William "Wilkie" Collins was born in London in 1824. The name "Wilkie," by which he is known, was the surname of his godfather. In 1851 he met Charles Dickens and became the editor of Dickens' periodical Household Words. His novels were serialized in another of Dickens' publications, All the Year Round, and he is probably best know for two of them The Moonstone and The Woman in White. He wrote 30 novels and many short stories, plays and much non-fiction. He is generally regarded as the first detective-fiction writer. Four of his short stories are offered here: