The interpolated story told in 'The Manchester Marriage' is by Mrs. Gaskell. The Conclusion to 'The Manchester Marriage' [beginning ''A most interesting story, all through,' I said',] however, is part of the framework of A House to Let - part, that is, of the linking and bridging sections that Dickens usually wrote himself. In this instance, however, the rule does not seem to hold: the Conclusion was probably written by Collins and revised by Dickens. See notes to The Seven Poor Travellers and A House to Let [1858 Christmas].

Harry Stone; © Bloomington and Indiana University Press, 1968. DJO gratefully acknowledges permission to reproduce this material.