The story was voted into existence by the voices of all
that party, and by none more enthusiastically than by one young voice
which will never be heard on earth more. It was kept in mind and
expanded and narrated as we went on to Rome over a track that the
pilgrim Agnes is to travel. To me, therefore, it is fragrant with love
of Italy and memory of some of the brightest hours of life.
I wanted to write something of this kind as an author's introduction
to the public. Could you contrive to print it on a fly-leaf, if I get
it ready, and put a little sort of dedicatory poem at the end of it? I
shall do this at least in the book, if not now.
A network of difficulties seems to have closed about her at this time,
because in spite of her interest in the new story and the hopeful view
which she took of its speedy completion, several months passed by
before anything definite came respecting her literary plans.
Meanwhile she had been tempted into beginning a story for "The
Independent," which proved to be "The Pearl of Orr's Island," a story
good enough, if she had been left to herself and not overridden by
greedy editors and publishers, to have added a lustre even to her
name. It is to this she refers in the following letter when she speaks
of her "Maine story." Unhappily this first number drew off power which
belonged to "Agnes of Sorrento," and Agnes served to prevent her from
ending "The Pearl of Orr's Island" in a manner worthy of its first
promise.
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