Nor did the negotiations cease after he had "landed" his quarry.

He had his way of discussing the subject with his proposed writer, and he discussed it from every possible point of view.

He would take him to lunch or to dinner; in his quiet way he would draw him out, find whether he really knew much about the subject, learn the attitude that he was likely to take, and delicately slip in suggestions of his own.

Not infrequently this preliminary interview would disclose that the much sought writer, despite appearances, was not the one who was destined for that particular job; in this case Page would find some way of shunting him in favour of a more promising candidate.

But Page was no mere chaser of names; there was nothing of the literary tuft-hunter about his editorial methods.