During the last six weeks Lady Carbury had lived a life of very mixed depression and elevation.

Her great work had come out,--the 'Criminal Queens,'-- and had been very widely reviewed.

In this matter it had been by no means all pleasure, inasmuch as many very hard words had been said of her.

In spite of the dear friendship between herself and Mr Alf, one of Mr Alf's most sharp-nailed subordinates had been set upon her book, and had pulled it to pieces with almost rabid malignity.

One would have thought that so slight a thing could hardly have been worthy of such protracted attention.