Page:The Story of the House of Cassell (book).djvu/104

 one or other of Cassell's publications; Clement Scott (who prefaced his career as a dramatic critic by writing "appropriate verses" for Cassell's wood-cuts); Bishop Ellicott, one of the Company of Revisers of the New Testament, who was now engaged on the monumental "Bible Commentary for English Readers"; and Professor E. H. Plumptre, of Oxford and King's College, afterwards Dean of Wells, who was editing the "Bible Educator" for Cassell's.

Teignmouth Shore was a man of enormous energy. After his engagement at the Yard he proceeded to ordination and took clerical duties, being incumbent of St. Mildred's, Lee, in the early 'seventies, and then, from 1873 onwards, of Berkeley Chapel, Mayfair. This courtly and eloquent Hibernian contrived to put in regular attendance at his office and to do his editorial duties conscientiously, and at the same time to become a favourite Society preacher and Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria. He not only directed the literary activities of the firm, but for some considerable time, until the Art Department became independent of editorial control, had the final word as to the drawings that should be accepted or rejected. When Mr. Edwin Bale took over the Art Department, Shore met him one morning in the long corridor leading to his room, invited him in, pointed to his table, which had absolutely not a scrap of paper on it, and said that his day's work was done. It was not his business, he remarked, to do details, but to put all such matters into the hands of people competent to deal with them and receive their reports on the result. He warned Mr. Bale that if he attempted to perform the detailed work of his department it would kill him; he should refer it to his clerks and see that it was promptly carried through. But for such delegation Teignmouth Shore would not have been able, as he was said to do, to leave the Yard at 4 P.M., go westward into another sphere, and forget the existence of serials and magazines till next day. He seems to have thought his position in the City was nothing