The name for the story had been the great thing. It did not occur to the authoress that, as the plot was to be allowed to develop itself and was, at this moment when she was perplexed as to the title, altogether uncreated, she might as well wait to see what appellation might best suit her work when its purpose should have declared itself. A novel, she knew well, was most unlike a rose, which by any other name will smell as sweet. "The Faultless Father," "The Mysterious Mother," "The Lame Lover,"--such names as that she was aware would be useless now. "Mary Jane Walker," if she could be very simple, would do, or "Blanche De Veau," if she were able to maintain throughout a somewhat high-stilted style of feminine rapture. But as she considered that she could best deal with rapid action and strange coincidences, she thought that something more startling and descriptive would better suit her purpose. After an hour's thought a name did occur to her, and she wrote it down, and with considerable energy of purpose framed her work in accordance with her chosen title, "The Wheel of Fortune!" She had no particular fortune in her mind when she chose it, and no particular wheel;--but the very idea conveyed by the words gave her the plot which she wanted. A young lady was blessed with great wealth, and lost it all by an uncle, and got it all back by an honest lawyer, and gave it all up to a distressed lover, and found it all again in the third volume. And the lady's name was Cordinga, selected by Lady Carbury as never having been heard before either in the world of fact or in that of fiction.

The title for the story had been the great thing. It did not occur to her to wait to see what name might best suit her work once it was written. A novel, she knew, was most unlike a rose, which by any name will smell as sweet. "The Faultless Father" or "The Mysterious Mother" would be useless. "Mary Jane Walker" would do, or "Blanche De Veau," if she were more high-flown. But she thought that something more startling and descriptive would better suit her purpose.
After an hour's thought a name did occur to her, and she wrote down "The Wheel of Fortune." She had no particular fortune in mind, and no particular wheel; but the words gave her the plot she needed. A young lady was blessed with great wealth, and lost it all through an uncle, and got it all back by an honest lawyer, and gave it all up to a distressed lover, and found it again in the third volume. And the lady's name was Cordinga, selected by Lady Carbury as unique in fiction, and in life.
