Silly as this story may seem there is a fixed purpose in writing it and like water in a goose-pond it is deeper than it at first appears
The intention chiefly is to be absurd to cast ridicule on certain pedants and romancers and to jeer at the ridiculous solemnity mystery and villainy that hedge in works of fiction Disgusted with tales which cause exceedingly good heroes and heroines to live a life of torture only to find a haven of peace and se...