Project Gutenberg's Say and Seal, Volume I, by Susan Warner and Anna Warner

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Title: Say and Seal, Volume I

Author: Susan Warner
Anna Warner

Release Date: April 8, 2009 [EBook #28544]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAY AND SEAL, VOLUME I ***

Produced by Daniel Fromont

[Transcriber's note: Susan Warner (1819-1885) & Anna Warner
(1824-1915), _Say and seal_(1860), Tauchnitz edition 1860 volume 1]

COLLECTION

OF

BRITISH AUTHORS

VOL. CCCXCVIII.

SAY AND SEAL.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

"If any man make religion as twelve, and the world as thirteen, such a
one hath not the spirit of a true New England man."

HIGGINSON.

PREFACE.

It is a melancholy fact, that this book is somewhat larger than the
mould into which most of the fluid fiction material is poured in this
degenerate age. You perceive, good reader, that it has run over--in the
latest volume.

Doubtless the Procrustean critic would say, "Cut it off,"--which point
we waive.

The book is really of very moderate limits--considering that two women
had to have their say in it.

It is pleasant to wear a glove when one shakes hands with the Public;
therefore we still use our ancestors' names instead of our own,--but it
is fair to state, that in this case there are a pair of gloves!--Which
is the right glove, and which the left, the Public will never know.

A word to that "dear delightful" class of readers who believe
everything that is written, and do not look at the number of the last
page till they come to it--nor perhaps even then. Well they and the
author know, that if the heroine cries--or laughs--too much, it is
nobody's fault but her own! Gently they quarrel with him for not
permitting them to see every Jenny happily married and every Tom with
settled good habits. Most lenient readers!--when you turn publishers,
then will such books doubt less be written! Meantime, hear this.

In a shady, sunshiny town, lying within certain bounds--geographical or
imaginary,--these events (really or in imagination) occurred. Precisely
when, the chroniclers do n