She was smartly dressed and looked very well, and had smiled on Mr Leadham.

Mr Leadham, too, was no more than man, and had written--a small cheque.
Mr Alf certainly had behaved badly to her; but both Mr Broune, of the 'Breakfast Table' and Mr Booker of the 'Literary Chronicle' had been true to her interests.

Lady Carbury had, as she promised, 'done' Mr Booker's 'New Tale of a Tub' in the 'Breakfast Table.' That is, she had been allowed, as a reward for looking into Mr Broune's eyes, and laying her soft hand on Mr Broune's sleeve, and suggesting to Mr Broune that no one understood her so well as he did, to bedaub Mr Booker's very thoughtful book in a very thoughtless fashion,--and to be paid for her work.

What had been said about his work in the 'Breakfast Table' had been very distasteful to poor Mr Booker.

It grieved his inner contemplative intelligence that such rubbish should be thrown upon him; but in his outside experience of life he knew that even the rubbish was valuable, and that he must pay for it in the manner to which he had unfortunately become accustomed.