The Green Mouse

Folly and Wisdom, Heavenly twins, Sons of the god Imagination, Heirs of the Virtues—which were Sins Till Transcendental Contemplation Transmogrified their outer skins-- Friend, do you follow me? For I Have lost myself, I don't know why.

Resuming, then, this erudite And decorative Dedication,-- Accept it, John, with all your might In Cinquecentic resignation. You may not understand it, quite, But if you've followed me all through, You've done far more than I could do.

PREFACE

To the literary, literal, and scientific mind purposeless fiction is abhorrent. Fortunately we all are literally and scientifically inclined; the doom of purposeless fiction is sounded; and it is a great comfort to believe that, in the near future, only literary and scientific works suitable for man, woman, child, and suffragette, are to adorn the lingerie-laden counters in our great department shops.

It is, then, with animation and confidence that the author politely offers to a regenerated nation this modern, moral, literary, and highly scientific work, thinly but ineffectually disguised as fiction, in deference to the prejudices of a few old-fashioned story-readers who still survive among us.