The extraordinary sensation caused, at the time of publication, of thesetwo books (they are one story) marked a new thing in literature. "Theyounger Set" who did not then read them will be surprised at theirfreshness and power of interest, and those who did and are now wiseenough to renew their acquaintance may be surprised at the change intheir own personal point of view in the comparatively few years sincethese books were written.