"If she should be going to have the measles, the others will be sure to catch it, and then what should I do?" went on Winny, piteously. "There'd be a doctor to pay for and medicine to be got, and I don't think druggists give credit to strangers. It may turn out to be only a bad cold." "To be sure it may," said Hamish cheerily. "Hope for the best, Mrs. Yorke. Ellen always does." Mrs. Yorke sighed. Ellen's husband was very different from hers. "Gerald is in luck; he will soon I think, be able to get over his difficulties. Have you reed these reviews?" continued Hamish, laying his hand upon the journals at his elbow. "Oh yes, I've read them," was the answer, given with slighting discontent. "I never read anything finer--in the way of praise--than this review in the _Snarler_," spoke Hamish. "He wrote that himself." "Wrote what?" "That review in the _Snarler_." "Who wrote it?" pursued Hamish, rather at sea. "Gerald did." "Nonsense, Winny. You must be mistaken." "I'm sure I'm not," said Winny. "He wrote it at this very table. He was three hours writing it, and then he was nearly as long altering it: taking out words and sentences and putting in stronger ones." Hamish, when his surprise was over, laughed slightly. It had a little destroyed his romance. "And two friends of Gerald's wrote the other reviews," said Winny, continuing her revelations. "Gerald has great influence with the reviewing people; he says he can get any work made or marred." "Oh, can he?" quoth Hamish, with light good-nature. "At least, these reviews will tell well with the public and sell the book. Why, Winny, instead of being low-spirited, you have cause to be just the other way. It is a great thing to have got this book so well out. It may make Gerald's fortune." Winny sat bolt upright in the rocking-chair, and looked at Hamish, with a puzzled, cross face. He supposed that she did not understand. "What I mean, Winny, is that this book may lead really to fortune in the end. If Gerald once becomes known as a successful author--" "The bringing out of the book has caused him to be ten times more worried than before," interrupted Whiny. "Of course it is known that he has a book out, and the consequence is that everybody who has got sixpence owing by either of us, is dunning him for money--just as if the book had made his fortune! He cannot go to his chambers, unless he shoots in like a cat; and he is getting afraid to come here. My opinion is, that he'd have been better off without the book than with it." This was not a particularly pleasant view of affairs; but Hamish was far from subscribing to all Winny said. He answered with his cheering smile, that was worth its weight in gold, and rose to leave. "Things are always darkest just before dawn, Mrs. Yorke. And I must repeat my opinion--that this book will lay the foundation of Gerald's fortune. He will soon get out of his embarrassments."