“We’ll have to alter it in several places, of course; you’ve had no experience, I can see that; but what we liked about your characters, Miss Johnson, was that you wrote as if you felt them. My girls always know the difference. And that’s why, when a high-class authoress comes along with her nose in the air and offers to scribble me something in her spare time, I know it will be no good. I tell her so, straight out. One can’t write for My Girls with one’s nose in the air. They recognize sincerity when they see it. You’ve got the sincere touch, Miss Johnson; My Girls are sure to take to you.” She brought forth her Girls as if they were a compact little jury; she herself the judge; and Letty, or Joyella, or the authoress writing with nose in air, the prisoners on trial.
“Now, under what name do you want us to publish?” Miss Symes drew her pencil through Lettice Johnson, and looked up from the manuscript, with an encouraging smile. Every line and angle and inflection proclaimed her as orthodox Church of England. It was rather a bad moment for Letty.
“Sebastian——” she paused. Miss Symes wrote it down. “Yes?” with pencil poised.
Almost, now, at the eleventh hour, Letty said “Lovell,” and spoilt everything....
“Sebastian Levi,” in a whisper.
“Sebastian——? I beg your pardon, I didn’t catch it?”
Desperately, Letty repeated “Levi,” in tones that nervousness had rendered far louder and more resonant than she had intended them.
Still showing her teeth, though the brightness had departed from her smile, the Editress added “Levi.” Then put down the pencil.
“Forgive me, but does that strike you as a very attractive pseudonym? Have you a special reason?”
“It was my mother’s name—before she married——.” Letty felt the eyes of My Girls, that terrible army of girls taking in “Silver Chimes” regularly every Tuesday, fixed upon her in scornful disapproval. Their imaginary stare quite obliterated all conscientious pangs concerning Mrs. Johnson, who, despite broadmindedness, might quite conceivably have resented being thus publicly branded an Israelite.