iss Dudley! You have offered an excellent arraignment against
the integrity of the press. But I am more curious than ever to hear
you prove that fiction contains fact."

"It must, or it is essentially inartistic. The writer who seeks to
paint the world, the people, and the events of the world, as they
really are, sets up in his mind, as a subject for copy, the sum of his
observation of the world and the people in it. First, we will imagine
that he weaves a plot. This is the fiction of his romance. If he
writes out this story, adhering closely to his tale, calling the hero
A, the heroine B, and the villain C, he deals in fiction only. But
even here it would have no material attraction, unless it is conceded
to be possible; it need not be probable. But if it is a possible
sequence of events, at once we see that the basis is in fact. But when
he goes further, and calls A, Arthur, B, Beatrice, and C, Clarence, at
once they begin to acquire the characteristics of real people, or else
puppets. If the latter, there is no value to the conception, while if
the former, then in dealing with these creations of his mind, the
writer must allot to each a personality, emotions, demeanor, and
morality, which must be recognizable as human. He must in other words
clothe his dummies with the semblance of reality, and for that he must
turn to the facts of life, as he has observed them. Thus good fiction
is really all fact. Q. E. D."

"Your argument is certainly ingenious, and worthy of consideration. It
is a new way to look upon fiction, and I am glad that you have
reconciled me to the idea of reading novels, for I must confess that
though, when reading _Ardath_, I felt guilty of neglecting more
important studies, nevertheless I was very much entertained by the
book, which contains many ideas well thought, and well presented. But
to resume the argument, as to the facts of fiction, let me say this.
Is it not true that the predominant theme with novelists is love? And
would you contend that love is the most important fact in the world?"

"Unquestionably it is the predominant fact, to use your own word. All
the joy and misery, good and evil, is directly traceable to that one
absorbing passion."

"You speak with feeling. Pardon my asking if it is a predominant
emotion with yourself?"

"It is not," answered the girl, quickly and frankly. "Of course I
understand you to mean by love, the feeling which exists between two
persons of opposite s