第21章

ClemenswasfondofBynnerandbelievedinhiswork。Hedidnotadvisehim，however，tobreakawayentirelyfromasalariedposition——atleastnotimmediately；butonedayBynnerdidso，andreportedthestephehadtaken，withsomedoubtastotheanswerhewouldreceive。

ToWitterBynner，inNewYork：

DUBLIN，Oct。5，1906。

DEARPOET，——Youhavecertainlydonerightforseveralgoodreasons；atleast，ofthem，Icannametwo：

1。Withyourreputationyoucanhaveyourfreedomandyetearnyourliving。2。ifyoufallshortofsucceedingtoyourwish，yourreputationwillprovideyouanotherjob。AndsoinhighapprovalI

suppressthescoldingandgiveyouthesaintlyandfatherlypatinstead。

MARKTWAIN。

Onanotheroccasion，whenBynnerhadwrittenapoemtoClaraClemens，herfatherpretendedgreatindignationthatthefirstpoemwrittenbyBynnertoanyoneinhishouseholdshouldnotbetohim，andthreatenedrevenge。Atdinnershortlyafterheproducedfromhispocketaslipofpaperonwhichhehadsetdownwhathesaidwas“hisonlypoem。”Hereadthelinesthatfollow：

“Ofallsadwordsoftongueorpen，Thesaddestarethese：Itmighthavebeen。

Ah，saynotso！aslifegrowslonger，leaner，thinner，Werecognize，OGod，itmighthaveBynner！“

HereturnedtoNewYorkinOctoberandsoonafterwaspresentedbyMrs。H。H。Rogerswithahandsomebilliard-table。

Hehadapassionforthegame，buthadplayedcomparativelylittlesincetheoldHartforddaysoffifteenyearsbefore，whenagroupofhisfriendsusedtoassembleonFridaynightsintheroomatthetopofthehouseforlong，strenuousgamesandmuchhilarity。Nowtheoldfeverallcameback；thefascinationsofthegamesupersededevenhisinterestinthedailydictations。

ToMrs。H。H。Rogers，inNewYork：

21FIFTHAVENUE，Monday，Nov。，1906。

DEARMRS。ROGERS，——Thebilliardtableisbetterthanthedoctors。Itisdrivingouttheheartburninamostpromisingway。Ihaveabilliardistonthepremises，andIwalknotlessthantenmileseverydaywiththecueinmyhand。Andthewalkingisnotthewholeoftheexercise，northemosthealth-givingpartofit，Ithink。Throughthemultitudeofthepositionsandattitudesitbringsintoplayeverymuscleinthebodyandexercisesthemall。

Thegamesbeginrightafterluncheon，daily，andcontinueuntilmidnight，with2hours”intermissionfordinnerandmusic。Andsoitis9hours”

exerciseperday，and10or12onSunday。Yesterdayandlastnightitwas12——andIsleptuntil8thismorningwithoutwaking。Thebilliardtable，asaSabbathbreakercanbeatanycoal-breakerinPennsylvania，andgiveit30in，thegame。IfMr。Rogerswilltaketodailybilliardshecandowithoutdoctorsandthemassageur，Ithink。

Wearereallygoingtobuildahouseonmyfarm，anhourandahalffromNewYork。Itisdecided。Itistobebuiltbycontract，andistocomewithin$25，000。

Withloveandmanythanks。

S。L。C。

P。S。Claraisinthesanitarium——tillJanuary28whenherwesternconcerttourwillbegin。Sheisgettingtobeamightycompetentsinger。

YoumustknowClarabetter；sheisoneoftheveryfinestandcompletestandmostsatisfactorycharactersIhaveevermet。Othersknewitbefore，butIhavealwaysbeenbusywithothermatters。

The“billiardistonthepremises“wasthewriterofthesenotes，who，earlierintheyear，hadbecomehisbiographer，and，inthecourseoftime，hisdailycompanionandfriend。ThefarmmentionedwasonewhichhehadboughtatRedding，Connecticut，where，later，hebuiltthehouseknownas“Stormfield。”

HenryMillsAlden，fornearlyfortyyearseditorofHarper”sMagazine，arrivedathisseventiethbirthdayonNovember11ththatyear，andHarper&BrothershadarrangedtogivehimagreatdinnerintheofficesofFranklinSquare，where，forhalfacentury，hehadbeenanactiveforce。MarkTwain，threatenedwithacold，andknowingthedinnerwouldbestrenuous，didnotfeelabletoattend，sowrotealetterwhich，iffoundsuitable，couldbereadatthegathering。

ToMr。HenryAlden：

ALDEN，——dearandancientfriend——itisasolemnmoment。Youhavenowreachedtheageofdiscretion。Youhavebeenalongtimearriving。Manyyearsagoyoudockedmeonanarticlebecausethesubjectwastooold；

later，youdockedmeonanarticlebecausethesubjectwastoonew；laterstill，youdockedmeonanarticlebecausethesubjectwasbetwixtandbetween。Once，whenIwroteaLettertoQueenVictoria，youdidnotputitintherespectablepartoftheMagazine，butinterreditinthatpotter”sfield，theEditor”sDrawer。Asaresult，sheneveransweredit。

Howoftenwerecall，withregret，thatNapoleononceshotatamagazineeditorandmissedhimandkilledapublisher。Butweremember，withcharity，thathisintentionsweregood。

Youwillreform，now，Alden。Youwillceasefromtheseeconomies，andyouwillbedischarged。Butinyourretirementyouwillcarrywithyoutheadmirationandearnestgoodwishesoftheoppressedandtoilingscribes。Thiswillbebetterthanbread。Letthisconsoleyouwhenthebreadfails。

Youwillcarrywithyouanotherthing，too——theaffectionofthescribes；

fortheyallloveyouinspiteofyourcrimes。Foryoubearakindheartinyourbreast，andthesweetandwinningspiritthatcharmsawayallhostilitiesandanimosities，andmakesofyourenemyyourfriendandkeepshimso。Youhavereignedoverusthirty-sixyears，and，pleaseGod，youshallreignanotherthirty-six”andpeacetoMahmoudonhisgoldenthrone！“

AlwaysyoursMARK

AcopyrightbillwascomingupinWashingtonandadelegationofauthorswentdowntoworkforit。Clemenswasnottheheadofthedelegation，buthewasthemostprominentmemberofit，aswellasthemostuseful。Heinvitedthewritertoaccompanyhim，andelsewhereIhavetoldindetailthestoryofthatexcursion，——[SeeMarkTwain；ABiography，chap。ccli，]——whichneedbebutbrieflytoucheduponhere。

Hisworkwasmainlydoneasidefromthatofthedelegation。Theyhadhimscheduledforaspeech，however，whichhemadewithoutnotesandwithscarcelyanypreparation。MeantimehehadappliedtoSpeakerCannonforpermissiontoallowhimontheflooroftheHouse，wherehecouldbuttonholetheCongressmen。HewasnoteligibletothefloorwithouthavingreceivedthethanksofCongress，hencethefollowingletter：

ToHon。JosephCannon，HouseofRepresentatives：

Dec。7，1906。

DEARUNCLEJOSEPH，——PleasegetmethethanksoftheCongress——notnextweekbutrightaway。Itisverynecessary。Doaccomplishthisforyouraffectionateoldfriendrightaway；bypersuasion，ifyoucan，byviolenceifyoumust，foritisimperativelynecessarythatIgetonthefloorfortwoorthreehoursandtalktothemembers，manbyman，inbehalfofthesupport，encouragementandprotectionofoneofthenation”smostvaluableassetsandindustries——itsliterature。Ihaveargumentswithme，alsoabarrel，withliquidinit。

Givemeachance。GetmethethanksofCongress。Don”twaitforothers；

thereisn”ttime。IhavestayedawayandletCongressaloneforseventy-

oneyearsandIamentitledtothanks。CongressknowsitperfectlywellandIhavelongfelthurtthatthisquiteproperandearnedexpressionofgratitudehasbeenmerelyfeltbytheHouseandneverpubliclyuttered。

SendmeanorderontheSergeant-at-Armsquick。WhenshallIcome？Withloveandabenediction。

MARKTWAIN。

Thiswasmainlyajoke。MarkTwaindidnotexpectany“thanks，“buthedidhopeforaccesstothefloor，whichonce，inanearlierday，hadbeenaccordedhim。WedrovetotheCapitolandhedeliveredhisletterto“UncleJoe“byhand。“UncleJoe“couldnotgivehimtheprivilegeofthefloor；theruleshadbecomemorestringent。Hedeclaredtheywouldhanghimifhedidsuchathing。Headdedthathehadaprivateroomdown-stairs，whereMarkTwainmightestablishheadquarters，andthathewouldassignhiscoloredservant，Neal，oflongacquaintanceshipwithmanyofthemembers，topassthewordthatMarkTwainwasreceiving。

Theresultwasagreatsuccess。AllthatafternoonmembersofCongresspouredintotheSpeaker”sroomand，inanatmospherebluewithtobaccosmoke，MarkTwaintalkedthegospelofcopyrighttohisheart”scontent。

Thebilldidnotcomeupforpassagethatsession，butMarkTwainlivedtoseehisafternoon”slobbyingbringareturn。In1909，ChampClark，andthoseotherswhohadgatheredaroundhimthatafternoon，passedameasurethataddedfourteenyearstothecopyrightterm。

Thenextletterreferstoaproposedlobbyofquiteadifferentsort。

ToHelenKeller，inWrentham，Mass。：

21FIFTHAVENUE，Dec。23，”06。

DEARHELENKELLER，……Yousay，“Asareformer，youknowthatideasmustbedrivenhomeagainandagain。”

Yes，Iknowit；andbyoldexperienceIknowthatspeechesanddocumentsandpublicmeetingsareaprettypoorandlamewayofaccomplishingit。

LastyearIproposedasaneway——onewhichIhadpracticedwithsuccessforaquarterofacentury——butIwasn”texpectingittogetanyattention，anditdidn”t。

Givemeabattalionof200winsomeyounggirlsandmatrons，andletmetellthemwhattodoandhowtodoit，andIwillberesponsibleforshiningresults。IfIcouldmassthemonthestageinfrontoftheaudienceandinstructthemthere，Icouldmakeapublicmeetingtakeholdofitselfanddosomethingreallyvaluableforonce。Notthattherealinstructionwouldbedonethere，foritwouldn”t；itwouldbepreviouslydoneprivately，andmerelyrepeatedthere。

Butitisn”tgoingtohappen——thegoodoldwaywillbestuckto：there”llbeapublicmeeting：withmusic，andprayer，andawearyingreport，andaverbaldescriptionofthemarvelstheblindcando，and17speeches——thenthecalluponallpresentwhoarestillalive，tocontribute。Thishoaryprogramwasinventedintheidiotasylum，andwillneverbechanged。Itsfunctionistobreedhostilitytogoodcauses。

Somedaysomebodywillrecruitmy200——mydearbeguilesomeKnightsoftheGoldenFleece——andyouwillseethemmakegoodtheirominousname。

Mind，wemustmeet！notinthegrimandghastlyairoftheplatform，mayhap，butbythefriendlyfire——hereat21。

Affectionatelyyourfriend，S。L。CLEMENS。

TheydidmeetsomewhatlaterthatwinterinthefriendlyparlorsofNo。21，andfriendsgatheredintomeetthemarvelousblindgirlandtopaytributetoMissSullivan(Mrs。Macy)forheralmostincredibleachievement。

EndLettersVol。6

byMarkTwainVOLUMEVI。

MARKTWAIN”SLETTERS1907-1910

XLVI

LETTERS1907-08。ADEGREEFROMOXFORD。THENEWHOMEATREDDING

Theauthor，J。HowardMoore，sentacopyofhisbook，TheUniversalKinship，withaletterinwhichhesaid：“Mosthumoristshavenoanxietyexcepttoglorifythemselvesandaddsubstancetotheirpocket-booksbymakingtheirreaderslaugh。Youhaveshown，onmanyoccasions，thatyourmissionisnotsimplytoantidotethemelancholyofaworld，butincludesarealandintelligentconcernforthegeneralwelfareofyourfellowman。”

TheUniversalKinshipwasthekindofabookthatMarkTwainappreciated，ashisacknowledgmentclearlyshows。

ToMr。J。HowardMoore：

Feb。2，”07。

DEARMR。MOORE，Thebookhasfurnishedmeseveraldaysofdeeppleasureandsatisfaction；ithascompelledmygratitudeatthesametime，sinceitsavesmethelaborofstatingmyownlong-cherishedopinionsandreflectionsandresentmentsbydoingitlucidlyandferventlyandirasciblyforme。

Thereisonethingthatalwayspuzzlesme：asinheritorsofthementalityofourreptileancestorswehaveimprovedtheinheritancebyathousandgrades；butinthematterofthemoralswhichtheyleftuswehavegonebackwardasmanygrades。Thatevolutionisstrange，andtomeunaccountableandunnatural。Necessarilywestartedequippedwiththeirperfectandblemishlessmorals；nowwearewhollydestitute；wehavenoreal，morals，butonlyartificialones——moralscreatedandpreservedbytheforcedsuppressionofnaturalandhellishinstincts。Yetwearedullenoughtobevainofthem。Certainlyweareasufficientlycomicalinvention，wehumans。

SincerelyYours，S。L。CLEMENS。

MarkTwain”sownbookswerealwaysbeingexcommunicatedbysomelibrarian，andthematterneverfailedtoinvitetheattentionandamusementofthepress，andtheindignationofmanycorrespondents。

UsuallythebookswereTomSawyerandHuckFinn，themoralsofwhichwerenotregardedaswhollyexemplary。Butin1907asmalllibrary，inaverysmalltown，attainedaday”snationalnotorietybyputtingthebanonEve”sDiary，notsomuchonaccountofitstextasforthechasteandexquisiteillustrationsbyLesterRalph。Whenthereporterscameinatrooptolearnaboutit，theauthorsaid：“I

believethistimethetroubleismainlywiththepictures。Ididnotdrawthem。IwishIhad——theyaresobeautiful。”

Justatthistime，Dr。WilliamLyonPhelps，ofYale，wasgivingaliterarytalktotheTeachers”Club，ofHartford，dwellingonthesuperlativevalueofMarkTwain”swritingsforreadersoldandyoung。Mrs。F。G。Whitmore，anoldHartfordfriend，wroteClemensofthethingsthatPhelpshadsaid，asconsolationforEve”slatestbanishment。Thisgavehimachancetoaddsomethingtowhathehadsaidtothereporters。

ToMrs。Whitmore，inHartford：

Feb。7，1907。

DEARMRS。WHITMORE，——Butthetruthis，thatwhenaLibraryexpelsabookofmineandleavesanunexpurgatedBiblelyingaroundwhereunprotectedyouthandagecangetholdofit，thedeepunconsciousironyofitdelightsmeanddoesn”tangerme。ButevenifitangeredmesuchwordsasthoseofProfessorPhelpswouldtakethestingallout。NobodyattachesweighttothefreaksoftheCharltonLibrary，butwhenamanlikePhelpsspeaks，theworldgivesattention。SomedayIhopetomeethimandthankhimforhiscourageforsayingthosethingsoutinpublic。

Customis，tothinkahandsomethinginprivatebuttameitdownintheutterance。

Ihopeyouareallwellandhappy；andtheretoIaddmylove。

Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

InMay，1907，MarkTwainwasinvitedtoEnglandtoreceivefromOxfordthedegreeofLiteraryDoctor。Itwasanhonorthatcametohimasasortoflaurelcrownattheendofagreatcareer，andgratifiedhimexceedingly。ToMoberlyBell，oftheLondonTimes，heexpressedhisappreciation。BellhadbeenoverinAprilandClemensbelievedhimconcernedinthematter。

ToMoberlyBell，inLondon：

21FIFTHAVENUE，May3，”07

DEARMR。BELL，——Yourhandisinit！andyouhavemybestthanks。

AlthoughIwouldn”tcrossanoceanagainforthepriceoftheshipthatcarriedme，IamgladtodoitforanOxforddegree。IshallplantosailforEnglandashadebeforethemiddleofJune，sothatIcanhaveafewdaysinLondonbeforethe26th。

Sincerely，S。L。CLEMENS。

HehadtakenahouseatTuxedoforthesummer，desiringtobenearNewYorkCity，andinthenextletterhewritesMr。RogersconcerninghisLondonplans。Wediscover，also，inthisletterthathehasbegunworkontheReddinghomeandthecostistocomeentirelyoutoftheautobiographicalchaptersthenrunningintheNorthAmericanReview。Itmaybeofpassinginteresttonoteherethathehadtheusualhouse-builder”sfortune。Hereceivedthirtythousanddollarsforthechapters；thehousecosthimnearlydoublethatamount。

ToH。H。Rogers，inNewYork：

TUXEDOPARK，May29，”07。

DEARADMIRAL，——Whyhangit，IamnotgoingtoseeyouandMrs。RogersatallinEngland！Itisagreatdisappointment。Ileavethereamonthfromnow——June29。No，Ishallseeyou；forbyyouritineraryyouaremostlikelytocometoLondonJune21storalongthere。Sothatisverygoodandsatisfactory。Ihavedeclinedallengagementsbuttwo——WhitelawReid(dinner)June21，andthePilgrims(lunch)，June25。TheOxfordceremonyisJune26。IhavepaidmyreturnpassageintheMinne-

something，butitisjustpossiblethatImaywanttostayinEnglandaweekortwolonger——Ican”ttell，yet。Idoverymuchwanttomeetupwiththeboysforthelasttime。

IhavesignedthecontractforthebuildingofthehouseonmyConnecticutfarmandspecifiedthecostlimit，andworkhasbeenbegun。

Thecosthastoallcomeoutofayear”sinstalmentsofAutobiographyintheN。A。Review。

Clara，iswinningherwaytosuccessanddistinctionwithsureandsteadystrides。Byallaccountssheissinginglikeabird，andisnotafraidontheconcertstageanymore。

Tuxedoisacharmingplace；Ithinkithasn”titsequalanywhere。

Verybestwishestoyouboth。

S。L。C。

ThestoryofMarkTwain”sextraordinaryreceptionandtriumphinEnglandhasbeentold——[MarkTwain；ABiography，chaps。cclvi-

cclix]——Itwas，infact，thecrowninggloryofhiscareer。PerhapsoneofthemostsatisfactoryincidentsofhissojournwasadinnergiventohimbythestaffofPunch，inthehistoricofficesat10

BouverieStreetwherenootherforeignvisitorhadbeenthushonored——anotabledistinction。Whenthedinnerended，littlejoyAgnew，daughterofthechiefeditor，enteredandpresentedtothechiefguesttheoriginaldrawingofacartoonbyBernardPartridge，whichhadappearedonthefrontpageofPunch。InthispicturethepresidinggeniusofthepaperisofferingtoMarkTwainhealth，longlife，andhappinessfrom“ThePunchBowl。”

AshorttimeafterhisreturntoAmericahereceivedaprettychildishletterfromlittleMissAgnewacknowledgingaphotographhehadsenther，andgivingalistofherpetsandoccupations。SuchaletteralwaysdelightedMarkTwain，andhispleasureinthisoneisreflectedinhisreply。

ToMissJoyAgnew，inLondon：

TUXEDOPARK，NEWYORK。

Untoyougreetingsandsalutationandworship，youdear，sweetlittlerightly-namedJoy！IcanseeyounowalmostasvividlyasIsawyouthatnightwhenyousatflashingandbeaminguponthosesombreswallow-tails。

“FairasastarwhenonlyoneIsshininginthesky。”

Oh，youwereindeedtheonlyone——therewasn”teventheremotestchanceofcompetitionwithyou，dear！Ah，youareadecoration，youlittlewitch！

Theideaofyourhousegoingtothewantonexpenseofaflowergarden！——

aren”tyouenough？Andwhatdoyouwanttogoanddiscouragetheotherflowersfor？Isthattherightspirit？isitconsiderate？isitkind？

Howdoyousupposetheyfeelwhenyoucomearound——lookingthewayyoulook？Andyousopinkandsweetanddaintyandlovelyandsupernatural？

Why，itmakesthemfeelembarrassedandartificial，ofcourse；andinmyopinionitisjustaspatheticasitcanbe。Nowthenyouwanttoreform——dear——anddoright。

Wellcertainlyyouarewelloff，Joy：

3bantams；

3goldfish；

3doves；

6canaries；

2dogs；

1cat；

Allyouneed，now，tobepermanentlybeyondthereachofwant，isonemoredog——justonemoregood，gentle，highprincipled，affectionate，loyaldogwhowouldn”twantanynoblerservicethanthegoldenprivilegeoflyingatyourdoor，nights，andbitingeverythingthatcamealong——andIamthatveryone，andreadytocomeatthedroppingofahat。

Doyouthinkyoucouldconveymyloveandthankstoyour“daddy“andOwenSeamanandthoseotheroppressedanddown-troddensubjectsofyours，youdarlingsmalltyrant？

Onmyknees！These——withthekissoffealtyfromyourothersubject——

MARKTWAIN

ElinorGlyn，authorofThreeWeeksandothererotictales，wasinAmericathatwinterandaskedpermissiontocallonMarkTwain。AnappointmentwasmadeandClemensdiscussedwithher，foranhourormore，thosecrucialphasesoflifewhichhavemadelivingacomplexproblemsincethedaysofEveinEden。Mrs。GlynhadneverbeforeheardanythinglikeMarkTwain”swonderfultalk，andshewasanxioustoprinttheirinterview。Shewrotewhatshecouldrememberofitandsentittohimforapproval。Ifhisconversationhadbeenfrank，hisrefusalwashardlylessso。

ToMrs。ElinorGlyn，inNewYork：

Jan。22，”08。

DEARMRS。GLYN，Itreadsprettypoorly——Igetthesenseofit，butitisapoorliteraryjob；however，itwouldhavetobethatbecausenobodycanbereportedevenapproximately，exceptbyastenographer。

Approximations，synopsizedspeeches，translatedpoems，artificialflowersandchromosallhaveasortofvalue，butitissmall。IfyouhadputuponpaperwhatIreallysaiditwouldhavewreckedyourtype-machine。

Isaidsomefetid，over-vigorousthings，butthatwasbecauseitwasaconfidentialconversation。Isaidnothingforprint。MyownreportofthesameconversationreadslikeSatanroastingaSundayschool。It，andcertainotherreadablechaptersofmyautobiographywillnotbepublisheduntilalltheClemensfamilyaredead——deadandcorrespondinglyindifferent。Theywerewrittentoentertainme，nottherestoftheworld。Iamnotheretodogood——atleastnottodoitintentionally。

Youmustpardonmefordictatingthisletter；Iamsicka-bedandnotfeelingaswellasImight。

SincerelyYours，S。L。CLEMENS。

AmongtheculturedmenofEnglandMarkTwainhadnogreateradmirer，orwarmerfriend，thanAndrewLang。Theywereatoneonmostliterarysubjects，andespeciallysointheiradmirationofthelifeandcharacterofJoanofArc。Bothhadwrittenofher，andbothheldhertobesomethingalmostmorethanmortal。When，therefore，AnatoleFrancepublishedhisexhaustivebiographyofthemaidofDomremy，abookinwhichhefollowed，withexaggeratedminutenessandinnumerablefootnotes，everystepofJoan”sphysicalcareerattheexpenseofherspirituallife，whichhewasinclinedtocheapen，Langwrotefeelingly，andwithsomecontempt，oftheperformance，invitingtheauthorofthePersonalRecollectionstocometotherescueoftheirheroine。“Compareeveryoneofhisstatementswiththepassageshecitesfromauthorities，andmakehimthelaughteroftheworld“hewrote。“IfyouarelazyaboutcomparingIcanmakeyouacompletesetofwhattheauthoritiessay，andofwhatthisamazingnovelistsaysthattheysay。WhenItellyouthathethinkstheEpiphany(January6，TwelfthNight)isDecember25th——ChristmasDay-youbegintoseewhatanegregiousassheis。TreathimlikeDowden，andoblige“——areferencetoMarkTwain”sdefenseofHarrietShelley，inwhichhehadheapedridiculeonDowden”sLifeofthePoet——amasterlyperformance；oneofthebestthatevercamefromMarkTwain”spen。

Lang”ssuggestionwouldseemtohavebeenawelcomeone。

ToAndrewLang，inLondon：

NEWYORK，April25，1908。

DEARMR。LANG，——Ihaven”tseenthebooknoranyreviewofit，butonlynotvery-understandablereferencestoit——ofasortwhichdiscomfortedme，butofcoursesetmyinterestonfire。Idon”twanttohavetoreaditinFrench——Ishouldlosetheniceshades，andshoulddoalotofgrossmisinterpreting，too。Butthere”llbeatranslationsoon，nichtwahr？

Iwillwaitforit。Inotewithjoythatyousay：“Ifyouarelazyaboutcomparing，(whichImostcertainlyam)，Icanmakeyouacompletesetofwhattheauthoritiessay，andofwhatthisamazingnovelistsaysthattheysay。”

Ah，doitforme！ThenIwillattemptthearticle，and(ifIsucceedindoingittomysatisfaction，)willpublishit。ItislongsinceI

touchedapen(3？years)，andIwasintendingtocontinuethishappyholidaytothegallows，but——therearethingsthatcouldbeguilemetobreakthisblessedSabbath。

Yoursverysincerely，S。L。CLEMENS。

CertainlyitisaninterestingfactthatanEnglishman——oneoftheracethatburnedJoan——shouldfeelmovedtodefendhermemoryagainstthetop-heavyperversionsofadistinguishedFrenchauthor。

ButLangseemsnevertohavesentthenotes。Thecopyingwouldhavebeenatremendoustask，andperhapsheneverfoundthetimeforit。

Wemayregretto-daythathedidnot，forMarkTwain”sarticleontheFrenchauthor”sJoanwouldhavebeenatleastunique。

SamuelClemenscouldneveraccustomhimselftothelossofhiswife。

Fromthetimeofherdeath，marriage-whichhadbroughthimhisgreatestjoyinlife-presenteditselftohimalwayswiththethoughtofbereavement，waitingsomewherejustbehind。Thenewsofanapproachingweddingsaddenedhimandtherewasnearlyalwaysasombertingeinhiscongratulations，ofwhichthefollowingtoadearfriendisanexample：

ToFatherFitz-Simon，inWashington：

June5，”08。

DEARFATHERFITZ-SIMON，——Marriage——yes，itisthesupremefelicityoflife，Iconcedeit。Anditisalsothesupremetragedyoflife。Thedeeperthelovethesurerthetragedy。Andthemoredisconsolatingwhenitcomes。

AndsoIcongratulateyou。Notperfunctorily，notlukewarmly，butwithafervencyandfirethatnowordinthedictionaryisstrongenoughtoconvey。Andinthesamebreathandwiththesamedepthandsincerity，Igrieveforyou。Notforbothofyouandnotfortheonethatshallgofirst，butfortheonethatisfatedtobeleftbehind。Forthatonethereisnorecompense——Forthatonenorecompenseispossible。

Therearetimes——thousandsoftimes——whenIcanexposethehalfofmymind，andconcealtheotherhalf，butinthematterofthetragedyofmarriageIfeeltoodeeplyforthat，andIhavetobleeditalloutorshutitallin。AndsoyoumustconsiderwhatIhavebeenthrough，andampassingthroughandbecharitablewithme。

Makethemostofthesunshine！andIhopeitwilllastlong——eversolong。

Idonotreallywanttobepresent；yetforfriendship”ssakeandbecauseIhonoryouso，IwouldbethereifIcould。

Mostsincerelyyourfriend，S。L。CLEMENS。

ThenewhomeatReddingwascompletedinthespringof1908，andonthe18thofJune，whenitwasentirelyfittedandfurnished，MarkTwainentereditforthefirsttime。HehadneverevenseentheplacenorcarefullyexaminedplanswhichJohnHowellshadmadeforhishouse。Hepreferredthesurpriseofit，andthegeneralavoidanceofdetail。Thathewassatisfiedwiththeresultwillbeseeninhisletters。Henameditatfirst“InnocenceatHome“；

laterchan

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