Overlooked

l. I know it is not what Rudd does. He told me he planned out his novel before writing a line, and decided beforehand on the length of each chapter, but that he often made them longer in the first draft, and then eliminated. If you want to be terse, he said, you must not start by trying to be terse, by leaving out. You must say everything first. You can rub out afterwards. He told me he worked in charcoal, as it were, at first. I shall not work in charcoal. I have no plan. I asked Princess Kouragine what Rudd was like. She said he had something rather prim and dapper about him. I was quitewrong about his appearance. He wears a black tie. Princess Kouragine said, " II a Vair comme tout le monde, plutot comme un medecin de campagne." I asked her if she liked him. She said she did not know. She said he was agreeable, but she found no real pleasure in his society. " You see," she said, " I like the society of my equals, I hate being with my superiors; that is why I hate being with royalties, authors and artists. Mr. Rudd can talk of nothing except his art, and I like Tauchnitz novels that one can read without any trouble. I hate realistic novels, especially in English." I told her his novels were more often fantastic, with a certain amount of psychology in them. " That is worse," she said, " I am old- fashioned. It is no use to try and convert me. I like Trollope and Ouida." I offered to lend her a novel by Rudd, but she refused. " I would rather ... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.