A CONFESSION 



SOMETIMES CALLED " FORE WARD " OR " PREFACE " 



I wonder if it is quite fair to ask an author's 

 " underlying motive" for writing a book. The 

 Publisher declares that it is— and he is a sage in 

 his day and generation. He says the public wants 

 to know ; but I say that the public does not care a 

 " whoop "—if you remember what that precisely 

 signifies. Between ourselves, it is a tradition of 

 bookmaking which exacts toll of you and me with- 

 out giving either of us any return of happiness. 

 Besides, suppose the public does want to know, and 

 suppose the desire to be prompted by curiosity 

 rather than by interest, as is more than likely— 

 should the author yield to the demand? To be 

 sure he may owe much to the indulgent reader, who 

 too frequently gets little enough of a run for his 

 money,— but is not the author paying rather too 

 dearly by thus taking the further risk of incurring 

 criticism of his motives in addition to the criticism 

 which may salute his book? It seems to me that 

 to face one risk is enough for one author— cer- 

 tainly enough for this one author. 



Then, too, perhaps the author wants to keep the 

 intimate whisperings of his day dreams to himself ; 



vii 



