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Not long ago, having published two narratives
of voyages in the Pacific, which, in many quarters,
were received with incredulity, the thought occurred
to me, of indeed writing a romance of Polynesian
adventure, and publishing it as such; to see
whether, the fiction might not, possibly, be received
for a verity: in some degree the reverse
of my previous experience.

This thought was the germ of others, which
have resulted in Mardi.