This is the short story that brought Harriet Prescott Spofford into the spotlight and gave her the success and financial security she deserved. When sent into one of the leading journals of the day, it was held back as the editor doubted a woman could have written such a good story and believed Spofford had merely translated it from French. This tale, originally publsihed in 1859, is here republished together with a new introductory biography of the author.