But I think the conversation never settled down so comfortably as when it turned to the details of the trade which was the other side of the art we practised. When we had done discussing the merits of the latest book, it was natural to wonder how many copies had been sold, what advance the author had received, and how much he was likely to make out of it. Then we would speak of this publisher and of that, comparing the generosity of one with the meanness of another; we would argue whether it was better to go to one who gave handsome royalties or to another who "pushed" a book for all it was worth. Some advertised badly and some well. Some were modern and some were old-fashioned. Then we would talk of agents and the offers they had obtained for us; of editors and the sort of contributions they welcomed, how much they paid a thousand, and whether they paid promptly or otherwise...

上面出现了很多we would + V+...这种句式：

请教老师，上面节选文章中的would究竟是表示主语we的意志，而非推测？ 还是理解为过去将来时，表示过去的某种习惯吗？ 这种理解为过去将来时的would，也是等于表推测吗？

麻烦老师多讲讲这里的would用法。