The Project Gutenberg EBook of Valerie, by Frederick Marryat

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Title: Valerie

Author: Frederick Marryat

Illustrator: D. Downing; Etching by W. Wright-Nooth

Release Date: December 21, 2007 [EBook #23952]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VALERIE ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Valerie, by Captain Marryat.

________________________________________________________________________
This book was the last one that Marryat was working on in his last days.
It is unusual for him in that the story concerned the life of a lady,
whereas he normally wrote about the rough-and-tumble of life aboard
ship. There is a preface which explains more about the way in which
this book was conceived and written. It was completed by someone whom I
think may well have been Marryat's wife.

There are some interesting episodes, particularly the way in which the
young Lionel is raised from being a junior servant to regain an estate
which is rightfully his.

What is not so easy to cope with these days is the quantity of reported
speech in the last few chapters. But try it, and see how you get on.

________________________________________________________________________
VALERIE, BY CAPTAIN MARRYAT.

PREFACE.

On August 10, 1845, Marryat wrote to Mrs S., a lady for whom, to the
time of his death, he retained the highest sentiments of friendship and
esteem:--

"I really wish you would write your confessions, I will publish them. I
have a beautiful opening in some memoranda I have made of the early life
of a Frenchwoman, that is, up to the age of seventeen, when she is cast
adrift upon the world, and I would work it all up together. Let us
commence, and divide the tin; it is better than doing nothing. I have
been helping Ainsworth in the _New Monthly_, and I told him that I had
commenced a work called _Mademoiselle Virginie_, which he might perhaps
have. Without my knowing it, he has announced its coming forth; but it
does not follow that he is to have it, nevertheless, and indeed he now
wishes me to continue one" (_The Privateersman_) "that I have already
begun in the magazine."

Howe