That is an incident disagreeable in its nature to any literary gentleman, and likely to be specially so when he knows that his provision of bread, certainly of improved bread and butter, is at stake.

The man who thus darkens his literary brow with the frown of disapproval, has at his disposal all the loaves and all the fishes that are going.

If the writer be successful, there will come a time when he will be above such frowns; but, when that opinion went forth, Thackeray had not yet made his footing good, and the notice to him respecting it must have been very bitter.

It was in writing this _Hoggarty Diamond_ that Thackeray first invented the name of Michael Angelo Titmarsh.

Samuel Titmarsh was the writer, whereas Michael Angelo was an intending illustrator.