le's Banner_ in
September respecting the Duke of ----, and the Marquis of ----, and
Sir ---- ----, which were certainly very harsh; and on the other side
remarks equally laudatory as to the characters of the same titled
politicians. But a journalist, with the tact and experience of Mr.
Quintus Slide, knew his business too well to allow himself to be
harassed by any such small stratagem as that. He did not pause to
defend himself, but boldly attacked the meanness, the duplicity,
the immorality, the grammar, the paper, the type, and the wife of
the editor of the evening newspaper. In the storm of wind in which
he rowed it was unnecessary for him to defend his own conduct.
"And then," said he at the close of a very virulent and successful
article, "the hirelings of ---- dare to accuse me of inconsistency!"
The readers of the _People's Banner_ all thought that their editor
had beaten his adversary out of the field.

Mr. Quintus Slide was certainly well adapted for his work. He could
edit his paper with a clear appreciation of the kind of matter which
would best conduce to its success, and he could write telling leading
articles himself. He was indefatigable, unscrupulous, and devoted
to his paper. Perhaps his great value was shown most clearly in his
distinct appreciation of the low line of public virtue with which
his readers would be satisfied. A highly-wrought moral strain would
he knew well create either disgust or ridicule. "If there is any
beastliness I 'ate it is 'igh-faluting," he has been heard to say to
his underlings. The sentiment was the same as that conveyed in the
"Point de zele" of Talleyrand. "Let's 'ave no d----d nonsense," he
said on another occasion, when striking out from a leading article
a passage in praise of the patriotism of a certain public man. "Mr.
Gresham is as good as another man, no doubt; what we want to know is
whether he's along with us." Mr. Gresham was not along with Mr. Slide
at present, and Mr. Slide found it very easy to speak ill of Mr.
Gresham.

Mr. Slide one Sunday morning called at the house of Mr. Bunce in
Great Marlborough Street, and asked for Phineas Finn. Mr. Slide and
Mr. Bunce had an old acquaintance with each other, and the editor was
not ashamed to exchange a few friendly words with the law-scrivener
before he was shown up to the member of Parliament. Mr. Bunce was an
outspoken, eager, and honest politician,--with very little accurate
knowledge of the political conditi