CHAPTER III.
VANITY FAIR.
Something has been said, in the biographical chapter, of the way in which _Vanity Fair_ was produced, and of the period in the author's life in which it was written.

He had become famous,--to a limited extent,--by the exquisite nature of his contributions to periodicals; but he desired to do something larger, something greater, something, perhaps, less ephemeral.

For though _Barry Lyndon_ and others have not proved to be ephemeral, it was thus that he regarded them.

In this spirit he went to work and wrote _Vanity Fair_.
It may be as well to speak first of the faults which were attributed to it.

It was said that the good people were all fools, and that the clever people were all knaves.