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Translated by Howitt from a Swedish story called ‘Den Rätta’ by Swedish feminist writer Fredrika Bremer (1801-65), 'The Right One' was promptly translated back into Swedish after its publication in Household Words and published in a newspaper under Dickens’s name. See H. K. Riikonen, ‘Dickens’s Reception in Finland’ in Michael Hollington (ed.) The Reception of Charles Dickens in Europe, 2 vols. (London: Bloomsbury, 2013), II, p. 389. Such confusions were not uncommon. Dickens appears not to have been aware of the story's origins or subsequent embarrassing history; writing to Wills regarding the proof, he merely notes the story is ‘poor—but I think just passable’ (Letters 6, 447n.).

Compiled in large part from Thomas Keightley, The History of England, and from George L. Craik and Charles MacFarlane, The Pictorial History of England.

'I don't know what to write about', Dickens wrote to Wills on 10 August 'in the absence of your Paris-trip notes [see Headnote to 'A Flight', HW, Vol. III, 30 August 1851], but I think of a paper on "Whole Hogs" – Peace Society, Temperance Do, [i.e. ditto] and Vegetarians – all of whom have lately been making stupendous fools of themselves' (Pilgrim, Vol. VI, p. 457). All three Societies had featured prominently in The Times during the previous two or three weeks. On 5 August the paper satirically reported the National Temperance Society's 'Great Teetotal Demonstration' at Exeter Hall the previous day. George Cruikshank and the American pacifist Elihu Burritt were among those on the platform, and the committee's address stressed that 'nothing short of total abstinence could destroy their fearful foe'. There were also some dismal attempts at humour. 

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