"'You don't want to know very much,' said Mr. Prelude. 'You're better without it here. Makes you High-Brow. High-Brow goes to tens of thousands, but Crane & Newberry go to hundreds of thousands. Not that our brows aren't rising some in this establishment. Educational and improving, we're going to be. So far as is consistent with our profits. See that notice,—We lead? All the same, Cheeseman,' said Mr. Prelude, 'the thing that has sold, the thing that sells and the thing that's going to sell, is the magazine with a pretty girl on the cover—and the less costume the better. Consistent with decency. Now here—what's your name?'
"'Smith, Sir.'
"'Smith. And here's all these covers on the book-stall. And then I produce this. Which does he buy?'
"This was the cover of the summer number of Newberry's Story Magazine, on which two young ladies in skin-tight bathing dresses disported themselves on a sandy beach.
"'Smith goes for this,' said Mr. Prelude triumphantly.
"I shook my head.
"'You mean to say that isn't attractive?' said Mr. Cheeseman, turning in his chair and pointing with his well-chewed pencil.
"I reflected.
"'There's never anything about them inside,' I said.
"'Got you there, Prelude!' said Mr. Cheeseman.