"
"But, but," said Jasmine, coloring crimson and very nearly crying, "I
was told by a lady who reads your paper that the name was just what
you like. She said that your paper was called by a melancholy name,
and of course you wanted melancholy subjects."
The editor smiled in a very bland, though disagreeable manner--"_The
Downfall_," he said; "we chose that title for political reasons." Here
he sounded a gong. "Jones," as an attendant came in, "look in
pigeon-hole D, and put into an envelope for this young lady some
verses entitled an 'Ode to Adversity.' Sorry I can do nothing more for
you this morning, Miss Mainwaring. Good morning--_good_ morning."
When the two girls got out on the landing Jasmine thrust her rejected
poem into Poppy's hand.
"Put it into your pocket, Poppy," she said, "and don't on any account
let me see it--I must try to forget it, or my courage will go.
Evidently, Poppy, names go by contraries. I wrote some dismal papers
on purpose for _The Downfall_; I will now offer them to a magazine
which has a cheerful title."
"Look there, Miss Jasmine," said Poppy, when they got into the street.
"Right there, facing us at the other side, is what I call a pleasant
magazine--it has lots of pictures, for see, it's pressed up to the
window wide open, and it's called _The Joy-bell_--I'm a great deal
more taken with that sound than with the sound of _The Downfall_.
Pages:
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270