It cannot with truth be said of her that she had had any special tale to tell.  She had taken to the writing of a novel because Mr Loiter had told her that upon the whole novels did better than anything else.  She would have written a volume of sermons on the same encouragement, and have gone about the work exactly after the same fashion.  The length of her novel had been her first question.  It must be in three volumes, and each volume must have three hundred pages.  But what fewest number of words might be supposed sufficient to fill a page?  The money offered was too trifling to allow of very liberal measure on her part.  She had to live, and if possible to write another novel,—­and, as she hoped, upon better terms,—­when...