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On March 11, he wrote four pages for the story, and says, ‘I enjoy this extremely and am much encouraged, but cannot afford to reject the offer to write
Margaret Fuller's life.’
This was an article for a volume by different writers called ‘Eminent Women of the Age,’ and for the same publication
Mr. Higginson wrote a memoir of
Lydia Maria Child.
His biography of
Margaret Fuller Ossoli was published sixteen years later in the ‘American Men of Letters Series.’
A few days later, he had accomplished—
5 pages Malbone—and letter to N. Y. Standard.
I have now 50 pages of this novel.
For the first time perhaps I have something to write which so interests me it is very hard to leave it even for necessary exercise.
I hate to leave it a moment—and yet I have to write about Margaret Fuller.
A week later, he added:—
6 pages Ossoli.
Like this very well, but grudge the time taken from Malbone, about which I was beginning to feel very happy.
I do not think that anything except putting on uniform and going into camp has ever given me such a sense of new strange fascinating life, as the thought that I can actually construct a novel.
It is as if I had learned to fly.
In April he decided not to interrupt ‘
Malbone’
