Excerpt from The Law and the Lady: A Novel<br><br>IN offering this book to you, I have no Preface to write. I have only to request-that you will bear in mind certain established truths, which occasmnally escape your memory when you are reading a work of fiction. Be pleased, then, to remember (first): that the actions of human beings are not invariably governed by the laws of pure reason. (secondly) that we are by no means always in the habit (especially when we happen to be women) of bestowing our love on the objects which are the most deserving of it, in the Opinions of our friends. (thirdly and Lastly): that Characters which may not have appeared, and Events which may not have taken place, Within the limits of our own individual experience, may nevertheless be perfectly natural Characters and perfectly probable Events, for all that. Having said these few words, I have said'all that seems to be necessary at the present time; and I bid you cordially farewell.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.