第15章

ThePhelpsescametoFrankfortandwehadsomegreattimes——dinnerathishotel，theMasons，supperatourinn——Livynotinit。Shewasmerelyallowedaglimpse，nomore。Ofcourse，Phelpssaidshewasmerelypretendingtobeill；wasneverlookingsowellandfine。 Thechildrenareallright。Theypaddlearoundalittle，anddrive-sodoweall。Lucerneseemstobeprettyfulloftourists。TheFleulenboatwentoutcrowdedyesterdaymorning。 TheParisHeraldhascreatedapublicinterestbyinoculatingoneofitscorrespondentswithcholera。AmansaidyesterdayhewishedtoGodtheywouldinoculateallofthem。Yes，theinterestisquitegeneralandstrong，andmuchhopeisfelt。 Livysays，Ihavesaidenoughbadthings，andbettersendallourlovestoyouandCharleyandIdaandallthechildrenandshutup。WhichIdo——andshutup。 S。L。C。 TheyreachedFlorenceonthe26th，andfourdayslaterwefindClemenswritingagaintoMrs。Crane，detailingeverythingatlength。 Littlecommentonthisletterisrequired；itfullyexplainsitself。 Perhapsawordofdescriptionfromoneofhismemorandawillnotbeoutofplace。Ofthevillahewrote：“Itisaplain，squarebuilding，likeabox，andispaintedlightgreenandhasgreenwindow-shutters。Itstandsinacommandingpositionontheartificialterraceofliberaldimensions，whichiswalledaroundwithmasonry。Fromthewallsthevineyardsandolivegrovesoftheestateslantawaytowardthevalley……Rosesoverflowtheretainingwallsandthebatteredandmossystoneurnonthegate- post，inpinkandyellowcataracts，exactlyastheydoonthedrop- curtainsinthetheaters。Thehouseisaveryfortressforstrength。” TheMrs。RossinthisletterwasJanetRoss，daughterofLadyDuffGordon，rememberedto-dayforherEgyptianletters。TheRosscastlewasbutalittledistanceaway。 ToMrs。Crane，inElmira： VILLAVIVIANI，SETTIGNANO，FLORENCE。 Sept。30，1892 DEARSUE，——Wehavebeeninthehouseseveraldays，andcertainlyitisabeautifulplace，——particularlyatthismoment，whentheskiesareadeepleadencolor，thedomesofFlorencediminthedrizzlingrain，andoccasionalperpendicularcoilsoflightningquiveringintenselyintheblackskyaboutGalileo”sTower。Itisacharmingpanorama，andthemostconspicuoustowersanddomesdowninthecitylookto-dayjustastheylookedwhenBoccaccioandDanteusedtocontemplatethemfromthishillockfiveandsixhundredyearsago。 TheMademoiselleisagreathelptoLivyinthehousekeeping，andisacheeryandcheerfulpresenceinthehouse。ThebutlerisequippedwithalittleFrench，anditisthisfactthatenablesthehousetogo——butitwon”tgowelluntilthefamilygetsomesortoffacilitywiththeItaliantongue，forthecook，thewoman-of-all-workandthecoachmanunderstandonlythat。Itisastubbornanddevilishlanguagetolearn，butJeanandtheotherswillmasterit。Livy”sGermanNauheimgirlistheworstoffofanybody，asthereisnomarketforhertongueatallamongthehelp。 Withthefurnitureinandthecurtainsupthehouseisverypretty，andnotunhomelike。Atmid-nightlastnightweheardscreamsupstairs——Susyhadsettheloftywindowcurtainsafirewithacandle。Thissoundskindoffrightful，whereaswhenyoucometothinkofit，aburningcurtainorpileoffurniturehasn”tanyelementofdangeraboutitinthisfortress。 Thereisn”tanyconceivablewaytoburnthishousedown，orenableaconflagrationononefloortoclimbtothenext。 Mrs。Rosslaidinourwood，wineandservantsforus，andtheyareexcellent。ShehadthehousescouredfromCellartorookthecurtainswashedandputup，allbedspulledtopieces，beaten，washedandputtogetheragain，andbeguiledtheMarcheseintoputtingabigporcelainstoveinthevastcentralhall。Sheisawonderfulwoman，andwedon”tquiteseehoworwhenweshouldhavegottenunderwaywithouther。 Observeouraddressabove——thepostdeliverslettersdailyatthehouse。 EvenwiththeworkandfussofsettlingthehouseLivyhasimproved——andthebestisyettocome。Thereisgoingtobeabsoluteseclusionhere—— ahermitlife，infact。We(therestofus)shallrunovertotheRoss”sfrequently，andtheywillcomeherenowandthenandseeLivy——thatisall。Mr。Fiskeisaway——nobodyknowswhere——andtheworkonhishousehasbeenstoppedandhisservantsdischarged。ThereforeweshallmerelygoRossing——asfarassocietyisconcerned——shan”tcirculateinFlorenceuntilLivyshallbewellenoughtotakeashareinit。 Thispresenthouseismodern。Itisnotmuchmorethantwocenturiesold；butpartsofit，andalsoitsfoundationsareofhighantiquity。 Thefinebeautifulfamilyportraits——thegreatcarvedonesinthelargeovalsoverthedoorsofthebighall——carryonewellbackintothepast。 Oneofthemisdated1305——hecouldhaveknownDante，yousee。Anotherisdated1343——hecouldhaveknownBoccaccioandspenthisafternoonsinFiesolelisteningtotheDecamerontales。Anotherisdated1463—— hecouldhavemetColumbus…… Evening。Thestormthunderedawayuntilnight，andtheraincamedowninfloods。Forawhiletherewasapartialbreak，whichfurnishedaboutsuchasunsetaswillbeexhibitedwhentheLastDaycomesandtheuniversetumblestogetherinwreckandruin。Ihaveneverseenanythingmorespectacularandimpressive。 Onepersonissatisfiedwiththevilla，anyway。JeanprefersittoallEurope，saveVenice。JeaniseagertogetattheItaliantongueagain，now，andIseethatshehasforgottenlittleornothingofwhatshelearnedofitinRomeandVenicelastspring。 IamtheheadFrenchdufferofthefamily。Mostofthetalkgoesovermyheadatthetable。Icatchonlywords，notphrases。WhenItaliancomestobesubstitutedIshallbeevenworseoffthanIamnow，Isuppose。 ThisremindsmethatthiseveningtheGermangirlsaidtoLivy，“ManhatmirgesagtlossSieunacandellaverlaughthabe“——unconsciouslydroppinginacoupleofItalianwords，yousee。Sosheisgoingtojointhepolyglots，too，itappears。Theysayitisgoodentertainmenttohearherandthebutlertalktogetherintheirrespectivetongues，piecingoutandpatchingupwiththeuniversalsign-languageastheygoalong。Fivelanguagesinuseinthehouse(includingthesign-language-hardest-workedofthemall)andyetwithallthisopulenceofresourcewedoseemtohaveanuncommonlytoughtimemakingourselvesunderstood。 Whatwelackisacat。IfweonlyhadGermania！Thatwasthemostsatisfactoryall-roundcatIhaveseenyet。Totallyungermanicintheracinessofhischaracterandinthesparkleofhismindandthespontaneityofhismovements。Weshallnotlookuponhislikeagain…… S。L。C。 Clemensgotwellsettleddowntoworkpresently。Hefoundthesituation，theclimate，thebackground，entirelysuitedtoliteraryproduction，andinalittlewhilehehadaccomplishedmorethanatanyothertimesincehisarrivalinEurope。FromletterstoMrs。 CraneandtoMr。Hallwelearnsomethingofhisemploymentsandhissatisfaction。 ToMrs。Crane，inElmira： VILLAVIVIANI SETTIGNANO，FLORENCE。Oct。22，”92。 DEARSUE，——Wearegettingwonted。Theopenfireshavedrivenawaythecoldandthedoubt，andnowacheeryspiritpervadestheplace。LivyandtheKingsandMademoisellehavingbeentakingtheirteaanumberoftimes，lately，ontheopenterracewiththecityandthehillsandthesunsetforcompany。Istopwork，afewminutes，asarule，whenthesungetsdowntothehilltopswestofFlorence，andjointhetea-grouptowonderandexclaim。Thereisalwayssomenewmiracleintheview，anewandexquisitevariationintheshow，avariationwhichoccursevery15 minutesbetweendawnandnight。Onceearlyinthemorning，amultitudeofwhitevillasnotbeforeperceived，revealedthemselvesonthefarhills；thenwerecognizedthatallthosegreathillsaresnowedthickwiththem，cleartothesummit。 Thevarietyoflovelyeffects，theinfinitudeofchange，issomethingnottobebelievedbyanywhohasnotseenit。NoviewthatIamacquaintedwithintheworldisatallcomparabletothisfordelicacy，charm，exquisiteness，daintycoloring，andbewilderingrapidityofchange。Itkeepsapersondrunkwithpleasureallthetime。SometimesFlorenceceasestobesubstantial，andbecomesjustafaintsoftdream，withdomesandtowersofair，andoneispersuadedthathemightblowitawaywithapuffofhisbreath。 Livyisprogressingadmirably。Thisisjusttheplaceforher。 [Remaindermissing。] ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： Dec。12，”92。 DEARMR。HALL，——Novembercheckreceived。 IhavelenttheCalifornian”sStorytoArthurStedmanforhisAuthorClubBook，soyoursuggestionthatmynewspring-bookbearthatnamearrivestoolate，asheprobablywouldnotwantustousethatstoryinabookofoursuntiltheAuthorbookhadhaditsrun。Thatisforhimtodecide—— andIdon”twanthimhamperedatallinhisdecision。I，formypart，preferthe“$1，000，000BanknoteandOtherStories“byMarkTwainasatitle，butabovemyjudgmentIpreferyours。Imeanthis——itisnottaffy。 ItoldArthurtoleaveouttheformersquiborparagraphanduseonlytheCalifornian”sStory。TellhimthisisbecauseIamgoingtousethatinthebookIamnowwriting。 Ifinished“ThoseExtraordinaryTwins“nightbeforelastmakes60or80，000words——haven”tcounted。 Thelastthirdofitsuitsmetoadot。Ibegin，to-day，toentirelyrecastandre-writethefirsttwo-thirds——newplan，withtwominorcharacters，madeveryprominent，onemajorcharactercroppedout，andtheTwinssubordinatedtoaminorbutnotinsignificantplace。 Theminorcharacterwillnowbecomethechiefest，andIwillnamethestoryafterhim”Puddn”headWilson。” MerryXmastoyou，andgreatprosperityandfelicity！ S。L。CLEMENS。 XXXIII LETTERS，1893，TOMR。HALL，MRS。CLEMENS，ANDOTHERS。FLORENCE。 BUSINESSTROUBLES。“PUDD”NHEADWILSON。”“JOANOFARC。” ATTHEPLAYERS，NEWYORK ThereadermayhavesuspectedthatyoungMr。HallinNewYorkwashavinghistroubles。Hewasbythistimeone-thirdownerinthebusinessofCharlesL。Webster&Co。，aswellasitsgeneralmanager。Thebusinesshadbeendrainedofitscapitalonewayandanother-partlybythepublicationofunprofitablebooks；partlybytheearlierdemandsofthetypesetter，butmorethanallbythemanufacturingcostandagents” commissionsdemandedbyL。A。L。；thatistosay，theelevenlargevolumesconstitutingtheLibraryofAmericanLiterature，whichWebsterhadundertakentoplaceinamillionAmericanhomes。Therewasplentyofsaleforit——indeed，thatwasjustthetrouble；foritwassoldonpayments——smallmonthlypayments——whilethecostofmanufactureandtheliberalagents”commissionswerecashitems，anditwouldrequireaconsiderableperiodbeforethedribbleofcollectionswouldswellintoatidelargeenoughtosatisfythesteadyoutflowofexpense。Asaleoftwenty-fivesetsadaymeantprosperityonpaper，butunlesscapitalcouldberaisedfromsomeothersourcetomakeandmarketthosebooksthroughaperiodofmonths，perhapsevenyears，tocome，itmeantbankruptcyinreality。ItwasHall”sjob，withClemenstobackhim，tokeeptheirshipafloatonthesesteadilyebbingfinancialwaters。ItwasalsoHall”saffairtokeepMarkTwaincheerful，tolookpleasanthimself，andtoshowhowtheyweresteadilygettingrichbecauseorderswerepouringin，thoughacloudthatresembledbankruptcyloomedalwaysalittlehigheruponthehorizon。IfHallhadnotbeenyoungandanoptimist，hewouldhavebeenfrightenedoutofhisbootsearlyinthegame。Asitwas，hemadeabravesteadyfight，keptascheerfulandstiffanupperlipaspossible，alwayshopingthatsomethingwouldhappen——somegrandsaleofhisotherbooks，someunexpectedinflowfromthetype-setterinterests——anythingthatwouldsustainhisshipuntiltheL。A。L。tideshouldturnandfloatitintosafety。 ClemenshadfaithinHallandwasfondofhim。Heneverfoundfaultwithhim；hetriedtoaccepthisencouragingreportsattheirfacevalue。Helentthefirmeverydollarofhisliteraryearningsnotabsolutelyneededforthefamily”ssupport；hesignednewnotes；heallowedMrs。Clemenstoputinsuchremnantsofherpatrimonyasthetype-setterhadspared。 Thesituationin1893wasaboutashereoutlined。TheletterstoHallofthatyeararefrequentandcarryalongthestory。ToanywhohadformedtheideathatMarkTwainwasirascible，exacting，andfaultfinding，theywillperhapsbearevelation。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： FLORENCE，Jan。1，”93。 DEARMR。HALL，——YoursofDec。19istohand，andMrs。Clemensisdeeplydistressed，forshethinksIhavebeenblamingyouorfindingfaultwithyouaboutsomething。Butmostsurelythatcannotbe。ItellherthatalthoughIampronetowritehastyandregrettablethingstootherpeople，Iamnotabitlikelytowritesuchthingstoyou。Ican”tbelieveIhavedoneanythingsoungrateful。IfIhave，pilecoalsoffireonmyhead，forIdeserveit！ Iwonderifmyletterofcreditisn”tanencumbrance？Doyouhavetodepositthewholeamountitcallsfor？Ifthatisso，itisanencumbrance，andwemustwithdrawitandtakethemoneyoutofsoak。 Ihavenevermadedraftsuponitexceptwhencompelled，becauseIthoughtyoudepositednothingagainstit，andonlyhadtoputupmoneythatI drewuponit；thatthereforethelessIdrewtheeasieritwouldbeforyou。 IamdreadfullysorryIdidn”tknowitwouldbeahelptoyoutoletmymonthlycheckpassoveracoupleofmonths。IcouldhavestoodthatbydrawingwhatisleftofMrs。Clemens”sletterofcredit，andwewouldhavedoneitcheerfully。 IwillwriteWhitmoretosendyouthe“Century“checkfor$1，000，andyoucancollectMrs。Dodge”s$2，000(WhitmorehaspowerofattorneywhichI thinkwillenablehimtoendorseitovertoyouinmyname。)Ifyouneedthat$3，000putitinthebusinessanduseit，andsendWhitmoretheCompany”snoteforayear。Ifyoudon”tneedit，turnitovertoMr。 Halseyandlethiminvestitforme。 I”veamightypoorfinancialhead，andImaybeallwrong——buttellmeifIamwronginsupposingthatinlendingmyownfirmmoneyat6percentI pay4ofitmyselfandsoreallygetonlyapercent？Nowdon”tlaughifthatisstupid。 OfcoursemyfrienddeclinedtobuyaquarterinterestintheL。A。L。 for$200，000。Ijudgedhewould。Ihopedhewouldoffer$100，000，buthedidn”t。IfthecholerabreaksoutinAmerica，afewmonthshence，wecan”tborroworsell；butifitdoesn”twemusttryhardtoraise$100，000。Iwishwecoulddoitbeforethereisacholerascare。 Ihavebeeninbedtwoorthreedayswithacold，butIgotupanhourago，andIbelieveIamallrightagain。 HowIwishIhadappreciatedtheneedof$100，000whenIwasinNewYorklastsummer！Iwouldhavetriedmybesttoraiseit。Itwouldmakeusabletostand1，000setsofL。A。L。permonth，butnotanymore，I guess。 Youhavedonemagnificentlywiththebusiness，andwemustraisethemoneysomehow，toenableyoutoreaptherewardofallthatlabor。 SincerelyYoursS。L。CLEMENS。 “Whitmore，“inthisletter，wasF。G。Whitmore，ofHartford，MarkTwain”sfinancialagent。ThemoneyduefromMrs。DodgewasabalanceonTomSawyerAbroad，whichhadbeenacceptedbySt。Nicholas。Mr。Halseywasadown-townbroker。 Clemens，whowasgrowingwearyoftheconstantdemandsofL。A。L。，hadconceivedtheideathatitwouldbewelltodisposeofaportionofitforenoughcashtofinanceitsmanufacture。 Wedon”tknowwhothefriendwastowhomheofferedaquarterinterestforthemodestsumoftwohundredthousanddollars。ButinthenextletterwediscoverdesignsonacertainverycannyScotchmanofSkibo。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： FLORENCE，Jan。28，”92。 DEARMR。HALL，——Iwanttothrowoutasuggestionandseewhatyouthinkofit。Wehaveagoodstart，andsolidgroundunderus；wehaveavaluablereputation；ourbusinessorganizationispractical，soundandwell-devised；ourpublicationsareofarespect-worthycharacterandofamoney-breedingspecies。NowthenIthinkthattheassociationwithusofsomeoneofgreatnameandwithcapitalwouldgiveourbusinessaprodigiousimpetus——thatphraseisnottoostrong。 AsIlookatit，itisnotmoneymerelythatisneeded；ifthatwereall，thefirmhasfriendsenoughwhowouldtakeaninterestinapayingventure；weneedsomeonewhohasmadehislifeasuccessnotonlyfromabusinessstandpoint，butwiththatachievementbackofhim，hasbeengreatenoughtomakehispowerfeltasathinkerandaliteraryman。Itisaprettyusualthingforpublisherstohavethissortofpartners。 NowyouseewhatapowerCarnegieis，andhowfarhisvoicereachesintheseverallinesIspeakof。Doyouknowhim？Youdobycorrespondenceorpurelybusinesstalksabouthisbooks——butpersonally，Imean？sothatitwouldnotbeanintrusionforyoutospeaktohimaboutthisdesireofmine——forIwouldlikeyoutoputitbeforehim，andifyoufailtointeresthiminit，youwillprobablygetatleastsomevaluablesuggestionsfromhim。I”llencloseanoteofintroduction——youneedn”tuseitifyoudon”tneedto。 YoursS。L。C。 P。S。Yes，IthinkIhavealreadyacknowledgedtheDec。$1，000andtheJan。$500——andifanother$500wasmailed3daysagothere”snohiatus。 IthinkIalsoremindedyouthatthenewletterofcreditdoesnotcovertheunexpendedbalanceoftheoldonebutfallsconsiderablyshortofit。 DoyourbestwithCarnegie，anddon”twaittoconsideranyofmyintermediatesuggestionsortalksaboutourraisinghalfofthe$200，000 ourselves。Imean，waitfornothing。TomakemysuggestionavailableI shouldhavetogooverandseeArnot，andIdon”twanttountilIcanmentionCarnegie”snametohimasgoinginwithus。 Mybookistype-writtenandreadyforprint”Pudd”nheadWilson-aTale。” (Or，“ThoseExtraordinaryTwins，“ifpreferable。) Itmakes82，500words——12，000morethanHuckFinn。ButIdon”tknowwhattodowithit。Mrs。Clemensthinksitwouldn”tdotogototheAm。Pub。 Co。oranywhereoutsideofourownhouse；wehavenosubscriptionmachinery，andabookinthetradeisabookthrownaway，asfarasmoney-profitgoes。Iaminaquandary。Givemealiftoutofit。 Iwillmailthebooktoyouandgetyoutoexamineitandseeifitisgoodorifitisbad。Ithinkitisgood，andIthoughttheClaimantbad，whenIsawitinprint；butasforrealjudgment，IthinkIamdestituteofit。 IamwritingacompaniontothePrinceandPauper，whichishalfdoneandwillmake200，000words；andIhavehadtheideathatifitweregottenupinhandsomestyle，withmanyillustrationsandputatahighenoughpricemaybetheL。A。L。canvasserswouldtakeitandrunitwiththatbook。Wouldthey？Itcouldbepricedanywherefrom$4upto$10，accordingtohowitwasgottenup，Isuppose。 Idon”twantittogointoamagazine。 S。L。C。 Iamhavingseveralshortthingstype-“writered。”Iwillsendthemtoyoupresently。IliketheCenturyandHarper”s，butIdon”tknowthatI haveanybusinesstoobjecttotheCosmopolitaniftheypayasgoodrates。Isupposeamanoughttosticktoonemagazine，butthatmaybeonlysuperstition。Whatdoyouthink？ S。L。C。 “ThecompaniontoThePrinceandthePauper，“mentionedinthisletter，wasthestoryofJoanofArc，perhapsthemostfinishedofMarkTwain”sliteraryproductions。HisinterestinJoanhadbeenfirstawakenedwhen，asaprinter”sapprenticeinHannibal，hehadfoundblowingalongthestreetastrayleaffromsomeprintedstoryofherlife。ThatfragmentofhistoryhadpicturedJoaninprison，insultedandmistreatedbyruffians。Ithadarousedallthesympathyandindignationintheboy，SamClemens；also，ithadawakenedhisinterestinhistory，and，indeed，inallliterature。 HisloveforthecharacterofJoanhadgrownwiththeyears，untilintimehehadconceivedtheideaofwritingherstory。Asfarbackastheearlyeightieshehadcollectedmaterialforit，andhadbeguntomakethenotes。Onethingandanotherhadinterfered，andhehadfoundnoopportunityforsuchastory。Now，however，inFlorence，intheancientvilla，andinthequietgarden，lookingacrossthevineyardsandolivegrovestothedreamcityalongtheArno，hefeltmovedtotakeupthetaleoftheshepherdgirlofFrance，thesoldiermaid，or，ashecalledher，“Thenoblechild，themostinnocent，themostlovely，themostadorabletheageshaveproduced。”Hissurroundingsandbackgroundwouldseemtohavebeenperfect，andhemusthavewrittenwithconsiderableeasetohavecompletedahundredthousandwordsinaperiodofnotmorethansixweeks。 PerhapsHalldidnotevengotoseeCarnegie；atalleventsnothingseemstohavecomeoftheidea。Once，atalatertime，MaskTwainhimselfmentionedthemattertoCarnegie，andsuggestedtohimthatitwaspoorfinancieringtoputallofone”seggsintoonebasket，meaningintoiron。ButCarnegieanswered，“That”samistake；putallyoureggsintoonebasketandwatchthatbasket。” ItwasMarchwhenClemensfeltthatoncemorehispresencewasdemandedinAmerica。Hemustseeifanythingcouldberealizedfromthetype-setterorL。A。L。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： March13，”93。 DEARMR。HALL，——Iambusygettingreadytosailthe22d，intheKaiserWilhelmII。 Isendherewith2magazinearticles。 TheStorycontains3，800to4，000words。 The“Diary“contains3，800words。 Eachwouldmakeabout4pagesoftheCentury。 TheDiaryisagem，ifIdosayitmyselfthatshouldn”t。 IftheCosmopolitanwishestopay$600foreitherofthemor$1，200forboth，gatherinthecheck，andIwillusethemoneyinAmericainsteadofbreakingintoyourtreasury。 Iftheydon”twishtotradeforeither，sendthearticlestotheCentury，withoutnamingaprice，andiftheircheckisn”tlargeenoughIwillcallandabusethemwhenIcome。 Isignedandmailedthenotesyesterday。 YoursS。L。C。 ClemensreachedNewYorkonthe3dofAprilandmadeatriptoChicago，butaccomplishednothing，excepttovisittheWorld”sFairandbelaidupwithaseverecold。Themachinesituationhadnotprogressed。Thefinancialstringencyof1893hadbroughteverythingtoastandstill。TheNewYorkbankwouldadvanceWebster&Co。nomoremoney。Sodisturbedwerehisaffairs，sodisorderedwaseverything，thatsometimeshefelthimselfasonewalkingamidunrealities。AfragmentofalettertoMrs。Craneconveysthis： “IdreamedIwasbornandgrewupandwasapilotontheMississippiandaminerandajournalistinNevadaandapilgrimintheQuakerCity，andhadawifeandchildrenandwenttoliveinavillaatFlorence——andthisdreamgoesonandonandsometimesseemssorealthatIalmostbelieveitisreal。Iwonderifitis？Butthereisnowaytotell，forifoneappliesteststheywouldbepartofthedream，too，andsowouldsimplyaidthedeceit。IwishIknewwhetheritisadreamorreal。” HesawWarner，briefly，inAmerica；alsoHowells，nowlivinginNewYork，buthehadlittletimeforvisiting。OnMay13thhesailedagainforEuropeontheKaiserWilhelmII。OnthenightbeforesailinghesentHowellsagood-byword。 ToW。D。Howells，inNewYorkCity： MURRAYHILLHOTEL，NEWYORE，May12，1893。 Midnight。 DEARHOWELLS——IamsosorryImissedyou。 Iamverygladtohavethatbookforseaentertainment，andIthankyoueversomuchforit。 I”vehadalittlevisitwithWarneratlast；IwasgettingafraidI wasn”tgoingtohaveachancetoseehimatall。IforgottotellyouhowthoroughlyIenjoyedyouraccountofthecountryprintingoffice，andhowtrueitallwasandhowintimatelyrecognizableinallitsdetails。 ButWarnerwasfullofdelightoverit，andthatremindedme，andIamglad，forIwantedtospeakofit。 Youhavegivenmeabook；AnnieTrumbullhassentmeherbook；Iboughtacoupleofbooks；Mr。HallgavemeachoiceGermanbook；Laflangavemetwobottlesofwhiskyandaboxofcigars——Igotoseanoblyequipped。 Good-byeandallgoodfortuneattendyouandyours——anduponyouallI leavemybenediction。 MARK。 MentionhasalreadybeenmadeoftheRosshomebeingveryneartoViviani，andtheassociationoftheRossandClemensfamilies。 TherewasafinevegetablegardenontheRossestate，anditwasintheinterestofitthatthenextletterwaswrittentotheSecretaryofAgriculture。 ToHon。J。SterlingMorton，inWashington，D。C。： EditorialDepartmentCenturyMagazine，UnionSquare，NEWYORK，April6，1893。 TOTHEHON。J。STERLINGMORTON，——DearSir：Yourpetitioner，MarkTwain，apoorfarmerofConnecticut——indeed，thepoorestonethere，intheopinionofmany-desiresafewchoicebreedsofseedcorn(maize)，andinreturnwillzealouslysupporttheAdministrationinallwayshonorableandotherwise。 Tospeakbythecard，IwantthesethingstohurrytoItalytoanEnglishlady。SheisaneighborofmineoutsideofFlorence，andhasagreatgardenandthinksshecouldraisecornforhertableifshehadtherightammunition。Imyselffeelawarminterestinthisenterprise，bothonpatrioticgroundsandbecauseIhaveakeytothatgarden，whichIgotmadefromawaximpression。Itisnotverygoodsoil，stillIthinkshecangrowenoughforonetableandIaminapositiontoselectthetable。 Ifyouarewillingtoaidandabetacountryman(andGilderthinksyouare，)pleasefindthesignatureandaddressofyourpetitionerbelow。 Respectfullyandtrulyyours。 MARKTWAIN，67FifthAvenue，NewYork。 P。S——Ahandfulofchoice(Southern)watermelonseedswouldpleasantlyaddtothatlady”semploymentsandgivemytableacorrespondinglift。 HisideaofbusinessvalueshadmoderatedconsiderablybythetimehehadreturnedtoFlorence。Hewasnothopelessyet，buthewasclearlyagooddealdisheartened——anxiousforfreedom。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： FLORENCEMay30，”93 DEARMR。HALL，——Youweretocablemeifyousoldanymachineroyalties—— soIjudgeyouhavenotsucceeded。 Thishasdepressedme。Ihavebeenlookingoverthepastyear”slettersandstatementsandamdepressedstillmore。 Iamterriblytiredofbusiness。IambynatureanddispositionunfittedforitandIwanttogetoutofit。IamstandingontheMountMorrisvolcanowithhelpfromthemachinealongwayoff——doubtlessalongwayfurtheroffthantheConnecticutCo。imagines。 Nowhereismyideaforgettingout。 ThefirmowesMrs。Clemensandme——Idonotknowquitehowmuch，butitisabout$170，000or$175，000，1suppose(Imakethisguessfromthedocumentshere，whosetechnicalitiesconfusemehorribly。) Thefirmowesothersums，butthereisstockandcashassetstocovertheentireindebtednessand$116，679。20over。Isthatit？InadditionwehavetheL。A。L。platesandcopyright，worthmorethan$130，000——isthatcorrect？ Thatistosay，wehavepropertyworthabout$250，000aboveindebtedness，Isuppose——or，byoneofyourestimates，$300，000？Thegreaterpartofthefirstdebtstomeisinnotespaying6percent。Therest(theold$70，000orwhateveritis)paysnointerest。 Nowthen，willHarperorAppleton，orPutnamgiveme$200，000forthosedebtsandmytwo-thirdsinterestinthefirm？(ThefirmofcoursetakingtheMountMorrisandallsuchobligationsoffmyhandsandleavingmeclearofallresponsibility。) Idon”twantmuchmoney。Ionlywantfirstclassnotes——$200，000worthofthemat6percent，payablemonthly；——yearlynotes，renewableannuallyfor3years，with$5，000oftheprincipalpayableatthebeginningandmiddleofeachyear。Afterthat，thenotesrenewableannuallyand(perhaps)alargerpartoftheprincipalpayablesemi-annually。 Pleaseadvisemeandsuggestalterationsandemendationsoftheabovescheme，forIneedthatsortofhelp，beingignorantofbusinessandnotabletolearnasingledetailofit。 SuchadealwouldmakeiteasyforabigfirmtopourinabigcashcapitalandjumpL。A。L。uptoenormousprosperity。Thenyourone-thirdwouldbeafortune——andIhopetoseethatday！ IencloseanauthoritytousewithWhitmoreincaseyouhavesoldanyroyalties。Butifyoucan”tmakethisdealdon”tmakeany。Waitalittleandseeifyoucan”tmakethedeal。Domakethedealifyoupossiblycan。AndifanypresenceshallbenecessaryinordertocompleteitIwillcomeover，thoughIhopeitcanbedonewithoutthat。 Getmeoutofbusiness！ AndIwillbeyoursforevergratefully，S。L。CLEMENS。 Myideais，thatIamofferingmy2/3ofL。A。L。andthebusinessforthirtyorfortythousanddollars。Isthatit？ P。S。S。Thenewfirmcouldretainmybooksandreducethemtoa10percentroyalty。S。L。C。 ToRev。Jos。H。Twichell，inHartford： VILLAVIVIANI，SETTIGNANO(FLORENCE) June9，”93。 DEARJOE，——TheseavoyagesetmeupandIreachedhereMay27intolerablecondition——nothingleftbutweakness，coughallgone。 OldSirHenryLayardwasheretheotherday，visitingourneighborJanetRoss，daughterofLadyDuffGordon，andsincethenIhavebeenreadinghisaccountoftheadventuresofhisyouthinthefarEast。InafootnotehehassomethingtosayaboutasailorwhichIthoughtmightinterestyou——viz： “ThissamequartermasterwascelebratedamongtheEnglishinMesopotamiaforanentrywhichhemadeinhislog-book-afteraperilousstorm；”Thewindyandwateryelementsraged。Tearsandprayerswashadrecourseto，butwasofnomannerofuse。Sowehauleduptheanchorandgotroundthepoint。”“ There——itisn”tNedWakeman；itwasbeforehisday。 Withlove，MARK。 TheyclosedVillaVivianiinJuneandneartheendofthemontharrivedinMunichinorderthatMrs。ClemensmightvisitsomeoftheGermanbaths。ThenextletteriswrittenbyherandshowsherdeepsympathywithHallinhisdesperatestruggle。TherehavebeenfewmoreunselfishandcourageouswomeninhistorythanMarkTwain”swife。 FromMrs。ClemenstoMr。Hall，inNewYork： June27th1893 MUNICH。 DEARMR。HALL，——YourlettertoMr。ClemensofJune16thhasjustreachedhere；ashehasgonetoBerlinforClaraIamgoingtosendyoujustalineinanswertoit。 Mr。Clemensdidnotrealizewhattroubleyouwouldbeinwhenhislettershouldreachyouorhewouldnothavesentitjustthen。Ihopeyouwillnotworryanymorethanyoucanhelp。Donotletourinterestsweighonyoutooheavily。Webothknowyouwill，asyoualwayshave，lookineverywaytothebestinterestsofall。 IthinkMr。Clemensisrightinfeelingthatheshouldgetoutofbusiness，thatheisnotfittedforit；itworrieshimtoomuch。 Butheneedbeinnohasteaboutit，andofcourse，itwouldbetheveryfarthestfromhisdesiretoimperil，intheslightestdegree，yourinterestsinordertosavehisown。 IamsurethatIvoicehiswishaswellasminewhenIsaythathewouldsimplylikeyoutobearinmindthefactthathegreatlydesirestobereleasedfromhispresentanxietyandworry，atatimewhenitshallnotendangeryourinterestorthesafetyofthebusiness。 IammoresorrythanIcanexpressthatthisletterofMr。Clemens” shouldhavereachedyouwhenyouwerestrugglingundersuchterriblepressure。Ihopenowthattheweightisnotquitesoheavy。Hewouldnothavewrittenyouaboutthemoneyifhehadknownthatitwasaninconvenienceforyoutosendit。Hethoughtthebook-keeperwhosedutyitistoforwardithadforgotten。 WecandrawonMr。Langdonformoneyforafewweeksuntilthingsarealittleeasierwithyou。AsMr。Clemenswroteyouwewouldsay“donotsendusanymoremoneyatpresent“ifwewerenotafraidtodoso。I willsay，however，donottroubleyourselfifforafewweeksyouarenotabletosendtheusualamount。 Mr。ClemensandIhavethegreatestpossibledesire，nottoincreaseinanywayyourburdens，andsincerelywishwemightaidyou。 Itrustmybrothermaybeable，inhistalkwithyou，tothrowsomehelpfullightonthesituation。 Hopingyouwillseeachangeforthebetterandbegintoreapthefruitofyourlongandhardlabor。 BelievemeVeryCordiallyyoursOLIVIAL。CLEMENS。 Hall，naturally，didnotwishtobeleftalonewiththebusiness。Herealizedthathiscreditwouldsuffer，bothatthebankandwiththepublic，ifhisdistinguishedpartnershouldretire。Hewrote，therefore，proposingasanalternatethattheydisposeofthebigsubscriptionsetthatwasswampingthem。Itwasagoodplan——ifitwouldwork——andwefindClemensenteringintoitheartily。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： MUNICH，July3，”93。 DEARMR。HALL，——Youmakeasuggestionwhichhasonceortwiceflitteddimlythroughmymindheretoforetowit，sellL。A。L。 Ilikethatbetterthantheotherscheme，foritisnodoubtfeasible，whereastheotherisperhapsnot。 Thefirmisindebt，butL。A。L。isfree——andnotonlyfreebuthaslargemoneyowingtoit。Apropositiontosellthatbyitselftoabighousecouldbemadewithoutembarrassmentwemerelyconfessthatwecannotsparecapitalfromtherestofthebusinesstorunitonthehugescalenecessarytomakeitanopulentsuccess。 Itwillbesellingagoodthing——forsomebody；anditwillbegettingridofaloadwhichweareclearlynotabletocarry。Whoeverbuyswillhaveanoblegoodopening——acompleteequipment，awellorganizedbusiness，acapableandexperiencedmanager，andenterprisenotexperimentalbutunderfullsail，andimmediatelyabletopay50percentayearoneverydollarthepublishershallactuallyinvestinit——Imeaninmakingandsellingthebooks。 Iammiserablysorrytobeaddingbothersandtormentstotheover-supplywhichyoualreadyhaveinthesehideoustimes，butIfeelsotroubled，myself，consideringthedrearyfactthatwearegettingdeeperanddeeperindebtandtheL。A。L。gettingtobeaheavierandheavierburdenallthetime，thatImustbestirmyselfandseekawayofrelief。 ItdidnotoccurtomethatinsellingoutIwouldinjureyou——forthatI amnotgoingtodo。ButtosellL。A。L。willnotinjureyouitwillputyouinbettershape。 SincerelyYoursS。L。CLEMENS。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： July8，”92。 DEARMR。HALL，——IamsincerelygladyouaregoingtosellL。A。L。Iamgladyouareshuttingofftheagents，andIhopethefatalbookwillbeoutofourhandsbeforeitwillbetimetoputthemonagain。Withnothingbutournon-existentcapitaltoworkwiththebookhasnovalueforus，richaprizeasitwillbetoanycompetenthousethatgetsit。 Ihopeyouaremakinganefforttosellbeforeyoudischargetoomanyagents，forIsupposetheagentsareavaluablepartoftheproperty。 WehavebeenstoppinginMunichforawhile，butweshallmakeabreakforsomecountryresortinafewdaysnow。 SincerelyYoursS。L。C。 July8 P。S。No，IsupposeIamwronginsuggestingthatyouwaitamomentbeforedischargingyourL。A。L。agents——infactIdidn”tmeanthat。 Ijudgeyouronlyhopeofsalvationisindischargingthemallatonce，sinceitistheircommissionsthatthreatentoswampus。Itistheywhohaveeatenupthe$14，000Ileftwithyouinsuchabrieftime，nodoubt。 Ifeelpanicky。 Ithinkthesalemightbemadewithbetteradvantage，however，now，thanlaterwhentheagentshavegotoutofthepurchaser”sreach。 S。L。C。 P。S。Nomonthlyreportformanymonths。 Thosewhoareoldenoughtorememberthesummerof1893mayrecallitasablackfinancialseason。Banksweredenyingcredit，businesseswereforcedtothewall。Itwasapoortimetofloatanycostlyenterprise。TheChicagocompanywhowastryingtobuildthemachinesmadelittleprogress。Thebookbusinesseverywherewasbad。InabriefnotefollowingtheforegoinglettersClemenswroteHall： “ItisnowpastthemiddleofJulyandnocablegramtosaythemachineisfinished。Weareafraidyouarehavingmiserabledaysandworriednights，andwesincerelywishwecouldrelieveyou，butitisallblackwithusandwedon”tknowanyhelpfulthingtosayordo。” HeinclosedsomekindofmanuscriptpropositionforJohnBrisbenWalker，oftheCosmopolitan，withthecomment：“Itismyingeniousschemetoprotectthefamilyagainstthealms-houseforonemoreyear——andafterthat——well，goodnessknows！Ihaveneverfeltsodesperateinmylife——andgoodreason，forIhaven”tgotapennytomyname，andMrs。Clemenshasn”tenoughlaidupwithLangdontokeepustwomonths。” ItwaslikeMarkTwain，inthemidstofallthisturmoil，toprojectanentirelynewenterprise；hisbusymindwasalwaysvisioningsuccessinunusualundertakings，regardlessofimmediateconditionsandthestepsnecessarytoachievement。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： July26，”93。 DEARMR。HALL，……Ihopethemachinewillbefinishedthismonth； butittookmefouryearsandcostme$100，000tofinishtheothermachineafteritwasapparentlyentirelycompleteandsettingtypelikeahouse-afire。 Iwonderwhattheycall“finished。”Afteritisabsolutelyperfectitcan”tgointoaprinting-officeuntilithashadamonth”swear，runningnightandday，togetthebearingssmooth，Ijudge。 Imaybeabletorunoveraboutmid-October。ThenifIfindyourelievedofL。A。L。wewillstartamagazineinexpensive，andofanentirelyuniquesort。ArthurStedmanandhisfathereditorsofit。Arthurcoulddoallthework，merelysubmittingittohisfatherforapproval。 Thefirstnumbershouldpay——andallsubsequentones——25centsanumber。 Costoffirstnumber(20，000copies)$2，000。Givemostofthemaway，selltherest。Advertisingandotherexpenses——costunknown。Sendonetoallnewspapers——itwouldgetanotice——favorable，too。 ButwecannotundertakeituntilL。A。L，isoutoftheway。Withourhandsfreeandsomecapitaltospare，wecouldmakeithum。 WhereistheShelleyarticle？Ifyouhaveitonhand，keepitandIwillpresentlytellyouwhattodowithit。 Don”tforgettotellme。 YoursSincerelyS。L。C。 TheShelleyarticlementionedinthisletterwasthe“DefenseofHarrietSheller，“oneoftheverybestofhisessays。Howhecouldhavewrittenthissplendidpaperatatimeofsuchdistractionpassescomprehension。Furthermore，itisclearthathehadrevised，indeedrewritten，thelongstoryofPudd”nheadWilson。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： July30，”93。 DEARMR。HALL，——Thistime“Pudd”nheadWilson“isasuccess！EvenMrs。 Clemens，themostdifficultofcritics，confessesit，andwithoutreservesorqualifications。Formerlyshewouldnotconsentthatitbepublishedeitherbeforeoraftermydeath。Ihavepulledthetwinsapartandmadetwoindividualsofthem；Ihavesunkthemoutofsight，theyaremereflittingshadows，now，andofnoimportance；theirstoryhasdisappearedfromthebook。AuntBetsyHalehasvanishedwholly，leavingnotatracebehind；auntPatsyCooperandherdaughterRowenahavealmostdisappeared——theyscarcelywalkacrossthestage。Thewholestoryiscenteredonthemurderandthetrial；fromthefirstchapterthemovementisstraightaheadwithoutdivergenceorside-playtothemurderandthetrial；everythingthatisdoneorsaidorthathappensisapreparationforthoseevents。Therefore，3peoplestanduphigh，frombeginningtoend，andonly3——Pudd”nhead，“Tom“Driscoll，andhisniggermother，Roxana；noneoftheothersareimportant，orgetinthewayofthestoryorrequirethereader”sattention。Consequently，thescenesandepisodeswhichwerethestrengthofthebookformerlyarestrongerthanever，now。 WhenIbeganthisfinalreconstructionthestorycontained81，500words，nowitcontainsonly58，000。Ihaveknockedouteverythingthatdelayedthemarchofthestory——eventhedescriptionofaMississippisteamboat。 There”snoweatherin，andnoscenery——thestoryisstrippedforflight！ Now，thenwhatissheworth？Theamountofmatterisbut3，000wordsshortoftheAmericanClaimant，forwhichthesyndicatepaid$12，500。 Therewasnothingnewinthatstory，butthefinger-printsinthisoneisvirginground——absolutelyfresh，andmightycuriousandinterestingtoeverybody。 Idon”twantanymoresyndicating——nothingshortof$20，000，anyway，andthatIcan”tget——butwon”tyouseehowmuchtheCosmopolitanwillstand？ Doyourbestforme，forIdonotsleepthesenights，forvisionsofthepoor-house。 Thisinspiteofthehopefultoneofyoursof11thtoLangdon(justreceived)forinmehopeisverynearlyexpiring。Everythingdoeslooksoblue，sodismallyblue！ ByandbyIshalltakeuptheRhoneopen-boatvoyageagain，butnotnow- wearegoingtobemovingaroundtoomuch。Ihavetornupsomeofit，butstillhave15，000wordsthatMrs。Clemensapprovesof，andthatI like。ImaygoatitinParisagainnextwinter，butnotunlessIknowI canwriteittosuitme。 OtherwiseIshalltackleAdamoncemore，anddohiminakindofafriendlyandrespectfulwaythatwillcommendhimtotheSundayschools。 I”vebeenthinkingouthisfirstlife-daysto-dayandframinghischildishandignorantimpressionsandopinionsforhim。 WillshipPudd”nheadinafewdays。WhenyougetitcableMarkTwainCareBrownship，LondonReceived。 Imeantoship“Pudd”nheadWilson“toyou-say，tomorrow。It”llfurnishmehashforawhileIreckon。Iamalmostsorryitisfinished；itwasgoodentertainmenttoworkatit，andkeptmymindawayfromthings。 Weleavehereinabouttendays，butthedoctorshavechangedourplansagain。IthinkweshallbeinBohemiaorthereaboutstillneartheendofSeptember，thengotoParisandtakearest。 YoursSincerelyS。L。C。 P。S。Mrs。Clemenshascomeinsince，andreadyourletterandisdeeplydistressed。ShethinksthatinsomeletterofmineImusthavereproachedyou。Shesaysitiswonderfulthatyouhavekepttheshipafloatinthisstormthathasseenfleetsandfleetsgodown；thatfromwhatshelearnsoftheAmericanbusiness-situationfromherhomelettersyouhaveaccomplishedamarvelinthecircumstances，andthatshecannotbeartohaveawordsaidtoyouthatshallvoiceanythingbutpraiseandtheheartiestappreciation——andnottheshadowofareproachwillsheallow。 ItellherIdidn”treproachyouandneverthoughtofsuchathing。AndIsaidIwouldbreakopenmyletterandsayso。 Mrs。ClemenssaysImusttellyounottosendanymoneyforamonthortwo——sothatyoumaybeaffordedwhatlittlereliefisinourpower。 Allright——I”mwilling；(thisishonest)butIwishBrerChattowouldsendalonghislittleyearlycontribution。Idroppedhimalineaboutanothermatteraweekago——askedhimtosubscribefortheDailyNewsforme——youseeIwantedtoremindhiminacovertwaythatitwaspay-uptime——butdoubtlessIdirectedthelettertoyouorsomeoneelse，forI don”thearfromhimanddon”tgetanyDailyNewseither。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： Aug。6，”93。 DEARMR。HALL，——Iamverysorry——itwasthoughtlessinme。Letthereportsgo。Sendmeonceamonthtwoitems，andtwoonly： Cashliabilities——(somuch) Cashassets——(somuch) Icanperceivetheconditionofthebusinessataglance，then，andthatwillbesufficient。 Hereweneverseeanewspaper，butevenifwedidIcouldnotcomeanywherenearappreciatingorcorrectlyestimatingthetempestyouhavebeenbuffetingyourwaythrough——onlythemanwhoisinitcandothat—— butIhavetriednottoburdenyouthoughtlesslyorwantonly。Ihavebeenwroughtandunsettledinmindbyapprehensions，andthatisathingthatisnothelpablewhenoneisinastrangelandandseeshisresourcesmeltdowntoatwomonths”supplyandcan”tseeanysuredaylightbeyond。 Thebloodymachineofferedbutadoubtfuloutlook——andwillstilloffernothingmuchbetterforalongtimetocome；forwhenDavis”s“threeweeks“isupthere”sthreemonths”tinkeringtofollowIguess。Thatisunquestionablythebossmachineoftheworld，butisthetoughestoneonprophets，whenitisinanincompletestate，thathaseverseenthelight。NeitherDavisnoranyothermancanforetellwithanyconsiderableapproachtocertaintywhenitwillbereadytogetdowntoactualworkinaprintingoffice。 [Nosignature。] Threedaysaftertheforegoingletterwaswrittenhewrote，briefly： “GreatScottbutit”salongyear-foryouandme！Ineverknewthealmanactodragso。AtleastsinceIwasfinishingthatothermachine。 “Iwatchforyourlettershungrily——justasIusedtowatchforthecablegramsayingthemachine”sfinished；butwhen”nextweekcertainly”swelledinto”threeweekssure”IrecognizedtheoldfamiliartuneIusedtohearsomuch。Warddon”tknowwhatsick- heartednessis——butheisinawaytofindout。” Alwaysthequaintformofhishumor，nomatterhowdarktheway。 Wemaypicturehimwalkingthefloor，planning，scheming，andsmoking——alwayssmoking——tryingtofindawayout。Itwasnotthekindofschemingthatmanymenhavedoneunderthecircumstances； notschemingtoavoidpaymentofdebts，buttopaythem。 ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork： Aug。14，”93 DEARMR。HALL，——IamverygladindeedifyouandMr。Langdonareabletoseeanydaylightahead。Tomenoneisvisible。Istronglyadvisethateverypennythatcomesinshallbeappliedtopayingoffdebts。Imaybeinerroraboutthis，butitseemstomethatwehavenoothercourseopen。Wecanpayapartofthedebtsowingtooutsiders——nonetotheClemenses。Inveryprosperoustimeswemightregardourstockandcopyrightsasassetssufficient，withthemoneyowingtous，tosquareupandquiteven，butIsupposewemaynothopeforsuchluckinthepresentconditionofthings。 WhatIammainlyhopingfor，istosavemyroyalties。IftheycomeintodangerIhopeyouwillcableme，sothatIcancomeoverandtrytosavethem，foriftheygoIamabeggar。 Iwouldsailto-dayifIhadanybodytotakechargeofmyfamilyandhelpthemthroughthedifficultjourneyscommandedbythedoctors。Imaybeabletosailtendayshence；Ihopeso，andexpectso。 WecanneverresurrecttheL。A。L。Iwouldnotspendanymoremoneyonthatbook。Youspoke，awhileback，oftryingtostartitupagainasapreparationtodisposingofit，butwearenotinshapetoventurethat，Ithink。Itwouldrequiremoreborrowing，andwemustnotdothat。 YoursSincerelyS。L。C。 Aug。16。Ihavethought，andthought，butIdon”tseemtoarriveinanyverydefiniteplace。Ofcourseyouwillnothaveaninstant”ssafetyuntilthebankdebtsarepaid。Thereisnothingtobethoughtofbuttohandovereverypennyasfastasitcomesin——andthatwillbeslowenough！Orcouldyousecurethembypledgingpartofourcashassetsand—— Iamcomingover，justassoonasIcangetthefamilymovedandsettled。 S。L。C。 Twoweeksfollowingthisletterhecouldendurethesuspensenolonger，andonAugust29thsailedoncemoreforAmerica。InNewYork，ClemenssettleddownatthePlayersClub，wherehecouldlivecheaply，andundertooksomeliteraryworkwhilehewascastingaboutforwaysandmeanstorelievethefinancialsituation。Nothingpromisingoccurred，untilonenightattheMurrayHillHotelhewasintroducedbyDr。ClarenceC。RicetoHenryH。Rogers，oftheStandardOilgroupoffinanciers。RogershadakeensenseofhumorandhadalwaysbeenagreatadmirerofMarkTwain”swork。Itwasamirthfulevening，andcertainlyaneventfuloneinMarkTwain”slife。AdayortwolaterDoctorRiceaskedthemillionairetointeresthimselfalittleinClemens”sbusinessaffairs，whichhethoughtagooddealconfused。Justwhathappenedisnotrememberednow，butfromthedateofthenextletterwerealizethatadiscussionofthematterbyClemensandRogersmusthavefollowedprettypromptly。 ToMrs。Clemens，inEurope： Oct。18，”93。 DEAR，DEARSWEETHEART，——Idon”tseemtogetevenhalfachancetowriteyou，theselasttwodays，andyetthere”slotstosay。 ApparentlyeverythingisatlastsettledastothegiveawayofL。A。L。，andthepaperswillbesignedandthetransfermadeto-morrowmorning。 MeantimeIhavegotthebestandwisestmaninthewholeStandardOilgroupofmufti-millionairesagooddealinterestedinlookingintothetype-setter(thisisprivate，don”tmentionit。)Hehasbeensearchingintothatthingforthreeweeks，andyesterdayhesaidtome，“Ifindthemachinetobeallyourepresentedit——Ihavehereexhaustivereportsfrommyownexperts，andIknoweverydetailofitscapacity，itsimmensevalue，itsconstruction，cost，history，andallaboutitsinventor”scharacter。IknowthattheNewYorkCo。andtheChicagoCo。arebothstupid，andthattheyareunbusinesslikepeople，destituteofmoneyandinahopelessboggle。” Thenhetoldmetheschemehehadplanned，thensaid：“IfIcanarrangewiththesepeopleonthisbasis——itwilltakeseveralweekstofindout—— Iwillseetoitthattheygetthemoneytheyneed。Thenthethingwillmoverightalongandyourroyaltieswillceasetobewastepaper。Iwillpostyoutheminutemyschemefailsorsucceeds。Inthemeantime，youstopwalkingthefloor。Goofftothecountryandtrytobegay。Youmayhavetogotowalkingagain，butdon”tbegintillItellyoumyschemehasfailed。”Andheadded：“Keepmepostedalwaysastowhereyouare——forifIneedyouandcanuseyou——Iwanttoknowwheretoputmyhandonyou。” IfIshouldevendivulgethefactthattheStandardOilismerelytalkingremotelyaboutgoingintothetype-setter，itwouldsendmyroyaltiesup。 Withworldsandworldsofloveandkissestoyouall，SAML。 WithsogreataburdenofcareshiftedtothebroadfinancialshouldersofH。H。Rogers，MarkTwain”sspiritswentballooning，soaringtowardthestars。Heawoke，too，tosomeofthesocialgaietiesabouthim，andfoundpleasureinthethingsthatinthehourofhisgloomhadseemedmainlymockery。WefindhimgoingtoaSundayeveningatHowells”s，toJohnMackay”s，andelsewhere。 ToMrs。Clemens，inParis： Dec。2，”93。 LIVYDARLING，——LastnightatJohnMackay”sthedinnerconsistedofsoup，rawoysters，cornedbeefandcabbage，andsomethinglikeacustard。 Iatewithoutfearorstint，andyethaveescapedallsuggestionofindigestion。ThemenpresentwereoldgrayPacific-coasterswhomIknewwhenIandtheywereyoungandnotgray。Thetalkwasofthedayswhenwewentgypsyingalongtimeago——thirtyyears。Indeeditwasatalkofthedead。Mainlythat。Andofhowtheylooked，andtheharum-scarumthingstheydidandsaid。Fortherewerenocaresinthatlife，noachesandpains，andnottimeenoughintheday(andthree-fourthsofthenight)toworkoffone”ssurplusvigorandenergy。Ofthemid-nighthighwayrobberyjokeplayeduponmewithrevolversatmyheadonthewindsweptanddesolateGoldHillDivide，nowitnessisleftbutme，thevictim。Allthefriendlyrobbersaregone。Theseoldfoolslastnightlaughedtilltheycriedovertheparticularsofthatoldforgottencrime。 JohnMackayhasnofamilyherebutapetmonkey——amostaffectionateandwinninglittledevil。Buthemakestroublefortheservants，forheisfullofcuriosityandlikestotakeeverythingoutofthedrawersandexamineitminutely；andheputsnothingback。Theexaminationsofyesterdaycountfornothingto-day——hemakesanewexaminationeveryday。 Butheinjuresnothing。 IwentwithLaffantotheRacquetClubtheothernightandplayed，billiardstwohourswithoutstartingupanyrheumatism。IsupposeitwasallreallytakenoutofmeinBerlin。 RichardHardingDavisspokeyesterdayofClara”simpersonationsatMrs。 VanRensselaer”shereandsaidtheywereawonderfulpieceofwork。 Livydear，Idohopeyouarecomfortable，astoquartersandfoodattheHotelBrighton。Butifyou”renotdon”tstaythere。Makeonemoreeffort——don”tgiveitup。Dearheart，thisisfromonewholovesyou—— whichisSaml。 ItwasdecidedthatRogersandClemensshouldmakeatriptoChicagotoinvestigatepersonallythetype-settersituationthere。ClemensreportsthedetailsoftheexcursiontoMrs。Clemensinalongsubdividedletter，mostofwhichhasnogeneralinterestandishereomitted。Thetrip，asawhole，wouldseemtohavebeensatisfactory。ThepersonalportionsofthelongChristmaslettermayproperlybepreserved。 ToMrs。Clemens，inParis： THEPLAYERS，Xmas，1893。 No。1。 MerryXmas，mydarling，andallmydarlings！IarrivedfromChicagocloseuponmidnightlastnight，andwroteandsentdownmyChristmascablegrambeforeundressing：“MerryXmas！PromisingprogressmadeinChicago。”Itwouldgettothetelegraphofficetoward8thismorningandreachyouatluncheon。 Iwasvaguelyhoping，allthepastweek，thatmyXmascablegramwouldbedefinite，andmakeyoualljumpwithjubilation；butthethoughtalwaysintrudeditself，“Youarenotgoingouttheretonegotiatewithaman，butwithalouse。Thismakesresultsuncertain。” IwasasleepasChristmasstruckupontheclockatmidnight，anddidn”twakeagaintilltwohoursago。Itisnowhalfpast10Xmasmorning；I havehadmycoffeeandbread，andshan”tgetoutofbedtillitistimetodressforMrs。Laflan”sChristmasdinnerthisevening——whereIshallmeetBramStokerandmustmakesureaboutthatphotowithIrving”sautograph。Iwillgetthepictureandhewillattendtotherest。Inordertorememberandnotforget——well，Iwillgotherewithmydresscoatwrongsideout；itwillcauseremarkandthenIshallremember。 No。2and3。 Itellyouitwasinteresting！TheChicagocampaign，Imean。OnthewayoutMr。RogerswouldplanoutthecampaignwhileIwalkedthefloorandsmokedandassented。Thenhewouldcloseitupwithasnapanddropitandwewouldtotallychangethesubjectandtakeupthescenery，etc。 (HerefollowsthelongdetailedreportoftheChicagoconference，ofinterestonlytothepartiesdirectlyconcerned。) No。4。 Wehadnicetripe，goingandcoming。Mr。RogershadtelegraphedthePennsylvaniaRailroadforacoupleofsectionsforusinthefasttrainleavingat2p。m。the22nd。TheVicePresidenttelegraphedbackthateveryberthwasengaged(whichwasnottrue——itgoeswithoutsaying)butthathewassendinghisowncarforus。Itwasmightyniceandcomfortable。Initsparlorithadtwosofas，whichcouldbecomebedsatnight。Ithadfourcomfortably-cushionedcanearm-chairs。Ithadaverynicebedroomwithawidebedinit；whichIsaidIwouldtakebecauseI believedIwasalittlewiderthanMr。Rogers——whichturnedouttobetrue；soItookit。Ithadadarlingback-porch——railed，roofedandroomy；andtherewesat，mostofthetime，andviewedthesceneryandtalked，fortheweatherwasMayweather，andthesoftdream-picturesofhillandriverandmountainandskywereclearandawaybeyondanythingI haveeverseenforexquisitenessanddaintiness。 Thecoloredwaiterknewhisbusiness，andthecoloredcookwasafinishedartist。Breakfasts：coffeewithrealcream；beefsteaks，sausage，bacon，chops，eggsinvariousways，potatoesinvarious——yes，andquitewonderfulbakedpotatoes，andhotasfire。Dinners——allmannerofthings，includingcanvas-backduck，apollinaris，claret，champagne，etc。 Wesatupchattingtillmidnight，goingandcoming；seldomreadaline，dayornight，thoughwewerewellfixedwithmagazines，etc。；thenI finishedoffwithahotScotchandwewenttobedandslepttill9。30a。m。 Ihonestlytriedtopaymyshareofhotelbills，fees，etc。，butIwasnotallowed——andIknewthereasonwhy，andrespectedthemotive。IwillexplainwhenIseeyou，andthenyouwillunderstand。 Wewere25hoursgoingtoChicago；wewerethere24hours；wewere30 hoursreturning。Briskwork，butallofitenjoyable。WeinsistedonleavingthecaratPhiladelphiasothatourwaiterandcook(towhomMr。 R。gave$10apiece，)couldhavetheirChristmas-eveathome。 Mr。Rogers”scarriagewaswaitingforusinJerseyCityanddepositedmeatthePlayers。There——that”sall。Thisletteristomakeupforthethreeletterlessdays。Iloveyou，dearheart，Iloveyouall。 SAML。 XXXIV LETTERS1894。AWINTERINNEWYORK。BUSINESSFAILURE。 ENDOFTHEMACHINE ThebeginningofthenewyearfoundMarkTwainsailingbuoyantlyonatideofoptimism。HebelievedthatwithH。H。Rogersashisfinancialpilothecouldweathersafelyanystormorstress。Hecoulddiverthimself，orrest，orwork，andconsiderhisbusinessaffairswithinterestandamusement，insteadofwithhaggardanxiety。HeranovertoHartfordtoseeanamateurplay；toBostontogiveacharityreading；toFairHaventoopenthelibrarywhichMr。Rogershadestablishedthere；heattendedgaydinners，receptions，andlatestudioparties，acquiringthenameofthe“BelleofNewYork。”Inthelettersthatfollowwegettheechoofsomeofthesethings。TheMrs。RicementionedinthenextbriefletterwasthewifeofDr。ClarenceC。Rice，whohadintroducedH。H。RogerstoMarkTwain。 ToMrs。Clemens，inParis： Jan。12，”94 Livydarling，IcamedownfromHartfordyesterdaywithKipling，andheandHuttonandIhadthesmallsmokingcompartmenttoourselvesandfoundhimatlastathisease，andnotshy。Hewasverypleasantcompanyindeed。Heistobeinthecityaweek，andIwishIcouldinvitehimtodinner，butitwon”tdo。Ishouldbeinterruptedbybusiness，ofcourse。 TheconstructionofacontractthatwillsuitPaige”slawyer(notPaige) turnsouttobeverydifficult。HeisembarrassedbyearlieradvicetoPaige，andhatestoretirefromitandstultifyhimself。Thenegotiationsarebeingconducted，bymeansoftediouslongtelegramsandbytalksoverthelong-distancetelephone。Wekeepthewiresloaded。 Dearme，dinnerisready。SoMrs。Ricesays。 Withworldsoflove，SAML。 ClemensandOliverWendellHolmeshadmetandbecomefriendssoonafterthepublicationofInnocentsAbroad，in1869。Now，twenty-fiveyearslater，wefindarecordofwhatwithoutdoubtwastheirlastmeeting。 ItoccurredatthehomeofMrs。JamesT。Field。 ToMrs。Clemens，inParis： BOSTON，Jan。25，”94。 Livydarling，Iamcaughtoutworsethistimethaneverbefore，inthematterofletters。TuesdaymorningIwassmartenoughtofinishandmailmylonglettertoyoubeforebreakfast——forIwassuspectingthatIwouldnothaveanothersparemomentduringtheday。Itturnedoutjustso。 InathoughtlessmomentIagreedtocomeuphereandreadforthepoor。 Ididnotreflectthatitwouldcostmethreedays。Icouldnotgetreleased。YesterdayIhadmyselfcalledat8andranouttoMr。Rogers”shouseat9，andtalkedbusinessuntilhalfpast10；thencaught11 o”clocktrainandarrivedhereat6；wasshavenanddressedby7andreadyfordinnerhereinMrs。Field”scharminghouse。 Dr。OliverWendellHolmesnevergoesoutnow(heisinhis84thyear，) buthecameoutthistime-saidhewantedto“haveatime“oncemorewithme。 Mrs。FieldssaidAldrichbeggedtocomeandwentawaycryingbecauseshewouldn”tlethim。Sheallowedonlyherfamily(SarahOrneJewettandsister)tobepresent，becausemuchcompanywouldovertaxDr。Holmes。 Well，hewasjustdelightful！Hedidasbrilliantandbeautifultalking(andlistening)aseverhedidinhislife，Iguess。FieldsandJewettsaidhehadn”tbeeninsuchsplendidforminyears。Hehadorderedhiscarriagefor9。 Thecoachmansentinforhimat9；buthesaid，“Oh，nonsense！——leavegloriesandgrandeurslikethese？Tellhimtogoawayandcomeinanhour！“ At10hewascalledforagain，andMrs。Fields，gettinguneasy，rose，buthewouldn”tgo——andsowerattledaheadthesameasever。TwicemoreMrs。Fieldsrose，buthewouldn”tgo——andhedidn”tgotillhalfpast10—— anunwarrantabledissipationforhiminthesedays。Hewasprodigiouslycomplimentaryaboutsomeofmybooks，andishavingPudd”nheadreadtohim。ItoldhimyouandIusedtheAutocratasacourtingbookandmarkeditallthrough，andthatyoukeepitinthesacredgreenboxwiththeloveletters，anditpleasedhim。 Good-bye，mydeardarling，itis15minutestodinnerandI”mnotdressedyet。Ihaveareceptionto-nightandwillbeoutverylateatthatplaceandatIrving”sTheatrewhereIhaveacomplimentarybox。Iwishyouwereallhere。 SAML。 InthenextletterwemeetJamesJ。Corbett”GentlemanJim，“ashewassometimescalled——thechampionpugilistofthatday。 TheHowellsincidentsoamusinglydramatizedwillperhapsbemoreappreciatedifthereaderremembersthatMarkTwainhimselfhadatintervalsbeenamind-healingenthusiast。Indeed，inspiteofhisstricturesonMrs。Eddy，hisinterestinthesubjectofmind-curecontinuedtotheendofhislife。 ToMrs。Clemens，inParis： Sunday，9。30a。m。 Livydear，whenwegotouttothehouselastnight，Mrs。Rogers，whoisupandaround，now，didn”twanttogodownstairstodinner，butMr。R。 persuadedherandwehadaverygoodtimeindeed。By8o”clockweweredownagainandboughtafifteen-dollarboxintheMadisonSquareGarden(Rogersboughtit，notI，)thenhewentandfetchedDr。RicewhileI (went)tothePlayersandpickeduptwoartists——ReidandSimmons——andthuswefilled5ofthe6seats。Therewasavastmultitudeofpeopleinthebrilliantplace。StanfordWhitecamealongpresentlyandinvitedmetogototheWorld-Champion”sdressingroom，whichIwasverygladtodo。 Corbetthasafinefaceandismodestanddiffident，besidesbeingthemostperfectlyandbeautifullyconstructedhumananimalintheworld。 Isaid： “YouhavewhippedMitchell，andmaybeyouwillwhipJacksoninJune——butyouarenotdone，then。Youwillhavetotackleme。” Heanswered，sogravelythatonemighteasilyhavethoughthiminearnest： “No——Iamnotgoingtomeetyouinthering。Itisnotfairorrighttorequireit。Youmightchancetoknockmeout，bynomeritofyourown，butbyapurelyaccidentalblow；andthenmyreputationwouldbegoneandyouwouldhaveadoubleone。Youhavegotfameenoughandyououghtnottowanttotakemineawayfromme。” CorbettwasforalongtimeaclerkintheNevadaBankinSanFrancisco。 Therewerelotsoflittleboxingmatches，toentertainthecrowd：thenatlastCorbettappearedintheringandthe8，000peoplepresentwentmadwithenthusiasm。Mytwoartistswentmadabouthisform。TheysaidtheyhadneverseenanythingthatcamereasonablynearequalingitsperfectionexceptGreekstatues，andtheydidn”tsurpassit。 Corbettboxed3roundswiththemiddle-weightAustralianchampion——oh，beautifultosee！——thentheshowwasoverandwestruggledoutthroughaperfectwashofhumanity。WhenwereachedthestreetIfoundIhadleftmyarcticsinthebox。Ihadtohavethem，soSimmonssaidhewouldgobackandgetthem，andIdidn”tdissuadehim。Icouldn”tseehowhewasgoingtomakehiswayasingleyardintothatsolidoncomingwaveofpeople——yethemustplowthroughitfull50yards。Hewasbackwiththeshoesin3minutes！ Howdoyoureckonheaccomplishedthatmiracle？Bysaying： “Way，gentlemen，please——comingtofetchMr。Corbett”sovershoes。” Thewordflewfrommouthtomouth，theRedSeadivided，andSimmonswalkedcomfortablythroughandback，dryshod。Simmons(thiswasrevealedtomeundersealofsecrecybyReid)istheheroof“Gwen，“andheandGwen”sauthorwereonceengagedtomarry。Thisis“fire-escape“ Simmons，theinveteratetalker，youknow：“Exit——incaseofSimmons。” IhadanengagementatabeautifuldwellingclosetothePlayersfor10。30；Iwasthereby10。45。Thirtycultivatedandverymusicalladiesandgentlemenpresent——allofthemacquaintancesandmanyofthempersonalfriendsofmine。ThatwonderfulHungarianBandwasthere(theycharge$500foranevening。)ConversationandBanduntilmidnight；thenabiteofsupper；thenthecompanywascompactlygroupedbeforemeandI toldaboutDr。B。E。Martinandtheetchings，andfolloweditwiththeScotch-IrishChristening。My，buttheMartinisadarlingstory！Next，theheadtenorfromtheOperasanghalfadozengreatsongsthatsetthecompanywild，yes，madwithdelight，thatnoblyhandsomeyoungDamroschaccompanyingonthepiano。 Justalittlepause——thentheBandburstoutintoanexplosionofweirdandtremendousdancemusic，aHungariancelebrityandhiswifetookthefloor——Ifollowed；Icouldn”thelpit；theothersdriftedin，onebyone，anditwasOnteoraoveragain。 Byhalfpast4Ihaddancedallthosepeopledown——andyetwasnottired； merelybreathless。Iwasinbedat5，andasleepintenminutes。Upat9andpresentlyatworkonthislettertoyou。IthinkIwroteuntil2 orhalfpast。ThenIwalkedleisurelyouttoMr。Rogers”s(itiscalled3milesbutitisshortofit)arrivingat3。30，buthewasout—— toreturnat5。30——(andapersonwasin，whomIdon”tparticularlylike)—— soIdidn”tstay，butdroppedoverandchattedwiththeHowellsesuntil6。