I had no visitors; there was no one near, indeed, except the landlord of the little hotel in the bay, and his wife.

All through the Island, however, were people whom I knew, like the Malet de Carterets, the Lemprieres, and old General Pipon, for whom the Jersey of three hundred years ago was as near as the Jersey of to-day, so do the Jersiais prize, cultivate, and conserve every hour of its recorded history.
As the sea opens out to a vessel making between the promontories to the main, so, while writing this tale which originally was short, the larger scheme of 'The Battle of the Strong' spread out before me, luring me, as though in the distance were the Fortunate Isles.

Eight years after 'Michel and Angele' was written and first published in 'Harper's Weekly', I decided to give it the dignity of a full-grown romance.

For years I had felt that it had the essentials for a larger canvas, and at the earnest solicitation of Messrs.

Harper & Brothers I settled to do what had long been in my mind.