of course prevailed with the ‘Pulpit.’  There was the second purpose of enticing readers by crushing authors,—­as crowds used to be enticed to see men hanged when executions were done in public.  But neither the one object nor the other was compatible with that Aristidean justice which Mr Alf arrogated to himself and to his paper.  She hoped with all her heart that Mr Alf would spend a great deal of money at Westminster, and then lose his seat.

On the following morning she herself took the manuscript to Messrs Leadham and Loiter, and was hurt again by the small amount of respect which seemed to be paid to the collected sheets.  There was the work of six months; her very blood and brains,—­the concentrated essence of her mind,—­as she would say herself...