thumb|upright|Canonbury Square, where Waugh and Evelyn Gardner lived during their brief marriage In December 1927, Waugh and Evelyn Gardner became engaged, despite the opposition of Lady Burghclere, who felt that Waugh lacked moral fibre and kept unsuitable company.Hastings, pp. 164–165 Among their friends, they quickly became known as "He-Evelyn" and "She-Evelyn". Waugh was at this time dependent on a £4-a-week allowance () from his father and the small sums he could earn from book reviewing and journalism.Hastings, pp. 160–161 The Rossetti biography was published to a generally favourable reception in April 1928: J. C. Squire in The Observer praised the book's elegance and wit; Acton gave cautious approval; and the novelist Rebecca West wrote to express how much she had enjoyed the book. Less pleasing to Waugh were the Times Literary Supplements references to him as "Miss Waugh".
thumb|upright|Canonbury Square, where Waugh and Evelyn Gardner lived during their brief marriage In December 1927, Waugh and Evelyn Gardner became engaged, despite the opposition of Lady Burghclere, who felt that Waugh lacked moral fibre and kept unsuitable company.Hastings, pp. 164–165 Among their friends, they quickly became known as "He-Evelyn" and "She-Evelyn". Waugh was at this time dependent on a £4-a-week allowance () from his father and the small sums he could earn from book reviewing and journalism.Hastings, pp. 160–161 The Rossetti biography was published to a generally favourable reception in April 1928: J. C. Squire in The Observer praised the book's elegance and wit; Acton gave cautious approval; and the novelist Rebecca West wrote to express how much she had enjoyed the book. Less pleasing to Waugh were the Times Literary Supplements references to him as "Miss Waugh".