I had given him no time to speak, nor did he seem so inclined.  He Continued looking at me for a moment with an air of whimsical perplexity; scanned me from head to foot; looked down at the manuscript, then up again at me, then pointed to a chair; and whistling softly to himself, went on writing his letter.

I sat for some time waiting his reply, supposing he was making up his mind; but he only paused occasionally to take a fresh dip of ink; to stroke his chin or the tip of his nose, and then resumed his writing.  It was evident his mind was intently occupied upon some other subject; but I had no idea that any other subject should be attended to and my poem lie unnoticed on the table.  I had supposed that every thing would make way for the Pleasures of Melancholy.

My gorge at length rose within me.  I took up my manuscript; thrust it into my pocket, and walked out of the room:  making some noise as I went, to let my departure be heard.  The publisher, however, was too much busied in minor concerns to notice it.  I was suffered to walk down-stairs without being called back.  I sallied forth into the street, but no clerk was sent after me, nor did the publisher call after me from the drawing-room window.  I have been told since, that he considered me either a madman or a fool.  I leave you to judge how much he was in the wrong in his opinion.

When I turned the corner my crest fell.  I cooled down in my pride and my expectations, and reduced my terms with the next bookseller to whom I applied.  I had no better success:  nor with a third:  nor with a fourth.  I then desired the booksellers to make an offer themselves; but the deuce an offer would they make.  They told me poetry was a mere drug; everybody wrote poetry; the market was overstocked with it.  And then, they said, the title of my poem was not taking:  that pleasures of all kinds were worn threadbare; nothing but horrors did now-a-days, and even these were almost worn out.  Tales of pirates, robbers, and bloody Turks might answer tolerably well; but then they must come from some established well-known name, or the public would not look at them.

At last I offered to leave my poem with a bookseller to read it and judge for himself.  “Why, really, my dear Mr.—­a—­a—­I forget your name,” said he, cutting an eye at my rusty coat and shabby gaiters, “really, sir, we are so pressed with business just now, and have so many manuscripts on hand to read, that we have not time to look at any new production, but if you can call again in a week or two, or say the middle of next month, we may be able to look over your writings and give you an answer.  Don’t forget, the month after next—­good morning, sir—­happy to see you any time you are passing this way”—­so saying he bowed me out in the civilest way imaginable.  In short, sir, instead of an eager competition to secure my poem I could not even get it read!  In the mean time I was harassed by letters from my friends, wanting to know when the work was to appear; who was to be my publisher; but above all things warning me not to let it go too cheap.