t, but it early
became obvious that nature had well endowed her with brains. From the
nursery her talk was of books, and at the age of twelve she was already
able to give her father some assistance as an amanuensis.

At that time Edmund Yule was still living; he had overcome his
prejudices, and there was intercourse between his household and that of
the literary man. Intimacy it could not be called, for Mrs Edmund (who
was the daughter of a law-stationer) had much difficulty in behaving to
Mrs Alfred with show of suavity. Still, the cousins Amy and Marian from
time to time saw each other, and were not unsuitable companions. It was
the death of Amy's father that brought these relations to an end; left
to the control of her own affairs Mrs Edmund was not long in giving
offence to Mrs Alfred, and so to Alfred himself. The man of letters
might be inconsiderate enough in his behaviour to his wife, but as
soon as anyone else treated her with disrespect that was quite another
matter. Purely on this account he quarrelled violently with his
brother's widow, and from that day the two families kept apart.

The chapter of quarrels was one of no small importance in Alfred's life;
his difficult temper, and an ever-increasing sense of neglected merit,
frequently put him at war with publishers, editors, fellow-authors, and
he had an unhappy trick of exciting the hostility of men who were most
likely to be useful to him. With Mr Polo, for instance, who held him
in esteem, and whose commercial success made him a valuable connection,
Alfred ultimately broke on a trifling matter of personal dignity. Later
came the great quarrel with Clement Fadge, an affair of considerable
advantage in the way of advertisement to both the men concerned. It
happened in the year 1873. At that time Yule was editor of a weekly
paper called The Balance, a literary organ which aimed high, and failed
to hit the circulation essential to its existence. Fadge, a younger man,
did reviewing for The Balance; he was in needy circumstances, and had
wrought himself into Yule's good opinion by judicious flattery. But with
a clear eye for the main chance Mr Fadge soon perceived that Yule
could only be of temporary use to him, and that the editor of a
well-established weekly which lost no opportunity of throwing scorn
upon Yule and all his works would be a much more profitable conquest.
He succeeded in transferring his services to the more flourishing
paper, and struck out