第15章
ThePhelpsescametoFrankfortandwehadsomegreattimes——dinnerathishotel，theMasons，supperatourinn——Livynotinit。Shewasmerelyallowedaglimpse，nomore。Ofcourse，Phelpssaidshewasmerelypretendingtobeill；wasneverlookingsowellandfine。
Thechildrenareallright。Theypaddlearoundalittle，anddrive-sodoweall。Lucerneseemstobeprettyfulloftourists。TheFleulenboatwentoutcrowdedyesterdaymorning。
TheParisHeraldhascreatedapublicinterestbyinoculatingoneofitscorrespondentswithcholera。AmansaidyesterdayhewishedtoGodtheywouldinoculateallofthem。Yes，theinterestisquitegeneralandstrong，andmuchhopeisfelt。
Livysays，Ihavesaidenoughbadthings，andbettersendallourlovestoyouandCharleyandIdaandallthechildrenandshutup。WhichIdo——andshutup。
S。L。C。
TheyreachedFlorenceonthe26th，andfourdayslaterwefindClemenswritingagaintoMrs。Crane，detailingeverythingatlength。
Littlecommentonthisletterisrequired；itfullyexplainsitself。
Perhapsawordofdescriptionfromoneofhismemorandawillnotbeoutofplace。Ofthevillahewrote：“Itisaplain，squarebuilding，likeabox，andispaintedlightgreenandhasgreenwindow-shutters。Itstandsinacommandingpositionontheartificialterraceofliberaldimensions，whichiswalledaroundwithmasonry。Fromthewallsthevineyardsandolivegrovesoftheestateslantawaytowardthevalley……Rosesoverflowtheretainingwallsandthebatteredandmossystoneurnonthegate-
post，inpinkandyellowcataracts，exactlyastheydoonthedrop-
curtainsinthetheaters。Thehouseisaveryfortressforstrength。”
TheMrs。RossinthisletterwasJanetRoss，daughterofLadyDuffGordon，rememberedto-dayforherEgyptianletters。TheRosscastlewasbutalittledistanceaway。
ToMrs。Crane，inElmira：
VILLAVIVIANI，SETTIGNANO，FLORENCE。
Sept。30，1892
DEARSUE，——Wehavebeeninthehouseseveraldays，andcertainlyitisabeautifulplace，——particularlyatthismoment，whentheskiesareadeepleadencolor，thedomesofFlorencediminthedrizzlingrain，andoccasionalperpendicularcoilsoflightningquiveringintenselyintheblackskyaboutGalileo”sTower。Itisacharmingpanorama，andthemostconspicuoustowersanddomesdowninthecitylookto-dayjustastheylookedwhenBoccaccioandDanteusedtocontemplatethemfromthishillockfiveandsixhundredyearsago。
TheMademoiselleisagreathelptoLivyinthehousekeeping，andisacheeryandcheerfulpresenceinthehouse。ThebutlerisequippedwithalittleFrench，anditisthisfactthatenablesthehousetogo——butitwon”tgowelluntilthefamilygetsomesortoffacilitywiththeItaliantongue，forthecook，thewoman-of-all-workandthecoachmanunderstandonlythat。Itisastubbornanddevilishlanguagetolearn，butJeanandtheotherswillmasterit。Livy”sGermanNauheimgirlistheworstoffofanybody，asthereisnomarketforhertongueatallamongthehelp。
Withthefurnitureinandthecurtainsupthehouseisverypretty，andnotunhomelike。Atmid-nightlastnightweheardscreamsupstairs——Susyhadsettheloftywindowcurtainsafirewithacandle。Thissoundskindoffrightful，whereaswhenyoucometothinkofit，aburningcurtainorpileoffurniturehasn”tanyelementofdangeraboutitinthisfortress。
Thereisn”tanyconceivablewaytoburnthishousedown，orenableaconflagrationononefloortoclimbtothenext。
Mrs。Rosslaidinourwood，wineandservantsforus，andtheyareexcellent。ShehadthehousescouredfromCellartorookthecurtainswashedandputup，allbedspulledtopieces，beaten，washedandputtogetheragain，andbeguiledtheMarcheseintoputtingabigporcelainstoveinthevastcentralhall。Sheisawonderfulwoman，andwedon”tquiteseehoworwhenweshouldhavegottenunderwaywithouther。
Observeouraddressabove——thepostdeliverslettersdailyatthehouse。
EvenwiththeworkandfussofsettlingthehouseLivyhasimproved——andthebestisyettocome。Thereisgoingtobeabsoluteseclusionhere——
ahermitlife，infact。We(therestofus)shallrunovertotheRoss”sfrequently，andtheywillcomeherenowandthenandseeLivy——thatisall。Mr。Fiskeisaway——nobodyknowswhere——andtheworkonhishousehasbeenstoppedandhisservantsdischarged。ThereforeweshallmerelygoRossing——asfarassocietyisconcerned——shan”tcirculateinFlorenceuntilLivyshallbewellenoughtotakeashareinit。
Thispresenthouseismodern。Itisnotmuchmorethantwocenturiesold；butpartsofit，andalsoitsfoundationsareofhighantiquity。
Thefinebeautifulfamilyportraits——thegreatcarvedonesinthelargeovalsoverthedoorsofthebighall——carryonewellbackintothepast。
Oneofthemisdated1305——hecouldhaveknownDante，yousee。Anotherisdated1343——hecouldhaveknownBoccaccioandspenthisafternoonsinFiesolelisteningtotheDecamerontales。Anotherisdated1463——
hecouldhavemetColumbus……
Evening。Thestormthunderedawayuntilnight，andtheraincamedowninfloods。Forawhiletherewasapartialbreak，whichfurnishedaboutsuchasunsetaswillbeexhibitedwhentheLastDaycomesandtheuniversetumblestogetherinwreckandruin。Ihaveneverseenanythingmorespectacularandimpressive。
Onepersonissatisfiedwiththevilla，anyway。JeanprefersittoallEurope，saveVenice。JeaniseagertogetattheItaliantongueagain，now，andIseethatshehasforgottenlittleornothingofwhatshelearnedofitinRomeandVenicelastspring。
IamtheheadFrenchdufferofthefamily。Mostofthetalkgoesovermyheadatthetable。Icatchonlywords，notphrases。WhenItaliancomestobesubstitutedIshallbeevenworseoffthanIamnow，Isuppose。
ThisremindsmethatthiseveningtheGermangirlsaidtoLivy，“ManhatmirgesagtlossSieunacandellaverlaughthabe“——unconsciouslydroppinginacoupleofItalianwords，yousee。Sosheisgoingtojointhepolyglots，too，itappears。Theysayitisgoodentertainmenttohearherandthebutlertalktogetherintheirrespectivetongues，piecingoutandpatchingupwiththeuniversalsign-languageastheygoalong。Fivelanguagesinuseinthehouse(includingthesign-language-hardest-workedofthemall)andyetwithallthisopulenceofresourcewedoseemtohaveanuncommonlytoughtimemakingourselvesunderstood。
Whatwelackisacat。IfweonlyhadGermania！Thatwasthemostsatisfactoryall-roundcatIhaveseenyet。Totallyungermanicintheracinessofhischaracterandinthesparkleofhismindandthespontaneityofhismovements。Weshallnotlookuponhislikeagain……
S。L。C。
Clemensgotwellsettleddowntoworkpresently。Hefoundthesituation，theclimate，thebackground，entirelysuitedtoliteraryproduction，andinalittlewhilehehadaccomplishedmorethanatanyothertimesincehisarrivalinEurope。FromletterstoMrs。
CraneandtoMr。Hallwelearnsomethingofhisemploymentsandhissatisfaction。
ToMrs。Crane，inElmira：
VILLAVIVIANI
SETTIGNANO，FLORENCE。Oct。22，”92。
DEARSUE，——Wearegettingwonted。Theopenfireshavedrivenawaythecoldandthedoubt，andnowacheeryspiritpervadestheplace。LivyandtheKingsandMademoisellehavingbeentakingtheirteaanumberoftimes，lately，ontheopenterracewiththecityandthehillsandthesunsetforcompany。Istopwork，afewminutes，asarule，whenthesungetsdowntothehilltopswestofFlorence，andjointhetea-grouptowonderandexclaim。Thereisalwayssomenewmiracleintheview，anewandexquisitevariationintheshow，avariationwhichoccursevery15
minutesbetweendawnandnight。Onceearlyinthemorning，amultitudeofwhitevillasnotbeforeperceived，revealedthemselvesonthefarhills；thenwerecognizedthatallthosegreathillsaresnowedthickwiththem，cleartothesummit。
Thevarietyoflovelyeffects，theinfinitudeofchange，issomethingnottobebelievedbyanywhohasnotseenit。NoviewthatIamacquaintedwithintheworldisatallcomparabletothisfordelicacy，charm，exquisiteness，daintycoloring，andbewilderingrapidityofchange。Itkeepsapersondrunkwithpleasureallthetime。SometimesFlorenceceasestobesubstantial，andbecomesjustafaintsoftdream，withdomesandtowersofair，andoneispersuadedthathemightblowitawaywithapuffofhisbreath。
Livyisprogressingadmirably。Thisisjusttheplaceforher。
[Remaindermissing。]
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
Dec。12，”92。
DEARMR。HALL，——Novembercheckreceived。
IhavelenttheCalifornian”sStorytoArthurStedmanforhisAuthorClubBook，soyoursuggestionthatmynewspring-bookbearthatnamearrivestoolate，asheprobablywouldnotwantustousethatstoryinabookofoursuntiltheAuthorbookhadhaditsrun。Thatisforhimtodecide——
andIdon”twanthimhamperedatallinhisdecision。I，formypart，preferthe“$1，000，000BanknoteandOtherStories“byMarkTwainasatitle，butabovemyjudgmentIpreferyours。Imeanthis——itisnottaffy。
ItoldArthurtoleaveouttheformersquiborparagraphanduseonlytheCalifornian”sStory。TellhimthisisbecauseIamgoingtousethatinthebookIamnowwriting。
Ifinished“ThoseExtraordinaryTwins“nightbeforelastmakes60or80，000words——haven”tcounted。
Thelastthirdofitsuitsmetoadot。Ibegin，to-day，toentirelyrecastandre-writethefirsttwo-thirds——newplan，withtwominorcharacters，madeveryprominent，onemajorcharactercroppedout，andtheTwinssubordinatedtoaminorbutnotinsignificantplace。
Theminorcharacterwillnowbecomethechiefest，andIwillnamethestoryafterhim”Puddn”headWilson。”
MerryXmastoyou，andgreatprosperityandfelicity！
S。L。CLEMENS。
XXXIII
LETTERS，1893，TOMR。HALL，MRS。CLEMENS，ANDOTHERS。FLORENCE。
BUSINESSTROUBLES。“PUDD”NHEADWILSON。”“JOANOFARC。”
ATTHEPLAYERS，NEWYORK
ThereadermayhavesuspectedthatyoungMr。HallinNewYorkwashavinghistroubles。Hewasbythistimeone-thirdownerinthebusinessofCharlesL。Webster&Co。，aswellasitsgeneralmanager。Thebusinesshadbeendrainedofitscapitalonewayandanother-partlybythepublicationofunprofitablebooks；partlybytheearlierdemandsofthetypesetter，butmorethanallbythemanufacturingcostandagents”
commissionsdemandedbyL。A。L。；thatistosay，theelevenlargevolumesconstitutingtheLibraryofAmericanLiterature，whichWebsterhadundertakentoplaceinamillionAmericanhomes。Therewasplentyofsaleforit——indeed，thatwasjustthetrouble；foritwassoldonpayments——smallmonthlypayments——whilethecostofmanufactureandtheliberalagents”commissionswerecashitems，anditwouldrequireaconsiderableperiodbeforethedribbleofcollectionswouldswellintoatidelargeenoughtosatisfythesteadyoutflowofexpense。Asaleoftwenty-fivesetsadaymeantprosperityonpaper，butunlesscapitalcouldberaisedfromsomeothersourcetomakeandmarketthosebooksthroughaperiodofmonths，perhapsevenyears，tocome，itmeantbankruptcyinreality。ItwasHall”sjob，withClemenstobackhim，tokeeptheirshipafloatonthesesteadilyebbingfinancialwaters。ItwasalsoHall”saffairtokeepMarkTwaincheerful，tolookpleasanthimself，andtoshowhowtheyweresteadilygettingrichbecauseorderswerepouringin，thoughacloudthatresembledbankruptcyloomedalwaysalittlehigheruponthehorizon。IfHallhadnotbeenyoungandanoptimist，hewouldhavebeenfrightenedoutofhisbootsearlyinthegame。Asitwas，hemadeabravesteadyfight，keptascheerfulandstiffanupperlipaspossible，alwayshopingthatsomethingwouldhappen——somegrandsaleofhisotherbooks，someunexpectedinflowfromthetype-setterinterests——anythingthatwouldsustainhisshipuntiltheL。A。L。tideshouldturnandfloatitintosafety。
ClemenshadfaithinHallandwasfondofhim。Heneverfoundfaultwithhim；hetriedtoaccepthisencouragingreportsattheirfacevalue。Helentthefirmeverydollarofhisliteraryearningsnotabsolutelyneededforthefamily”ssupport；hesignednewnotes；heallowedMrs。Clemenstoputinsuchremnantsofherpatrimonyasthetype-setterhadspared。
Thesituationin1893wasaboutashereoutlined。TheletterstoHallofthatyeararefrequentandcarryalongthestory。ToanywhohadformedtheideathatMarkTwainwasirascible，exacting，andfaultfinding，theywillperhapsbearevelation。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
FLORENCE，Jan。1，”93。
DEARMR。HALL，——YoursofDec。19istohand，andMrs。Clemensisdeeplydistressed，forshethinksIhavebeenblamingyouorfindingfaultwithyouaboutsomething。Butmostsurelythatcannotbe。ItellherthatalthoughIampronetowritehastyandregrettablethingstootherpeople，Iamnotabitlikelytowritesuchthingstoyou。Ican”tbelieveIhavedoneanythingsoungrateful。IfIhave，pilecoalsoffireonmyhead，forIdeserveit！
Iwonderifmyletterofcreditisn”tanencumbrance？Doyouhavetodepositthewholeamountitcallsfor？Ifthatisso，itisanencumbrance，andwemustwithdrawitandtakethemoneyoutofsoak。
Ihavenevermadedraftsuponitexceptwhencompelled，becauseIthoughtyoudepositednothingagainstit，andonlyhadtoputupmoneythatI
drewuponit；thatthereforethelessIdrewtheeasieritwouldbeforyou。
IamdreadfullysorryIdidn”tknowitwouldbeahelptoyoutoletmymonthlycheckpassoveracoupleofmonths。IcouldhavestoodthatbydrawingwhatisleftofMrs。Clemens”sletterofcredit，andwewouldhavedoneitcheerfully。
IwillwriteWhitmoretosendyouthe“Century“checkfor$1，000，andyoucancollectMrs。Dodge”s$2，000(WhitmorehaspowerofattorneywhichI
thinkwillenablehimtoendorseitovertoyouinmyname。)Ifyouneedthat$3，000putitinthebusinessanduseit，andsendWhitmoretheCompany”snoteforayear。Ifyoudon”tneedit，turnitovertoMr。
Halseyandlethiminvestitforme。
I”veamightypoorfinancialhead，andImaybeallwrong——buttellmeifIamwronginsupposingthatinlendingmyownfirmmoneyat6percentI
pay4ofitmyselfandsoreallygetonlyapercent？Nowdon”tlaughifthatisstupid。
OfcoursemyfrienddeclinedtobuyaquarterinterestintheL。A。L。
for$200，000。Ijudgedhewould。Ihopedhewouldoffer$100，000，buthedidn”t。IfthecholerabreaksoutinAmerica，afewmonthshence，wecan”tborroworsell；butifitdoesn”twemusttryhardtoraise$100，000。Iwishwecoulddoitbeforethereisacholerascare。
Ihavebeeninbedtwoorthreedayswithacold，butIgotupanhourago，andIbelieveIamallrightagain。
HowIwishIhadappreciatedtheneedof$100，000whenIwasinNewYorklastsummer！Iwouldhavetriedmybesttoraiseit。Itwouldmakeusabletostand1，000setsofL。A。L。permonth，butnotanymore，I
guess。
Youhavedonemagnificentlywiththebusiness，andwemustraisethemoneysomehow，toenableyoutoreaptherewardofallthatlabor。
SincerelyYoursS。L。CLEMENS。
“Whitmore，“inthisletter，wasF。G。Whitmore，ofHartford，MarkTwain”sfinancialagent。ThemoneyduefromMrs。DodgewasabalanceonTomSawyerAbroad，whichhadbeenacceptedbySt。Nicholas。Mr。Halseywasadown-townbroker。
Clemens，whowasgrowingwearyoftheconstantdemandsofL。A。L。，hadconceivedtheideathatitwouldbewelltodisposeofaportionofitforenoughcashtofinanceitsmanufacture。
Wedon”tknowwhothefriendwastowhomheofferedaquarterinterestforthemodestsumoftwohundredthousanddollars。ButinthenextletterwediscoverdesignsonacertainverycannyScotchmanofSkibo。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
FLORENCE，Jan。28，”92。
DEARMR。HALL，——Iwanttothrowoutasuggestionandseewhatyouthinkofit。Wehaveagoodstart，andsolidgroundunderus；wehaveavaluablereputation；ourbusinessorganizationispractical，soundandwell-devised；ourpublicationsareofarespect-worthycharacterandofamoney-breedingspecies。NowthenIthinkthattheassociationwithusofsomeoneofgreatnameandwithcapitalwouldgiveourbusinessaprodigiousimpetus——thatphraseisnottoostrong。
AsIlookatit，itisnotmoneymerelythatisneeded；ifthatwereall，thefirmhasfriendsenoughwhowouldtakeaninterestinapayingventure；weneedsomeonewhohasmadehislifeasuccessnotonlyfromabusinessstandpoint，butwiththatachievementbackofhim，hasbeengreatenoughtomakehispowerfeltasathinkerandaliteraryman。Itisaprettyusualthingforpublisherstohavethissortofpartners。
NowyouseewhatapowerCarnegieis，andhowfarhisvoicereachesintheseverallinesIspeakof。Doyouknowhim？Youdobycorrespondenceorpurelybusinesstalksabouthisbooks——butpersonally，Imean？sothatitwouldnotbeanintrusionforyoutospeaktohimaboutthisdesireofmine——forIwouldlikeyoutoputitbeforehim，andifyoufailtointeresthiminit，youwillprobablygetatleastsomevaluablesuggestionsfromhim。I”llencloseanoteofintroduction——youneedn”tuseitifyoudon”tneedto。
YoursS。L。C。
P。S。Yes，IthinkIhavealreadyacknowledgedtheDec。$1，000andtheJan。$500——andifanother$500wasmailed3daysagothere”snohiatus。
IthinkIalsoremindedyouthatthenewletterofcreditdoesnotcovertheunexpendedbalanceoftheoldonebutfallsconsiderablyshortofit。
DoyourbestwithCarnegie，anddon”twaittoconsideranyofmyintermediatesuggestionsortalksaboutourraisinghalfofthe$200，000
ourselves。Imean，waitfornothing。TomakemysuggestionavailableI
shouldhavetogooverandseeArnot，andIdon”twanttountilIcanmentionCarnegie”snametohimasgoinginwithus。
Mybookistype-writtenandreadyforprint”Pudd”nheadWilson-aTale。”
(Or，“ThoseExtraordinaryTwins，“ifpreferable。)
Itmakes82，500words——12，000morethanHuckFinn。ButIdon”tknowwhattodowithit。Mrs。Clemensthinksitwouldn”tdotogototheAm。Pub。
Co。oranywhereoutsideofourownhouse；wehavenosubscriptionmachinery，andabookinthetradeisabookthrownaway，asfarasmoney-profitgoes。Iaminaquandary。Givemealiftoutofit。
Iwillmailthebooktoyouandgetyoutoexamineitandseeifitisgoodorifitisbad。Ithinkitisgood，andIthoughttheClaimantbad，whenIsawitinprint；butasforrealjudgment，IthinkIamdestituteofit。
IamwritingacompaniontothePrinceandPauper，whichishalfdoneandwillmake200，000words；andIhavehadtheideathatifitweregottenupinhandsomestyle，withmanyillustrationsandputatahighenoughpricemaybetheL。A。L。canvasserswouldtakeitandrunitwiththatbook。Wouldthey？Itcouldbepricedanywherefrom$4upto$10，accordingtohowitwasgottenup，Isuppose。
Idon”twantittogointoamagazine。
S。L。C。
Iamhavingseveralshortthingstype-“writered。”Iwillsendthemtoyoupresently。IliketheCenturyandHarper”s，butIdon”tknowthatI
haveanybusinesstoobjecttotheCosmopolitaniftheypayasgoodrates。Isupposeamanoughttosticktoonemagazine，butthatmaybeonlysuperstition。Whatdoyouthink？
S。L。C。
“ThecompaniontoThePrinceandthePauper，“mentionedinthisletter，wasthestoryofJoanofArc，perhapsthemostfinishedofMarkTwain”sliteraryproductions。HisinterestinJoanhadbeenfirstawakenedwhen，asaprinter”sapprenticeinHannibal，hehadfoundblowingalongthestreetastrayleaffromsomeprintedstoryofherlife。ThatfragmentofhistoryhadpicturedJoaninprison，insultedandmistreatedbyruffians。Ithadarousedallthesympathyandindignationintheboy，SamClemens；also，ithadawakenedhisinterestinhistory，and，indeed，inallliterature。
HisloveforthecharacterofJoanhadgrownwiththeyears，untilintimehehadconceivedtheideaofwritingherstory。Asfarbackastheearlyeightieshehadcollectedmaterialforit，andhadbeguntomakethenotes。Onethingandanotherhadinterfered，andhehadfoundnoopportunityforsuchastory。Now，however，inFlorence，intheancientvilla，andinthequietgarden，lookingacrossthevineyardsandolivegrovestothedreamcityalongtheArno，hefeltmovedtotakeupthetaleoftheshepherdgirlofFrance，thesoldiermaid，or，ashecalledher，“Thenoblechild，themostinnocent，themostlovely，themostadorabletheageshaveproduced。”Hissurroundingsandbackgroundwouldseemtohavebeenperfect，andhemusthavewrittenwithconsiderableeasetohavecompletedahundredthousandwordsinaperiodofnotmorethansixweeks。
PerhapsHalldidnotevengotoseeCarnegie；atalleventsnothingseemstohavecomeoftheidea。Once，atalatertime，MaskTwainhimselfmentionedthemattertoCarnegie，andsuggestedtohimthatitwaspoorfinancieringtoputallofone”seggsintoonebasket，meaningintoiron。ButCarnegieanswered，“That”samistake；putallyoureggsintoonebasketandwatchthatbasket。”
ItwasMarchwhenClemensfeltthatoncemorehispresencewasdemandedinAmerica。Hemustseeifanythingcouldberealizedfromthetype-setterorL。A。L。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
March13，”93。
DEARMR。HALL，——Iambusygettingreadytosailthe22d，intheKaiserWilhelmII。
Isendherewith2magazinearticles。
TheStorycontains3，800to4，000words。
The“Diary“contains3，800words。
Eachwouldmakeabout4pagesoftheCentury。
TheDiaryisagem，ifIdosayitmyselfthatshouldn”t。
IftheCosmopolitanwishestopay$600foreitherofthemor$1，200forboth，gatherinthecheck，andIwillusethemoneyinAmericainsteadofbreakingintoyourtreasury。
Iftheydon”twishtotradeforeither，sendthearticlestotheCentury，withoutnamingaprice，andiftheircheckisn”tlargeenoughIwillcallandabusethemwhenIcome。
Isignedandmailedthenotesyesterday。
YoursS。L。C。
ClemensreachedNewYorkonthe3dofAprilandmadeatriptoChicago，butaccomplishednothing，excepttovisittheWorld”sFairandbelaidupwithaseverecold。Themachinesituationhadnotprogressed。Thefinancialstringencyof1893hadbroughteverythingtoastandstill。TheNewYorkbankwouldadvanceWebster&Co。nomoremoney。Sodisturbedwerehisaffairs，sodisorderedwaseverything，thatsometimeshefelthimselfasonewalkingamidunrealities。AfragmentofalettertoMrs。Craneconveysthis：
“IdreamedIwasbornandgrewupandwasapilotontheMississippiandaminerandajournalistinNevadaandapilgrimintheQuakerCity，andhadawifeandchildrenandwenttoliveinavillaatFlorence——andthisdreamgoesonandonandsometimesseemssorealthatIalmostbelieveitisreal。Iwonderifitis？Butthereisnowaytotell，forifoneappliesteststheywouldbepartofthedream，too，andsowouldsimplyaidthedeceit。IwishIknewwhetheritisadreamorreal。”
HesawWarner，briefly，inAmerica；alsoHowells，nowlivinginNewYork，buthehadlittletimeforvisiting。OnMay13thhesailedagainforEuropeontheKaiserWilhelmII。OnthenightbeforesailinghesentHowellsagood-byword。
ToW。D。Howells，inNewYorkCity：
MURRAYHILLHOTEL，NEWYORE，May12，1893。
Midnight。
DEARHOWELLS——IamsosorryImissedyou。
Iamverygladtohavethatbookforseaentertainment，andIthankyoueversomuchforit。
I”vehadalittlevisitwithWarneratlast；IwasgettingafraidI
wasn”tgoingtohaveachancetoseehimatall。IforgottotellyouhowthoroughlyIenjoyedyouraccountofthecountryprintingoffice，andhowtrueitallwasandhowintimatelyrecognizableinallitsdetails。
ButWarnerwasfullofdelightoverit，andthatremindedme，andIamglad，forIwantedtospeakofit。
Youhavegivenmeabook；AnnieTrumbullhassentmeherbook；Iboughtacoupleofbooks；Mr。HallgavemeachoiceGermanbook；Laflangavemetwobottlesofwhiskyandaboxofcigars——Igotoseanoblyequipped。
Good-byeandallgoodfortuneattendyouandyours——anduponyouallI
leavemybenediction。
MARK。
MentionhasalreadybeenmadeoftheRosshomebeingveryneartoViviani，andtheassociationoftheRossandClemensfamilies。
TherewasafinevegetablegardenontheRossestate，anditwasintheinterestofitthatthenextletterwaswrittentotheSecretaryofAgriculture。
ToHon。J。SterlingMorton，inWashington，D。C。：
EditorialDepartmentCenturyMagazine，UnionSquare，NEWYORK，April6，1893。
TOTHEHON。J。STERLINGMORTON，——DearSir：Yourpetitioner，MarkTwain，apoorfarmerofConnecticut——indeed，thepoorestonethere，intheopinionofmany-desiresafewchoicebreedsofseedcorn(maize)，andinreturnwillzealouslysupporttheAdministrationinallwayshonorableandotherwise。
Tospeakbythecard，IwantthesethingstohurrytoItalytoanEnglishlady。SheisaneighborofmineoutsideofFlorence，andhasagreatgardenandthinksshecouldraisecornforhertableifshehadtherightammunition。Imyselffeelawarminterestinthisenterprise，bothonpatrioticgroundsandbecauseIhaveakeytothatgarden，whichIgotmadefromawaximpression。Itisnotverygoodsoil，stillIthinkshecangrowenoughforonetableandIaminapositiontoselectthetable。
Ifyouarewillingtoaidandabetacountryman(andGilderthinksyouare，)pleasefindthesignatureandaddressofyourpetitionerbelow。
Respectfullyandtrulyyours。
MARKTWAIN，67FifthAvenue，NewYork。
P。S——Ahandfulofchoice(Southern)watermelonseedswouldpleasantlyaddtothatlady”semploymentsandgivemytableacorrespondinglift。
HisideaofbusinessvalueshadmoderatedconsiderablybythetimehehadreturnedtoFlorence。Hewasnothopelessyet，buthewasclearlyagooddealdisheartened——anxiousforfreedom。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
FLORENCEMay30，”93
DEARMR。HALL，——Youweretocablemeifyousoldanymachineroyalties——
soIjudgeyouhavenotsucceeded。
Thishasdepressedme。Ihavebeenlookingoverthepastyear”slettersandstatementsandamdepressedstillmore。
Iamterriblytiredofbusiness。IambynatureanddispositionunfittedforitandIwanttogetoutofit。IamstandingontheMountMorrisvolcanowithhelpfromthemachinealongwayoff——doubtlessalongwayfurtheroffthantheConnecticutCo。imagines。
Nowhereismyideaforgettingout。
ThefirmowesMrs。Clemensandme——Idonotknowquitehowmuch，butitisabout$170，000or$175，000，1suppose(Imakethisguessfromthedocumentshere，whosetechnicalitiesconfusemehorribly。)
Thefirmowesothersums，butthereisstockandcashassetstocovertheentireindebtednessand$116，679。20over。Isthatit？InadditionwehavetheL。A。L。platesandcopyright，worthmorethan$130，000——isthatcorrect？
Thatistosay，wehavepropertyworthabout$250，000aboveindebtedness，Isuppose——or，byoneofyourestimates，$300，000？Thegreaterpartofthefirstdebtstomeisinnotespaying6percent。Therest(theold$70，000orwhateveritis)paysnointerest。
Nowthen，willHarperorAppleton，orPutnamgiveme$200，000forthosedebtsandmytwo-thirdsinterestinthefirm？(ThefirmofcoursetakingtheMountMorrisandallsuchobligationsoffmyhandsandleavingmeclearofallresponsibility。)
Idon”twantmuchmoney。Ionlywantfirstclassnotes——$200，000worthofthemat6percent，payablemonthly；——yearlynotes，renewableannuallyfor3years，with$5，000oftheprincipalpayableatthebeginningandmiddleofeachyear。Afterthat，thenotesrenewableannuallyand(perhaps)alargerpartoftheprincipalpayablesemi-annually。
Pleaseadvisemeandsuggestalterationsandemendationsoftheabovescheme，forIneedthatsortofhelp，beingignorantofbusinessandnotabletolearnasingledetailofit。
SuchadealwouldmakeiteasyforabigfirmtopourinabigcashcapitalandjumpL。A。L。uptoenormousprosperity。Thenyourone-thirdwouldbeafortune——andIhopetoseethatday！
IencloseanauthoritytousewithWhitmoreincaseyouhavesoldanyroyalties。Butifyoucan”tmakethisdealdon”tmakeany。Waitalittleandseeifyoucan”tmakethedeal。Domakethedealifyoupossiblycan。AndifanypresenceshallbenecessaryinordertocompleteitIwillcomeover，thoughIhopeitcanbedonewithoutthat。
Getmeoutofbusiness！
AndIwillbeyoursforevergratefully，S。L。CLEMENS。
Myideais，thatIamofferingmy2/3ofL。A。L。andthebusinessforthirtyorfortythousanddollars。Isthatit？
P。S。S。Thenewfirmcouldretainmybooksandreducethemtoa10percentroyalty。S。L。C。
ToRev。Jos。H。Twichell，inHartford：
VILLAVIVIANI，SETTIGNANO(FLORENCE)
June9，”93。
DEARJOE，——TheseavoyagesetmeupandIreachedhereMay27intolerablecondition——nothingleftbutweakness，coughallgone。
OldSirHenryLayardwasheretheotherday，visitingourneighborJanetRoss，daughterofLadyDuffGordon，andsincethenIhavebeenreadinghisaccountoftheadventuresofhisyouthinthefarEast。InafootnotehehassomethingtosayaboutasailorwhichIthoughtmightinterestyou——viz：
“ThissamequartermasterwascelebratedamongtheEnglishinMesopotamiaforanentrywhichhemadeinhislog-book-afteraperilousstorm；”Thewindyandwateryelementsraged。Tearsandprayerswashadrecourseto，butwasofnomannerofuse。Sowehauleduptheanchorandgotroundthepoint。”“
There——itisn”tNedWakeman；itwasbeforehisday。
Withlove，MARK。
TheyclosedVillaVivianiinJuneandneartheendofthemontharrivedinMunichinorderthatMrs。ClemensmightvisitsomeoftheGermanbaths。ThenextletteriswrittenbyherandshowsherdeepsympathywithHallinhisdesperatestruggle。TherehavebeenfewmoreunselfishandcourageouswomeninhistorythanMarkTwain”swife。
FromMrs。ClemenstoMr。Hall，inNewYork：
June27th1893
MUNICH。
DEARMR。HALL，——YourlettertoMr。ClemensofJune16thhasjustreachedhere；ashehasgonetoBerlinforClaraIamgoingtosendyoujustalineinanswertoit。
Mr。Clemensdidnotrealizewhattroubleyouwouldbeinwhenhislettershouldreachyouorhewouldnothavesentitjustthen。Ihopeyouwillnotworryanymorethanyoucanhelp。Donotletourinterestsweighonyoutooheavily。Webothknowyouwill，asyoualwayshave，lookineverywaytothebestinterestsofall。
IthinkMr。Clemensisrightinfeelingthatheshouldgetoutofbusiness，thatheisnotfittedforit；itworrieshimtoomuch。
Butheneedbeinnohasteaboutit，andofcourse，itwouldbetheveryfarthestfromhisdesiretoimperil，intheslightestdegree，yourinterestsinordertosavehisown。
IamsurethatIvoicehiswishaswellasminewhenIsaythathewouldsimplylikeyoutobearinmindthefactthathegreatlydesirestobereleasedfromhispresentanxietyandworry，atatimewhenitshallnotendangeryourinterestorthesafetyofthebusiness。
IammoresorrythanIcanexpressthatthisletterofMr。Clemens”
shouldhavereachedyouwhenyouwerestrugglingundersuchterriblepressure。Ihopenowthattheweightisnotquitesoheavy。Hewouldnothavewrittenyouaboutthemoneyifhehadknownthatitwasaninconvenienceforyoutosendit。Hethoughtthebook-keeperwhosedutyitistoforwardithadforgotten。
WecandrawonMr。Langdonformoneyforafewweeksuntilthingsarealittleeasierwithyou。AsMr。Clemenswroteyouwewouldsay“donotsendusanymoremoneyatpresent“ifwewerenotafraidtodoso。I
willsay，however，donottroubleyourselfifforafewweeksyouarenotabletosendtheusualamount。
Mr。ClemensandIhavethegreatestpossibledesire，nottoincreaseinanywayyourburdens，andsincerelywishwemightaidyou。
Itrustmybrothermaybeable，inhistalkwithyou，tothrowsomehelpfullightonthesituation。
Hopingyouwillseeachangeforthebetterandbegintoreapthefruitofyourlongandhardlabor。
BelievemeVeryCordiallyyoursOLIVIAL。CLEMENS。
Hall，naturally，didnotwishtobeleftalonewiththebusiness。Herealizedthathiscreditwouldsuffer，bothatthebankandwiththepublic，ifhisdistinguishedpartnershouldretire。Hewrote，therefore，proposingasanalternatethattheydisposeofthebigsubscriptionsetthatwasswampingthem。Itwasagoodplan——ifitwouldwork——andwefindClemensenteringintoitheartily。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
MUNICH，July3，”93。
DEARMR。HALL，——Youmakeasuggestionwhichhasonceortwiceflitteddimlythroughmymindheretoforetowit，sellL。A。L。
Ilikethatbetterthantheotherscheme，foritisnodoubtfeasible，whereastheotherisperhapsnot。
Thefirmisindebt，butL。A。L。isfree——andnotonlyfreebuthaslargemoneyowingtoit。Apropositiontosellthatbyitselftoabighousecouldbemadewithoutembarrassmentwemerelyconfessthatwecannotsparecapitalfromtherestofthebusinesstorunitonthehugescalenecessarytomakeitanopulentsuccess。
Itwillbesellingagoodthing——forsomebody；anditwillbegettingridofaloadwhichweareclearlynotabletocarry。Whoeverbuyswillhaveanoblegoodopening——acompleteequipment，awellorganizedbusiness，acapableandexperiencedmanager，andenterprisenotexperimentalbutunderfullsail，andimmediatelyabletopay50percentayearoneverydollarthepublishershallactuallyinvestinit——Imeaninmakingandsellingthebooks。
Iammiserablysorrytobeaddingbothersandtormentstotheover-supplywhichyoualreadyhaveinthesehideoustimes，butIfeelsotroubled，myself，consideringthedrearyfactthatwearegettingdeeperanddeeperindebtandtheL。A。L。gettingtobeaheavierandheavierburdenallthetime，thatImustbestirmyselfandseekawayofrelief。
ItdidnotoccurtomethatinsellingoutIwouldinjureyou——forthatI
amnotgoingtodo。ButtosellL。A。L。willnotinjureyouitwillputyouinbettershape。
SincerelyYoursS。L。CLEMENS。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
July8，”92。
DEARMR。HALL，——IamsincerelygladyouaregoingtosellL。A。L。Iamgladyouareshuttingofftheagents，andIhopethefatalbookwillbeoutofourhandsbeforeitwillbetimetoputthemonagain。Withnothingbutournon-existentcapitaltoworkwiththebookhasnovalueforus，richaprizeasitwillbetoanycompetenthousethatgetsit。
Ihopeyouaremakinganefforttosellbeforeyoudischargetoomanyagents，forIsupposetheagentsareavaluablepartoftheproperty。
WehavebeenstoppinginMunichforawhile，butweshallmakeabreakforsomecountryresortinafewdaysnow。
SincerelyYoursS。L。C。
July8
P。S。No，IsupposeIamwronginsuggestingthatyouwaitamomentbeforedischargingyourL。A。L。agents——infactIdidn”tmeanthat。
Ijudgeyouronlyhopeofsalvationisindischargingthemallatonce，sinceitistheircommissionsthatthreatentoswampus。Itistheywhohaveeatenupthe$14，000Ileftwithyouinsuchabrieftime，nodoubt。
Ifeelpanicky。
Ithinkthesalemightbemadewithbetteradvantage，however，now，thanlaterwhentheagentshavegotoutofthepurchaser”sreach。
S。L。C。
P。S。Nomonthlyreportformanymonths。
Thosewhoareoldenoughtorememberthesummerof1893mayrecallitasablackfinancialseason。Banksweredenyingcredit，businesseswereforcedtothewall。Itwasapoortimetofloatanycostlyenterprise。TheChicagocompanywhowastryingtobuildthemachinesmadelittleprogress。Thebookbusinesseverywherewasbad。InabriefnotefollowingtheforegoinglettersClemenswroteHall：
“ItisnowpastthemiddleofJulyandnocablegramtosaythemachineisfinished。Weareafraidyouarehavingmiserabledaysandworriednights，andwesincerelywishwecouldrelieveyou，butitisallblackwithusandwedon”tknowanyhelpfulthingtosayordo。”
HeinclosedsomekindofmanuscriptpropositionforJohnBrisbenWalker，oftheCosmopolitan，withthecomment：“Itismyingeniousschemetoprotectthefamilyagainstthealms-houseforonemoreyear——andafterthat——well，goodnessknows！Ihaveneverfeltsodesperateinmylife——andgoodreason，forIhaven”tgotapennytomyname，andMrs。Clemenshasn”tenoughlaidupwithLangdontokeepustwomonths。”
ItwaslikeMarkTwain，inthemidstofallthisturmoil，toprojectanentirelynewenterprise；hisbusymindwasalwaysvisioningsuccessinunusualundertakings，regardlessofimmediateconditionsandthestepsnecessarytoachievement。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
July26，”93。
DEARMR。HALL，……Ihopethemachinewillbefinishedthismonth；
butittookmefouryearsandcostme$100，000tofinishtheothermachineafteritwasapparentlyentirelycompleteandsettingtypelikeahouse-afire。
Iwonderwhattheycall“finished。”Afteritisabsolutelyperfectitcan”tgointoaprinting-officeuntilithashadamonth”swear，runningnightandday，togetthebearingssmooth，Ijudge。
Imaybeabletorunoveraboutmid-October。ThenifIfindyourelievedofL。A。L。wewillstartamagazineinexpensive，andofanentirelyuniquesort。ArthurStedmanandhisfathereditorsofit。Arthurcoulddoallthework，merelysubmittingittohisfatherforapproval。
Thefirstnumbershouldpay——andallsubsequentones——25centsanumber。
Costoffirstnumber(20，000copies)$2，000。Givemostofthemaway，selltherest。Advertisingandotherexpenses——costunknown。Sendonetoallnewspapers——itwouldgetanotice——favorable，too。
ButwecannotundertakeituntilL。A。L，isoutoftheway。Withourhandsfreeandsomecapitaltospare，wecouldmakeithum。
WhereistheShelleyarticle？Ifyouhaveitonhand，keepitandIwillpresentlytellyouwhattodowithit。
Don”tforgettotellme。
YoursSincerelyS。L。C。
TheShelleyarticlementionedinthisletterwasthe“DefenseofHarrietSheller，“oneoftheverybestofhisessays。Howhecouldhavewrittenthissplendidpaperatatimeofsuchdistractionpassescomprehension。Furthermore，itisclearthathehadrevised，indeedrewritten，thelongstoryofPudd”nheadWilson。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
July30，”93。
DEARMR。HALL，——Thistime“Pudd”nheadWilson“isasuccess！EvenMrs。
Clemens，themostdifficultofcritics，confessesit，andwithoutreservesorqualifications。Formerlyshewouldnotconsentthatitbepublishedeitherbeforeoraftermydeath。Ihavepulledthetwinsapartandmadetwoindividualsofthem；Ihavesunkthemoutofsight，theyaremereflittingshadows，now，andofnoimportance；theirstoryhasdisappearedfromthebook。AuntBetsyHalehasvanishedwholly，leavingnotatracebehind；auntPatsyCooperandherdaughterRowenahavealmostdisappeared——theyscarcelywalkacrossthestage。Thewholestoryiscenteredonthemurderandthetrial；fromthefirstchapterthemovementisstraightaheadwithoutdivergenceorside-playtothemurderandthetrial；everythingthatisdoneorsaidorthathappensisapreparationforthoseevents。Therefore，3peoplestanduphigh，frombeginningtoend，andonly3——Pudd”nhead，“Tom“Driscoll，andhisniggermother，Roxana；noneoftheothersareimportant，orgetinthewayofthestoryorrequirethereader”sattention。Consequently，thescenesandepisodeswhichwerethestrengthofthebookformerlyarestrongerthanever，now。
WhenIbeganthisfinalreconstructionthestorycontained81，500words，nowitcontainsonly58，000。Ihaveknockedouteverythingthatdelayedthemarchofthestory——eventhedescriptionofaMississippisteamboat。
There”snoweatherin，andnoscenery——thestoryisstrippedforflight！
Now，thenwhatissheworth？Theamountofmatterisbut3，000wordsshortoftheAmericanClaimant，forwhichthesyndicatepaid$12，500。
Therewasnothingnewinthatstory，butthefinger-printsinthisoneisvirginground——absolutelyfresh，andmightycuriousandinterestingtoeverybody。
Idon”twantanymoresyndicating——nothingshortof$20，000，anyway，andthatIcan”tget——butwon”tyouseehowmuchtheCosmopolitanwillstand？
Doyourbestforme，forIdonotsleepthesenights，forvisionsofthepoor-house。
Thisinspiteofthehopefultoneofyoursof11thtoLangdon(justreceived)forinmehopeisverynearlyexpiring。Everythingdoeslooksoblue，sodismallyblue！
ByandbyIshalltakeuptheRhoneopen-boatvoyageagain，butnotnow-
wearegoingtobemovingaroundtoomuch。Ihavetornupsomeofit，butstillhave15，000wordsthatMrs。Clemensapprovesof，andthatI
like。ImaygoatitinParisagainnextwinter，butnotunlessIknowI
canwriteittosuitme。
OtherwiseIshalltackleAdamoncemore，anddohiminakindofafriendlyandrespectfulwaythatwillcommendhimtotheSundayschools。
I”vebeenthinkingouthisfirstlife-daysto-dayandframinghischildishandignorantimpressionsandopinionsforhim。
WillshipPudd”nheadinafewdays。WhenyougetitcableMarkTwainCareBrownship，LondonReceived。
Imeantoship“Pudd”nheadWilson“toyou-say，tomorrow。It”llfurnishmehashforawhileIreckon。Iamalmostsorryitisfinished；itwasgoodentertainmenttoworkatit，andkeptmymindawayfromthings。
Weleavehereinabouttendays，butthedoctorshavechangedourplansagain。IthinkweshallbeinBohemiaorthereaboutstillneartheendofSeptember，thengotoParisandtakearest。
YoursSincerelyS。L。C。
P。S。Mrs。Clemenshascomeinsince，andreadyourletterandisdeeplydistressed。ShethinksthatinsomeletterofmineImusthavereproachedyou。Shesaysitiswonderfulthatyouhavekepttheshipafloatinthisstormthathasseenfleetsandfleetsgodown；thatfromwhatshelearnsoftheAmericanbusiness-situationfromherhomelettersyouhaveaccomplishedamarvelinthecircumstances，andthatshecannotbeartohaveawordsaidtoyouthatshallvoiceanythingbutpraiseandtheheartiestappreciation——andnottheshadowofareproachwillsheallow。
ItellherIdidn”treproachyouandneverthoughtofsuchathing。AndIsaidIwouldbreakopenmyletterandsayso。
Mrs。ClemenssaysImusttellyounottosendanymoneyforamonthortwo——sothatyoumaybeaffordedwhatlittlereliefisinourpower。
Allright——I”mwilling；(thisishonest)butIwishBrerChattowouldsendalonghislittleyearlycontribution。Idroppedhimalineaboutanothermatteraweekago——askedhimtosubscribefortheDailyNewsforme——youseeIwantedtoremindhiminacovertwaythatitwaspay-uptime——butdoubtlessIdirectedthelettertoyouorsomeoneelse，forI
don”thearfromhimanddon”tgetanyDailyNewseither。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
Aug。6，”93。
DEARMR。HALL，——Iamverysorry——itwasthoughtlessinme。Letthereportsgo。Sendmeonceamonthtwoitems，andtwoonly：
Cashliabilities——(somuch)
Cashassets——(somuch)
Icanperceivetheconditionofthebusinessataglance，then，andthatwillbesufficient。
Hereweneverseeanewspaper，butevenifwedidIcouldnotcomeanywherenearappreciatingorcorrectlyestimatingthetempestyouhavebeenbuffetingyourwaythrough——onlythemanwhoisinitcandothat——
butIhavetriednottoburdenyouthoughtlesslyorwantonly。Ihavebeenwroughtandunsettledinmindbyapprehensions，andthatisathingthatisnothelpablewhenoneisinastrangelandandseeshisresourcesmeltdowntoatwomonths”supplyandcan”tseeanysuredaylightbeyond。
Thebloodymachineofferedbutadoubtfuloutlook——andwillstilloffernothingmuchbetterforalongtimetocome；forwhenDavis”s“threeweeks“isupthere”sthreemonths”tinkeringtofollowIguess。Thatisunquestionablythebossmachineoftheworld，butisthetoughestoneonprophets，whenitisinanincompletestate，thathaseverseenthelight。NeitherDavisnoranyothermancanforetellwithanyconsiderableapproachtocertaintywhenitwillbereadytogetdowntoactualworkinaprintingoffice。
[Nosignature。]
Threedaysaftertheforegoingletterwaswrittenhewrote，briefly：
“GreatScottbutit”salongyear-foryouandme！Ineverknewthealmanactodragso。AtleastsinceIwasfinishingthatothermachine。
“Iwatchforyourlettershungrily——justasIusedtowatchforthecablegramsayingthemachine”sfinished；butwhen”nextweekcertainly”swelledinto”threeweekssure”IrecognizedtheoldfamiliartuneIusedtohearsomuch。Warddon”tknowwhatsick-
heartednessis——butheisinawaytofindout。”
Alwaysthequaintformofhishumor，nomatterhowdarktheway。
Wemaypicturehimwalkingthefloor，planning，scheming，andsmoking——alwayssmoking——tryingtofindawayout。Itwasnotthekindofschemingthatmanymenhavedoneunderthecircumstances；
notschemingtoavoidpaymentofdebts，buttopaythem。
ToFredJ。Hall，inNewYork：
Aug。14，”93
DEARMR。HALL，——IamverygladindeedifyouandMr。Langdonareabletoseeanydaylightahead。Tomenoneisvisible。Istronglyadvisethateverypennythatcomesinshallbeappliedtopayingoffdebts。Imaybeinerroraboutthis，butitseemstomethatwehavenoothercourseopen。Wecanpayapartofthedebtsowingtooutsiders——nonetotheClemenses。Inveryprosperoustimeswemightregardourstockandcopyrightsasassetssufficient，withthemoneyowingtous，tosquareupandquiteven，butIsupposewemaynothopeforsuchluckinthepresentconditionofthings。
WhatIammainlyhopingfor，istosavemyroyalties。IftheycomeintodangerIhopeyouwillcableme，sothatIcancomeoverandtrytosavethem，foriftheygoIamabeggar。
Iwouldsailto-dayifIhadanybodytotakechargeofmyfamilyandhelpthemthroughthedifficultjourneyscommandedbythedoctors。Imaybeabletosailtendayshence；Ihopeso，andexpectso。
WecanneverresurrecttheL。A。L。Iwouldnotspendanymoremoneyonthatbook。Youspoke，awhileback，oftryingtostartitupagainasapreparationtodisposingofit，butwearenotinshapetoventurethat，Ithink。Itwouldrequiremoreborrowing，andwemustnotdothat。
YoursSincerelyS。L。C。
Aug。16。Ihavethought，andthought，butIdon”tseemtoarriveinanyverydefiniteplace。Ofcourseyouwillnothaveaninstant”ssafetyuntilthebankdebtsarepaid。Thereisnothingtobethoughtofbuttohandovereverypennyasfastasitcomesin——andthatwillbeslowenough！Orcouldyousecurethembypledgingpartofourcashassetsand——
Iamcomingover，justassoonasIcangetthefamilymovedandsettled。
S。L。C。
Twoweeksfollowingthisletterhecouldendurethesuspensenolonger，andonAugust29thsailedoncemoreforAmerica。InNewYork，ClemenssettleddownatthePlayersClub，wherehecouldlivecheaply，andundertooksomeliteraryworkwhilehewascastingaboutforwaysandmeanstorelievethefinancialsituation。Nothingpromisingoccurred，untilonenightattheMurrayHillHotelhewasintroducedbyDr。ClarenceC。RicetoHenryH。Rogers，oftheStandardOilgroupoffinanciers。RogershadakeensenseofhumorandhadalwaysbeenagreatadmirerofMarkTwain”swork。Itwasamirthfulevening，andcertainlyaneventfuloneinMarkTwain”slife。AdayortwolaterDoctorRiceaskedthemillionairetointeresthimselfalittleinClemens”sbusinessaffairs，whichhethoughtagooddealconfused。Justwhathappenedisnotrememberednow，butfromthedateofthenextletterwerealizethatadiscussionofthematterbyClemensandRogersmusthavefollowedprettypromptly。
ToMrs。Clemens，inEurope：
Oct。18，”93。
DEAR，DEARSWEETHEART，——Idon”tseemtogetevenhalfachancetowriteyou，theselasttwodays，andyetthere”slotstosay。
ApparentlyeverythingisatlastsettledastothegiveawayofL。A。L。，andthepaperswillbesignedandthetransfermadeto-morrowmorning。
MeantimeIhavegotthebestandwisestmaninthewholeStandardOilgroupofmufti-millionairesagooddealinterestedinlookingintothetype-setter(thisisprivate，don”tmentionit。)Hehasbeensearchingintothatthingforthreeweeks，andyesterdayhesaidtome，“Ifindthemachinetobeallyourepresentedit——Ihavehereexhaustivereportsfrommyownexperts，andIknoweverydetailofitscapacity，itsimmensevalue，itsconstruction，cost，history，andallaboutitsinventor”scharacter。IknowthattheNewYorkCo。andtheChicagoCo。arebothstupid，andthattheyareunbusinesslikepeople，destituteofmoneyandinahopelessboggle。”
Thenhetoldmetheschemehehadplanned，thensaid：“IfIcanarrangewiththesepeopleonthisbasis——itwilltakeseveralweekstofindout——
Iwillseetoitthattheygetthemoneytheyneed。Thenthethingwillmoverightalongandyourroyaltieswillceasetobewastepaper。Iwillpostyoutheminutemyschemefailsorsucceeds。Inthemeantime，youstopwalkingthefloor。Goofftothecountryandtrytobegay。Youmayhavetogotowalkingagain，butdon”tbegintillItellyoumyschemehasfailed。”Andheadded：“Keepmepostedalwaysastowhereyouare——forifIneedyouandcanuseyou——Iwanttoknowwheretoputmyhandonyou。”
IfIshouldevendivulgethefactthattheStandardOilismerelytalkingremotelyaboutgoingintothetype-setter，itwouldsendmyroyaltiesup。
Withworldsandworldsofloveandkissestoyouall，SAML。
WithsogreataburdenofcareshiftedtothebroadfinancialshouldersofH。H。Rogers，MarkTwain”sspiritswentballooning，soaringtowardthestars。Heawoke，too，tosomeofthesocialgaietiesabouthim，andfoundpleasureinthethingsthatinthehourofhisgloomhadseemedmainlymockery。WefindhimgoingtoaSundayeveningatHowells”s，toJohnMackay”s，andelsewhere。
ToMrs。Clemens，inParis：
Dec。2，”93。
LIVYDARLING，——LastnightatJohnMackay”sthedinnerconsistedofsoup，rawoysters，cornedbeefandcabbage，andsomethinglikeacustard。
Iatewithoutfearorstint，andyethaveescapedallsuggestionofindigestion。ThemenpresentwereoldgrayPacific-coasterswhomIknewwhenIandtheywereyoungandnotgray。Thetalkwasofthedayswhenwewentgypsyingalongtimeago——thirtyyears。Indeeditwasatalkofthedead。Mainlythat。Andofhowtheylooked，andtheharum-scarumthingstheydidandsaid。Fortherewerenocaresinthatlife，noachesandpains，andnottimeenoughintheday(andthree-fourthsofthenight)toworkoffone”ssurplusvigorandenergy。Ofthemid-nighthighwayrobberyjokeplayeduponmewithrevolversatmyheadonthewindsweptanddesolateGoldHillDivide，nowitnessisleftbutme，thevictim。Allthefriendlyrobbersaregone。Theseoldfoolslastnightlaughedtilltheycriedovertheparticularsofthatoldforgottencrime。
JohnMackayhasnofamilyherebutapetmonkey——amostaffectionateandwinninglittledevil。Buthemakestroublefortheservants，forheisfullofcuriosityandlikestotakeeverythingoutofthedrawersandexamineitminutely；andheputsnothingback。Theexaminationsofyesterdaycountfornothingto-day——hemakesanewexaminationeveryday。
Butheinjuresnothing。
IwentwithLaffantotheRacquetClubtheothernightandplayed，billiardstwohourswithoutstartingupanyrheumatism。IsupposeitwasallreallytakenoutofmeinBerlin。
RichardHardingDavisspokeyesterdayofClara”simpersonationsatMrs。
VanRensselaer”shereandsaidtheywereawonderfulpieceofwork。
Livydear，Idohopeyouarecomfortable，astoquartersandfoodattheHotelBrighton。Butifyou”renotdon”tstaythere。Makeonemoreeffort——don”tgiveitup。Dearheart，thisisfromonewholovesyou——
whichisSaml。
ItwasdecidedthatRogersandClemensshouldmakeatriptoChicagotoinvestigatepersonallythetype-settersituationthere。ClemensreportsthedetailsoftheexcursiontoMrs。Clemensinalongsubdividedletter，mostofwhichhasnogeneralinterestandishereomitted。Thetrip，asawhole，wouldseemtohavebeensatisfactory。ThepersonalportionsofthelongChristmaslettermayproperlybepreserved。
ToMrs。Clemens，inParis：
THEPLAYERS，Xmas，1893。
No。1。
MerryXmas，mydarling，andallmydarlings！IarrivedfromChicagocloseuponmidnightlastnight，andwroteandsentdownmyChristmascablegrambeforeundressing：“MerryXmas！PromisingprogressmadeinChicago。”Itwouldgettothetelegraphofficetoward8thismorningandreachyouatluncheon。
Iwasvaguelyhoping，allthepastweek，thatmyXmascablegramwouldbedefinite，andmakeyoualljumpwithjubilation；butthethoughtalwaysintrudeditself，“Youarenotgoingouttheretonegotiatewithaman，butwithalouse。Thismakesresultsuncertain。”
IwasasleepasChristmasstruckupontheclockatmidnight，anddidn”twakeagaintilltwohoursago。Itisnowhalfpast10Xmasmorning；I
havehadmycoffeeandbread，andshan”tgetoutofbedtillitistimetodressforMrs。Laflan”sChristmasdinnerthisevening——whereIshallmeetBramStokerandmustmakesureaboutthatphotowithIrving”sautograph。Iwillgetthepictureandhewillattendtotherest。Inordertorememberandnotforget——well，Iwillgotherewithmydresscoatwrongsideout；itwillcauseremarkandthenIshallremember。
No。2and3。
Itellyouitwasinteresting！TheChicagocampaign，Imean。OnthewayoutMr。RogerswouldplanoutthecampaignwhileIwalkedthefloorandsmokedandassented。Thenhewouldcloseitupwithasnapanddropitandwewouldtotallychangethesubjectandtakeupthescenery，etc。
(HerefollowsthelongdetailedreportoftheChicagoconference，ofinterestonlytothepartiesdirectlyconcerned。)
No。4。
Wehadnicetripe，goingandcoming。Mr。RogershadtelegraphedthePennsylvaniaRailroadforacoupleofsectionsforusinthefasttrainleavingat2p。m。the22nd。TheVicePresidenttelegraphedbackthateveryberthwasengaged(whichwasnottrue——itgoeswithoutsaying)butthathewassendinghisowncarforus。Itwasmightyniceandcomfortable。Initsparlorithadtwosofas，whichcouldbecomebedsatnight。Ithadfourcomfortably-cushionedcanearm-chairs。Ithadaverynicebedroomwithawidebedinit；whichIsaidIwouldtakebecauseI
believedIwasalittlewiderthanMr。Rogers——whichturnedouttobetrue；soItookit。Ithadadarlingback-porch——railed，roofedandroomy；andtherewesat，mostofthetime，andviewedthesceneryandtalked，fortheweatherwasMayweather，andthesoftdream-picturesofhillandriverandmountainandskywereclearandawaybeyondanythingI
haveeverseenforexquisitenessanddaintiness。
Thecoloredwaiterknewhisbusiness，andthecoloredcookwasafinishedartist。Breakfasts：coffeewithrealcream；beefsteaks，sausage，bacon，chops，eggsinvariousways，potatoesinvarious——yes，andquitewonderfulbakedpotatoes，andhotasfire。Dinners——allmannerofthings，includingcanvas-backduck，apollinaris，claret，champagne，etc。
Wesatupchattingtillmidnight，goingandcoming；seldomreadaline，dayornight，thoughwewerewellfixedwithmagazines，etc。；thenI
finishedoffwithahotScotchandwewenttobedandslepttill9。30a。m。
Ihonestlytriedtopaymyshareofhotelbills，fees，etc。，butIwasnotallowed——andIknewthereasonwhy，andrespectedthemotive。IwillexplainwhenIseeyou，andthenyouwillunderstand。
Wewere25hoursgoingtoChicago；wewerethere24hours；wewere30
hoursreturning。Briskwork，butallofitenjoyable。WeinsistedonleavingthecaratPhiladelphiasothatourwaiterandcook(towhomMr。
R。gave$10apiece，)couldhavetheirChristmas-eveathome。
Mr。Rogers”scarriagewaswaitingforusinJerseyCityanddepositedmeatthePlayers。There——that”sall。Thisletteristomakeupforthethreeletterlessdays。Iloveyou，dearheart，Iloveyouall。
SAML。
XXXIV
LETTERS1894。AWINTERINNEWYORK。BUSINESSFAILURE。
ENDOFTHEMACHINE
ThebeginningofthenewyearfoundMarkTwainsailingbuoyantlyonatideofoptimism。HebelievedthatwithH。H。Rogersashisfinancialpilothecouldweathersafelyanystormorstress。Hecoulddiverthimself，orrest，orwork，andconsiderhisbusinessaffairswithinterestandamusement，insteadofwithhaggardanxiety。HeranovertoHartfordtoseeanamateurplay；toBostontogiveacharityreading；toFairHaventoopenthelibrarywhichMr。Rogershadestablishedthere；heattendedgaydinners，receptions，andlatestudioparties，acquiringthenameofthe“BelleofNewYork。”Inthelettersthatfollowwegettheechoofsomeofthesethings。TheMrs。RicementionedinthenextbriefletterwasthewifeofDr。ClarenceC。Rice，whohadintroducedH。H。RogerstoMarkTwain。
ToMrs。Clemens，inParis：
Jan。12，”94
Livydarling，IcamedownfromHartfordyesterdaywithKipling，andheandHuttonandIhadthesmallsmokingcompartmenttoourselvesandfoundhimatlastathisease，andnotshy。Hewasverypleasantcompanyindeed。Heistobeinthecityaweek，andIwishIcouldinvitehimtodinner，butitwon”tdo。Ishouldbeinterruptedbybusiness，ofcourse。
TheconstructionofacontractthatwillsuitPaige”slawyer(notPaige)
turnsouttobeverydifficult。HeisembarrassedbyearlieradvicetoPaige，andhatestoretirefromitandstultifyhimself。Thenegotiationsarebeingconducted，bymeansoftediouslongtelegramsandbytalksoverthelong-distancetelephone。Wekeepthewiresloaded。
Dearme，dinnerisready。SoMrs。Ricesays。
Withworldsoflove，SAML。
ClemensandOliverWendellHolmeshadmetandbecomefriendssoonafterthepublicationofInnocentsAbroad，in1869。Now，twenty-fiveyearslater，wefindarecordofwhatwithoutdoubtwastheirlastmeeting。
ItoccurredatthehomeofMrs。JamesT。Field。
ToMrs。Clemens，inParis：
BOSTON，Jan。25，”94。
Livydarling，Iamcaughtoutworsethistimethaneverbefore，inthematterofletters。TuesdaymorningIwassmartenoughtofinishandmailmylonglettertoyoubeforebreakfast——forIwassuspectingthatIwouldnothaveanothersparemomentduringtheday。Itturnedoutjustso。
InathoughtlessmomentIagreedtocomeuphereandreadforthepoor。
Ididnotreflectthatitwouldcostmethreedays。Icouldnotgetreleased。YesterdayIhadmyselfcalledat8andranouttoMr。Rogers”shouseat9，andtalkedbusinessuntilhalfpast10；thencaught11
o”clocktrainandarrivedhereat6；wasshavenanddressedby7andreadyfordinnerhereinMrs。Field”scharminghouse。
Dr。OliverWendellHolmesnevergoesoutnow(heisinhis84thyear，)
buthecameoutthistime-saidhewantedto“haveatime“oncemorewithme。
Mrs。FieldssaidAldrichbeggedtocomeandwentawaycryingbecauseshewouldn”tlethim。Sheallowedonlyherfamily(SarahOrneJewettandsister)tobepresent，becausemuchcompanywouldovertaxDr。Holmes。
Well，hewasjustdelightful！Hedidasbrilliantandbeautifultalking(andlistening)aseverhedidinhislife，Iguess。FieldsandJewettsaidhehadn”tbeeninsuchsplendidforminyears。Hehadorderedhiscarriagefor9。
Thecoachmansentinforhimat9；buthesaid，“Oh，nonsense！——leavegloriesandgrandeurslikethese？Tellhimtogoawayandcomeinanhour！“
At10hewascalledforagain，andMrs。Fields，gettinguneasy，rose，buthewouldn”tgo——andsowerattledaheadthesameasever。TwicemoreMrs。Fieldsrose，buthewouldn”tgo——andhedidn”tgotillhalfpast10——
anunwarrantabledissipationforhiminthesedays。Hewasprodigiouslycomplimentaryaboutsomeofmybooks，andishavingPudd”nheadreadtohim。ItoldhimyouandIusedtheAutocratasacourtingbookandmarkeditallthrough，andthatyoukeepitinthesacredgreenboxwiththeloveletters，anditpleasedhim。
Good-bye，mydeardarling，itis15minutestodinnerandI”mnotdressedyet。Ihaveareceptionto-nightandwillbeoutverylateatthatplaceandatIrving”sTheatrewhereIhaveacomplimentarybox。Iwishyouwereallhere。
SAML。
InthenextletterwemeetJamesJ。Corbett”GentlemanJim，“ashewassometimescalled——thechampionpugilistofthatday。
TheHowellsincidentsoamusinglydramatizedwillperhapsbemoreappreciatedifthereaderremembersthatMarkTwainhimselfhadatintervalsbeenamind-healingenthusiast。Indeed，inspiteofhisstricturesonMrs。Eddy，hisinterestinthesubjectofmind-curecontinuedtotheendofhislife。
ToMrs。Clemens，inParis：
Sunday，9。30a。m。
Livydear，whenwegotouttothehouselastnight，Mrs。Rogers，whoisupandaround，now，didn”twanttogodownstairstodinner，butMr。R。
persuadedherandwehadaverygoodtimeindeed。By8o”clockweweredownagainandboughtafifteen-dollarboxintheMadisonSquareGarden(Rogersboughtit，notI，)thenhewentandfetchedDr。RicewhileI
(went)tothePlayersandpickeduptwoartists——ReidandSimmons——andthuswefilled5ofthe6seats。Therewasavastmultitudeofpeopleinthebrilliantplace。StanfordWhitecamealongpresentlyandinvitedmetogototheWorld-Champion”sdressingroom，whichIwasverygladtodo。
Corbetthasafinefaceandismodestanddiffident，besidesbeingthemostperfectlyandbeautifullyconstructedhumananimalintheworld。
Isaid：
“YouhavewhippedMitchell，andmaybeyouwillwhipJacksoninJune——butyouarenotdone，then。Youwillhavetotackleme。”
Heanswered，sogravelythatonemighteasilyhavethoughthiminearnest：
“No——Iamnotgoingtomeetyouinthering。Itisnotfairorrighttorequireit。Youmightchancetoknockmeout，bynomeritofyourown，butbyapurelyaccidentalblow；andthenmyreputationwouldbegoneandyouwouldhaveadoubleone。Youhavegotfameenoughandyououghtnottowanttotakemineawayfromme。”
CorbettwasforalongtimeaclerkintheNevadaBankinSanFrancisco。
Therewerelotsoflittleboxingmatches，toentertainthecrowd：thenatlastCorbettappearedintheringandthe8，000peoplepresentwentmadwithenthusiasm。Mytwoartistswentmadabouthisform。TheysaidtheyhadneverseenanythingthatcamereasonablynearequalingitsperfectionexceptGreekstatues，andtheydidn”tsurpassit。
Corbettboxed3roundswiththemiddle-weightAustralianchampion——oh，beautifultosee！——thentheshowwasoverandwestruggledoutthroughaperfectwashofhumanity。WhenwereachedthestreetIfoundIhadleftmyarcticsinthebox。Ihadtohavethem，soSimmonssaidhewouldgobackandgetthem，andIdidn”tdissuadehim。Icouldn”tseehowhewasgoingtomakehiswayasingleyardintothatsolidoncomingwaveofpeople——yethemustplowthroughitfull50yards。Hewasbackwiththeshoesin3minutes！
Howdoyoureckonheaccomplishedthatmiracle？Bysaying：
“Way，gentlemen，please——comingtofetchMr。Corbett”sovershoes。”
Thewordflewfrommouthtomouth，theRedSeadivided，andSimmonswalkedcomfortablythroughandback，dryshod。Simmons(thiswasrevealedtomeundersealofsecrecybyReid)istheheroof“Gwen，“andheandGwen”sauthorwereonceengagedtomarry。Thisis“fire-escape“
Simmons，theinveteratetalker，youknow：“Exit——incaseofSimmons。”
IhadanengagementatabeautifuldwellingclosetothePlayersfor10。30；Iwasthereby10。45。Thirtycultivatedandverymusicalladiesandgentlemenpresent——allofthemacquaintancesandmanyofthempersonalfriendsofmine。ThatwonderfulHungarianBandwasthere(theycharge$500foranevening。)ConversationandBanduntilmidnight；thenabiteofsupper；thenthecompanywascompactlygroupedbeforemeandI
toldaboutDr。B。E。Martinandtheetchings，andfolloweditwiththeScotch-IrishChristening。My，buttheMartinisadarlingstory！Next，theheadtenorfromtheOperasanghalfadozengreatsongsthatsetthecompanywild，yes，madwithdelight，thatnoblyhandsomeyoungDamroschaccompanyingonthepiano。
Justalittlepause——thentheBandburstoutintoanexplosionofweirdandtremendousdancemusic，aHungariancelebrityandhiswifetookthefloor——Ifollowed；Icouldn”thelpit；theothersdriftedin，onebyone，anditwasOnteoraoveragain。
Byhalfpast4Ihaddancedallthosepeopledown——andyetwasnottired；
merelybreathless。Iwasinbedat5，andasleepintenminutes。Upat9andpresentlyatworkonthislettertoyou。IthinkIwroteuntil2
orhalfpast。ThenIwalkedleisurelyouttoMr。Rogers”s(itiscalled3milesbutitisshortofit)arrivingat3。30，buthewasout——
toreturnat5。30——(andapersonwasin，whomIdon”tparticularlylike)——
soIdidn”tstay，butdroppedoverandchattedwiththeHowellsesuntil6。