第14章

ToJos。T。Goodman，inCalifornia： HARTFORD，March31，”90。 DEARJOE，——Ifyouwerehere，Ishouldsay，“GetyoutoWashingtonandbegSenatorJonestotakethechancesandputupabouttenor“——no，I wouldn”t。Themoneywouldburnaholeinmypocketandgetawayfrommeifthefurnisherofitwereproceedinguponmerelyyourjudgmentandmineandwithoutotherevidence。Itistoomuchofaresponsibility。 ButIaminascloseaplaceto-dayaseverIwas；$3，000dueforthelastmonth”smachine-expenses，andthepurseempty。InotifiedMr。ArnotamonthagothatIshouldwant$5，000to-day，andhischeckarrivedlastnight；butIsentitbacktohim，becausewhenheboughtofmeonthe9thofDecemberIsaidthatIwouldnotdrawuponhimfor3months，andthatbeforethatdateSenatorJoneswouldhaveexaminedthemachineandapproved，ordonetheotherthing。IfJonesshouldarrivehereaweekortendaysfromnow(asheexpectstodo，)andshouldnotapprove，andshouldn”tbuyanyroyalties，mydealwithArnotwouldnotbesymmetricallysquare，andthenhowcouldIrefund？Thesurestwaywastoreturnhischeck。 Ihavetalkedwiththemadam，andhereistheresult。IwillgodowntothefactoryandnotifyPaigethatIwillscrapetogether$6，000tomeettheMarchandAprilexpenses，andwillretireonthe30thofAprilandreturntheassignmenttohimifinthemeantimeIhavenotfoundfinancialrelief。 Itisveryrough；forthemachinedoesatlastseemperfect，andjustabirdtogo！Ithinkshe”sgoingtobegoodfor8，000emsanhourinthehandsofagoodordinarymanafterasolidyear”spractice。Imaybeinerror，butImostsolidlybelieveit。 There”sanimprovedMergenthalerinNewYork；PaigeandDavisandI watchedittwowholeafternoons。 Withtheloveofusall，MARK。 ArnotwroteClemensurginghimtoacceptthecheckforfivethousanddollarsinthismomentofneed。Clemenswasprobablyassorelytemptedtocompromisewithhisconscienceashehadeverbeeninhislife，buthisresolutionfieldfirm。 ToM。H。Arnot，inElmira，N。Y。： MR。M。H。ARNOT DEARSIR，——No——no，Icouldnotthinkoftakingit，withyouunsatisfied； andyououghtnottobesatisfieduntilyouhavemadepersonalexaminationofthemachineandhadaconsensusoftestimonyofdisinterestedpeople，besides。Myownperfectknowledgeofwhatisrequiredofsuchamachine，andmyperfectknowledgeofthefactthatthisistheonlymachinethatcanmeetthatrequirement，makeitdifficultformetorealizethatadoubtispossibletolesswell-postedmen；andsoIwouldhavetakenyourmoneywithoutthinking，andthuswouldhavedoneagreatwrongtoyouandagreatonetomyself。AndnowthatIgobackovertheground，IrememberthatwhereIsaidIcouldgetalong3monthswithoutdrawingonyou，thatdelaycontemplatedavisitfromyoutothemachineintheinterval，andyoursatisfactionwithitscharacterandprospects。Ihadforgottenallthat。ButIrememberitnow；andthefactthatitwasnot“sonominatedinthebond“doesnotalterthecaseorjustifymeinmakingmycallsoprematurely。Idonotknowthatyouregardedallthatasapartofthebargain——foryouwerethoroughlyandmagnanimouslyunexacting——butIsoregardedit，notwithstandingIhavesoeasilymanagedtoforgetallaboutit。 Yousogratifiedme，anddidmesomuchhonorinbondingyourselftomeinalargesum，uponnoevidencebutmywordandwithnoprotectionbutmyhonor，thatmyprideinthatismuchstrongerthanmydesiretoreapamoneyadvantagefromit。 WiththesincerestappreciationIamTrulyyoursSL。CLEMENS。 P。S。IhavewrittenagoodmanywordsandyetIseemtohavefailedtosaythemainthinginexactenoughlanguage——whichis，thatthetransactionbetweenusisnotcompleteandbindinguntilyoushallhaveconvincedyourselfthatthemachine”scharacterandprospectsaresatisfactory。 Ioughttoexplainthatthegrippedelayedussomeweeks，andthatwehavesincebeenwaitingforMr。Jones。Whenhewasready，wewerenot； andnowwehavebeenreadymorethanamonth，whilehehasbeenkeptinWashingtonbytheSilverbill。HesaidtheotherdaythattoventureoutoftheCapitolforadayatthistimecouldeasilychancetohurthimifthebillcameupforaction，meantime，althoughitcouldn”thurtthebill，whichwouldpassanyway。Mrs。Jonessaidshewouldsendmetwoorthreedays”notice，rightafterthepassageofthebill，andthattheywouldfollowassoonasIshouldreturnwordthattheircomingwouldnotinconvenienceus。IsupposeIoughttogotoNewYorkwithoutwaitingforMr。Jones，butitwouldnotbewisetogotherewithoutmoney。 Thebillisstillpending。 TheMergenthalermachine，likethePaige，wasalsoatthistimeinthemiddlestagesofexperimentaldevelopment。Itwasaslowermachine，butitwassimpler，lessexpensive，occupiedlessroom。 Therewasnotsomuchaboutittogetoutoforder；itwasnotsodelicate，notsohuman。Thesewereimmenseadvantages。 Butnooneatthistimecouldsaywithcertaintywhichtypesetterwouldreaptheharvestofmillions。Itwasonlysurethatatleastoneofthemwould，andtheMergenthalerpeoplewerewillingtotradestockforstockwiththePaigecompanyinordertoinsurefinancialsuccessforboth，whicheverwon。Clemens，withafaiththatneverfaltered，declinedthisoffer，adecisionthatwastocosthimmillions。 Winterandspringhadgoneandsummerhadcome，butstilltherehadbeennofinancialconclusionwithJones，Mackay，andtheotherrichCalifornianswhoweretoputupthenecessarymillionforthemachine”smanufacture。GoodmanwasspendingalargepartofhistimetravelingbackandforthbetweenCaliforniaandWashington，tryingtokeepbusinessgoingatbothends。Paigespentmostofhistimeworkingoutimprovementsforthetype-setter，delicateattachmentswhichcomplicateditsconstructionmoreandmore。 ToJoeT。Goodman，inWashington： HARTFORD，June22，”90。 DEARJOE，——Ihavebeensittingbythemachine2hours，thisafternoon，andmyadmirationofittowershigherthanever。Thereisnosortofmistakeaboutit，itistheBigBonanza。Inthe2hours，thetimelostbytype-breakagewas3minutes。 Thismachineistotallywithoutarival。Rivalrywithitisimpossible。 LastFriday，FredWhitmore(itwasthe28thdayofhisapprenticeshiponthemachine)stackedup49，700emsofsolidnonpareilin8hours，andthetype-breakingdelaywasonly6minutesfortheday。 Iclaimyet，asIhavealwaysclaimed，thatthemachine”smarket(abroadandheretogether，)istodayworth$150，000，000withoutsayinganythingaboutthedoublingandtreblingofthissumthatwillfollowwithinthelifeofthepatents。Nowhereisaqueerfact：IamoneofthewealthiestgrandeesinAmerica——oneoftheVanderbiltgang，infact——andyetifyouaskedmetolendyouacoupleofdollarsIshouldhavetoaskyoutotakemynoteinstead。 Itmakesmecheerfultositbythemachine：comeupwithMrs。Goodmanandrefreshyourselfwithadraughtofthesame。 YseverMARK。 Themachinewasstillbreakingthetypesnowandthen，andnodoubtPaigewasitchingtotakeittopieces，andonlyrestrainedbyforcefromdoingso。Hewasneverthoroughlyhappyunlesshewastakingthemachineapartorsettingitupagain。Finally，hewasallowedtogoatit——adisasterouspermission，foritwasjustthenthatJonesdecidedtostealadayortwofromtheSilverBillandwatchthetype-setterinoperation。PaigealreadyhaditinpartswhenthiswordcamefromGoodman，andJones”svisithadtobecalledoff。 Hisenthusiasmwouldseemtohaveweakenedfromthatday。InJuly，GoodmanwrotethatbothMackayandJoneshadbecomesomewhatdiffidentinthematterofhugecapitalization。Hethoughtitpartlydue，atleast，to“thefataldelaysthathavesickliedoverthebloomoforiginalenthusiasm。”ClemenshimselfwentdowntoWashingtonandperhapswarmedJoneswithhiseloquence；atleast，Jonesseemedtohaveagreedtomakesomeeffortinthematteraqualifiedpromise，thecarefulwordofawarypoliticianandcapitalist。HowmanyWashingtontripsweremadeisnotcertain，butcertainlymorethanone。Joneswouldseemtohavesuggestedformsofcontracts，butifhecametothepointofsigninganythereisnoevidenceofitto-day。 AnyonewhohasreadMarkTwain”s，“AConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur”sCourt，“hasaprettygoodideaofhisopinionofkingsingeneral，andtyrantsinparticular。Ruleby“divineright，“howeverliberal，wasdistastefultohim；whereitmeantoppressionitstirredhimtoviolence。Inhisarticle，“TheCzar”sSoliloquy，“hegavehimselfloosereinconcerningatrocitieschargedtothemasterofRussia，andinaletterwhichhewroteduringthesummerof1890，heofferedahintastoremedies。Theletterwaswrittenbyeditorialrequest，butwasnevermailed。Perhapsitseemedtooopenlyrevolutionaryatthemoment。 Yetscarcelymorethanaquarterofacenturywasneededtomakeit“timely。”ClemensandhisfamilywerespendingsomeweeksintheCatskillswhenitwaswritten。 AnunpublishedletterontheCzar。 ONTEORA，1890。 TOTHEEDITOROFFREERUSSIA，——Ithankyouforthecomplimentofyourinvitationtosaysomething，butwhenIponderthebottomparagraphonyourfirstpage，andthenstudyyourstatementonyourthirdpage，oftheobjectsoftheseveralRussianliberation-parties，Idonotquiteknowhowtoproceed。Letmequoteheretheparagraphreferredto： “Butmen”sheartsaresomadethatthesightofonevoluntaryvictimforanobleideastirsthemmoredeeplythanthesightofacrowdsubmittingtoadirefatetheycannotescape。Besides，foreignerscouldnotseesoclearlyastheRussianshowmuchtheGovernmentwasresponsibleforthegrindingpovertyofthemasses；norcouldtheyverywellrealizethemoralwretchednessimposedbythatGovernmentuponthewholeofeducatedRussia。Buttheatrocitiescommitteduponthedefencelessprisonersarethereinalltheirbaseness，concreteandpalpable，admittingofnoexcuse，nodoubtorhesitation，cryingouttotheheartofhumanityagainstRussiantyranny。AndtheTzar”sGovernment，stupidlyconfidentinitsapparentlyunassailableposition，insteadoftakingwarningfromthefirstrebukes，seemstomockthishumanitarianagebytheaggravationofbrutalities。Notsatisfiedwithslowlykillingitsprisoners，andwithburyingtheflowerofouryounggenerationintheSiberiandesserts，theGovernmentofAlexanderIII。resolvedtobreaktheirspiritbydeliberatelysubmittingthemtoaregimeofunheard-ofbrutalityanddegradation。” WhenonereadsthatparagraphintheglareofGeorgeKennan”srevelations，andconsidershowmuchitmeans；considersthatallearthlyfiguresfailtotypifytheCzar”sgovernment，andthatonemustdescendintohelltofinditscounterpart，oneturnshopefullytoyourstatementoftheobjectsoftheseveralliberation-parties——andisdisappointed。 Apparentlynoneofthemcanbeartothinkoflosingthepresenthellentirely，theymerelywantthetemperaturecooleddownalittle。 Inowperceivewhyallmenarethedeadlyanduncompromisingenemiesoftherattlesnake：itismerelybecausetherattlesnakehasnotspeech。 Monarchyhasspeech，andbyithasbeenabletopersuadementhatitdifferssomehowfromtherattlesnake，hassomethingvaluableaboutitsomewhere，somethingworthpreserving，somethingevengoodandhighandfine，whenproperly“modified，“somethingentitlingittoprotectionfromtheclubofthefirstcomerwhocatchesitoutofitshole。Itseemsamoststrangedelusionandnotreconcilablewithoursuperstitionthatmanisareasoningbeing。Ifahouseisafire，wereasonconfidentlythatitisthefirstcomer”splaindutytoputthefireoutinanywayhecan—— drownitwithwater，blowitupwithdynamite，useanyandallmeanstostopthespreadofthefireandsavetherestofthecity。WhatistheCzarofRussiabutahouseafireinthemidstofacityofeightymillionsofinhabitants？Yetinsteadofextinguishinghim，togetherwithhisnestandsystem，theliberation-partiesareallanxioustomerelycoolhimdownalittleandkeephim。 Itseemstomethatthisisillogical——idiotic，infact。Supposeyouhadthisgranite-hearted，bloody-jawedmaniacofRussialooseinyourhouse，chasingthehelplesswomenandlittlechildren——yourown。Whatwouldyoudowithhim，supposingyouhadashotgun？Well，heislooseinyourhouse-Russia。Andwithyourshotguninyourhand，youstandtryingtothinkupwaysto“modify“him。 Dotheseliberation-partiesthinkthattheycansucceedinaprojectwhichhasbeenattemptedamilliontimesinthehistoryoftheworldandhasneverinonesingleinstancebeensuccessful——the“modification“ofadespotismbyothermeansthanbloodshed？Theyseemtothinktheycan。 Myprivilegetowritethesesanguinarysentencesinsoftsecuritywasboughtformebyriversofbloodpoureduponmanyfields，inmanylands，butIpossessnotonesinglelittlepaltryrightorprivilegethatcometomeasaresultofpetition，persuasion，agitationforreform，oranykindredmethodofprocedure。WhenweconsiderthatnoteventhemostresponsibleEnglishmonarcheveryieldedbackastolenpublicrightuntilitwaswrenchedfromthembybloodyviolence，isitrationaltosupposethatgentlermethodscanwinprivilegesinRussia？ OfcourseIknowthattheproperestwaytodemolishtheRussianthronewouldbebyrevolution。Butitisnotpossibletogetuparevolutionthere；sotheonlythinglefttodo，apparently，istokeepthethronevacantbydynamiteuntiladaywhencandidatesshalldeclinewiththanks。 ThenorganizetheRepublic。Andonthewholethismethodhassomelargeadvantages；forwhereasarevolutiondestroyssomeliveswhichcannotwellbespared，thedynamitewaydoesn”t。Considerthis：theconspiratorsagainsttheCzar”slifearecaughtineveryrankoflife，fromthelowtothehigh。Andconsider：ifsomanytakeanactivepart，wheretheperilissodire，isthisnotevidencethatthesympathizerswhokeepstillanddonotshowtheirhands，arecountlessformultitudes？ CanyoubreaktheheartsofthousandsoffamilieswiththeawfulSiberianexoduseveryyearforgenerationsandnoteventuallycoverallRussiafromlimittolimitwithbereavedfathersandmothersandbrothersandsisterswhosecretlyhatetheperpetratorofthisprodigiouscrimeandhungerandthirstforhislife？DoyounotbelievethatifyourwifeoryourchildoryourfatherwasexiledtotheminesofSiberiaforsometrivialutteranceswrungfromasmartingspiritbytheCzar”sintolerabletyranny，andyougotachancetokillhimanddidnotdoit，thatyouwouldalwaysbeashamedtobeinyourownsocietytherestofyourlife？ SupposethatthatrefinedandlovelyRussianladywhowaslatelystrippedbarebeforeabrutalsoldieryandwhippedtodeathbytheCzar”shandinthepersonoftheCzar”screaturehadbeenyourwife，oryourdaughteroryoursister，andto-daytheCzarshouldpasswithinreachofyourhand，howwouldyoufeel——andwhatwouldyoudo？Consider，thatallovervastRussia，fromboundarytoboundary，amyriadofeyesfilledwithtearswhenthatpiteousnewscame，andthroughthosetearsthatmyriadofeyessaw，notthatpoorlady，butlostdarlingsoftheirownwhosefateherfatebroughtbackwithnewaccessofgriefoutofablackandbitterpastnevertobeforgottenorforgiven。 IfIamaSwinburnian——andcleartothemarrowIam——IholdhumannatureinsufficienthonortobelievethereareeightymillionmuteRussiansthatareofthesamestripe，andonlyoneRussianfamilythatisn”t。 MARKTWAIN。 Type-settermattersweregoingbadly。ClemensstillhadfaithinJones，andhehadlostnograinoffaithinthemachine。Themoneysituation，however，wastroublesome。Withanexpensiveestablishment，andworkofonesortoranotherstilltobedoneonthemachine，hisincomewouldnotreach。PerhapsGoodmanhadalreadygivenuphope，forhedoesnotseemtohavereturnedfromCaliforniaafterthenextletterwaswritten——acolorlessletter—— inwhichwefeelanoteofresignation。Thelastfewlinesaresufficient。 ToJoeT。Goodman，inCalifornia： DEARJOE，……IwishyoucouldgetadayoffandmakethosetwoorthreeCaliforniansbuythoseprivileges，forI”mgoingtoneedmoneybeforelong。 Idon”tknowwheretheSenatoris；butoutontheCoastIreckon。 Iguesswe”vegotaperfectmachineatlast。Weneverbreakatype，now，andthenewdeviceforenablingtheoperatortotouchthelastlettersandjustifythelinesimultaneouslyworks，toacharm。 Withlovetoyouboth，MARK Theyearclosedgloomilyenough。Thetype-setterseemedtobeperfected，butcapitalforitsmanufacturewasnotforthcoming。 ThepublishingbusinessofCharlesL。Webster&Co。wasreturninglittleornoprofit。Clemens”smotherhaddiedinKeokukattheendofOctober，andhiswife”smother，inElmiraamonthlater。MarkTwain，writingashortbusinesslettertohispublishingmanager，FredJ。Ball，closedit：“MerryXmastoyou！——andIwishtoGodI couldhaveonemyselfbeforeIdie。” XXXI LETTERS，189I，TOHOWELLS，MRS。CLEMENSANDOTHERS。 RETURNTOLITERATURE。AMERICANCLAIMANT。LEAVINGHARTFORD。 EUROPE。DOWNTHERHINE Clemenswasstillnotwithouthopeinthemachine，atthebeginningofthenewyear(1891)butitwasahopenolongeractive，anditpresentlybecameamoribund。Jones，onaboutthemiddleofFebruary，backedoutaltogether，layingtheblamechieflyonMackayandtheothers，who，hesaid，haddecidednottoinvest。Jones“lethisvictimdowneasy“withfriendlywords，butitwastheend，forthepresent，atleast，ofmachinefinanciering。 ItwasalsotheendofMarkTwain”scapital。Hispublishingbusinesswasnotgood。Itwasalreadyindebtandneedingmoremoney。Therewasjustonethingforhimtodoandhediditatonce，notstoppingtocryoverspiltmilk，butwithgoodcourageandtheoldenthusiasmthatneverfailedhim，hereturnedtothetradeofauthorship。Hedugouthalf- finishedarticlesandstories，finishedthemandsoldthem，andwithinaweekaftertheJonescollapsehewasatworkonanovelbasedantheoldSellersidea，whicheightyearsbeforeheandHowellshadworkedintoaplay。ThebriefletterinwhichhereportedthisnewstoHowellsbearsnomarksofdepression，thoughthewriterofitwasinhisfifty-sixthyear；hewasbynomeanswell，andhisfinancialprospectswereanythingbutgolden。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Feb。24，”91 DEARHOWELLS，——Mrs。Clemenshasbeensickabedforneartwoweeks，butisupandaroundtheroomnow，andgaining。Idon”tknowwhethershehaswrittenMrs。Howellsornot——Ionlyknowshewasgoingto——andwillyet，ifshehasn”t。Wearepromisingourselvesawholeworldofpleasureinthevisit，andyoumustn”tdreamofdisappointingus。 Doesthisitemstiraninterestinyou？Begananovelfourdaysago，andthismomentfinishedchapterfour。Titleofthebook“ColonelMulberrySellers。 AmericanClaimantOftheGreatEarldomofRossmore” inthePeerageofGreatBritain。” YsEverMARK。 ProbablyMarkTwaindidnotreturntoliteraryworkreluctantly。Hehadalwaysenjoyedwritingandfeltnowthathewasequippedbetterthaneverforauthorship，atleastsofarasmaterialwasconcerned。Thereexistsafragmentarycopyofalettertosomeunknowncorrespondent，inwhichhereciteshisqualifications。Itbearsevidenceofhavingbeenwrittenjustatthistimeandisofunusualinterestatthispoint。 FragmentofLetterto——1891：……IconfinemyselftolifewithwhichIamfamiliarwhenpretendingtoportraylife。ButIconfinedmyselftotheboy-lifeoutontheMississippibecausethathadapeculiarcharmforme，andnotbecauseIwasnotfamiliarwithotherphasesoflife。Iwasasoldiertwoweeksonceinthebeginningofthewar，andwashuntedlikearatthewholetime。Familiar？MysplendidKiplinghimselfhasn”tamoreburnt-in，hard-baked，andunforgetablefamiliaritywiththatdeath-on-the-pale- horse-with-hell-following-after，whichisarawsoldier”sfirstfortnightinthefield——andwhich，withoutanydoubt，isthemosttremendousfortnightandthevividestheisevergoingtosee。 Yes，andIhaveshoveledsilvertailingsinaquartz-millacoupleofweeks，andacquiredthelastpossibilitiesofcultureinthatdirection。 AndI”vedone“pocket-mining“duringthreemonthsintheonelittlepatchofgroundinthewholeglobewhereNatureconcealsgoldinpockets——ordidbeforewerobbedallofthosepocketsandexhausted，obliterated，annihilatedthemostcuriousfreakNatureeverindulgedin。Therearenotthirtymenleftalivewho，beingtoldtherewasapockethiddenonthebroadslopeofamountain，wouldknowhowtogoandfindit，orhaveeventhefaintestideaofhowtosetaboutit；butIamoneofthepossible20or30whopossessthesecret，andIcouldgoandputmyhandonthathiddentreasurewithamostdeadlyprecision。 AndI”vebeenaprospector，andknowpayrockfrompoorwhenIfindit—— justwithatouchofthetongue。AndI”vebeenasilverminerandknowhowtodigandshovelanddrillandputinablast。AndsoIknowtheminesandtheminersinteriorlyaswellasBretHarteknowsthemexteriorly。 AndIwasanewspaperreporterfouryearsincities，andsosawtheinsideofmanythings；andwasreporterinalegislaturetwosessionsandthesameinCongressonesession，andthuslearnedtoknowpersonallythreesamplebodiesofthesmallestmindsandtheselfishestsoulsandthecowardliestheartsthatGodmakes。 AndIwassomeyearsaMississippipilot，andfamiliarlyknewallthedifferentkindsofsteam-boatmen——araceapart，andnotlikeotherfolk。 AndIwasforsomeyearsatraveling“jour“printer，andwanderedfromcitytocity——andsoIknowthatsectfamiliarly。 AndIwasalectureronthepublicplatformanumberofseasonsandwasarespondertotoastsatallthedifferentkindsofbanquets——andsoIknowagreatmanysecretsaboutaudiences——secretsnottobegotoutofbooks，butonlyacquirablebyexperience。 AndIwatchedoveronedearprojectofmineforyears，spentafortuneonit，andfailedtomakeitgo——andthehistoryofthatwouldmakealargebookinwhichamillionmenwouldseethemselvesasinamirror；andtheywouldtestifyandsay，Verily，thisisnotimagination；thisfellowhasbeenthere——andafterwouldcastdustupontheirheads，cursingandblaspheming。 AndIamapublisher，anddidpaytooneauthor”swidow(GeneralGrant”s) thelargestcopyrightchecksthisworldhasseen——aggregatingmorethanL80，000inthefirstyear。 AndIhavebeenanauthorfor20yearsandanassfor55。 Nowthen；asthemostvaluablecapitalorcultureoreducationusableinthebuildingofnovelsispersonalexperienceIoughttobewellequippedforthattrade。 Isurelyhavetheequipment，awideculture，andallofitreal，noneofitartificial，forIdon”tknowanythingaboutbooks。 [Nosignature。] Clemensforseveralyearshadbeenbotheredbyrheumatisminhisshoulder。Thereturnnowtothesteadyuseofthepenaggravatedhistrouble，andattimeshewasnearlydisabled。Thephonographforcommercialdictationhadbeentriedexperimentally，andMarkTwainwasalwaysreadyforanyinnovation。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Feb。28，”91。 DEARHOWELLS，——Won”tyoudrop-inattheBoylstonBuilding(NewEnglandPhonographCo)andtalkintoaphonographinanordinaryconversation- voiceandseeifanotherperson(whodidn”thearyoudoit)cantakethewordsfromthethingwithoutdifficultyandrepeatthemtoyou。Iftheexperimentissatisfactory(alsomakesomebodyputinamessagewhichyoudon”thear，andseeifafterwardyoucangetitoutwithoutdifficulty) won”tyouthenaskthemonwhattermstheywillrentmeaphonographfor3monthsandfurnishmecylindersenoughtocarry75，000words。175 cylinders，ain”tit？ Idon”twanttoeraseanyofthem。Myrightarmisnearlydisabledbyrheumatism，butIamboundtowritethisbook(andsell100，000copiesofit——no，Imeanamillion——nextfall)IfeelsureIcandictatethebookintoaphonographifIdon”thavetoyell。Iwrite2，000wordsaday；I thinkIcandictatetwiceasmany。 Butmind，ifthisisgoingtobetoomuchtroubletoyou——goaheadanddoit，allthesame。 YseverMARK。 Howells，alwayswillingtohelp，visitedthephonographplace，andafewdayslaterreportedresults。Hewrote：“Italkedyourletterintoafonografinmyusualtoneatmyusualgaitofspeech。Thenthefonografmantalkedhisanswerinathiswontedswingandswell。 Thenwetookthecylindertoatype-writerinthenextroom，andsheputthehooksintoherearsandwrotethewholeout。Isendyoutheresult。Thereisamistakeofoneword。Ithinkthatifyouhavethecheektodictatethestoryintothefonograf，alltherestisperfectlyeasy。Itwouldn”tfatiguemetotalkforanhourasI did。” Clemensdidnotfindthephonographentirelysatisfactory，atleastnotforatime，andheappearsnevertohaveuseditsteadily。Hisearlyexperiencewithit，however，seemsinteresting。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Apl。4，”91。 DEARHOWELLS，——I”mashamed。Ithappenedinthisway。Iwasproposingtoacknowledgethereceiptoftheplayandthelittlebookperphonograph，sothatyoucouldseethattheinstrumentisgoodenoughformereletter- writing；thenImeanttoaddthefactthatyoucan”twriteliteraturewithit，becauseithasn”tanyideasandithasn”tanygiftforelaboration，orsmartnessoftalk，orvigorofaction，orfelicityofexpression，butisjustmatter-of-fact，compressive，unornamental，andasgraveandunsmilingasthedevil。 Ifilledfourdozencylindersintwosittings，thenfoundIcouldhavesaidaboutasmuchwiththepenandsaiditadealbetter。ThenI resigned。 Ibelieveitcouldteachonetodictateliteraturetoaphonographer——andsometimeIwillexperimentinthatline。 Thelittlebookischarminglywritten，anditinterestedme。Butitfliestoohighforme。Itsconcretestthingsarefilmyabstractionstome，andwhenIlaymygripononeofthemandopenmyhand，IfeelasembarrassedasIusetofeelwhenIthoughtIhadcaughtafly。I”mgoingtotrytomailitbacktoyouto-day——ImeanIamgoingtochargemymemory。Chargingmymemoryisoneofmychiefindustries…… Withourlovesandourkindestregardsdistributedamongyouaccordingtotheproprieties。 YrseverMARK。 P。S——I”msendingthatancient“MentalTelegraphy“articletoHarper”s——withamodestpostscript。Probablyreadittoyouyearsago。 S。L。C。 The“littlebook“mentionedinthisletterwasbySwedenborg，anauthorinwhomtheBostonliterarysetwasalwaysdeeplyinterested。 “MentalTelegraphy“appearedinHarper”sMagazine，andisnowincludedintheUniformEditionofMarkTwain”sbooks。Itwaswrittenin1878。 JoeGoodmanhadlongsincereturnedtoCalifornia，itbeingclearthatnothingcouldbegainedbyremaininginWashington。Onreceiptofthenewsofthetype-setter”scollapsehesentaconsolingword。 PerhapshethoughtClemenswouldrageovertheunhappycircumstance，andpossiblyholdhiminsomemeasuretoblame。ButitwasgenerallythesmallerannoyancesoflifethatmadeMarkTwainrage； thelargercatastropheswerelikelytostironlyhisphilosophy。 TheLibraryofAmericanLiterature，mentionedinthefollowingletter，wasaworkinmanyvolumes，editedbyEdmundClarenceStedmanandEllenMackayHutchinson。 ToJoeT。Goodman： April[？]1891。 DEARJOE，Well，it”sallright，anyway。Diplomacycouldn”thavesavedit——diplomacyofmine——atthatlateday。Ihadn”tanydiplomacyinstock，anyway。InordertomeetJones”srequirementsIhadtosurrendertheoldcontract(acontractwhichmademebossofthesituationandgavemethewhip-handofPaige)andallowthenewonetobedraftedandputinitsplace。Iwasrunninganimmenserisk，butitwasjustifiedbyJones”spromises——promisesmadetomenotmerelyoncebuteverytimeI talliedwithhim。WhenFebruaryarrived，Isawsignswhichweremightyplainreading。SignswhichmeantthatPaigewashopingandprayingthatJoneswouldgobackonme——whichwouldleavePaigeboss，andmerobbedandoutinthecold。Hisprayerswereanswered，andIamoutinthecold。IfIevergetbackmynine-twentiethsinterest，itwillbebylaw- suit——whichwillbeinstitutedintheindefinitefuture，whenthetimecomes。 Iamatworkagain——onabook。Notwithagreatdealofspirit，butwithenough——yes，plenty。AndIampushingmypublishinghouse。Ithasturnedthecorneraftercleaning$50，000ayearforthreeconsecutiveyears，andpilingeverycentofitintoonebook——LibraryofAmericanLiterature——andfromnextJanuaryonwarditwillresumedividends。ButI”vegottoearn$50，000foritbetweennowandthen——whichIwilldoifIkeepmyhealth。Thisadditionalcapitalisneededforthatsamebook，becauseitsprosperityisgrowingsogreatandexacting。 Itisdreadfultothinkofyouinillhealth——Ican”trealizeit；youarealwaystomethesamethatyouwereinthosedayswhenmatchlesshealth。 andglowingspiritsanddelightinlifewerecommonplaceswithus。Lordsaveusallfromoldageandbrokenhealthandahope-treethathaslostthefacultyofputtingoutblossoms。 Withlovetoyoubothfromusall。 MARK。 MarkTwain”sresidenceinHartfordwasdrawingrapidlytoaclose。 Mrs。Clemenswaspoorly，andhisownhealthwasuncertain。TheybelievedthatsomeoftheEuropeanbathswouldhelpthem。 Furthermore，MarkTwaincouldnolongeraffordtheluxuryofhisHartfordhome。InEuropelifecouldbesimplerandvastlycheaper。 HewasofferedathousanddollarsapieceforsixEuropeanletters，bytheMcCluresyndicateandW。M。Laffan，oftheSun。Thiswouldatleastgivehimastartontheotherside。Thefamilybeganimmediatelytheirsadarrangementsfordeparture。 ToFredJ。Hall(managerChas。L。Webster&Co。)，N。Y。： HARTFORD，Apl。14，”91。 DEARMR。HALL，——Privately——keepittoyourself——asyou，arealreadyaware，wearegoingtoEuropeinJune，foranindefinitestay。Weshallsellthehorsesandshutupthehouse。Wewishtoprovideaplaceforourcoachman，whohasbeenwithusa21years，andissober，active，diligent，andunusuallybrightandcapable。Youspokeofhiringacoloredmanasengineerandhelperinthepackingroom。Patrickwouldsoonlearnthattradeandbeveryvaluable。WewillceasetoneedhimbythemiddleorendofJune。Haveyoumadeirrevocablearrangementswiththecoloredman，orwouldyouprefertohavePatrick，ifhethinkshewouldliketotry？ Ihavenotsaidanythingtohimaboutityet。 YoursS。L。C。 Itwastobeacompletebreakingupoftheirbeautifulestablishment。PatrickMcAleer，Georgethebutler，andothersoftheirhouseholdhelphadbeenlikemembersofthefamily。Wemayguessattheheartbreakofitall，eventhoughthelettersremaincheerful。 Howells，strangelyenough，seemstohavebeenaboutthelastonetobetoldoftheirEuropeanplans；infact，hefirstgotwindofitfromthepapers，andwroteforinformation。LikelyenoughClemenshadnotuntilthenhadthecouragetoconfess。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，May20，”91。 DEARHOWELLS，——Forherhealth”ssakeMrs。Clemensmusttrybathssomewhere，andthisitisthathasdeterminedustogotoEurope。 Thewaterrequiredseemstobeprovidedatalittleobscureandlittle- visitednookupinthehillsbackoftheRhinesomewhereandyougettoitbyRhinetraffic-boatandcountrystage-coach。Come，get“sickorsorryenough“andjoinus。Weshallbealittlewhileatthatbath，andtherestofthesummeratAnnecy(thisconfidentialtoyou)inHauteSavoie，22milesfromGeneva。SpendthewintersinBerlin。Idon”tknowhowlongweshallbeinEurope——Ihaveavote，butIdon”tcastit。I”mgoingtodowhatevertheothersdesire，withleavetochangetheirmind，withoutprejudice，whenevertheywantto。Travelhasnolonger，anycharmforme。IhaveseenalltheforeigncountriesIwanttoseeexceptheavenandhell，andIhaveonlyavaguecuriosityasconcernsoneofthose。 IfoundIcouldn”tusetheplay——IhaddepartedtoofarfromitslineswhenIcametolookatit。IthoughtImightgetagreatdealofdialogueoutofit，butIgotonly15looselywrittenpages——theysavedmehalfadayswork。Itwasthecursingphonograph。Therewasabundanceofgooddialogue，butitcouldn”tbefittedintothenewconditionsofthestory。 Oh，lookhere——Ididto-daywhatIhaveseveraltimesinpastyearsthoughtofdoing：answeredaninterviewingpropositionfromarichnewspaperwiththereminderthattheyhadnotstatedtheterms；thatmytimewasalloccupiedwithwriting，atgoodpay，andthatastalkingwasharderworkIshouldnotcaretoventureitunlessIknewthepaywasgoingtobeproportionatelyhigher。IwishIhadthoughtofthistheotherdaywhenCharleyStoddardturnedapleasantEnglishmanlooseonmeandIcouldn”tthinkofanyrationalexcuse。 YsEverMARK。 ClemenshadfinishedhisSellersbookandhaddisposedoftheserialrightstotheMcCluresyndicate。ThehouseinHartfordwasclosedearlyinJune，andonthe6ththefamily，withonemaid，KatieLeary，sailedontheGascogne。Twoweekslatertheyhadbegunaresidenceabroadwhichwastolastformorethannineyears。 ItwasnoteasytogettoworkinEurope。Clemens”sarmremainedlame，andanyeffortatwritingbroughtsuffering。TheCenturyMagazineproposedanothersetofletters，butbytheendofJulyhehadbarelybegunonthosepromisedtoMcClureandLaffan。InAugust，however，hewasabletosendthree：onefromAixaboutthebathsthere，anotherfromBayreuthconcerningtheWagnerfestival，andathirdfromMarienbad，inBohemia，wheretheyrestedforatime。HedecidedthathewouldarrangefornomoreEuropeanletterswhenthesixwerefinished，butwouldgathermaterialforabook。 Hewouldtakeacourierandakodakandgotrampingagaininsomefashionthatwouldbeinterestingtodoandtowrite。 TheideafinallymaturedwhenhereachedSwitzerlandandsettledthefamilyattheHotelBeauRivage，Ouchy，Lausanne，facingLakeLeman。 HedecidedtomakeafloatingtripdowntheRhone，andheengagedJosephVery，acourierthathadservedhimonaformerEuropeantrip，toaccompanyhim。ThecourierwentovertoBourgetandboughtforfivedollarsaflat-bottomedboatandengageditsownerastheirpilot。ItwasthemorningofSeptember20，whentheybegantheirfloating-tripdownthebeautifulhistoricriverthatflowsthroughtheloveliestandmostromanticregionofFrance。HewrotedailytoMrs。Clemens，andhisletterstellthestoryofthatdrowsy，happyexperiencebetterthanthenotesmadewithaviewtopublication。 ClemenshadarrivedatLakeBourgetontheeveningbeforethemorningoftheirstartandsleptontheIslandofChatillon，inanoldcastleofthesamename。LakeBourgetconnectswiththeRhonebyasmallcanal。 LettersandMemorandatoMrs。Clemens，inOuchy，Switzerland： Sept。20，1891。 Sunday，11a。m。 OnthelakeBourget——juststarted。ThecastleofChatillonhighoverheadshowingabovethetrees。Itwasawonderfullystillplacetosleepin。 Besideustherewasnobodyinitbutawoman，aboyandadog。APopewasbornintheroomIsleptin。No，hebecameaPopelater。 Thelakeissmoothasglass——abrilliantsunisshining。 Ourboatiscomfortableandshadywithitsawning。 11。20Wehavecrossedthelakeandareenteringthecanal。ShallpresentlybeintheRhone。 Noon。NearlydowntotheRhone。PassingthevillageofChanaz。 3。15p。m。Sunday。WehavebeenintheRhone3hours。Itisunimaginablystillandreposefulandcoolandsoftandbreezy。Norowingorworkofanykindtodo——wemerelyfloatwiththecurrent——weglidenoiselessandswift——asfastasaLondoncab-horseripsalong——8milesanhour——theswiftestcurrentI”veeverboatedin。Wehavetheentirerivertoourselves——nowhereaboatofanykind。 GoodbyeSweetheartS。L。C。 PORTDEGROLEE，Monday，4。15p。m。 [Sept。21，1891] Nameofthevillagewhichweleftfiveminutesago。 Wewentashoreat5p。m。yesterday，dearheart，andwalkedashortmiletoSt。Geuix，abigvillage，andtookquartersattheprincipalinn；hadagooddinnerandafterwardsalongwalkoutoftownonthebanksoftheGuierstill7。30。 Wenttobedat8。30andcontinuedtomakenotesandreadbooksandnewspaperstillmidnight。Sleptuntil8，breakfastedinbed，andlaytillnoon，becausetherehadbeenaveryheavyraininthenightandthedaywasstilldarkandlowering。Butatnoonthesunbrokethroughandin15minutesweweretrampingtowardtheriver。Gotafloatat1p。m。 butat2。40wehadtorushsuddenlyashoreandtakerefugeintheabovevillage。Justaswegotourselvesandtrapssafelyhousedintheinn，therainletgoandcamedowningreatstyle。Welostanhourandahalfthere，butweareoffagain，now，withbrightsunshine。 Iwroteyouyesterdaymydarling，andshallexpecttowriteyoueveryday。 Good-day，andlovetoallofyou。 SAML。 ONTHERHONEBELOWVILLEBOIS，Tuesdaynoon。 Goodmorning，sweetheart。Nightcaughtusyesterdaywherewehadtotakequartersinapeasant”shousewhichwasoccupiedbythefamilyandalotofcowsandcalves——alsoseveralrabbits——[Hiswordforfleas。]——Thelatterhadaball，andIwastheball-room；buttheywereveryfriendlyanddidn”tbite。 Thepeasantsweremightykindandhearty，andflewaroundanddidtheirbesttomakeuscomfortable。ThismorningIbreakfastedontheshoreintheopenairwithtwosociabledogsandacat。Cleancloth，napkinandtablefurniture，whitesugar，avasthunkofexcellentbutter，goodbread，firstclasscoffeewithpuremilk，friedfishjustcaught。 Wonderfulthatsomuchcleanlinessshouldcomeoutofsuchaphenomenallydirtyhouse。 AnhouragowesawtheFallsoftheRhone，aprodigiouslyroughanddangerouslookingplace；shippedalittlewaterbutcametonoharm。 Itwasoneofthemostbeautifulpiecesofpilotingandboat-managementIeversaw。Ouradmiralknewhisbusiness。 Wehavehadtorunashoreforsheltereverytimeithasrainedheretofore，butJosephhasbeenputtinginhisoddtimemakingawater- proofsun-bonnetfortheboat，andnowwesailalongdryalthoughwehadmanyheavyshowersthismorning。 Withawordoflovetoyouallandparticularlyyou，SAML。 ONTHERHONE，BELOWVIENNA。 Isaluteyou，mydarling。YourtelegramreachedmeinLyonslastnightandwasverypleasantnewsindeed。 Iwasupandshavedbefore8thismorning，butwegotdelayedanddidn”tsailfromLyonstill10。3O——anhourandahalflost。Andwe”velostanotherhour——twoofthem，Iguess——since，byanerror。WecameinsightofVienneat2o”clock，severalmilesahead，onahill，andIproposedtowalkdownthereandlettheboatgoaheadofus。SoJosephandIgotoutandstruckthroughawillowswampalongadimpath，andbyandbycameoutonthesteepbankofasloughorinletorsomething，andwefollowedthatbankforeverandevertryingtogetaroundtheheadofthatslough。 FinallyInoticedatwigstandingupinthewater，andbyGeorgeithadadistinctandevenvigorousquivertoit！Idon”tknowwhenIhavefeltsomuchlikeadonkey。Onanisland！Iwantedtodrownsomebody，butI hadn”tanybodyIcouldspare。However，afteranotherlongtrampwefoundalonelynative，andhehadascowandsoonwewereonthemainland——yes，andablamedsightfurtherfromViennethanwewerewhenwestarted。 Notes——Imakemillionsofthem；andsoIgetnotimetowritetoyou。Ifyou”vegotapadthere，pleasesenditposte-restantetoAvignon。ImaynotneeditbutIfearIshall。 I”mstrainingtoreachSt。PierredeBoef，butit”sgoingtobeaclosefit，Ireckon。 AFLOAT，Friday，3p。m。，”91。 Livydarling，wesailedfromSt。PierredeBoefsixhoursago，andarenowapproachingTournon，whereweshallnotstop，butgoonandmakeValence，aCityOf25，000people。It”stoodelicious，floatingwiththeswiftcurrentundertheawningthesesuperbsunshinydaysindeeppeaceandquietness。Someofthesecuriousoldhistoricaltownsstrangelypersuademe，butitissolovelyafloatthatIdon”tstop，butviewthemfromtheoutsideandsailon。Wegetabundanceofgrapesandpeachesfornexttonothing。 Josephisperfect。Heisathisverybest——andneverwasbetterinhislife。Iguesshegetsdiscouragedandfeelsdislikedandinthewaywhenheislyingaround——buthereheisperfection，andbrimfullofusefulalacritiesandhelpsandingenuities。 WhenIwokeupanhouragoandheardtheclockstrike4，Isaid“Iseemtohavebeenasleepanimmenselylongtime；Imusthavegonetobedmightyearly；IwonderwhattimeIdidgotobed。”AndIgotupandlitacandleandlookedatmywatchtosee。 AFLOAT 2HOURSBELOWBOURGST。ANDEOL。 Monday，11a。m。，Sept。28。 Livydarling，Ididn”twriteyesterday。WeleftLaVoulteinadrivingstormofcoldrain——couldn”twriteinit——andat1p。m。whenwewerenotthinkingofstopping，wesawapicturesqueandmightyruinonahighhillbackofavillage，andIwasseizedwithadesiretoexploreit；sowelandedatonceandsetoutwithrubbersandumbrella，sendingtheboataheadtoSt。Andeol，andwespent3hoursclamberingaboutthosecloudyheightsamongthosewornandvastandidioticruinsofacastlebuiltbytwocrusaders650yearsago。Theworkoftheseasseswasfullofinterest，andwehadagoodtimeinspecting，examiningandscrutinizingit。AllthehillsonbothsidesoftheRhonehavepeaksandprecipices，andeachhasitsgrayandwastedpileofmouldywallsandbrokentowers。 TheRomansdisplacedtheGauls，theVisigothsdisplacedtheRomans，theSaracensdisplacedtheVisigoths，theChristiansdisplacedtheSaracens，anditwasthesepiousanimalswhobuiltthesestrangelairsandcuteachother”sthroatsinthenameandforthegloryofGod，androbbedandburnedandslewinpeaceandwar；andthepauperandtheslavebuiltchurches，andthecreditofitwenttotheBishopwhorackedthemoneyoutofthem。Thesearepatheticshores，andtheymakeonedespisethehumanrace。 Wecamedowninanhourbyrail，butIcouldn”tgetyourtelegramtillthismorning，foritwasSundayandtheyhadshutupthepostofficetogotothecircus。Iwent，too。Itwasallonefamily——parentsand5 children——performingintheopenairto200oftheseenchantedvillagers，whocontributedcopperswhencalledon。Itwasamostgayandstrangeandpatheticshow。Igotupat7thismorningtoseethepoordevilscooktheirpoorbreakfastandpackuptheirsordidfineries。 Thisisa9k-m。currentandthewindiswithus；weshallmakeAvignonbefore4o”clock。IsawwatermelonsandpomegranatesforsaleatSt。 Andeol。 Withapoweroflove，Sweetheart，SAML。 HOTELD”EUROPE，AVIGNON，Monday，6p。m。，Sept。28。 Well，Livydarling，Ihavebeenhavingaperfectfeastoflettersforanhour，andIthankyouanddearClamwithallmyheart。It”slikehearingfromhomeafteralongabsence。 Itisearlytobeinbed，butI”malwaysabedbefore9，onthisvoyage； andupat7oratriflelater，everymorning。IfIevertakesuchatripagain，Iwillhavemyselfcalledatthefirsttingeofdawnandgettoseaassoonafteraspossible。Theearlydawnonthewater-nothingcanbefiner，asIknowbyoldMississippiexperience。IdidsolongforyouandSueyesterdaymorning——themostsuperbsunrise！——themostmarveloussunrise！andIsawitallfromtheveryfaintestsuspicionofthecomingdawnallthewaythroughtothefinalexplosionofglory。Butithadinterestprivatetoitselfandnottobefoundelsewhereintheworld； forbetweenmeandit，inthefardistant-eastward，wasasilhouettemountain-rangeinwhichIhaddiscovered，thepreviousafternoon，amostnoblefaceupturnedtothesky，andmightyformoutstretched，whichI hadnamedNapoleonDreamingofUniversalEmpire——andnow，thisprodigiousface，soft，rich，blue，spirituelle，asleep，tranquil，reposeful，layagainstthatgiantconflagrationofruddyandgoldensplendorsallrayedlikeawheelwiththeupstreamingandfar-reachinglancesofthesun。Itmadeonewanttocryfordelight，itwassosupremeinitsunimaginablemajestyandbeauty。 Wehadacuriousexperiencetoday。AlittleafterIhadsealedanddirectedmylettertoyou，inwhichIsaidweshouldmakeAvignonbefore4，wegotlost。Weceasedtoencounteranyvillageorruinmentionedinour“particularizes“anddetailedGuideoftheRhone——wentdriftingalongbythehourinawhollyunknownlandandonanunchartedriver！Confoundit，westoppedtalkinganddidnothingbutstandupintheboatandsearchthehorizonswiththeglassandwonderwhatinthedevilhadhappened。Andatlast，awayyonderat5o”clockwhensomeeasttowersandfortresseshoveinsightwecouldn”trecognizethemforAvignon——yetweknewbythebrokenbridgethatitwasAvignon。 Thenwesawwhatthetroublewas——atsometimeorotherwehaddrifteddownthewrongsideofanislandandfollowedasluggishbranchoftheRhonenotfrequentedinmoderntimes。Welostanhourandahalfbyitandmissedoneofthemostpicturesqueandgiganticandhistory-soddenmassesofcastellatedmedievalruinthatEuropecanshow。 Itwasdarkbythetimewehadwanderedthroughthetownandgotthelettersandfoundthehotel——soIwenttobed。 WeshallleavehereatnoontomorrowandfloatdowntoArles，arrivingaboutdark，andtherebidgoodbyetotheboat，theriver-tripfinished。 BetweenArlesandNimes(andAvignonagain，)weshallbetillSaturdaymorning——thenrailitthroughonthatdaytoOuchy，reachingthehotelat11atnightifthetrainisn”tlate。 Nextday(Sunday)ifyoulike，gotoBasel，andMondaytoBerlin。ButI shallbeatyourdisposal，todoexactlyasyoudesireandprefer。 Withnoendoflovetoallofyouandtwiceasmuchtoyou，sweetheart，SAML。 IbelievemyarmisatriflebetterthanitwaswhenIstarted。 ThementionintheforegoingletteroftheNapoleoneffigyisthebeginningofwhatprovedtobearatherinterestingepisode。MarkTwainthoughtagreatdealofhisdiscovery，ashecalledit——thegiantfigureofNapoleonoutlinedbythedistantmountainrange。 Inhisnote-bookheenteredmemorandatellingjustwhereitwastobeseen，andaddedapencilsketchofthehugeprofile。Butthenhecharacteristicallyforgotallaboutit，andwhenherecalledtheincidenttenyearslater，hecouldnotrememberthenameofthevillage，Beauchastel，fromwhichthegreatfigurecouldbeseen； also，thathehadmadearecordoftheplace。 Buthewasbythistimemorecertainthaneverthathisdiscoverywasaremarkableone，which，ifknown，wouldbecomeoneofthegreatnaturalwonders，suchasNiagaraFalls。TheodoreStantonwasvisitinghimatthetime，andClemensurgedhim，onhisreturntoFrance，tomakeanexcursiontotheRhoneandlocatetheLostNapoleon，ashenowcalledit。ButClemensrememberedthewonderasbeingsomewherebetweenArlesandAvignon，insteadofaboutahundredmilesabovethelast-namedtown。Stantonnaturallyfailedtofindit，anditremainedforthewriterofthesenotes，motoringuptheRhoneoneSeptemberday，exactlytwenty-twoyearsafterthefirstdiscovery，tore-locatethevastrecliningfigureofthefirstconsulofFrance，“dreamingofUniversalEmpire。”There-discoverywasnotdifficult——withMarkTwain”smemorandaasaguide——anditwasworthwhile。PerhapstheLostNapoleonisnotsoimportantanaturalwonderasMarkTwainbelieved，butitisastrikingpicture，andonacleardaythecalmbluefaceoutlinedagainsttheskywilllongholdthetraveler”sattention。 ToClaraClemens，inOuchy，Switzerland： AFLOAT，11。20a。m。，Sept。29，Tuesday。 DEAROLDBEN，——ThevaststonemassesandhugetowersoftheancientpapalpalaceofAvignonareprojectedaboveaninterveningwoodedislandamileuptheriverbehindme——forwearealreadyonourwaytoArles。Itisaperfectlystillmorning，withabrilliantsun，andveryhot——outside；butIamundercoverofthelinenhood，anditiscoolandshadyinhere。 PleasetellmammaIgotherverylastletterthismorning，andIperceivebyitthatIdonotneedtoarriveatOuchybeforeSaturdaymidnight。 Iamglad，becauseIcouldn”tdotherailroadingIamproposingtododuringthenexttwoorthreedaysandgetthereearlier。IcouldputinthetimetillSundaymidnight，butshallnotventureitwithouttelegraphicinstructionsfromhertoNimesdayaftertomorrow，Oct。1，careHotelManivet。 Theonlyadventureswehaveisindriftingintoroughseasnowandthen。 Theyarenotdangerous，buttheygothro”allthemotionsofit。 YesterdaywhenweshottheBridgeoftheHolySpirititwasprobablyinchargeofsomeinexperienceddeputyspiritfortheday，forwewereallowedtogothroughthewrongarch，whichbroughtusintoatourbillonbelowwhichtriedtomakethisoldscowstandonitshead。OfcourseI lostmytemperandblewitoffinawaytobeheardabovetheroarofthetossingwaters。Ilostitbecausetheadmiralhadtakenthatarchindeferencetomyopinionthatitwasthebestone，whilehisownjudgmenttoldhimtotaketheonenearesttheothersideoftheriver。IcouldhavepoisonedhimIwassomadtothinkIhadhiredsuchaturnip。 Aboatmanincommandshouldobeynobody”sordersbuthisown，andyieldtonobody”ssuggestions。 Itwasverysweetofyoutowriteme，dear，andIthankyoueversomuch。 Withgreatestloveandkisses，PAPA。 ToMrs。Clemens，inOuchy，Switzerland： ARLES，Sept。30，noon。 Livydarling，Ihain”tgotnotimetowritetoday，becauseIamsightseeingindustriouslyandimaginingmychapter。 Badegood-byetotherivertripandgaveawaytheboatyesterdayevening。 Wehadtengreatdaysinher。 Wereachedhereafterdark。Weweredueabout4。30，countingbydistance，butwecouldn”tcalculateonsuchalifelesscurrentaswefound。 Iloveyou，sweetheart。 SAML。 IthadbeenalongtimesinceClemenshadwrittentohisoldfriendTwichell，buttheRhonetripmusthaveremindedhimofthosedaysthirteenyearsearlier，when，comparativelyyoungmen，heandTwichellweretrampingthroughtheBlackForestandscalingGemmiPass。HesentTwichellareminderofthathappytime。 ToRev。JosephH。Twichell，inHartford，Conn： NIMES，Oct。1，”91。 DEARJOE，——IhavebeentendaysfloatingdowntheRhoneonaraft，fromLakeBourget，andamostcuriousanddarlingkindofatripithasbeen。 Yououghttohavebeenalong——Icouldhavemaderoomforyoueasily——andyouwouldhavefoundthatapedestriantourinEuropedoesn”tbeginwitharaft-voyageforhilarityandmildadventure，andintimatecontactwiththeunvisitednativeofthebacksettlements，andextinctionfromtheworldandnewspapers，andaconscienceinastateofcoma，andlazycomfort，andsolidhappiness。Infactthere”snothingthat”ssolovely。 Butit”sallover。IgavetheraftawayyesterdayatArles，andamloafingalongbackbyshortstagesontherailtoOuchy-Lausannewherethetribearestaying。 LovetoyouallMARK。 TheClemensessettledinBerlinforthewinter，at7Kornerstrasse，andlaterattheHotelRoyal。TherehadbeennopermanentimprovementinMarkTwain”sarmandhefoundwritingdifficult。 SomeoftheletterspromisedtoLaffanandMcClurewerestillunfinished。 YoungHall，hispublishingmanagerinAmerica，wasworkinghardtokeepthebusinessafloat，andbeingfulloftheoptimismofhisyearsdidnotfailtomakeasgoodashowingashecould。WemaybelievehisletterswereverywelcometoClemensandhiswife，whofoundlittleenoughinthegeneralprospecttocomfortthem。 ToMr。Hall，inNewYork： BERLIN，Nov。27，”91。 DEARMR。HALL，——Thatkindofastatementisvaluable。Itcamethismorning。ThisisthefirsttimesincethebusinessbeganthatIhavehadareportthatfurnishedthekindofinformationIwanted，andwasreallyenlighteningandsatisfactory。Keepitup。Don”tletitfallintodesuetude。 Everythinglookssofineandhandsomewiththebusiness，now，thatIfeelagreatlet-upfromdepression。Therewardsofyourlongandpatientindustryareontheirway，andtheirarrivalsafeinport，presently，seemsassured。 ByGeorge，Ishallbegladwhentheshipcomesin！ MyarmissomuchbetterthatIwasabletomakeaspeechlastnightto250Americans。Butwhentheythrewmyportraitonthescreenitwasasorrowfulreminder，foritwasfromanegativeof15yearsago，andhadn”tagrayhairinit。Andnowthatmyarmisbetter，IhavestolenacoupleofdaysandfinishedupacoupleofMcClurelettersthathavebeenlyingalongtime。 IshallmailoneofthemtoyounextTuesday——registered。Lookoutforit。 Ishallregisterandmailtheotherone(concerningthe“Jungfrau“)nextFridaylookoutforitalso，anddropmealinetoletmeknowtheyhavearrived。 Ishallwritethe6thandlastletterbyandbywhenIhavestudiedBerlinsufficiently。 Yoursinamostcheerfulframeofmind，andwithmyandallthefamily”sThanksgivinggreetingsandbestwishes，S。L。CLEMENS。 PostscriptbyMrs。ClemenswrittenonMr。Clemens”sletter： DEARMR。HALL，——Thisismybirthdayandyourletterthismorningwasahappyadditiontothelittlegiftsonthebreakfasttable。Ithoughtofgoingoutandspendingmoneyforsomethingunnecessaryafteritcame，butconcludedperhapsIbetterwaitalittlelonger。 SincerelyyoursO。L。CLEMENS。 “TheGermanChicago“wasthelastofthesixMcClurelettersandwasfinishedthatwinterinBerlin。ItisnowincludedintheUniformEditionofMarkTwain”sworks，andisoneofthebestdescriptivearticlesoftheGermancapitaleverwritten。HemadenouseoftheRhonenotesfurtherthantoputthemtogetherinliteraryform。 Theydidnotseemtohimtocontainenoughsubstancetowarrantpublication。AlettertoHall，writtentowardtheendofDecember，wefindrathergloomyintone，thoughheisstillabletoextractcomfortandevencheerfulnessfromoneofMr。Hall”sreports。 MemorandumtoFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： AmongtheMSSIleftwithyouareafewthathavearecentlookandarewrittenonratherstiffpalegreenpaper。Ifyouwillhavethosetype- writeredandkeeptheoriginalsandsendmethecopies(onepermail，nottwo。)I”llseeifIcanusethem。 ButtellHowellsandotherinquirersthatmyhopesofwritinganythingareveryslender——Iseemtobedisabledforlife。 DropMcClurealineandtellhimthesame。Ican”tdaretomakeanengagementnowforevenasingleletter。 IamgladHowellsisonamagazine，butsorryhegaveuptheStudy。 IshallhavetogoonamagazinemyselfifthisL。A。L。continuestoholdmynosedowntothegrind-stonemuchlonger。 I”mgoingtoholdmybreath，now，for3odays——thentheannualstatementwillarriveandIshallknowhowwefeel！MerryXmastoyoufromusall。 Sincerely，S。L。C。 P。S。JustfinishedtheaboveandfinishedragingattheeternalGermantax-gatherer，andsoallthejubilantthingswhichIwasgoingtosayaboutthepastyear”sbusinessgotknockedoutofme。AfterwritingthispresentletterIwasfeelingblueaboutHuckFinn，butIsatdownandoverhauledyourreportsfromnowbacktolastAprilandcomparedthemwiththesplendidOct-Nov。business，andwenttobedfeelingrefreshedandfine，forcertainlyithasbeenahandsomeyear。NowrushmealongtheAnnualReportandlet”sseehowwefeel！ S。L。C。 XXXII LETTERS，1892，CHIEFLYTOMR。HALLANDMRS。CRANE。INBERLIN，MENTONE，BAD-NAUHEIM，FLORENCE MarkTwainwasthenotableliteraryfigureinBerlinthatwinter，thecenterofeverygreatgathering。HewasentertainedbytheKaiser，andshownmanyspecialattentionsbyGermansofeveryrank。HisbookswereaswellknowninBerlinasinNewYork，andatcourtassembliesandembassieshewasalwaysachiefcenterofinterest。 Hewastoopopularforhisowngood；thegaietyofthecapitaltoldonhim。Finally，onenight，afterdeliveringalectureinahotroom，hecontractedaseverecold，drivingtoaballatGeneralvonVersen”s，andafewdayslaterwasconfinedtohisbedwithpneumonia。Itwasnotasevereattack，butitwaslongcontinued。Hecouldwritesomelettersandevenworkalittle，buthewasnotallowedtoleavehisbedformanyweeks，aconditionwhichhedidnotfindahardship，fornomaneverenjoyedthelooseluxuryofundressandthecomfortofpillowsmorethanMarkTwain。Inamemorandumofthattimehewrote：“Iamhavingaboomingtimealltomyself。” Meantime，Hall，inAmerica，wassendingfavorablereportsofthepublishingbusiness，andthisnaturallyhelpedtokeepuphisspirits。 HewrotefrequentlytoHall，ofcourse，butthelettersforthemostpartarepurelyofabusinessnatureandoflittleinteresttothegeneralreader。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： HOTELROYAL，BERLIN，Feb。12。 DEARMR。HALL，——Dalywantstogetthestagerightsofthe“AmericanClaimant。”ThefoundationfromwhichIwrotethestoryisaplayofthesamenamewhichhasbeeninA。P。Burbank”shands5or6years。Thatplaycostmesomemoney(helpingBurbankstageit)buthasneverbroughtmeany。IhavewrittenBurbank(LotosClub)andaskedhimtogivemebackhisrightsintheoldplaysothatIcantreatwithDalyandutilizethischancetoevenmyselfup。Burbankisalovelyfellow，andifheobjectsIcan”turgehim。ButyouruninattheLotosandseehim；andifherelinquisheshisclaim，thenIwouldlikeyoutoconductthebusinesswithDaly；orhaveWhitfordorsomeotherlawyerdoitunderyoursupervisionifyouprefer。 ThismorningIseemtohaverheumatisminmyrightfoot。 Iamorderedsouthbythedoctorandshallexpecttobewellenoughtostartbytheendofthismonth。 [Nosignature。] Itiscurious，afterClemensandHowellshadtriedsohardandsolongtoplacetheir“Sellers“Play，thatnow，whenthestoryappearedinbookform，AugustinDalyshouldhavethoughtitworthdramatizing。DalyandClemenswereoldfriends，anditwouldseemthatDalycouldhardlyhaveescapedseeingtheplaywhenitwasgoingtherounds。Butperhapsthereisnothingmoremysteriousintheworldthanthewaysandwantsoftheatricalmanagers。Themattercametonothing，ofcourse，butthefactthatDalyshouldhavethoughtastorybuiltfromanolddiscardedplayhadaplayinitseemsinteresting。 ClemensandhiswifewereadvisedtoleavethecoldofBerlinassoonashewasabletotravel。ThiswasnotuntilthefirstofMarch，when，takingtheiroldcourier，JosephVery，theyleftthechildreningoodhandsandjourneyedtothesouthofFrance。 ToSusyClemens，inBerlin： MENTONE，Mch22，”92。 SUSYDEAR，——Ihavebeendelightedtonoteyoureasyfacilitywithyourpenandproudtonotealsoyourliterarysuperioritiesofonekindandanother——clearnessofstatement，directness，felicityofexpression，photographicabilityinsettingforthanincident——style——goodstyle——nobarnaclesonitinthewayofunnecessary，retardingwords(theShipmanscrapesoffthebarnacleswhenhewantshisracertogoherbestgaitandstraighttothebuoy。)Youshouldwritealettereveryday，longorshort——andsooughtI，butIdon”t。 Mammasays，tellClarayes，shewillhavetowriteanoteifthefancomesbackmended。 Wecouldn”tgotoNiceto-day——hadtogiveitup，onvariousaccounts—— andthiswasthelastchance。IamsorryforMamma——Iwishshecouldhavegone。Shegotaheavyfallyesterdayeveningandwasprettystiffandlamethismorning，butisworkingitofftrunkpacking。 JosephisgonetoNicetoeducatehimselfinKodaking——andtogetthepicturesmountedwhichMammathinksshetookhere；butInoticedshedidn”ttaketheplugout，asarule。Whenshedid，shetookninepicturesontopofeachother——composites。 Withlotsoflove。 PAPA。 InthecourseoftheirItalianwanderingstheyreachedFlorence，wheretheyweresocomfortableandwellthattheydecidedtoengageavillaforthenextwinter。ThroughProf。WillardFiske，theydiscoveredtheVillaViviani，nearSettignano，anoldpalacebeautifullylocatedonthehilltopseastofFlorence，commandingawonderfulviewoftheancientcity。Clemensfeltthathecouldworkthere，andtimeprovedthathewasright。 Forthesummer，however，theyreturnedtoGermany，andlocatedatBad-Nauheim。ClemenspresentlydecidedtomakeatriptoAmericatogivesomepersonalattentiontobusinessmatters。Foronething，hispublishing-house，inspiteofprosperity，seemedconstantlytoberequiringmorecapital，andthenaChicagocompanyhadbeenpersuadedbyPaigetoundertakethemanufactureofthetype-setter。 Itwasthebeginningofaseriesoffeverishtripswhichhewouldmakebackandforthacrosstheoceanduringthenexttwoyears。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： BAD-NAUHEIM，June11，”92。 Saturday。 DEARMR。HALL，——IfthisarrivesbeforeIdo，letitinformyouthatIamleavingBremenforNewYorknextTuesdayinthe“Havel。” Ifyoucanmeetmewhentheshiparrives，youcanhelpmetogetawayfromthereporters；andmaybeyoucantakemetoyourownorsomeotherlodgingswheretheycan”tfindme。 Butifthehouristooearlyortoolateforyou，IshallobscuremyselfsomewheretillIcancometotheoffice。 YourssincerelyS。L。C。 NothingofimportancehappenedinAmerica。ThenewPaigecompanyhadafactorystartedinChicagoandexpectedtomanufacturefiftymachinesasabeginning。Theyclaimedtohavecapital，ortobeabletocommandit，andasthemaincontrolhadpassedfromClemens”shands，hecoulddonomorethanlookoverthegroundandhopeforthebest。Asforthebusiness，aboutallthathecoulddowastosigncertainnotesnecessarytoprovidesuchadditionalcapitalaswasneeded，andagreewithHallthathereaftertheywouldconcentratetheireffortsandresistfurthertemptationinthewayofnewenterprise。ThenhereturnedtoBad-Nauheimandsettleddowntoliterature。ThiswasthemiddleofJuly，andhemusthaveworkedprettysteadily，forhepresentlyhadavarietyofMSS。readytooffer。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： Aug。10，”92。 DEARMR。HALT，——IhavedroppedthatnovelIwroteyouabout，becauseI sawamoreeffectivewayofusingthemainepisode——towit：bytellingitthroughthelipsofHuckFinn。SoIhavestartedHuckFinnandTomSawyer(still15yearsold)andtheirfriendthefreedslaveJimaroundtheworldinastrayballoon，withHuckasnarrator，andsomewhereaftertheendofthatgreatvoyagehewillworkinthesaidepisodeandthennobodywillsuspectthatawholebookhasbeenwrittenandtheglobecircumnavigatedmerelytogetthatepisodeinaneffective(andatthesametimeapparentlyunintentional)way。Ihavewritten12，000wordsofthisnarrative，andfindthatthehumorflowsaseasilyastheadventuresandsurprises——soIshallgoalongandmakeabookoffrom50，000to100，000words。 Itisastoryforboys，ofcourse，andIthinkwillinterestanyboybetween8yearsand80。 WhenIwasinNewYorktheotherdayMrs。Dodge，editorofSt。Nicholas，wroteand，offeredme$5，000for(serialright)astoryforboys50，000 wordslong。Iwrotebackanddeclined，forIhadothermatterinmymind，then。 Iconceivethattherightwaytowriteastoryforboysistowritesothatitwillnotonlyinterestboysbutwillalsostronglyinterestanymanwhohaseverbeenaboy。Thatimmenselyenlargestheaudience。 Nowthisstorydoesn”tneedtoberestrictedtoaChildsmagazine——itisproperenoughforanymagazine，Ishouldthink，orforasyndicate。I don”tswearit，butIthinkso。 Proposedtitleofthestory，“NewAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn。” [Nosignature。] The“novel“mentionedintheforegoingwasTheExtraordinaryTwins，astoryfromwhichPudd”nheadWilsonwouldbeevolvedlater。Itwasawildlyextravagantfarce——justthesortofthingthatnowandthenMarkTwainplungedintowithanenthusiasmthathadtoworkitselfoutanddieanaturaldeath，ormellowintosomethingworthwhile。 TomSawyerAbroad，asthenewHuckstorywasfinallycalled，wascompletedanddisposedoftoSt。Nicholasforserialpublication。 TheTwichellswereinEuropethatsummer，andcametoBad-Nauheim。 Thenextletterrecordsapleasantincident。ThePrinceofWalesofthatdaylaterbecameKingEdwardVII。 ToMr。andMrs。OrionClemens，inKeokuk，Iowa。： Private。BAD-NAUHEIM，Aug。23，”92。 DEARORIONANDMOLLIE，——(“Private“becausenonewspaper-manorothergossipmustgetholdofit) Livyisgettingalongprettywell，andthedoctorthinksanothersummerherewillcureher。 TheTwichell”shavebeenherefourdaysandwehavehadgoodtimeswiththem。JoeandIranovertoHomburg，thegreatpleasureresort，Saturday，todinewithsomefriends，andinthemorningIwentwalkinginthepromenadeandmettheBritishAmbassadortotheCourtofBerlin，andheintroducedmetothePrinceofWales，andIfoundhimamostunusuallycomfortableandunembarrassingEnglishmantotalkwith——quicktoseetheobscurestpoint，andequippedwithalaughwhichisspontaneousandcatching。Aminvitedbyanearfriendofhistomeethimatdinnerdayaftertomorrow，andtherecouldbeagoodtime，butthebrassbandwillsmashthetalkandspoileverything。 WeareexpectingtomovetoFlorencetenortwelvedayshence，butifthishotweathercontinuesweshallwaitforcooler。ItakeClaratoBerlinforthewinter-music，mainly，withGermanandFrenchadded。Thusfar，JeanisouronlyglibFrenchscholar。 WeallsendlovetoyouallandtoPamelaandSam”sfamily，andAnnie。 SAM ClemensandfamilyleftBad-NauheimforItalybywayofSwitzerland。 InSeptemberMrs。Clemens”ssister，Mrs。Crane，whohadbeenwiththeminEuropeduringthefirstyear，hadnowreturnedtoAmerica。 Mrs。Clemenshadimprovedatthebaths，thoughshehadbynomeansrecoveredherhealth。WegetageneralreportofconditionsfromtheletterwhichClemenswroteMrs。CranefromLucerne，Switzerland，wherethepartyrestedforseveraldays。The“Phelps“mentionedinthisletterwasWilliamWalterPhelps，UnitedStatesMinistertoGermany。ThePhelpsandClemensfamilieshadbeenmuchassociatedinBerlin。“Mason“wasFrankMason，ConsulGeneralatFrankfort，andinlateryearsatParis。“CharlieandIda“wereCharlesandMrs。Langdon，ofElmira。 ToMrs。Crane，inElmira，N。Y。： LUCERNE，Sept。18，”92。 DEARAUNTSUE，——ImaginehowIfelttofindthatyouhadactuallygoneoffwithoutfillingmytravelinginkstandwhichyougaveme！Ifounditoutyesterday。Livyadvisedmetowriteyouaboutit。 Ihavebeendrivingthispenhard。Iwrote280pagesonayarncalled“TomSawyerAbroad，“thentookupthe“Twins“again，destroyedthelasthalfofthemanuscriptandre-wroteitinanotherform，andamgoingtocontinueitandfinishitinFlorence。“TomSawyer“seemsratherpaletothefamilyaftertheextravagancesoftheTwins，buttheycametolikeitaftertheygotusedtoitWeremainedinNauheimalittletoolong。IfwehadlefttherefourorfivedaysearlierweshouldhavemadeFlorencein3days；butbythetimewegotstartedLivyhadgotsmittenwithwhatwefearedmightbeerysipelas——greatlyswollenneckandface，andunceasingheadaches。WelayidleinFrankfort4days，doctoring。WestartedThursdayandmadeBale。Hardtrip，becauseitwasoneofthosetrainsthatgetstiredeverysevenminutesandstopstorestthreequartersofanhour。Ittookus3？hourstogethere，insteadoftheregulation2。20。WereachedhereFridayeveningandwillleavetomorrow(Tuesday)morning。Theresthasmadetheheadachesbetter。WeshallpullthroughtoMilantomorrowifpossible。Nextdayweshallstartat10a。m。，andtrytomakeBologna，5hours。Nextday(Thursday)Florence，D。V。Nextyearwewillwalk，fortheseexcursionshavegottobemadeoveragain。I”vegotseventrunks，andIundertooktobecourierbecauseImeanttoexpressthemtoFlorencedirect，butwewereacoupleofdaystoolate。Allcontinentalroadshadissuedaperemptoryorderthatnobaggageshouldtravelamileexceptinthecompanyoftheowner。(AlloverEuropepeoplearehowling；theyareseparatedfromtheirbaggageandcan”tgetitforwardedtothem)Ihavetore-shipmytrunkseveryday。Itisveryamusing——uncommonlyso。ThereseemedgravedoubtsaboutourbeingabletogetthesetrunksovertheItalianfrontier，butI”vegotaveryhandsomenotefromtheFrankfortItalianConsulGeneraladdressedtoallItalianCustomsOfficers，andweshallgetthroughifanybodydoes。