In which a young Rudyard Kipling arrives in England to find literary fame already at his doorstep, and soon settles into a fruitful career marked by notable works and a transatlantic marriage into an American family of distinction. This introduction gently sketches his life in Vermont, his formative experiences among New England folk, and the mixed reception of his sharply written observations on America, framed as a curious and somewhat sparing appraisal rather than a full account.