s toil of a new book would have its neck well broken before
beginning to publish, next October or November. Sometimes, I think I may
continue to work; sometimes, I think not. What do you say to the title,
ONE OF THESE DAYS?" That title held its ground very briefly. "What do
you think," he wrote after six weeks, "of _this_ name for my
story--BURIED ALIVE? Does it seem too grim? Or, THE THREAD OF GOLD? Or,
THE DOCTOR OF BEAUVAIS?" But not until twelve months later did he fairly
buckle himself to the task he had contemplated so long. _All the Year
Round_ had taken the place of _Household Words_ in the interval; and the
tale was then started to give strength to the new weekly periodical for
whose pages it was designed.

"This is merely to certify," he wrote on the 11th of March 1859, "that I
have got exactly the name for the story that is wanted; exactly what
will fit the opening to a T. A TALE OF TWO CITIES. Also, that I have
struck out a rather original and bold idea. That is, at the end of each
month to publish the monthly part in the green cover, with the two
illustrations, at the old shilling. This will give _All the Year Round_
always the interest and precedence of a fresh weekly portion during the
month; and will give me my old standing with my old public, and the
advantage (very necessary in this story) of having numbers of people who
read it in no portions smaller than a monthly part. . . . My American
ambassador pays a thousand pounds for the first year, for the privilege
of republishing in America one day after we publish here. Not bad?" . . .
He had to struggle at the opening through a sharp attack of illness, and
on the 9th of July progress was thus reported. "I have been getting on
in health very slowly and through irksome botheration enough. But I
think I am round the corner. This cause--and the heat--has tended to my
doing no more than hold my ground, my old month's advance, with the
_Tale of Two Cities_. The small portions thereof, drive me frantic; but
I think the tale must have taken a strong hold. The run upon our
monthly parts is surprising, and last month we sold 35,000 back numbers.
A note I have had from Carlyle about it has given me especial pleasure."
A letter of the following month expresses the intention he had when he
began the story, and in what respect it differs as to method from all
his other books. Sending in proof four numbers ahead of the current
publication, he adds: "I hope you will like