"I don't know but it may be so," said Jones. "'Floy' certainly possesses it in an uncommon degree. It is difficult else to imagine, as I said before, how a person, who has always been surrounded with comfort and luxury, could describe so feelingly the other side of the picture. It is remarkable. Do you know how much she has realized by her writings?" "There, again," said the disturbed Mr. Ellet, "my memory is at fault; I am not good at statistics." "Some thousands, I suppose," replied Mr. Jones. "Well, how true it is, that 'to him who hath shall be given!' Now, here is your literary daughter, who has no need of money, realizes a fortune by her books, while many a destitute and talented writer starves on a crust." "Yes," replied Mr. Ellet, "the ways of Providence are inscrutable." CHAPTER LXXXVIII. "Female literature seems to be all the rage now," remarked a gentleman, who was turning over the volumes in Mr. Develin's book store, No. 6 Literary Row. "Who are your most successful lady authors?" "Miss Pyne," said Mr. Develin, "authoress of 'Shadows,' Miss Taft, authoress of 'Sunbeams,' and Miss Bitman, authoress of 'Fairyland.'" "I have been told," said the gentleman, "that 'Life Sketches,' by 'Floy,' has had an immense sale--a larger one, in fact, than any of the others; is that so?" "It has had a _tolerable_ sale," answered Mr. Develin, coldly. "I might have published it, I suppose, had I applied; but I had a very indifferent opinion of the literary talent of the authoress. The little popularity it _has_ had, is undoubtedly owing to the writer being a sister of Hyacinth Ellet, the Editor of 'The Irving Magazine.'" "But _is_ she his sister," said the gentleman; "there are many rumors afloat; one hardly knows what to believe." "No doubt of it," said Mr. Develin; "in fact, I, myself, _know_ it to be true. 'Floy' is his sister; and it is altogether owing to the transferring of her articles, by him, to the columns of his paper, and his liberal endorsement of them, that she has had any success." "Indeed," said the gentleman; "why I was a subscriber both for 'The Standard,' when her first article appeared in it, and also for 'The Irving Magazine,' and I am very sure that nothing of hers was copied in the latter until she had acquired an enviable popularity all over the Union. No, sir," said Mr. Walter, (for it was he,) "I know a great deal more about 'Floy' and her writings than _you_ can tell me, and some little about yourself. I have often heard of the version you give of this matter, and I came in to satisfy myself if it had been correctly reported to me. Now, allow me to set you right, sir," said he, with a stern look. "The Editor of 'The Irving Magazine' never recognized 'Floy' as his sister, till the universal popular voice had pronounced its verdict in her favor. Then, when the steam was up, and the locomotive whizzing past, he jumps on, and says, 'how fast _we_ go!'"