right! Are you so innocent as to believe that he
would accept a story that he didn't like from the greatest beauty on
earth?"

"Humph!" said Madge reflectively. "The heart of man is desperately
wicked! Not _that_ story, perhaps, but he would be much more willing to
look at another. Take my advice and put on your toque. A girl never
loses anything by making herself attractive when dealing with a man. I
have never met any editors, but I have reason to suppose that they are
not different from the rest of mankind."

"Nineteen, and country-bred! Where did your worldly wisdom come from,
my dear?" cried Theo, holding up her hands in astonishment. But she
wore her toque all the same, and took off her veil three times over
because one little curl refused to lie exactly in the right place. She
desired, above all things, to arouse Mr Hammond's interest and sympathy.

The first visit to a publisher's office! It was a nervous occasion, and
Theo walked once, twice, thrice past the dreaded door before summoning
courage to enter. A board on the wall informed her that she must mount
to the third story, so she raised her skirts, ascended a narrow and not
too clean staircase, and stood outside a door labelled "Office,"
wondering what to do next. Neither knocker nor bell was to be seen;
what, then, was she to do? If she tapped on the pane and waited for the
door to be opened, she would appear humble and amateurish; if she
entered unannounced, it would seem bold and presumptuous. She
determined to err rather on the side of overrating her own importance,
hoping thereby to prove the truth of the old adage; so, turning the
handle with a firm hand, she walked into the office, and found herself
confronted by--a small and shabby boy, perched on a high stool!

All this fuss about a child! Theo's indignation lent an added
haughtiness to her manner as she demanded to see the editor of the
_Casket_, and Jack-in-office stared at her curiously, up and down, down
and up, before he replied. His expression seemed to imply that he had
seen her like before, and that he more than suspected a MS tied with
blue ribbon was hidden skilfully beneath her coat.

"Have you an appointment?" he asked severely; and though Theo affected a
smile of superiority, she felt an inward conviction that without that
same appointment she would have been compelled to make her way to Mr
Hammond's presence over the dead body of his vassal. As it was, he
carried