ne of sarcasm in this which was not lost on
Quaverdale.

"Certainly you must; and that you are a better adept than I who have got
the place, or some other unfortunate who will have to be put out of his
berth. _The Coming Hour_ only requires a certain number. Of course there
are many newspapers in London, and many magazines, and much literary
work going. You may get your share of it, but you have got to begin by
shoving some incompetent fellow out. And in order to be able to begin
you must learn the trade."

"How did you begin?"

"Just in that way. While you were roaming about London like a fine
gentleman I began by earning twenty-four shillings a week."

"Can I earn twenty-four shillings a week?"

"You won't because you have already got your fellowship. You had a knack
at writing Greek iambics, and therefore got a fellowship. I picked up at
the same time the way of stringing English together. I also soon learned
the way to be hungry. I'm not hungry now very often, but I've been
through it. My belief is that you wouldn't get along with my editor."

"That's your idea of being independent."

"Certainly it is. I do his work, and take his pay, and obey his orders.
If you think you can do the same, come and try. There's not room here,
but there is, no doubt, room elsewhere. There's the trade to be
learned, like any other trade; but my belief is that even then you could
not do it. We don't want Greek iambics."

Harry turned away disgusted. Quaverdale was like the rest of the world,
and thought that a peculiar talent and a peculiar tact were needed for
his own business. Harry believed that he was as able to write a leading
article, at any rate, as Quaverdale, and that the Greek iambics would
not stand in his way. But he conceived it to be probable that his habits
of cleanliness might do so, and gave up the idea for the present. He
thought that his friend should have welcomed him with an open hand into
the realms of literature; and, perhaps, it was the case that Quaverdale
attributed too much weight to the knack of turning readable paragraphs
on any subject at any moment's notice.

But what should he do down at Buston? There were three persons there
with whom he would have to contend,--his father, his mother, and his
uncle. With his father he had always been on good terms, but had still
been subject to a certain amount of gentle sarcasm. He had got his
fellowship and his allowance, and so had been lifted above his fath