第36部分(第2/8 頁)

　then　called；　on　May　15；　1883；　and　finished　the　last　of　the　four　hundred　and　niy…three　foolscap　sheets　on　September　5th　of　the　same　year。　That　is；　in　just　under　four　months；　in　addition　to　my　legal　studies　and　other　occupations　and　the　time　taken　in　attending　in　London　to　eat　my　dinners　at　Lincoln’s　Inn；　I　wrote　nearly　two　hundred　thousand　words。　Nowadays　the　average　length　of　a　novel　may　be　put　at　seventy…five　thousand　words；　or　even　less；　though　mine　are　longer。　But　in　the　early　eighties；　when　stories　were　brought　out　in　three　volumes　and　readers　had　more　patience　than　at　present；　it　was　otherwise。　I　toiled　at　that　book　morning；　noon；　and　night；　with　the　result　that　at　length　my　eyesight　gave　out；　and　I　was　obliged　to　finish　the　writing　of　it　in　a　darkened　room。

Still　I　did　finish　it　notwithstanding　the　pain　in　my　eyes；　and　then　went　to　London　to　see　an　oculist。　To　my　relief　he　told　me　I　was　not　going　blind　as　I　feared；　but　that　the　trouble　came　from　the　brain　which　was　overworked。　He　ordered　me　plete　rest　and　change；　during　which　I　was　not　to　read　anything。　So　we　went　for　a　month　to　Switzerland；　where　we　took　lodgings。　The　only　occupation　that　I　had　there　was　to　walk；　or；　when　this　was　not　feasible；　like　a　child　to　throw　a　ball　against　the　wall　of　the　room　and　see　how　often　I　could　catch　it　on　the　rebound。　However；　the　treatment　proved　effective。

The　book　being　finished；　or　nearly　finished；　and　the　heroine；　Angela；　rescued　from　the　untimely　death　to　which　she