ted businesses of Holborn or
Cheapside, and, apart from a lingering sentimentalism, there is no
reason why the fact should not be owned. There is no shame in honest
craftwork done for hire, and when the work is so excellent as at least
a score of living English writers can make it, we have a right to take
Some pride in it But with this day's newspaper before me I learn that
Mr. ------, who is the thin mimic of a fine imitator, has surpassed his
last 'masterpiece,' and that a lady of name to me unknown has 'rivalled'
his masterpiece, and that a gentleman to me unknown has produced a book
which must necessarily be a 'classic.' A masterpiece is a rare thing,
and words have a definite meaning. We call 'Vanity Fair' and 'Esmond'
masterpieces, when we desire to be enthusiastic. We call 'David
Copperfield' a masterpiece, and we find plenty of people to dispute the
judgment. A masterpiece is the master work of a master hand. It must
needs be a rare thing. It is not for the dignity of our work that it
should be greeted by that sort of hysteric hiccoughing against which
these pages have protested. It is a shameless insult to letters at large
when the hysteria is bought and paid for, as does sometimes happen, and
not less insulting when the gentleman who grinds the axe is fee'd in
kind by the other gentleman who rolls the log.

And now, what is done is done, and I leave my task with some misgiving.
If here and there I have given pain, I have not written a word in
malice. The pleasantest part of my work has lain in the fact that with
every desire to be honest I have so often been compelled to praise.

Spottiswoode & Co. Printers, New-street Square, London.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of My Contemporaries In Fiction, by
David Christie Murray

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY CONTEMPORARIES IN FICTION ***

***** This file should be named 22203.txt or 22203.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/2/2/0/22203/

Produced by David Widger

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of