3 departed, and glad enough he was to go.
As he went a clerk arrived, and gave a card to the great man.
"Miss Augusta Smithers," he read; then with a grunt, "show Miss Augusta Smithers in." Presently Miss Augusta Smithers arrived.

She was a tall, well-formed young lady of about twenty-five, with pretty golden hair, deep grey eyes, a fine forehead, and a delicate mouth; just now, however, she looked very nervous.
"Well, Miss Smithers, what is it ?" asked the publisher.
"I came, Mr.Meeson--I came about my book." "Your book, Miss Smithers ?" this was an affectation of forgetfulness; "let me see ?--forgive me, but we publish so many books.

Oh, yes, I remember; 'Jemima's Vow.' Oh, well, I believe it is going on fairly." "I saw you advertised the sixteenth thousand the other day," put in Miss Smithers, apologetically.
"Did we--did we?
ah, then, you know more about it than I do," and he looked at his visitor in a way that conveyed clearly enough that he considered the interview was ended.
Miss Smithers rose, and then, with a spasmodic effort, sat down again.
"The fact is, Mr.Meeson," she said--"The fact is, that, I thought that, perhaps, as 'Jemima's Vow' had been such a great success, you might, perhaps--in short, you might be inclined to give me some small sum in addition to what I have received." Mr.Meeson looked up.

His forehead was wrinkled till the shaggy eyebrows nearly hid the sharp little eyes.
"What!" he said.

"_What_!" At this moment the door opened, and a young gentleman came slowly in.