"Of course," she said, "Mrs. Woodford does not know. It is not likely
that I would tell her I detested your books while I asked for an
introduction to you. She took it for granted that I meant to say
pleasant things to you, whereas I had made up my mind to do the exact
reverse. No one would be more shocked than Mrs. Woodford--unless,
perhaps, it is yourself--if she knew I was going to speak frankly with
you."

"I am not shocked," said the young man, seriously; "I recognize that
there are many things in my books that are blemishes."

"Of course you don't mean that," said the frank young woman; "because
if you did you would not repeat the faults in book after book."

"A man can but do his best," said Streeter, getting annoyed in spite of
himself, for no man takes kindly to the candid friend. "A man can but
do his best, as Hubert said, whose grandsire drew a longbow at
Hastings."

"Yes," returned Miss Neville, "a man can but do his best, although we
should remember that the man who said that, said it just before he was
defeated. What I feel is that you are not doing your best, and that you
will not do your best until some objectionable person like myself has a
good serious talk with you."

"Begin the serious talk," said Streeter; "I am ready and eager to
listen."

"Did you read the review of your latest book which appeared in the