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