It cannot with truth be said of her that she had had any special tale to tell. She had taken to the writing of a novel because Mr. Loiter had told her that upon the whole novels did better than anything else. She would have written a volume of sermons on the same encouragement, and have gone about the work exactly after the same fashion. The length of her novel had been her first question. It must be in three volumes, and each volume must have three hundred pages. But what fewest number of words might be supposed sufficient to fill a page? The money offered was too trifling to allow of very liberal measure on her part. She had to live, and if possible to write another novel,--and, as she hoped, upon better terms,--when this should be finished. Then what should be the name of her novel; what the name of her hero; and above all what the name of her heroine? It must be a love story of course; but she thought that she would leave the complications of the plot to come by chance,--and they did come. 
It cannot with truth be said that she had any special tale to tell. She had written a novel because Mr. Loiter had told her that novels did better than anything else. She would have written a volume of sermons with the same encouragement, and would have gone about the work in exactly the same fashion. The novel had to be in three volumes, and each volume must have three hundred pages. But what was the fewest number of words needed to fill a page? The money offered was too trifling to allow of much effort on her part. It must be a love story of course; but she thought that she would leave the complications of the plot to come by chance.
