FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157  
158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   >>   >|  
.' 'I'm glad to hear that. Any special plan for its publication?' 'No.' 'Then why not offer it to Jedwood? He's publishing a series of one-volume novels. You know of Jedwood, don't you? He was Culpepper's manager; started business about half a year ago, and it looks as if he would do well. He married that woman--what's her name?--Who wrote "Mr Henderson's Wives"?' 'Never heard of it.' 'Nonsense!--Miss Wilkes, of course. Well, she married this fellow Jedwood, and there was a great row about something or other between him and her publishers. Mrs Boston Wright told me all about it. An astonishing woman that; a cyclopaedia of the day's small talk. I'm quite a favourite with her; she's promised to help the girls all she can. Well, but I was talking about Jedwood. Why not offer him this book of yours? He's eager to get hold of the new writers. Advertises hugely; he has the whole back page of The Study about every other week. I suppose Miss Wilkes's profits are paying for it. He has just given Markland two hundred pounds for a paltry little tale that would scarcely swell out to a volume. Markland told me himself. You know that I've scraped an acquaintance with him? Oh! I suppose I haven't seen you since then. He's a dwarfish fellow with only one eye. Mrs Boston Wright cries him up at every opportunity.' 'Who IS Mrs Boston Wright?' asked Reardon, laughing impatiently. 'Edits The English Girl, you know. She's had an extraordinary life. Was born in Mauritius--no, Ceylon--I forget; some such place. Married a sailor at fifteen. Was shipwrecked somewhere, and only restored to life after terrific efforts;--her story leaves it all rather vague. Then she turns up as a newspaper correspondent at the Cape. Gave up that, and took to some kind of farming, I forget where. Married again (first husband lost in aforementioned shipwreck), this time a Baptist minister, and began to devote herself to soup-kitchens in Liverpool. Husband burned to death, somewhere. She's next discovered in the thick of literary society in London. A wonderful woman, I assure you. Must be nearly fifty, but she looks twenty-five.' He paused, then added impulsively: 'Let me take you to one of her evenings--nine on Thursday. Do persuade him, Mrs Reardon?' Reardon shook his head. 'No, no. I should be horribly out of my element.' 'I can't see why. You would meet all sorts of well-known people; those you ought to have met long ago. Better still,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157  
158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Jedwood
 

Boston

 

Reardon

 
Wright
 

Wilkes

 

Married

 

suppose

 

Markland

 

fellow

 

volume


forget

 
married
 

farming

 
shipwreck
 
aforementioned
 

husband

 

Ceylon

 

Baptist

 

terrific

 

restored


shipwrecked

 

sailor

 

fifteen

 

efforts

 

Mauritius

 
correspondent
 

newspaper

 

leaves

 

London

 

Thursday


persuade

 

evenings

 
impulsively
 

people

 

element

 

horribly

 

paused

 

burned

 

discovered

 

Husband


Liverpool
 
devote
 

kitchens

 

literary

 

society

 
twenty
 

extraordinary

 
Better
 
wonderful
 

assure