I come of a hard-headed, long-lived race — a puritan family, conspicuous for strength of constitution and sanity of mind. Though not unimaginative, I have never been prone to do anything that seemed of emotional excess or mental irregularity. My nature is poised, methodical, business-like; and the balance of my faculties is not readily disturbed. Were it otherwise — if there were any neurotic flaws in my heredity or any trend toward intellectual unbalance, I should probably not be writing this tale --- or should be writing it only for the obscure archives of a lunatic asylum.

^xxx^ xxx was added by Smith.
[xxx] xxx was deleted by Smith.