The interpolated story (in the form of a narrative poem) told in 'The Barmaid' is by Adelaide Anne Procter. The Introduction to 'The Barmaid' [the opening paragraph, p. 30], however, is part of the framework of The Holly-Tree Inn - part, that is, of the linking and bridging sections that Dickens usually wrote himself. See notes to The Seven Poor Travellers and The Holly-Tree Inn [1855 Christmas].
Harry Stone; © Bloomington and Indiana University Press, 1968. DJO gratefully acknowledges permission to reproduce this material.
