, young man, of your superiors in age. Well, I think
your book will do, and so does my wife, for whose judgment I have a great
regard; as well I may, as she is the daughter of a first-rate novelist,
deceased. I think I shall venture on sending your book to the press."
"But," said I, "we have not yet agreed upon terms." "Terms, terms," said
the bookseller; "ahem! well, there is nothing like coming to terms at
once. I will print the book, and give you half the profit when the
edition is sold." "That will not do," said I; "I intend shortly to leave
London: I must have something at once." "Ah, I see," said the
bookseller, "in distress; frequently the case with authors, especially
young ones. 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 up 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 mak