第19章

WehavenotheardofJoeGoodmansincethetryingdaysof”90and”91，whenhewasseekingtopromotethefortunesofthetype-settingmachine。Goodman，meantime，whohadinturnbeenminer，printer，publisher，andfarmer；hadbeendevotinghisenergiesandgeniustosomethingentirelynew：hehadbeentranslatingtheprehistoricMayaninscriptionsofYucatan，andwithsuchsuccessthathisworkwaselaboratelypublishedbyanassociationofBritishscientists。 InduetimeacopyofthispublicationcametoClemens，whowasfullofadmirationofthegreatachievement。 ToJ。T。Goodman，inCalifornia： RIVERDALE-ON-THE-HUDSON，June13，”02。 DEARJOE，——Iamlostinreverenceandadmiration！Itisnowtwenty-fourhoursthatIhavebeentryingtocooldownandcontemplatewithquietbloodthisextraordinaryspectacleofenergy，industry，perseverance，pluck，analyticalgenius，penetration，thisirruptionofthundersandfierysplendorsfromafairandflowerymountainthatnobodyhadsupposedwasasleepingvolcano，butIseemtobeasexcitedasever。YesterdayIreadasmuchashalfofthebook，notunderstandingawordbutenchantednevertheless——partlybythewonderofitall，thestudy，theerudition，theincrediblelabor，themodesty，thedignity，themajesticexclusivenessofthefieldanditsloftyremotenessfromthingsandcontactssordidandmeanandearthy，andpartlybythegraceandbeautyandlimpidityofthebook”sunsurpassableEnglish。Science，alwaysgreatandworshipful，goesofteninhoddengrey，butyouhaveclothedheringarmentsmeetforherhighdegree。 Youthinkyouget“poorpay“foryourtwentyyears？No，ohno。YouhavelivedinaparadiseoftheintellectwhoselightestjoyswerebeyondthereachofthelongestpurseinChristendom，youhavehaddailyandnightlyemancipationfromtheworld”sslaveriesandgrossinterests，youhavereceivedabiggerwagethananymanintheland，youhavedreamedasplendiddreamandhaditcometrue，andto-dayyoucouldnotaffordtotradefortuneswithanybody——notevenwithanotherscientist，forhemustdividehisspoilwithhisguild，whereasessentiallytheworldyouhavediscoveredisyourownandmustremainso。 Itisalljustmagnificent，Joe！AndnooneisprouderorgladderthanYoursalwaysMARK。 AtYorkHarbor，Maine，wheretheyhadtakenacottageforthesummer——aprettyplace，withHowellsnotfardistant，atKitteryPoint——Mrs。Clemens”shealthgaveway。Thiswasataperiodwhentelegraphiccommunicationwasfarfromreliable。Theold-timeWesternUnionhadfallenfromgrace；its“system“nolongerjustifiedthebestsignificanceofthatword。Thenewdayofreorganizationwascoming，anditwastimeforit。MarkTwain”sletterconcerningtheserviceatYorkHarborwouldhardlybewarrantedtoday，butthosewhorememberconditionsofthatearliertimewillagreethatitwasjustifiedthen，andwillappreciateitssatire。 TothePresidentofTheWesternUnion，inNewYork： “THEPINES“ YORKHARBOR，MAINE。 DEARSIR，——Idesiretomakeacomplaint，andIbringittoyou，theheadofthecompany，becausebyexperienceIknowbetterthantocarryittoasubordinate。 Ihavebeenhereamonthandahalf，andbytestimonyoffriends，reinforcedbypersonalexperienceInowfeelqualifiedtoclaimasanestablishedfactthatthetelegraphicservicehereistheworstintheworldexceptthatBoston。 TheseservicesareactuallyslowerthanwastheNewYorkandHartfordserviceinthedayswhenIlastcomplainedtoyou——whichwasfifteenoreighteenyearsago，whentelegraphictimeandtraintimebetweenthementionedpointswasexactlythesame，to-wit，threehoursandahalf。 Sixdaysago——itwasthatrawdaywhichprovokedsomuchcomment——mydaughterwasonherwayupfromNewYork，andatnoonshetelegraphedmefromNewHavenaskingthatImeetherwithacloakatPortsmouth。Hertelegramreachedmefourhoursandaquarterlater——just15minutestoolateformetocatchmytrainandmeether。 Ijudgethatthetelegramtraveledabout200miles。ItisthebesttelegraphicworkIhaveseensinceIhavebeenhere，andIammentioningitinthisplacenotasacomplaintbutasacompliment。Ithinkacomplimentoughtalwaystoprecedeacomplaint，whereoneispossible，becauseitsoftensresentmentandinsuresforthecomplaintacourteousandgentlereception。 Still，thereisadetailortwoconnectedwiththismatterwhichoughtperhapstobementioned。Andnow，havingsmoothedthewaywiththecompliment，Iwillventurethem。TheheadcorpseintheYorkHarborofficesentmethattelegramaltho(1)heknewitwouldreachmetoolatetobeofanyvalue；(2)also，thathewasgoingtosendittomebyhisboy；(3)thattheboywouldnottakethetrolleyandcomethe2milesin12minutes，butwouldwalk；(4)thathewouldbetwohoursandaquarterontheroad；(5)andthathewouldcollect25centsfortransportation，foratelegramwhichtheheknewtobeworthlessbeforehestartedit。 FromthesedataIinferthattheWesternUnionowesme75cents；thatistosay，theamountpaidforcombinedwireandlandtransportation—— arecoupprovidedforintheprintedparagraphwhichheadsthetelegraph- blank。 BythesehumaneandChristianstageswenowarriveatthecomplaintproper。Wehavehadagravecaseofillnessinthefamily，andarelativewascomingsomesixhundredmilestohelpinthesick-roomduringtheconvalescingperiod。Itwasananxioustime，ofcourse，andIwroteandaskedtobenotifiedastothehouroftheexpectedarrivalofthisrelativeinBostonorinYorkHarbor。Beingafraidofthetelegraph——whichIthinkoughtnottobeusedintimesofhurryandemergency——Iaskedthatthedesiredmessagebebroughttomebysomeswiftmethodoftransportation。Bythemilkman，ifhewascomingthisway。Buttherearealwayspeoplewhothinktheyknowmorethanyoudo，especiallyyoungpeople；soofcoursetheyoungfellowinchargeofthisladyusedthetelegraph。AndatBoston，ofallplaces！ExceptYorkHarbor。 Theresultwasasusual；letmeemployastatelierandexacterterm，andsay，historical。 Thedispatchwashandedtotheh。c。oftheBostonofficeat9thismorning。Itsaid，“ShallbringA。S。toyouelevenforty-fivethismorning。”Thedistancetraveledbythedispatchisfortyorfiftymiles，Isuppose，asthetrain-timeisfiveminutesshortoftwohours，andthetrainsaresoslowthattheycan”tgiveaW。U。telegramtwohoursandtwentyminutesstartandovertakeit。 AsIhavesaid，thedispatchwashandedinatBostonat9。TheexpectedvisitorsleftBostonat9。40，andreachedmyhouseat12noon，beatingthetelegram2solidhours，and5minutesover。 Theboybroughtthetelegram。Itwasbald-headedwithage，butstilllegible。Theboywasprostratewithtravelandexposure，butstillalive，andIwentouttocondolewithhimandgethislastwishesandsendfortheambulance。Hewaswaitingtocollecttransportationbeforeturninghispassingspirittolessseriousaffairs。Ifoundhimstrangelyintelligent，consideringhisconditionandwhereheisgettinghistraining。Iaskedhimatwhathourthetelegramwashandedtotheh。c。inBoston。Heansweredbrightly，thathedidn”tknow。 Iexaminedtheblank，andsureenoughthewaryBostonh。c。hadthoughtfullyconcealedthatstatistic。IaskedhimatwhathourithadstartedfromBoston。Heansweredupasbrightlyasever，andsaidhedidn”tknow。 Iexaminedtheblank，andsureenoughtheBostonh。c。hadleftthatstatisticoutinthecold，too。Infactitturnedouttobeanofficialconcealment——noblankwasprovidedforitsexposure。Andnonerequiredbythelaw，Isuppose。“Itisagoodone-sidedidea，“Iremarked； “Theycantakeyourmoneyandshipyourtelegramnextyeariftheywantto——you”venoredress。Thelawoughttoextendtheprivilegetoallofus。” Theboylookeduponmecoldly。 IaskedhimwhenthetelegramreachedYorkHarbor。Hepointedtosomefiguresfollowingthesignatureatthebottomoftheblank”12。14。 “Isaiditwasnow1。45andasked—— “Doyoumeanthatitreachedyourmorgueanhourandahalfago？“ Henoddedassent。 “Itwasatthattimehalfanhourtoolatetobeofanyusetome，ifI wantedtogoandmeetmypeople——whichwasthecase——forbythewordingofthemessageyoucanseethattheyweretoarriveatthestationat11。45。Whydid，yourh。c。sendmethisuselessmessage？Can”theread？ Ishedead？“ “It”stherules。” “No，thatdoesnotaccountforit。Wouldhehavesentitifithadbeenthreeyearsold，Iinthemeantimedeceased，andheawareofit？“ Theboydidn”tknow。 “Because，youknow，arulewhichrequiredhimtoforwardtothecemeteryto-dayadispatchduethreeyearsago，wouldbeasgoodaruleasonewhichshouldrequirehimtoforwardatelegramtometo-daywhichheknewhadlostallitsvalueanhourortwobeforehestartedit。Theconstructionofsucharulewoulddiscreditanidiot；infactanidiot—— ImeanacommonordinaryChristianidiot，youunderstand——wouldbeashamedofit，andforthesakeofhisreputationwouldn”tmakeit。Whatdoyouthink？“ Herepliedwithmuchnaturalbrilliancythathewasn”tpaidforthinking。 ThisgavemeabetteropinionofthecommercialintelligencepervadinghismorguethanIhadhadbefore；italsosoftenedmyfeelingstowardhim，andalsomytone，whichhadhithertobeentingedwithbitterness。 “Letbygonesbebygones，“Isaid，gently，“weareallerringcreatures，andmainlyidiots，butGodmadeussoanditisdangeroustocriticise。” SincerelyS。L。CLEMENS。 OnedaytherearrivedfromEuropeacallerwithaletterofintroductionfromElizabeth，QueenofRumania，betterknownasCarmenSylva。ThevisitorwasMadamHartwig，formerlyanAmericangirl，returningnow，becauseofreducedfortunes，tofindprofitableemploymentinherownland。Herhusband，amanofhighprinciple，haddeclinedtotakepartinan“affairofhonor，“asrecognizedbytheContinentalcode；hencehisruin。ElizabethofRumaniawasoneofthemostlovedandrespectedofEuropeanqueensandanauthorofdistinction。MarkTwainhadknownherinVienna。Herlettertohimandhisownlettertothepublic(perhapsasecondone，foritsdateistwoyearslater)followherewith。 FromCarmenSylvatoMarkTwain： BUCAREST，May9，1902。 HONOREDMASTER，——IfIventuretoaddressyouonbehalfofapoorlady，whoisstrandedinBucarestIhopenottobetoodisagreeable。 Mrs。HartwigleftAmericaattheageoffourteeninordertolearntosingwhichshehasdonethoroughly。Herhusbandhadquiteabrilliantsituationheretillherefusedtopartake”dansuneafaireonereuse”，soitseems。Theyhaven”tapennyandeachofthemmusttrytofindaliving。Sheisveryniceandpleasantandherschoolissogoodthatshemostcertainlycangiveexcellentsinginglessons。 IbegyourpardonforbeingaboretooneIsodeeplyloveandadmire，towhomIowedaysanddaysofforgetfulnessofselfandtroublesandtheintensestofalljoys：Hero-worship！Peopledon”talwaysrealizewhatahappinessthatis！Godblessyouforeverybeautifulthoughtyoupouredintomytiredheartandforeverysmileonawearyway！ CARMENSYLVA。 FromMarkTwaintothePublic： Nov。16，”04。 TOWHOMITMAYCONCERN，——IdesiretorecommendMadameHartwigtomyfriendsandthepublicasateacherofsingingandasaconcert-vocalist。 ShehaslivedforfifteenyearsatthecourtofRoumania，andshebroughtwithhertoAmericaanautographletterinwhichherMajestytheQueenofRoumaniacordiallycertifiedhertomeasbeinganaccomplishedandgiftedsingerandteacherofsinging，andexpressedawarmhopethatherprofessionalventureamonguswouldmeetwithsuccess；throughabsenceinEuropeIhavehadnoopportunitytotestthevalidityoftheQueen”sjudgmentinthematter，butthatjudgmentistheutteranceofanentirelycompetentauthority——thebestthatoccupiesathrone，andasgoodasanythatsitselsewhere，asthemusicalworldwellknows——andthereforebackitwithouthesitation，andendorseitwithconfidence。 IwillexplainthatthereasonherMajestytriedtodoherfriendafriendlyofficethroughmeinsteadofthroughsomeoneelsewas，notthatIwasparticularlytherightorbestpersonfortheoffice，butbecauseI wasnotastranger。ItistruethatIamastrangertosomeofthemonarchs——mainlythroughtheirneglectoftheiropportunities——butsuchisnotthecaseinthepresentinstance。Thelatterfactisahighcomplimenttome，andperhapsIoughttoconcealit。Somepeoplewould。 MARKTWAIN。 Mrs。Clemens”simprovementwasscarcelyperceptible。ItwasnotuntilOctoberthattheywereabletoremovehertoRiverdale，andthenonlyinaspeciallyarrangedinvalid-car。Attheendofthelongjourneyshewascarriedtoherroomanddidnotleaveitagainformanymonths。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： RIVERDALE，N。Y。，Oct。31，”02。 DEARJOE，——ItistendayssinceSusy[Twichell]wrotethatyouwerelaidupwithasprainedshoulder，sincewhichtimewehavehadnonewsaboutit。Ihopethatnonewsisgoodnews，accordingtotheproverb；still，authoritativeconfirmationofitwillbegladlyreceivedinthisfamily，ifsomeofyouwillfurnishit。Moreover，Ishouldliketoknowhowandwhereithappened。Inthepulpit，aslikeasnot，otherwiseyouwouldnotbetakingsomuchpainstoconcealit。Thisisnotamalicioussuggestion，andnotapersonally-inventedone：youtoldmeyourself，once，thatyouthrewartificialpowerandimpressivenessintoplacesinyoursermonswhereneeded，by“bangingthebible“——(yourownwords。) Youhavereachedatimeoflifewhenitisnotwisetotaketheserisks。 Youwouldbetterjumparound。Weallhavetochangeourmethodsastheinfirmitiesofagecreepuponus。Jumpingaroundwillbeimpressivenow，whereasbeforeyouweregrayitwouldhaveexcitedremark。 PoorLivydragsalongdrearily。Itmustbehardtimesforthatturbulentspirit。Itwillbealongtimebeforesheisonherfeetagain。Itisamostpatheticcase。IwishIcouldtransferittomyself。Betweenrippingandragingandsmokingandreading，Icouldgetagooddealofaholidayoutofit。 Clararunsthehousesmoothlyandcapably。Sheisdischargingatrial- cooktodayandhiringanother。 Apoweroflovetoyouall！ MARK。 SuchwasthestateofMrs。Clemens”shealththatvisitorswereexcludedfromthesickroom，andevenClemenshimselfwasallowedtoseehernomorethanafewmomentsatatime。Thesebrief，preciousvisitswerethechiefinterestsofhislongdays。Occasionallyhewasallowedtosendherafewlines，reportinghisoccupations，andtheseshewassometimespermittedtoanswer。Onlyoneofhisnoteshasbeenpreserved，writtenafteraday，nowrare，ofliteraryeffort。Itssignature，theletterY，standsfor“Youth，“alwayshernameforhim。 ToMrs。Clemens： DEARHEART，——I”vedoneanotherfullday”swork，andfinishedbefore4。 Ihavebeenreadinganddozingsinceandwouldhavehadarealsleepafewminutesagobutforanincursiontobringmeacoupleofunimportantletters。I”vestucktothebedalldayandamgettingbackmylostground。NexttimeIwillbestrictlycarefulandmakemyvisitveryshort——justakissandarush。Thankyouforyourdear，dearnote；youwhoaremyownandonlysweetheart。 Sleepwell！ Y。 XLII LETTERSOF1903。TOVARIOUSPERSONS。HARDDAYSATRIVERDALE。 LASTSUMMERATELMIRA。THERETURNTOITALY ThereadermayperhapsrecallthatH。H。Rogers，somefiveorsixyearsearlier，hadtakenchargeofthefortunesofHelenKeller，makingitpossibleforhertocompletehereducation。Helenhadnowwrittenherfirstbook——awonderfulbook——”TheStoryofMyLife”，andithadbeensuccessfullypublished。ForalatergenerationitmaybepropertoexplainthattheMissSullivan，laterMrs。Macy，mentionedintheletterwhichfollows，wasthenoblewomanwhohaddevotedherlifetotheenlightenmentofthisblind，dumbgirl——hadmadeitpossibleforhertospeakandunderstand，and，indeed，toseewiththeeyesofluminousimagination。 Thecaseofplagiarismmentionedinthisletterisnotnowremembered，anddoesnotmatter，butitfurnishedatextforMarkTwain，whoseremarksonthesubjectingeneralareeminentlyworthwhile。 ToHelenKeller，inWrentham，Mass。： RIVERDALE-ON-THE-HUDSON，ST。PATRICK”SDAY，”03。 DEARHELEN，——ImuststealhalfamomentfrommyworktosayhowgladIamtohaveyourbook，andhowhighlyIvalueit，bothforitsownsakeandasaremembrancesofanaffectionatefriendshipwhichhassubsistedbetweenusfornineyearswithoutabreak，andwithoutasingleactofviolencethatIcancalltomind。Isupposethereisnothinglikeitinheaven；andnotlikelytobe，untilwegetthereandshowoff。Ioftenthinkofitwithlonging，andhowthey”llsay，“Theretheycome——sitdowninfront！“Iampracticingwithatinhalo。Youdothesame。IwasatHenryRogers”slastnight，andofcoursewetalkedofyou。Heisnotatallwell；youwillnotliketohearthat；butlikeyouandme，heisjustaslovelyasever。 Iamcharmedwithyourbook-enchanted。Youareawonderfulcreature，themostwonderfulintheworld——youandyourotherhalftogether—— MissSullivan，Imean，forittookthepairofyoutomakeacompleteandperfectwhole。Howshestandsoutinherletters！herbrilliancy，penetration，originality，wisdom，character，andthefineliterarycompetenciesofherpen——theyareallthere。 Oh，dearme，howunspeakablyfunnyandowlishlyidioticandgrotesquewasthat“plagiarism“farce！Asiftherewasmuchofanythinginanyhumanutterance，oralorwritten，exceptplagiarism！Thekernal，thesoul——letusgofurtherandsaythesubstance，thebulk，theactualandvaluablematerialofallhumanutterances——isplagiarism。Forsubstantiallyallideasaresecond-hand，consciouslyandunconsciouslydrawnfromamillionoutsidesources，anddailyusedbythegarnererwithaprideandsatisfactionbornofthesuperstitionthatheoriginatedthem；whereasthereisnotaragoforiginalityaboutthemanywhereexceptthelittlediscolorationtheygetfromhismentalandmoralcalibreandhistemperament，andwhichisrevealedincharacteristicsofphrasing。Whenagreatoratormakesagreatspeechyouarelisteningtotencenturiesandtenthousandmen——butwecallithisspeech，andreallysomeexceedinglysmallportionofitishis。Butnotenoughtosignify。ItismerelyaWaterloo。ItisWellington”sbattle，insomedegree，andwecallithis；butthereareothersthatcontributed。Ittakesathousandmentoinventatelegraph，orasteamengine，oraphonograph，oraphotograph，oratelephoneoranyotherimportantthing——andthelastmangetsthecreditandweforgettheothers。Headdedhislittlemite——thatisallhedid。Theseobjectlessonsshouldteachusthatninety-ninepartsofallthingsthatproceedfromtheintellectareplagiarisms，pureandsimple；andthelessonoughttomakeusmodest。Butnothingcandothat。 Thenwhydon”tweunwittinglyreproducethephrasingofastory，aswellasthestoryitself？Itcanhardlyhappen——totheextentoffiftywordsexceptinthecaseofachild：itsmemory-tabletisnotlumberedwithimpressions，andtheactuallanguagecanhavegraving-roomthere，andpreservethelanguageayearortwo，butagrownperson”smemory-tabletisapalimpsest，withhardlyabarespaceuponwhichtoengraveaphrase。 Itmustbeaveryrarethingthatawholepagegetssosharplyprinteduponaman”smind，byasinglereading，thatitwillstaylongenoughtoturnupsometimeorotherandbemistakenbyhimforhisown。Nodoubtweareconstantlylitteringourliteraturewithdisconnectedsentencesborrowedfrombooksatsomeunrememberedtimeandnowimaginedtobeourown，butthatisaboutthemostwecando。In1866IreadDr。Holmes”spoems，intheSandwichIslands。AyearandahalflaterIstolehisdictation，withoutknowingit，andusedittodedicatemy“InnocentsAbroad“with。ThenyearsafterwardsIwastalkingwithDr。Holmesaboutit。Hewasnotanignorantass——no，nothe：hewasnotacollectionofdecayedhumanturnips，likeyour“PlagiarismCourt；“andsowhenIsaid，“IknownowwhereIstoleit，butwhomdidyoustealitfrom，“hesaid，“Idon”tremember；IonlyknowIstoleitfromsomebody，becauseIhaveneveroriginatedanythingaltogethermyself，normetanybodywhohad。” Tothinkofthosesolemndonkeysbreakingalittlechild”sheartwiththeirignorantrubbishaboutplagiarism！Icouldn”tsleepforblasphemingaboutitlastnight。Why，theirwholelives，theirwholehistories，alltheirlearning，alltheirthoughts，alltheiropinionswereonesolidruckofplagiarism，andtheydidn”tknowitandneversuspectedit。Agangofdullandhoarypiratespiouslysettingthemselvesthetaskofdiscipliningandpurifyingakittenthattheythinkthey”vecaughtfilchingachop！Oh，dam—— Butyoufinishit，dear，Iamrunningshortofvocabularytoday。Everlovinglyyourfriend，MARK。 (EditedandmodifiedbyClaraClemens，deputytohermother，whoformorethan7monthshasbeenillinbedandunabletoexerciseherofficialfunction。) TheburdenoftheClemenshouseholdhadfallenalmostentirelyuponClaraClemens。Inadditiontosupervisingitscustomaryaffairs，shealsoshoulderedtheresponsibilityofanunusualcombinationofmisfortunes，forbesidesthecriticalconditionofhermother，hersister，JeanClemens，wasdownwithpneumonia，nowordofwhichmustcometoMrs。Clemens。Certainlyitwasadifficultposition。Insomeaccountofit，whichhesetdownlater，Clemenswrote：“ItwasfortunateforusallthatClara”sreputationfortruthfulnesswassowellestablishedinhermother”smind。Itwasourdailyprotectionfromdisaster。ThemotherneverdoubtedClara”sword。Claracouldtellherlargeimprobabilitieswithoutexcitinganysuspicion，whereasifItriedtomarketevenasmallandsimpleonethecasewouldhavebeendifferent。IwasneverabletogetareputationlikeClara”s。” TheaccumulationofphysicalailmentsintheClemenshomehadsomewhatmodifiedMarkTwain”snotionofmedicalpractice。Hewasnolongerradical；hehadbecomeeclectic。ItisagooddealofaconcessionthathemakestoTwichell，afterthoseearlierlettersfromSweden，inwhichosteopathyhadbeenheraldedastheanodyneforallhumanills。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： DEARJOE，——Livydoesreallymakealittleprogressthesepast3or4 days，progresswhichisvisibletoeventheuntrainedeye。Thephysiciansaredoinggoodworkwithher，butmynotionis，thatnoartofhealingisthebestforallills。Ishoulddistributetheailmentsaround：surgerycasestothesurgeons；lupustotheactinic-rayspecialist；nervousprostrationtotheChristianScientist；mostillstotheallopathandthehomeopath；(inmyownparticularcase)rheumatism，goutandbronchialattackstotheosteopathist。 Mr。Rogerswastosailsouthwardthismorning——andhereisthisweather！ Iamsorry。Ithinkit”saquestionifhegetsawaytomorrow。 YsEverMARK。 ItwasthroughJ。Y。M。MacAlister，towhomthenextletteriswritten，thatMarkTwainhadbecomeassociatedwiththePlasmonCompany，whichexplainsthereferenceto“shares。”HehadseenmuchofMacAlisterduringthewinteratTedworthSquare，andhadgrownfondofhim。Itisacharacteristicletter，andoneofinterestingfact。 ToJ。Y。M。MacAlister，inLondon： RIVERDALE，NEWYORK。 April，7，”03。 DEARMACALISTER，——Yoursarrivedlastnight，andGodknowsIwasgladtogetit，forIwasafraidIhadblunderedintoanoffenceinsomewayandforfeitedyourfriendship——akindofblunderIhavemadesomanytimesinmylifethatIamalwaysstandinginawaitingandmorbiddreadofitsoccurrence。 ThreedaysagoIwasincondition——duringonehorriblylongnight——tosympatheticallyroastwithyouinyour“helloftroubles。”DuringthatnightIwasbackagainwhereIwasintheblackdayswhenIwasburiedunderamountainofdebt。Icalledthedaughterstomeinprivatecouncilandparalysedthemwiththeannouncement，“Ouroutgohasincreasedinthepast8monthsuntilourexpensesarenow125percent。 greaterthanourincome。” Itwasamistake。WhenIcamedowninthemorningagrayandagedwreck，andwentoverthefiguresagain，Ifoundthatinsomeunaccountableway(unaccountabletoabusinessmanbutnottome)Ihadmultipliedthetotalsby2。ByGodIdropped75yearsonthefloorwhereIstood。 Doyouknowitaffectedmeasoneisaffectedwhenhewakesoutofahideousdreamandfindsthatitwasonlyadream。ItwasagreatcomfortandsatisfactiontometocallthedaughterstoaprivatemeetingoftheBoardagainandsay，“Youneednotworryanymore；ouroutgoisonlyathirdmorethanourincome；inafewmonthsyourmotherwillbeoutofherbedandonherfeetagain——thenweshalldropbacktonormalandbeallright。” Certainlythereisablisteringandawfulrealityaboutawell-arrangedunreality。Itisquitewithinthepossibilitiesthattwoorthreenightslikethatnightofminecoulddriveamantosuicide。Hewouldrefusetoexaminethefigures；theywouldrevolthimso，andhecouldgotohisdeathunawarethattherewasnothingseriousaboutthem。Icannotgetthatnightoutofmyhead，itwassovivid，soreal，soghastly。Inanyotheryearofthese33thereliefwouldhavebeensimple：gowhereyoucancutyourclothtofityourincome。Youcan”tdothatwhenyourwifecan”tbemoved，evenfromoneroomtothenext。 Clamspellsthetrainednurseafternoons；IamallowedtoseeMrs。 Clemens20minutestwiceadayandwritehertwolettersadayprovidedI putnonewsinthem。Nootherpersoneverseesherexceptthephysicianandnowandthenanerve-specialistfromNewYork。Shesawtherewassomethingthematterthatmorning，butshegotnofactsoutofme。Butthatisnothing——shehasn”thadanythingbutliesfor8months。Afactwouldgiveherarelapse。 Thedoctorandaspecialistmetinconspiracyfivedaysago，andintheirbeliefshewillbyandbycomeoutofthisasgoodasnew，substantially。 TheyorderedhertoItalyfornextwinter——whichseemstoindicatethatbyautumnshewillbeabletoundertakethevoyage。SoClaraiswritingaFlorencefriendtotakealookroundamongthevillasforusintheregionsnearthatcity。Itseemsearlytodothis，butJoanBergheimthoughtitwouldbewise。 Heandhiswifelunchedwithushereyesterday。TheyhavebeenabroadinHavana4months，andtheysailedforEnglandthismorning。 Iamenclosinganorderforhalfofmy(your)Foundersshares。Youarenottorefusethemthistime，thoughyouhavedoneittwicebefore。Theyareyours，notmine，andforyourfamily”ssakeifnotyourownyoucannotinthesecloudydaysrenouncethispropertywhichissoclearlyyoursandtheirs。Youhavebeengenerouslongenough；bejust，nowtoyourself。Mr。Rogersisoffyachtingfor5or6weeks——I”llgetthemwhenhereturns。TheheadofthehousejoinsmeinwarmestgreetingsandremembrancestoyouandMrs。MacAlister。 Everyours，Mark。 May8。GreatScott！Inevermailedthisletter！Iaddressedit，put“Registered“onit——thenleftitlyingunsealedonthearmofmychair，andrusheduptomybedquakingwithachill。I”veneverbeenoutofthebedsince——oh，bronchitis，rheumatism，twosetsofteethaching，land，I”vehadadandytimefor4weeks。Andto-day——greatguns，oneoftheveryworst！…… I”mdevilishsorry，andIdoapologise——foralthoughIamnotasslowasyouareaboutansweringletters，asarule，IseewhereI”mstandingthistime。 TwoweeksagoJeanwastakendownagain——thistimewithmeasles，andI haven”tbeenabletogotoherandshehasn”tbeenabletocometome。 ButMrs。Clemensismakingniceprogress，andcanstandaloneamomentortwoatatime。 NowI”llpostthis。 MARK Thetwolettersthatfollow，thoughwrittenonlyafewdaysapart，wereseparatedintheirarrivalbyaperiodofsevenyears。Thesecondletterwas，insomeway，mislaidandnotmailed；anditwasnotuntilafterthewriterofitwasdeadthatitwasfoundandforwarded。 MarkTwaincouldnevergetupmuchenthusiasmforthewritingsofScott。HispraiseofQuentinDurwardisabouttheonlyapprovalheeveraccordedtotheworksofthegreatromanticist。 ToBranderMatthews，inNewYork： NEWYORKCITY，May4，”03。 DEARBRANDER，——Ihaven”tbeenoutofmybedforfourweeks，but——well，I havebeenreading，agooddeal，anditoccurstometoaskyoutositdown，sometimeorotherwhenyouhave8or9monthstospare，andjotmedownacertainfewliteraryparticularsformyhelpandelevation。Yourtimeneednotbethrownaway，foratyourfurtherleisureyoucanmakeColombianlecturesoutoftheresultsanddoyourstudentsagoodturn。 1。ArethereinSirWalter”snovelspassagesdoneingoodEnglish—— Englishwhichisneitherslovenlyorinvolved？ 2。AretherepassageswhoseEnglishisnotpoorandthinandcommonplace，butisofaqualityabovethat？ 3。Aretherepassageswhichburnwithrealfire——notpunk，fox-fire，makebelieve？ 4。Hasheheroesandheroineswhoarenotcadsandcadesses？ 5。Hashepersonageswhoseactsandtalkcorrespondwiththeircharactersasdescribedbyhim？ 6。Hasheheroesandheroineswhomthereaderadmires，admires，andknowswhy？ 7。Hashefunnycharactersthatarefunny，andhumorouspassagesthatarehumorous？ 8。Doesheeverchainthereader”sinterest，andmakehimreluctanttolaythebookdown？ 9。Aretherepageswhereheceasesfromposing，ceasesfromadmiringtheplacidfloodandflowofhisowndilutions，ceasesfrombeingartificial，andisforatime，longorshort，recognizablysincereandinearnest？ 10。DidheknowhowtowriteEnglish，anddidn”tdoitbecausehedidn”twantto？ 11。Didheusetherightwordonlywhenhecouldn”tthinkofanotherone，ordidherunsomuchtowrongbecausehedidn”tknowtherightonewhenhesawit？ 13。Canyoureadhim？andkeepyourrespectforhim？Ofcourseapersoncouldinhisday——aneraofsentimentalityandsloppyromantics—— butland！canabodydoittoday？ Brander，Ilieheredying，slowlydying，undertheblightofSirWalter。 IhavereadthefirstvolumeofRobRoy，andasfaraschapterXIXofGuyMannering，andIcannolongerholdmyheadupnortakemynourishment。 Lord，it”sallsojuvenile！soartificial，soshoddy；andsuchwaxfiguresandskeletonsandspectres。Interest？Why，itisimpossibletofeelaninterestinthesebloodlessshams，thesemilk-and-waterhumbugs。 Andoh，thepovertyoftheinvention！Notpovertyininventingsituations，butpovertyinfurnishingreasonsforthem。SirWalterusuallygiveshimselfawaywhenhearrangesforasituation——elaborates，andelaborates，andelaborates，tillifyoulivetogettoityoudon”tbelieveinitwhenithappens。 Ican”tfindtherestofRobRoy，Ican”tstandanymoreMannering——Idonotknowjustwhattodo，butIwillreflect，andnotquitthisgreatstudyrashly。Hewasgreat，inhisday，andtohisproperaudience；andsowasGodinJewishtimes，forthatmatter，butwhyshouldeitherofthemrankhighnow？Anddothey？——honest，now，dothey？Dam”difI believeit。 My，IwishIcouldseeyouandLeighHunt！ `SincerelyYoursS。L。CLEMENS。 ToBranderMatthews，inNewYork： RIVERDALE，May8”03(MailedJune，1910)。 DEARBRANDER，——I”mstillinbed，butthedayshavelosttheirdulnesssinceIbrokeintoSirWalterandlostmytemper。IfinishedGuyMannering——thatcurious，curiousbook，withitsmobofsqualidshadowsjabberingaroundasingleflesh-and-bloodbeing——Dinmont；abookcrazilyputtogetheroutoftheveryrefuseoftheromance-artist”sstageproperties——finisheditandtookupQuentinDurward，andfinishedthat。 Itwaslikeleavingthedeadtominglewiththeliving：itwaslikewithdrawingfromtheinfantclassintheCollegeofjournalismtositunderthelecturesinEnglishliteratureinColumbiaUniversity。 IwonderwhowroteQuentinDurward？ YrseverMARK。 In1903，preparationsweregoingonforagreatworld”sfair，tobeheldinSt。Louis，andamongotherfeaturesproposedwasaWorld”sLiteraryConvention，withaweektobesetapartinhonorofMarkTwain，andaspecialMarkTwainDayinit，onwhichtheNationalAssociationwouldholdgrandservicesinhonorofthedistinguishedMissourian。Aletteraskinghisconsenttotheplanbroughtthefollowingreply。 ToT。F。Gatts，ofMissouri： NEWYORK，May30，1903。 DEARMR。GATTS，——ItisindeedahighcomplimentwhichyouoffermeinnaminganassociationaftermeandinproposingthesettingapartofaMarkTwaindayatthegreatSt。Louisfair，butsuchcomplimentsarenotproperfortheliving；theyareproperandsafeforthedeadonly。I valuetheimpulsewhichmovesyoutotendermethesehonors。Ivalueitashighlyasanyonecan，andamgratefulforit，butIshouldstandinasortofterrorofthehonorsthemselves。Solongasweremainalivewearenotsafefromdoingthingswhich，howeverrighteouslyandhonorablyintended，canwreckourreputeandextinguishourfriendships。 IhopethatnosocietywillbenamedformewhileIamstillalive，forI mightatsometimeorotherdosomethingwhichwouldcauseitsmemberstoregrethavingdonemethathonor。AfterIshallhavejoinedthedeadI shallfollowthecustomsofthosepeopleandbeguiltyofnoconductthatcanwoundanyfriend；butuntilthattimeshallcomeIshallbeadoubtfulquantityliketherestofourrace。 Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 TheNationalMarkTwainAssociationdidnotsurrendereasily。Mr。 Gattswroteasecondletterfullofurgentappeal。IfMarkTwainwastempted，wegetnohintofitinhisanswer。 ToT。F。Gatts，ofMissouri： NEWYORK，June8，1903。 DEARMR。GATTS，——WhileIamdeeplytouchedbythedesireofmyfriendsofHannibaltoconferthesegreathonorsuponme，Imuststillforbeartoacceptthem。Spontaneousandunpremeditatedhonors，likethosewhichcametomeatHannibal，Columbia，St。Louisandatthevillagestationsalldowntheline，arebeyondallpriceandareatreasureforlifeinthememory，fortheyareafreegiftoutoftheheartandtheycomewithoutsolicitations；butIamaMissourianandsoIshrinkfromdistinctionswhichhavetobearrangedbeforehandandwithmyprivity，forIthenbecameapartytomyownexalting。Iamhumanlyfondofhonorsthathappenbutcharyofthosethatcomebycanvassandintention。 Withsincerethankstoyouandyourassociatesforthishighcomplimentwhichyouhavebeenmindedtoofferme，Iam，Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 WehaveseeninthelettertoMacAlisterthatMarkTwain”swifehadbeenorderedtoItalyandplanswereinprogressforanestablishmentthere。BytheendofJuneMrs。ClemenswasabletoleaveRiverdale，andshemadethejourneytoQuarryFarm，Elmira，wheretheywouldremainuntilOctober，themonthplannedfortheirsailing。ThehouseinHartfordhadbeensold；andahousewhich，priortoMrs。Clemens”sbreakdowntheyhadboughtnearTarrytown(expectingtosettlepermanentlyontheHudson)hadbeenlet。TheyweregoingtoEuropeforanotherindefiniteperiod。 AtQuarryFarmMrs。Clemenscontinuedtoimprove，andClemens，oncemoreabletowork，occupiedthestudywhichMrs。Cranehadbuiltforhimthirtyyearsbefore，andwhereTomSawyerandHuckFinnandtheWanderingPrincehadbeencalledintobeing。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford，Conn。： QUARRYFARM，ELMIRA，N。Y。，July21，”03。 DEARJOE，——Thatlove-letterdelightedLivybeyondanylikeutterancereceivedbyherthesethirtyyearsandmore。Iwasgoingtoansweritforherrightaway，andsaidso；butshereservedtheprivilegetoherself。IjudgesheisaccumulatingHotStuff——asGeorgeAdewouldsay…… Livyiscomingalong：eatswell，sleepssome，ismostlyverygay，notveryoftendepressed；spendsalldayontheporch，sleepsthereapartofthenight，makesexcursionsincarriageandinwheel-chair；and，inthematterofsuperintendingeverythingandeverybody，hasresumedbusinessattheoldstand。 Didyouevergohouse-hunting3，000milesaway？Itcoststhreemonthsofwritingandtelegraphingtopulloffasuccess。Wefinished3or4daysago，andtooktheVillaPapiniano(damthename，Ihavetolookatitaminutesafterwritingit，andthenamalwaysindoubt)forayearbycable。ThreemilesoutsideofFlorence，underFiesole——adarlinglocation，andapparentlyachoicehouse，nearFiske。 There”s7inourgang。Allwomenbutme。Itmeanstrunksandthings。 Butthanksbe！To-day(thisisprivate)comesamosthandsomevoluntarydocumentwithsealsandescutcheonsonitfromtheItalianAmbassador(whoisastrangertome)commandingtheCustomspeopletokeeptheirhandsofftheClemens”sthings。Nowwasn”titlovelyofhim？Andwasn”titlovelyofmetoletLivytakeapencilandeditmyanswerandknockagoodthirdofitout？ Andthat”saniceship——theIrene！new——swift——13，000tons——roomsupinthesky，opentosunandair——andallthat。IwasdesperatelytroubledforLivy——aboutthedown-cellarcellsintheancient“Latin。” ThecubsareinRiverdale，yet；theycometousthefirstweekinAugust。 Withlotsandlotsoflovetoyouall，MARK。 ThearrangementfortheVillaPapinianowasnotcompleted，afterall，andthroughagoodfriend，GeorgeGregorySmith，aresidentofFlorence，theVillaQuarto，anancienthomeofroyalty，onthehillswestofFlorence，wasengaged。Smithwrotethatitwasaverybeautifulplacewithasouth-easternexposure，lookingouttowardValombrosaandtheChiantiHills。Ithadextensivegroundsandstables，andtheannualrentalforitallwastwothousanddollarsayear。Itseemedanidealplace，inprospect，andtherewasgreathopethatMrs。ClemenswouldfindherhealthoncemoreintheItalianclimatewhichsheloved。 Perhapsatthispoint，whenMarkTwainisoncemoreleavingAmerica，wemayoffertwolettersfromstrangerstohim——lettersofappreciation——suchashewasconstantlyreceivingfromthoseamongthethousandstowhomhehadgivenhappiness。ThefirstisfromSamuelMerwin，onedaytobecomeapopularnovelist，theninthehourofhisbeginnings。 ToMarkTwain，fromSamuelMerwin： PLAINFIELD，N。J。 August4，1903。 DEARMR。CLEMENS，——ForagoodmanyyearsIhavebeenstrugglingwiththetemptationtowriteyouandthankyoufortheworkyouhavedone；andto- dayIseemtobeyielding。 DuringthepasttwoyearsIhavebeenreadingthroughagroupofwriterswhoseemtometorepresentaboutthebestwehave——SirThomasMalory，Spenser，Shakespeare，Boswell，Carlyle，LeSage。Inthinkingoveroneandthenanother，andthenallofthemtogether，itwasplaintoseewhytheyweregreatmenandwriters：eachbroughttohistimesomenewblood，newideas，——turnedanewcurrentintothestream。Isupposetherehavealwaysbeenthecareful，painstakingwriters，themenwhoarealwaystakensoseriouslybytheirfellowcraftsmen。Itseemstobetheunconventionalmanwhoissorare——Imeanthehonestlyunconventionalman，whohastoexpresshimselfinhisownbigwaybecausetheconventionalwayisn”tbigenough，becauseneneedsroomandfreedom。 Wehaveagroupofthemoreorlessconventionalmennow——menofdignityandliteraryposition。Butinspiteoftheirinfluenceandofalltheworktheyhavedone，thereisn”toneofthemtowhomonecangiveone”sselfupwithoutreservation，notonewhoseideasseembasedonthedeepfoundationofalltruephilosophy，——exceptMarkTwain。 Ihopethisletterisnotanimpertinence。Ihavejustbeenturningabout，withmyheadfullofSpenserandShakespeareand“GilBlas，“ lookingforsomethinginourownpresentdayliteraturetowhichIcouldsurrendermyselfastothosefivegrippingoldwritings。AndnothingcouldIfinduntilItookup“LifeontheMississippi，“and“HuckleberryFinn，“and，justnow，the“ConnecticutYankee。”Itisn”tthefirsttimeIhavereadanyofthesethree，andit”sbecauseIknowitwon”tbethelast，becausethesebooksaretheonlyoneswritteninmylifetimethatclaimmyunreservedinterestandadmirationand，aboveall，myfeelings，thatI”vefeltIhadtowritethisletter。 Iliketothinkthat“TomSawyer“and“HuckleberryFinn“willbelookedupon，fiftyorahundredyearsfromnow，asthepictureofbuoyant，dramatic，humanAmericanlife。Ifeel，deepinmyownheart，prettysurethattheywillbe。Theywon”tbelookedonthenastheworkofa“humorist“anymorethanwethinkofShakespeareasahumoristnow。 Idon”tmeanbythistosetupacomparisonbetweenMarkTwainandShakespeare：Idon”tfeelcompetenttodoit；andI”mnotatallsurethatitcouldbedoneuntilMarkTwain”sworkshallhaveitsfairshareofhistoricalperspective。ButShakespearewasahumoristandso，thankHeaven！isMarkTwain。AndShakespeareplungeddeepintothedeep，sadthingsoflife；andso，inadifferentway(butinawaythathasmorethanoncebroughttearstomyeyes)hasMarkTwain。Butafterall，itisn”tbecauseofanyresemblanceforanythingthatwaseverbeforewrittenthatMarkTwain”sbooksstrikeinsodeep：it”sratherbecausethey”vebroughtsomethingreallynewintoourliterature——new，yetoldasAdamandEveandtheApple。Andthisachievement，theachievementofputtingsomethingintoliteraturethatwasnottherebefore，is，Ishouldthink，themostthatanywritercaneverhopetodo。Itistheonemarkofdistinctionbetweenthe“lonesome“littlegroupofbigmenandthevastherdofmediumandsmallones。Anyhow，thismuchIamsureof——totheyoungmanwhohopes，howeverfeebly，toaccomplishalittlesomething，someday，asawriter，theoneinspiringexampleofourtimeisMarkTwain。 Verytrulyyours，SAMUELMERWIN。 MarkTwainoncesaidhecouldliveamonthonagoodcompliment，andfromhisreply，wemaybelievethisonetobelongin，thatclass。 ToSamuelMerwin，inPlainfield，N。J。： Aug。16，”03。 DEARMR。MERWIN，——Whatyouhavesaidhasgivenmedeeppleasure——indeedI thinknowordscouldbesaidthatcouldgivememore。 Verysincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Thenext“compliment“isfromonewhoremainsunknown，forshefailedtosignhernameinfull。Butitisalovelyletter，andlosesnothingbythefactthatthewriterofitwaswillingtoremaininobscurity。 ToMarkTwain，fromMargaretM——： PORTLAND，OREGON Aug。18，1903。 MYDEAR，DEARMARKTWAIN，——Mayalittlegirlwriteandtellyouhowdearlyshelovesandadmiresyourwritings？Well，IdoandIwanttotellyouyourownself。Don”tthinkmetooimpertinentforindeedIdon”tmeantobethat！IhavereadeverythingofyoursthatIcouldgetandpartsthattouchmeIhavereadoverandoveragain。Theyseemsuchdearfriendstome，solikereallivehumanbeingstalkingandlaughing，workingandsufferingtoo！Onecannotbutfeelthatitisyourownlifeandexperiencethatyouhavepainted。Sodonotwonderthatyouseemadearfriendtomewhohasneverevenseenyou。Ioftenthinkofyouassuchinmyownthoughts。IwonderifyouwilllaughwhenItellyouI havemadeaheroofyou？Forwhenpeopleseemverysordidandmeanandstupid(anditseemsasifeverybodywas)thenthethoughtwillcomelikealittlecrumbofcomfort“well，MarkTwainisn”tanyway。”Anditdoesreallybrightenmeup。 YouseeIhavegottenanideathatyouareagreat，brightspiritofkindnessandtenderness。Onewhocantwisteverybody”s-evenyourown- faultsandabsurditiesintoheartylaughs。Eventhepersonmockedmustlaugh！Oh，Dear！Howoftenyouhavemademelaugh！AndyetasoftenyouhavestrucksomethinginfiniteawaydowndeepinmyheartsothatI wanttocrywhilehalflaughing！ SothisallmeansthatIwanttothankyouandtotellyou。“GodalwaysloveMarkTwain！“isoftenmywish。Idearlylovetoreadbooks，andI nevertireofreadingyours；theyalwayshaveacharmforme。Good-bye，IamafraidIhavenotexpressedwhatIfeel。ButatleastIhavetried。 Sincerelyyours。 MARGARETM—— ClemensandfamilyleftElmiraOctoberthe5thforNewYorkCity。 TheyremainedattheHotelGrosvenoruntiltheirsailingdate，October24th。Afewdaysearlier，Mr。FrankDoubledaysentavolumeofKipling”spoemsanddeBlowitz”sMemoirsforentertainmentontheship。MarkTwain”sacknowledgmentfollows。 ToF。N。Doubleday，inNewYork： THEGROSVENOR，October12，”03。 DEARDOUBLEDAY，——Thebookscame——eversomanythanks。Ihavebeenreading“TheBellBuoy“and“TheOldMen“overandoveragain——mycustomwithKipling”swork-andsavinguptherestforotherleisurelyandluxuriousmeals。Abell-buoyisadeeplyimpressivefellow-being。InthesemanyrecenttripsupanddowntheSoundintheKanawha—— [Mr。Rogers”syacht。]——hehastalkedtomenightly，sometimesinhispatheticandmelancholyway，sometimeswithhisstrenuousandurgentnote，andIgothismeaning——nowIhavehiswords！NoonebutKiplingcoulddothisstrongandvividthing。SomedayIhopetohearthepoemchantedorsung——withthebell-buoybreakingin，outofthedistance。 “TheOldMen，“delicious，isn”tit？Andsocomicallytrue。Ihaven”tarrivedthereyet，butIsupposeIamontheway…… Yoursever，MARK。 P。S。Yourletterhasarrived。Itmakesmeproudandglad——whatKiplingsays。IhopeFatewillfetchhimtoFlorencewhilewearethere。 Iwouldratherseehimthananyotherman。 We”velettheTarrytownhouseforayear。Man，youwouldneverhavebelievedapersoncouldletahouseinthesetimes。Thatone”sforsale，theHartfordoneissold。Whenwebuyagainmaywe——mayI——bedamned…… I”vedippedintoBlowitzandfindhimquaintlyandcuriouslyinteresting。 Ithinkhetellsthestraighttruth，too。Iknewhimalittle，23yearsago。 TheappreciativewordwhichKiplinghadsentDoubledaywas：“IlovetothinkofthegreatandGod-likeClemens。Heisthebiggestmanyouhaveonyoursideofthewaterbyadamnsight，anddon”tyouforgetit。Cervanteswasarelationofhis。” XLIII LETTERSOF1904。TOVARIOUSPERSONS。LIFEINVILLAQUARTO。DEATHOF MRS。CLEMENS。THERETURNTOAMERICA Mrs。ClemensstoodthevoyagetoItalyverywelland，induetime，thefamilywereinstalledintheVillaRealediQuarto，thepicturesqueoldPalaceofCosimo，aspacious，luxuriousplace，evenifnotentirelycheerfuloralwayscomfortableduringthechangeableTuscanwinter。 CongratulatedinaletterfromMacAlisterinbeinginthemidstofFlorentinesunshine，heanswered：“Florentinesunshine？Blessyou，thereisn”tany。Wehaveheavyfogseverymorning，andrainallday。Thishouseisnotmerelylarge，itisvast——thereforeIthinkitmustalwayslackthehomefeeling。” Neitherwastheirlandlady，theAmericanwifeofanItaliancount，allthatcouldbedesired。FromalettertoTwichell，however，welearnthatMarkTwain”sworkwasprogressingwell。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，Jan。7，”04。 DEARJOE，……Ihavehadahandsomesuccess，inoneway，here。 IleftNewYorkunderasortofhalfpromisetofurnishtotheHarpermagazines30，000wordsthisyear。Magaziningisdifficultworkbecauseeverythirdpagerepresents2pagesthatyouhaveputinthefire； (becauseyouarenearlysuretostartwrongtwice)andsowhenyouhavefinishedanarticleandarewillingtoletitgotoprintitrepresentsonly10centsawordinsteadof30。 ButthistimeIhadthecurious(andunprecedented)lucktostartrightineachcase。Iturnedout37，000wordsin25workingdays；andthereasonIthinkIstartedrighteverytimeis，thatnotonlyhaveI approvedandacceptedtheseveralarticles，butthecourtoflastresort(Livy)hasdonethesame。 Onmanyofthebetween-daysIdidsomework，butonlyofanidleandnotnecessarilynecessarysort，sinceitwillnotseeprintuntilIamdead。 Ishallcontinuethis(anhourperday)buttherestoftheyearIexpecttoputinonacoupleoflongbooks(half-completedones。)Nomoremagazine-workhangingovermyhead。 Thissecludedandsilentsolitudethisclean，softairandthisenchantingviewofFlorence，thegreatvalleyandthesnow-mountainsthatframeitaretherightconditionsforwork。Theyareapersistentinspiration。To-dayisverylovely；whentheafternoonarrivestherewillbeanewpictureeveryhourtilldark，andeachofthemdivine——orprogressingfromdivinetodivineranddivinest。Onthis(second)floorClara”sroomcommandsthefinest；shekeepsawindowtenfeethighwideopenallthetimeandframesitin。Igoinfromtimetotime，everydayandtradesassforalook。Thecentraldetailisadistantandstatelysnow-humpthatrisesaboveandbehindblackforestedhills，anditsslopingvastbuttresses，velvetyandsun-polishedwithpurpleshadowsbetween，makethesortofpictureweknewthattimewewalkedinSwitzerlandinthedaysofouryouth。 IwishIcouldshowyourlettertoLivy——butshemustwaitaweekorsoforit。IthinkItoldyoushehadaprostratingweekoftonsilitisamonthago；shehasremainedveryfeebleeversince，andconfinedtothebedofcourse，butweallowourselvestobelieveshewillregainthelostgroundinanothermonth。HerphysicianisProfessorGrocco——shecouldnothaveabetter。Andshehasaverygoodtrainednurse。 Lovetoallofyoufromallofus。AndtoallofourdearHartfordfriends。 MARK P。S。3dayslater。 Livyisasremarkableasever。ThedayIwroteyou——thatnight，Imean—— shehadabitterattackofgoutorrheumatismoccupyingthewholeleftarmfromshouldertofingers，accompaniedbyfever。Thepainsrackedher50or6ohours；theyhavedeparted，now——andalreadysheisplanningatriptoEgyptnextfall，andawinter”ssojournthere！Thisislifeinheryet。 YouwillbesurprisedthatIwaswillingtodosomuchmagazine-writing—— athingIhavealwaysbeencharyabout——butIhadgoodreasons。Ourexpenseshavebeensoprodigiousforayearandahalf，andarestillsoprodigious，thatLivywasworryingaltogethertoomuchaboutthem，anddoingaverydangerousamountoflyingawakeontheiraccount。Itwasnecessarytostopthat，anditisnowstopped。 Yes，sheisremarkable，Joe。Herrheumaticattacksetmetocursingandswearing，withoutlimitastotimeorenergy，butitmerelyconcentratedherpatienceandherunconquerablefortitude。Itisthedifferencebetweenus。Ican”tcountthedifferentkindsofailmentswhichhaveassaultedherinthisfiendishyearandahalf——andIforgivenoneofthem——buthereshecomesupagainasbrightandfreshandenterprisingasever，andgoestoplanningaboutEgypt，withahopeandaconfidencewhicharetomeamazing。 Claraiscallingforme——wehavetogointotownandpaycalls。 MARK。 InFlorence，thatwinter，Clemensbegandictatingtohissecretarysomeautobiographicalchapters。Thiswastheworkwhichwas“nottoseeprintuntilIamdead。”Hefounditapleasant，lazyoccupationandwrotehisdelightinittoHowellsinaletterwhichseemsnottohavesurvived。Inhisreply，Howellswrote：“YoudostirmemightilywiththehopeofdictatingandIwilltryitwhenIgetthechance。Butthereisthetempermentaldifference。Youaredramaticandunconscious；youcountthethingmorethanyourself；Iamcursedwithconsciousnesstothecore，andcan”tsaymyselfout；Iamalwayssayingmyselfin，andsettingmyselfaboveallthatIsay，asofmoreworth。LatelyIhavefeltasifIwererottingwithegotism。Idon”tadmiremyself；Iamsickofmyself；butIcan”tthinkofanythingelse。HereIamatitnow，whenIoughttoberejoicingwithyouattheblessingyouhavefound……I”dlike，immensely，toreadyourautobiography。Youalwaysratherbewilderedmebyyourveracity，andIfancyyoumaytellthetruthaboutyourself。Butallofit？Theblacktruthwhichweallknowofourselvesinourhearts，oronlythewhity-browntruthofthepericardium，orthenice，whitenedtruthoftheshirtfront？Evenyouwon”ttelltheblackheart”s——truth。Themanwhocoulddoitwouldbefamedtothelastdaythesunshoneupon。” WegatherfromMarkTwain”sanswerthathewasnotdeceivinghimselfinthematterofhisconfessions。 ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork： VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，March14，”04。 DEARHOWELLS，——Yes，Isetupthesafeguards，inthefirstday”sdictating；takingthisposition：thatanautobiographyisthetruestofallbooks；forwhileitinevitablyconsistsmainlyofextinctionsofthetruth，shirkingsofthetruth，partialrevealmentsofthetruth，withhardlyaninstanceofplainstraighttruth，theremorselesstruthisthere，betweenthelines，wheretheauthorisrakingdustuponit，theresultbeingthatthereaderknowstheauthorinspiteofhiswilydiligences。 ThesummerinEngland！youcan”taskbetterluckthanthat。ThenyouwillrunovertoFlorence；weshallallbehungrytoseeyou-all。Wearehuntingforanothervilla，(thisoneisplentylargeenoughbuthasnoroominit)butevenifwefinditIamafraiditwillbemonthsbeforewecanmoveMrs。Clemens。Ofcourseitwill。Butitcomfortsustoletonthatwethinkotherwise，andthesepretensionshelptokeephopealiveinher。 Good-bye，withlove，Amen。 YourseverMARK。 NewscameofthedeathofHenryM。Stanley，oneofMarkTwain”soldestfriends。ClemensoncesaidthathehadmetStanleyinSt。 Louiswherehe(Clemens)haddeliveredalecturewhichStanleyhadreported。Inthefollowingletterhefixesthedateoftheirmeetingasearlyin1867，whichwouldbeimmediatelyafterMarkTwain”sreturnfromCalifornia，andjustpriortotheQuakerCityexcursion——afactwhichisinterestingonlybecauseitplacesthetwomentogetherwheneachwasattheverybeginningofagreatcareer。 ToLadyStanley，inEngland： VILLADIQUARTO，FIRENZE，May11，”04。 DEARLADYSTANLEY，——Ihavelostadearandhonoredfriend——howfasttheyfallaboutmenow，inmyage！Theworldhaslostatriedandprovedhero。Andyou——whathaveyoulost？Itisbeyondestimate——wewhoknowyou，andwhathewastoyou，knowthat。Howfarhestretchesacrossmylife！Iknewhimwhenhisworkwasallbeforehimfiveyearsbeforethegreatdaythathewrotehisnamefar-awayupontheblueoftheskyfortheworldtoseeandapplaudandremember；Ihaveknownhimasfriendandintimateeversince。Itis37years。Ihaveknownnootherfriendandintimatesolong，exceptJohnHay——afriendshipwhichdatesfromthesameyearandthesamehalfofit，thefirsthalfof1867。Igrievewithyouandwithyourfamily，dearLadyStanley，itisallIcando；butthatI dooutofmyheart。Itwouldbewe，insteadofI，ifMrs。Clemensknew，butinallthese20monthsthatshehaslainaprisonerinherbedwehavehiddenfromherallthingsthatcouldsaddenher。Manyafriendisgonewhomshestillasksaboutandstillthinksisliving。 IndeepestsympathyIbegtheprivilegeofsigningmyselfYourfriend，S。L。CLEMENS。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： VILLADIQUARTO，May11，”04 DEARJOE，——Yourshasthismomentarrived——justasIwasfinishinganotetopoorLadyStanley。Ibelievethelastcountry-housevisitwepaidinEnglandwastoStanley”s。Lord，howmyfriendsandacquaintancesfallaboutmenow，inmygray-headeddays！Vereschagin，Mommsen，Dvorak，Lenbach，Jokai——allsorecently，andnowStanley。IhadknownStanley37 years。Goodness，whoisitIhaven”tknown！Asarulethenecrologiesfindmepersonallyinterested——whentheytreatofoldstagers。Generallywhenamandieswhoisworthcabling，ithappensthatIhaverunacrosshimsomewhere，sometimeorother。 Oh，say！DownbytheLaurentianLibrarythere”samarbleimagethathasbeensittingonitspedestalsome450Years，ifmydatesareright—— CosimoI。I”veseenthebackofitmanyatime，butnotthefront；butyesterdayItwistedmyheadaroundafterwehaddrivenby，andtheprofaneexclamationburstfrommymouthbeforeIcouldthink：“there”sChaunceyDepew！“ Imeantogetaphotoofit——anduseitifitconfirmsyesterday”sconviction。That”saverynicewordfromtheCatholicMagazineandIamgladyousentit。Imeantoshowittomypriest——weareveryfondofhim。Heisastealingman，andisalsolearnedlyscientific。Heinventedthethingwhichrecordstheseismaticdisturbances，forthepeoplesoftheearth。Andhe”sanastronomerandhasanobservatoryofhisown。 Ah，many”sthecryIhave，overreflectingthatmaybewecouldhavehadYoungHarmonyforLivy，anddidn”thavewitenoughtothinkofit。 SpeakingofLivyremindsmethatyourinquiryarrivesatagoodtime(unberufen)Ithasbeenweeks(Idon”tknowhowmany！)sincewecouldhavesaidahopefulword，butthismorningKatycametheminutetheday- nursecameonwatchandsaidwordsofastrangeandlong-forgottensound： “Mr。Clemens，Mrs。Clemensisreallyandtrulybetter！——anybodycanseeit；sheseesitherself；andlastnightat9o”clockshesaidit。” There——itisheart-warming，itissplendid，itissublime；letusenjoyit，letusmakethemostofittoday——andbetnotafarthingontomorrow。 Thetomorrowshavenothingforus。Toomanytimestheyhavebreathedthewordofpromisetoourearandbrokenittoourhope。Wetakenotomorrow”swordanymore。 You”vedoneawonder，Joe：you”vewrittenaletterthatcanbesentintoLivy——thatdoesn”toftenhappen，wheneitherafriendorastrangerwrites。YoudidwhirlinaP。S。thatwouldn”tdo，butyouwroteitonamarginofapageinsuchawaythatIwasabletoclipoffthemarginclearacrossbothpages，andnowLivywon”tperceivethatthesheetisn”tthesamesizeitusedtowas。ItwasaboutAldrich”sson，andIcamenearforgettingtoremoveit。Itshouldhavebeenwrittenonaloosestripandenclosed。Thatsondiedonthe5thofMarchandAldrichwrotemeonthenightbeforethathisminuteswerenumbered。Onthe18thLivyaskedafterthatpatient，andIwasprepared，andabletogiveheragratefulsurprisebytellingher“theAldrichesarenolongeruneasyabouthim。” IdowishIcouldhavebeenpresentandheardCharleyClark。Whenhecan”tlightupadarkplacenobodycan。 Withlotsoflovetoyouall。 MARK。 Mrs。Clemenshadherbaddaysandhergooddays-dayswhenthereseemednorayoflight，andothersthatseemedalmosttopromiserecovery。TheforegoinglettertoTwichell，andtheonewhichfollows，toRichardWatsonGilder，reflectthehopeandfearthatdailyandhourlyalternatedatVillaQuartoToRichardWatsonGilder，inNewYork： VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，May12，”04。 DEARGILDER，——Afriendofours(theBaronessdeNolda)washerethisafternoonandwantedanoteofintroductiontotheCentury，forshehassomethingtoselltoyouincaseyou”llwanttomakeheranofferafterseeingasampleofthegoods。Isaid“Withpleasure：getthegoodsready，sendthesametome，IwillhaveJeantype-writethem，thenIwillmailthemtotheCenturyandtonightIwillwritethenotetoMr。Gilderandstartitalong。Alsowritemealetterembodyingwhatyouhavebeensayingtomeaboutthegoodsandyourproposedplanofarrangingandexplainingthem，andIwillforwardthattoGildertoo。” AstotheBaroness。SheisaGerman；30yearsold；wasmarriedat17；isverypretty-indeedImightsayverypretty；hasalotofsons(5)runningupfromsevento12yearsold。HerhusbandisaRussian。TheylivehalfthetimeinRussiaandtheotherhalfinFlorence，andsupplypopulationalternatelytotheonecountryandthentotheother。Ofcourseitisafamilythatspeakslanguages。Thisoccursattheirtable——Iknowitbyexperience：ItisBabelcomeagain。Theotherday，whennoguestswerepresenttokeeporder，thetribeswerealltalkingatonce，and6 languageswerebeingtradedin；atlastthelittlestboylosthistemperandscreamedoutatthetopofhisvoice，withangrysobs：“Mais，vraiment，iononcapiscogarnichts。” TheBaronessisalittleafraidofherEnglish，thereforeshewillwriteherremarksinFrench——Isaidthere”saplentyoftranslatorsinNewYork。Examinehersamplesanddropheraline。 Fortwoentiredays，now，wehavenotbeenanxiousaboutMrs。Clemens(unberufen)。After20monthsofbed-riddensolitudeandbodilymiserysheallofasuddenceasestobeapallidshrunkenshadow，andlooksbrightandyoungandpretty。Sheremainswhatshealwayswas，themostwonderfulcreatureoffortitude，patience，enduranceandrecuperativepowerthateverwas。Butah，dear，itwon”tlast；thisfiendishmaladywillplaynewtreacheriesuponher，andIshallgobacktomyprayersagain——unutterablefromanypulpit！ Withlovetoyouandyours，S。L。C。 May1310A。M。Ihavejustpaidoneofmypairofpermitted2minutesvisitsperdaytothesickroom。AndfoundwhatIhavelearnedtoexpect——retrogression，andthatpatheticsomethingintheeyewhichbetraysthesecretofawaninghope。 TheyearoftheWorld”sFairhadcome，andaninvitationfromGov。 Francis，ofMissouri，cametoMarkTwaininFlorence，personallyinvitinghimtoattendthegreatcelebrationandcarryofffirstprize。WemaybelievethatClemensfeltlittleinthespiritofhumor，buttosuchaninvitationhemustsendacheerful，evenifdisappointing，answer。 ToGov。Francis，ofMissouri： VILLADIQUARTO，FIRENZE，May26，1904。 DEARGOVERNORFRANCIS，——IthasbeenadearwishofminetoexhibitmyselfattheGreatFairandgetaprize，butcircumstancesbeyondmycontrolhaveinterfered，andImustremaininFlorence。AlthoughIhavenevertakenprizesanywhereelseIusedtotakethematschoolinMissourihalfacenturyago，andIoughttobeabletorepeat，now，ifIcouldhaveachance。Iusedtogetthemedalforgoodspelling，everyweek，andI couldhavehadthemedalforgoodconductiftherehadn”tbeensomuchcurruptioninMissouriinthosedays；still，Igotitseveraltimesbytradingmedalsandgivingboot。Iamwillingtogivebootnow，if—— however，thosedaysareforevergonebyinMissouri，andperhapsitisbetterso。Nothingeverstopsthewayitwasinthischangeableworld。 AlthoughIcannotbeattheFair，Iamgoingtoberepresentedthereanyway，byaportrait，byProfessorGelli。Youwillfinditexcellent。 Goodjudgesheresayitisbetterthantheoriginal。Theysayithasallthemeritsoftheoriginalandkeepsstill，besides。Itsoundslikeflattery，butitisjusttrue。 Isupposeyouwillgetaprize，becauseyouhavecreatedthemostprodigiousandinallwaysmostwonderfulFairtheplanethaseverseen。 Verywell，youhaveindeedearnedit：andwithitthegratitudeoftheStateandthenation。 Sincerelyyours，MARKTWAIN ItwasonlyafewdaysaftertheforegoingwaswrittenthatdeathenteredVillaQuarto——unexpectedlyatlast——forwiththefirstJunedaysMrs。Clemenshadseemedreallytoimprove。ItwasonSunday，June5th，thattheendcame。Clemens，withhisdaughterJean，hadreturnedfromalongdrive，duringwhichtheyhadvisitedaVillawiththethoughtofpurchase。Ontheirreturntheyweretoldthattheirpatienthadbeenbetterthatafternoonthanforthreemonths。 Yetitwasonlyafewhourslaterthatsheleftthem，sosuddenlyandquietlythateventhosenearherdidnotatfirstrealizethatshewasgone。 ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork。 VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，June6，”94。[1904] DEARHOWELLS，——Lastnightat9。20IenteredMrs。Clemens”sroomtosaytheusualgoodnight——andshewasdead——tho”nooneknewit。Shehadbeencheerfullytalking，amomentbefore。Shewassittingupinbed——shehadnotlaindownformonths——andKatieandthenurseweresupportingher。 Theysupposedshehadfainted，andtheywereholdingtheoxygenpipetohermouth，expectingtoreviveher。Ibentoverherandlookedinherface，andIthinkIspoke——Iwassurprisedandtroubledthatshedidnotnoticeme。Thenweunderstood，andourheartsbroke。Howpoorwearetoday！ ButhowthankfulIamthatherpersecutionsareended。IwouldnotcallherbackifIcould。 Today，treasuredinherwornoldTestament，Ifoundadearandgentleletterfromyou，datedFarRockaway，Sept。13，1896，aboutourpoorSusy”sdeath。Iamtiredandold；IwishIwerewithLivy。 Isendmylove-andhers-toyouall。 S。L。C。 InalettertoTwichellhewrote：“Howsweetshewasindeath；howyoung，howbeautiful，howlikeherdear，girlishselfcfthirtyyearsago；notagrayhairshowing。” ThefamilywasnowwithoutplansforthefutureuntiltheyrememberedthesummerhomeofR。W。Gilder，atTyringham，Massachusetts，andthepossibilityoffindinglodgmentforthemselvesinthatsecludedcornerofNewEngland。Clemenswrotewithoutdelay，asfollows： ToR。W。Gilder，inNewYork： VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，June7，”04。 DEARGILDERFAMILY，——Ihavebeenworryingandworryingtoknowwhattodo：atlastIwenttothegirlswithanidea：toasktheGilderstogetusshelterneartheirsummerhome。Itwasthefirsttimetheyhavenotshakentheirheads。Soto-morrowIwillcabletoyouandshallhopetobeintime。 An，houragothebestheartthateverbeatformeandminewentsilentoutofthishouse，andIamasonewhowandersandhaslosthisway。Shewhoisgonewasourhead，shewasourhands。Wearenowtryingtomakeplans——we：wewhohavenevermadeaplanbefore，noreverneededto。Ifshecouldspeaktousshewouldmakeitallsimpleandeasywithaword，andourperplexitieswouldvanishaway。Ifshehadknownshewasneartodeathshewouldhavetolduswheretogoandwhattodo：butshewasnotsuspecting，neitherwerewe。(Shehadbeenchattingcheerfullyamomentbefore，andinaninstantshewasgonefromusandwedidnotknowit。 Wewerenotalarmed，wedidnotknowanythinghadhappened。Itwasablesseddeath——shepassedawaywithoutknowingit。)Shewasallourrichesandsheisgone：shewasourbreath，shewasourlifeandnowwearenothing。 Wesendyouourlove——andwithittheloveofyouthatwasinherheartwhenshedied。 S。L。CLEMENS。 Howellswrotehiswordsofsympathy，adding：“Thecharacterwhichnowremainsamemorywasoneofthemostperfecteverformedontheearth，“andagain，afterhavingreceivedClemens”sletter：“Icannotspeakofyourwife”shavingkeptthatletterofminewhereshedid。 Youknowhowitmusthumiliateamaninhisunworthinesstohaveanythingofhissoconsecrated。Shehallowedwhatshetouched，farbeyondpriests。” ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork： VILLADIQUARTO，”04。 June12，6p。m。 DEARHOWELLS，——Wehavetositandholdourhandsandwait——inthesilenceandsolitudeofthisprodigioushouse；waituntilJune25，thenwegotoNaplesandsailinthePrinceOscarthe26th。Thereisaship12daysearlier(butwecameinthatone。)IseeClaratwiceaday——morningandevening——greeting——nothingmoreisallowed。Shekeepsherbed，andsaysnothing。Shehasnotcriedyet。Iwishshecouldcry。ItwouldbreakLivy”shearttoseeClara。Weexcuseourselvesfromallthefriendsthatcall——thoughofcourseonlyintimatescome。Intimates——buttheyarenottheoldoldfriends，thefriendsoftheold，oldtimeswhenwelaughed。 Shallweeverlaughagain？IfIcouldonlyseeadogthatIknewintheoldtimes！andcouldputmyarmsaroundhisneckandtellhimall，everything，andeasemyheart。 Think-in3hoursitwillbeaweek！——andsoonamonth；andbyandbyayear。Howfastourdeadflyfromus。 Shelovedyouso，andwasalwaysaspleasedasachildwithanynoticeyoutookofher。 Soonyourwifewillbewithyou，ohfortunateman！AndJohn，whomminewassofondof。Thesightofhimwassuchadelighttoher。Lord，theoldfriends，howdeartheyare。 S。L。C。 ToRev。J。R。Twichell，inHartford： VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，June18，”04。 DEARJOE，——Itis13days。Iambewilderedandmustremainsoforatimelonger。Itwassosudden，sounexpected。Imagineamanworthahundredmillionswhofindshimselfsuddenlypennilessandfiftymillionindebtinhisoldage。 Iwasricherthananyotherpersonintheworld，andnowIamthatpauperwithoutpeer。SomedayIwilltellyouaboutit，notnow。 MARK。