Theuninspiredmaycontendthatthisisbosh，andIownthatsomethingmightbesaidfortheircontention，butuponthewholeIthinkitisgospel。
Therightnovelisneveracongeriesofnovelle，asmightappeartotheuninspired。Ifitindulgeseveninepisodes，itlosesinrealityandvitality。Itisonestockfromwhichitsvariousbranchesputout，andformitalivinggrowthidenticalthroughout。Therightnovellaisneveranovelcroppedbackfromthesizeofatreetoabush，orthebranchofatreestuckintothegroundandmadetoserveforabush。Itisanotherspecies，destinedbytheagenciesatworkintherealmofunconsciousnesstobebroughtintobeingofitsownkind，andnotofanother。
V。
Thiswasalwaysitscase，butintheprocessoftimetheshortstory，whilekeepingthenaturallimitsoftheprimalnovella（ifevertherewasone），hasshownalmostlimitlesspossibilitieswithinthem。Ithasshownitselfcapableofimpartingtheeffectofeverysortofintention，whetherofhumororpathos，oftragedyorcomedyorbroadfarceordelicateirony，ofcharacteroraction。Thethingthatfirstmadeitselfknownasalittletale，usuallysalacious，dealingwithconventionalizedtypesandconventionalizedincidents，hasproveditselfpossiblythemostflexibleofalltheliteraryformsinitsadaptationtotheneedsofthemindthatwishestoutteritself，inventivelyorconstructively，uponsomefreshoccasion，orwishesbrieflytocriticiseorrepresentsomephaseorfactoflife。
Therichesinthisshapeoffictionareeffectivelyinestimable，ifweconsiderwhathasbeendoneintheshortstory，andisstilldoingeverywhere。Thegoodnovelsmaybeeasilycounted，butthegoodnovelle，sinceBoccacciobegan（ifitwashethatfirstbegan）tomakethem，cannotbecomputed。Inquantitytheyareinexhaustible，andinqualitytheyarewonderfullysatisfying。Then，whyisitthatsovery，veryfewofthemostsatisfactoryofthatinnumerablemultitudestaybyyou，asthecountrypeoplesay，incharacterizationoraction？Howharditistorecallapersonorafactoutofanyofthem，outofthemostsignallygood！Weseemtobedelightfullynourishedasweread，butisit，afterall，afullmeal？Webecomeofaperfectintimacyandadevotedfriendshipwiththemenandwomenintheshortstories，butnotapparentlyofalastingacquaintance。Itisasinglemeetingwehavewiththem，andthoughweinstantlyloveorhatethemdearly，recurrenceandrepetitionseemnecessarytothatfamiliarknowledgeinwhichweholdthepersonagesinanovel。
Itisherethatthenovella，somuchmoreperfectinform，showsitsirremediableinferioritytothenovel，andsomehowtotheplay，totheveryfarce，whichitmayquantitativelyexcel。Wecanallrecallbynamemanycharactersoutofcomediesandfarces；buthowmanycharactersoutofshortstoriescanwerecall？Mostpersonsofthedramagivethemselvesawaybynamefortypes，merefigmentsofallegory，andperhapsoblivionisthepenaltythatthenovellapaysforthefinenessofitscharacterizations；butperhaps，also，thedramaticformhasgreaterfacilitiesforrepetition，andsocanstampitspersonsmoreindeliblyontheimaginationthanthenarrativeforminthesamesmallspace。Thenarrativemustgivetodescriptionwhatthedramatruststorepresentation；butthiscannotaccountforthesuperiorpermanencyofthedramatictypesinsogreatmeasureaswemightatfirstimagine，fortheyremainasmuchinmindfromreadingasfromseeingtheplays。Itispossiblethatasthenovellabecomesmoreconscious，itspersonswillbecomemorememorable；butasitis，thoughwenowvividlyandwithlastingdelightremembercertainshortstories，wescarcelyrememberbynameanyofthepeopleinthem。Imayberiskingtoomuchinofferinganinstance，butwho，inevensuchsignalinstancesasTheRevoltofMother，byMissWilkins，orTheDulhamLadies，byMissJewett，canrecallbynamethecharactersthatmadethemdelightful？
VI。
Thedefectofthenovellawhichwehavebeenacknowledgingseemsanessentiallimitation；butperhapsitisnotinsuperable；andwemayyethaveshortstorieswhichshallsupplythedelightedimaginationwithcreationsofasmuchimmortalityaswecanreasonablydemand。Thestructuralchangewouldnotbegreaterthanthemoralormaterialchangewhichhasbeenwroughtinitsinceitbeganasayarn，grossandpalpable，whichthenarratorspunoutofthecoarsestandoftenthefilthieststuff，tosnarethethickfancyoramusethelewdleisureoflistenerswillingaschildrentohavethesamepersonsandthesamethingsoverandoveragain。Nowithasnotonlyvariedthepersonsandthings，butithasrefinedandverifiedtheminthedirectionofthenaturalandthesupernatural，untilitisaboveallotherliteraryformsthevehicleofrealityandspirituality。WhenonethinksofabitofMr。
James\'spsychologyinthisform，orabitofVerga\'sorKielland\'ssociology，orabitofMissJewett\'sexquisiteveracity，oneperceivestheimmensedistancewhichtheshortstoryhascomeonthewaytotheheightithasreached。Itservesequallytheidealandthereal；thatwhichitisloathtoserveistheunreal，sothatamongtheshortstorieswhichhaverecentlymadereputationsfortheirauthorsveryfewareofthatpeculiarcastwhichwehavenonameforbutromanticistic。TheonlydistinguishedmodernwriterofromanticisticnovellewhomIcanthinkofisMr。BretHarte，andheisofaperiodwhenromanticismwassoimperativeastobealmostaconditionoffiction。IamneversoenamouredofacausethatIwillnotadmitfactsthatseemtotellagainstit，andIwillallowthatthiswriterofromanticisticshortstorieshasmorethananyothersupplieduswithmemorabletypesandcharacters。WerememberMr。JohnOakhurstbyname；werememberKentuckandTennessee\'sPartner，atleastbynickname；andweremembertheirseveralqualities。Thesefigures，ifwecannotquiteconsentthattheyarepersons，existinourmemoriesbyforceoftheircreator\'simagination，andatthemomentIcannotthinkofanyothersthatdo，outofthemyriadofAmericanshortstories，exceptRipVanWinkleoutofIrving\'sLegendofSleepyHollow，andMarjorieDawoutofMr。Aldrich\'sfamouslittlecapriceofthattitle，andMr。James\'sDaisyMiller。
Itappearstobethefactthatthosewriterswhohavefirstdistinguishedthemselvesinthenovellahaveseldomwrittennovelsofprimeorder。
Mr。Kiplingisaneminentexample，butMr。Kiplinghasyetalonglifebeforehiminwhichtoupsetanytheoryabouthim，andonecanonlyinstancehimprovisionally。Ontheotherhand，onecanbemuchmoreconfidentthatthebestnovellehavebeenwrittenbythegreatestnovelists，conspicuouslyMaupassant，Verga，Bjornson，Mr。ThomasHardy，Mr。James，Mr。Cable，Tourguenief，Tolstoy，Valdes，nottonameothers。
Thesehave，infact，alldoneworksogoodinthisformthatoneistemptedtocallittheirbestwork。Itisreallynottheirbest，butitisworksogoodthatitoughttohaveequalacceptancewiththeirnovels，ifthatdistinguishededitorwasrightwhosaidthatshortstoriessoldwellwhentheyweregoodshortstories。Thattheyoughttodosoissoevidentthatadevotedreaderofthem，towhomIwassubmittingtheanomalytheotherday，insistedthattheydid。Icouldonlyallegethetestimonyofpublishersandauthorstothecontrary，andthisdidnotsatisfyhim。
Itdoesnotsatisfyme，andIwishthatthegeneralreader，withwhomthefaultlies，couldbemadetosaywhy，ifhelikesoneshortstorybyitselfandfourshortstoriesinamagazine，hedoesnotlike，orwillnothave，adozenshortstoriesinabook。ThiswasthebafflingquestionwhichIbeganwithandwhichIfindmyselfforcedtoendwith，afterallthelightIhavethrownuponthesubject。IleaveitwhereI
foundit，butperhapsthatisagooddealforacritictodo。IfIhadleftitanywhereelsethereadermightnotfeelboundtodealwithitpracticallybyreadingallthebooksofshortstorieshecouldlayhandson，andeitherdiviningwhyhedidnotenjoythem，orelseforeverforegoinghisprejudiceagainstthembecauseofhispleasureinthem。
