Wilkie Collins
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"William Wilkie Collins" was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. His best-known works are The Woman in White (novel)/The Woman in White, The Moonstone, Armadale (novel)/Armadale, and No Name (novel)/No Name.

Collins was born into the family of painter William Collins (painter)/William Collins in London. He received his early education at home from his mother. He then attended an academy and a private boarding school. He also traveled with his family to Italy and France, and learned the French and Italian languages. He served as a clerk in the firm of the tea merchants Antrobus & Co. His first novel Iolani, or Tahiti as It Was; a Romance, was rejected by publishers in 1845. His next novel, Antonina, was published in 1850. In 1851 he met Charles Dickens, and the two became close friends. A number of Collins's works were first published in Dickens's journals All the Year Round and Household Words. The two collaborated on several dramatic and fictional works, and some of Collins's plays were performed by Dickens's acting company.

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The law will argue any thing, with any body who will pay the law for the use of its brains and its time.

I have always maintained that the one important phenomenon presented by modern society is - the enormous prosperity of Fools.

I am (thank God) constitutionally superior to reason.

The evening advanced. The shadows lengthened. The waters of the lake grew pitchy black. The gliding of the ghostly swans became rare and more rare.

Peace rules the day where reason rules the mind.

Peace rules the day, where reason rules the mind.

It may not be amiss to add, for the benefit of incredulous readers, that all the 'improbable events' in the story are matters of fact, taken from the printed narrative.

The horrid mystery hanging over us in this house gets into my head like liquor, and makes me wild.

We had our breakfasts-whatever happens in a house, robbery or murder, it doesn't matter, you must have your breakfast.