I
The money derived from Cream's sketch had compensated them for the loss
of the money earned by Eleanor; but two pounds per week was
insufficient for their needs, and, now that the bank balance was
exhausted and they were dependent upon actual earnings, John had less
time for creative work. Free lance journalism seemed likely to provide
an adequate income for them, but he soon discovered that if he were to
make a reasonable livelihood from it, he must give up the greater part
of his time and thought to it. He could not depend upon certain or
immediate acceptance of any article he wrote for the newspapers.
Sometimes a topical article was sent to the wrong newspaper and kept
there until too late for publication in another newspaper.
Regularly-employed journalists, engaged to choose contributions from
outside writers, were extraordinarily inconsiderate in their
relationships with him. They would hold up a manuscript for a long time
and then arbitrarily return it; they would return a manuscript in a dirty
state, even scribbled over, because they had capriciously changed their
minds about it, and he would waste time and money in having it re-typed;
they even mislaid manuscripts and offered neither compensation nor
apology for so doing.... In a very short while, John discovered that the
more high-minded were the principles professed by a newspaper, the worse
was the payment made to its contributors and the longer was the time
consumed in making the payment. The low-minded journals paid for
contributions well and quickly, but the noble-minded journals kept
their contributors waiting weeks for small sums.... He could not depend
upon the publication of one article each week. Could he have done so,
his financial position, while meagre, would have been fairly easy and
regular. There were weeks when no money was earned, and there were
weeks when he earned ten or twelve guineas ... gay, exhilarating weeks
were those ... and there were even weeks when he could not think of a
suitable theme for an acceptable article. In this state of uncertainty
and constant effort to get enough money to pay for common needs, the
second novel became neglected, and it was not until several months
after the adventure at Westminster Abbey that the manuscript was
completed and sent to Mr. Jannissary. By that time, John was in debt to
tradesmen and to a typewriting company from which he had purchased a
typewriter on the hire system. The Cottenham Repertory Theatre had
failed to arrange a London season, consequently he had had no further
income from _Milchu and St. Patrick,_ and Mr. Jannissary, when
John talked about royalties from _The Enchanted Lover_, never
failed to express his astonishment at the fact that the sales of that
excellent book had not exceeded five hundred copies. He had been
certain that at least a thousand copies would have been sold as a
result of the boom in the _Evening Herald._
"Why don't you put a chartered accountant on his track?" said Hinde
when John told him of what Mr. Jannissary had said.
John shrugged his shoulders. His experience with the Cottenham
Repertory Theatre had cured him of all desire to send good money after
bad. He wished now that he had taken Hinde's advice and had kept away
from Mr. Jannissary, but it was useless to repine over that. He turned
instinctively to Hinde for advice, and Hinde was generous with it. He
was generous, too, with more profitable things. He put work in John's
way as often as he could, and in spite of the fiasco over the Abbey
ceremony, had offered employment on the _Herald_ to him, but John
had refused it, feeling that his novel would never reach its end if he
were tied to a newspaper. When, however, the book was completed, he
went to Hinde again and consulted him about the prospect of obtaining
regular work. His immediate needs were important, but overshadowing
these was the need that would presently come upon him. Eleanor in a few
months would be brought to bed ... and he had no money saved for that
time. She would need a nurse ... there would be doctor's bills!...
"I must get a job of some sort that will bring a decent amount of
money," he said to Hinde.
Hinde nodded his head. "There's nothing on the _Herald_," he said,
"but I may hear of something elsewhere. What about a short series of
articles for us? Write six or seven articles on London Streets. Take
Fleet Street, Piccadilly, Bond Street, the Strand and the Mile End
Road, and write about their characteristics, showing how different they
are from each other. That kind of stuff. I'll give you three guineas
each for them, and I'll take six for certain if they're good. If
they're very good, I'll take some more. That'll help a bit, won't it?"
"It'll help a lot," said John very heartily.