WehavenotheardofJoeGoodmansincethetryingdaysof”90and”91，whenhewasseekingtopromotethefortunesofthetype-settingmachine。Goodman，meantime，whohadinturnbeenminer，printer，publisher，andfarmer；hadbeendevotinghisenergiesandgeniustosomethingentirelynew：hehadbeentranslatingtheprehistoricMayaninscriptionsofYucatan，andwithsuchsuccessthathisworkwaselaboratelypublishedbyanassociationofBritishscientists。
InduetimeacopyofthispublicationcametoClemens，whowasfullofadmirationofthegreatachievement。
ToJ。T。Goodman，inCalifornia：
RIVERDALE-ON-THE-HUDSON，June13，”02。
DEARJOE，——Iamlostinreverenceandadmiration！Itisnowtwenty-fourhoursthatIhavebeentryingtocooldownandcontemplatewithquietbloodthisextraordinaryspectacleofenergy，industry，perseverance，pluck，analyticalgenius，penetration，thisirruptionofthundersandfierysplendorsfromafairandflowerymountainthatnobodyhadsupposedwasasleepingvolcano，butIseemtobeasexcitedasever。YesterdayIreadasmuchashalfofthebook，notunderstandingawordbutenchantednevertheless——partlybythewonderofitall，thestudy，theerudition，theincrediblelabor，themodesty，thedignity，themajesticexclusivenessofthefieldanditsloftyremotenessfromthingsandcontactssordidandmeanandearthy，andpartlybythegraceandbeautyandlimpidityofthebook”sunsurpassableEnglish。Science，alwaysgreatandworshipful，goesofteninhoddengrey，butyouhaveclothedheringarmentsmeetforherhighdegree。
Youthinkyouget“poorpay“foryourtwentyyears？No，ohno。YouhavelivedinaparadiseoftheintellectwhoselightestjoyswerebeyondthereachofthelongestpurseinChristendom，youhavehaddailyandnightlyemancipationfromtheworld”sslaveriesandgrossinterests，youhavereceivedabiggerwagethananymanintheland，youhavedreamedasplendiddreamandhaditcometrue，andto-dayyoucouldnotaffordtotradefortuneswithanybody——notevenwithanotherscientist，forhemustdividehisspoilwithhisguild，whereasessentiallytheworldyouhavediscoveredisyourownandmustremainso。
Itisalljustmagnificent，Joe！AndnooneisprouderorgladderthanYoursalwaysMARK。
AtYorkHarbor，Maine，wheretheyhadtakenacottageforthesummer——aprettyplace，withHowellsnotfardistant，atKitteryPoint——Mrs。Clemens”shealthgaveway。Thiswasataperiodwhentelegraphiccommunicationwasfarfromreliable。Theold-timeWesternUnionhadfallenfromgrace；its“system“nolongerjustifiedthebestsignificanceofthatword。Thenewdayofreorganizationwascoming，anditwastimeforit。MarkTwain”sletterconcerningtheserviceatYorkHarborwouldhardlybewarrantedtoday，butthosewhorememberconditionsofthatearliertimewillagreethatitwasjustifiedthen，andwillappreciateitssatire。
TothePresidentofTheWesternUnion，inNewYork：
“THEPINES“
YORKHARBOR，MAINE。
DEARSIR，——Idesiretomakeacomplaint，andIbringittoyou，theheadofthecompany，becausebyexperienceIknowbetterthantocarryittoasubordinate。
Ihavebeenhereamonthandahalf，andbytestimonyoffriends，reinforcedbypersonalexperienceInowfeelqualifiedtoclaimasanestablishedfactthatthetelegraphicservicehereistheworstintheworldexceptthatBoston。
TheseservicesareactuallyslowerthanwastheNewYorkandHartfordserviceinthedayswhenIlastcomplainedtoyou——whichwasfifteenoreighteenyearsago，whentelegraphictimeandtraintimebetweenthementionedpointswasexactlythesame，to-wit，threehoursandahalf。
Sixdaysago——itwasthatrawdaywhichprovokedsomuchcomment——mydaughterwasonherwayupfromNewYork，andatnoonshetelegraphedmefromNewHavenaskingthatImeetherwithacloakatPortsmouth。Hertelegramreachedmefourhoursandaquarterlater——just15minutestoolateformetocatchmytrainandmeether。
Ijudgethatthetelegramtraveledabout200miles。ItisthebesttelegraphicworkIhaveseensinceIhavebeenhere，andIammentioningitinthisplacenotasacomplaintbutasacompliment。Ithinkacomplimentoughtalwaystoprecedeacomplaint，whereoneispossible，becauseitsoftensresentmentandinsuresforthecomplaintacourteousandgentlereception。
Still，thereisadetailortwoconnectedwiththismatterwhichoughtperhapstobementioned。Andnow，havingsmoothedthewaywiththecompliment，Iwillventurethem。TheheadcorpseintheYorkHarborofficesentmethattelegramaltho1heknewitwouldreachmetoolatetobeofanyvalue；2also，thathewasgoingtosendittomebyhisboy；3thattheboywouldnottakethetrolleyandcomethe2milesin12minutes，butwouldwalk；4thathewouldbetwohoursandaquarterontheroad；5andthathewouldcollect25centsfortransportation，foratelegramwhichtheheknewtobeworthlessbeforehestartedit。
FromthesedataIinferthattheWesternUnionowesme75cents；thatistosay，theamountpaidforcombinedwireandlandtransportation——
arecoupprovidedforintheprintedparagraphwhichheadsthetelegraph-
blank。
BythesehumaneandChristianstageswenowarriveatthecomplaintproper。Wehavehadagravecaseofillnessinthefamily，andarelativewascomingsomesixhundredmilestohelpinthesick-roomduringtheconvalescingperiod。Itwasananxioustime，ofcourse，andIwroteandaskedtobenotifiedastothehouroftheexpectedarrivalofthisrelativeinBostonorinYorkHarbor。Beingafraidofthetelegraph——whichIthinkoughtnottobeusedintimesofhurryandemergency——Iaskedthatthedesiredmessagebebroughttomebysomeswiftmethodoftransportation。Bythemilkman，ifhewascomingthisway。Buttherearealwayspeoplewhothinktheyknowmorethanyoudo，especiallyyoungpeople；soofcoursetheyoungfellowinchargeofthisladyusedthetelegraph。AndatBoston，ofallplaces！ExceptYorkHarbor。
Theresultwasasusual；letmeemployastatelierandexacterterm，andsay，historical。
Thedispatchwashandedtotheh。c。oftheBostonofficeat9thismorning。Itsaid，“ShallbringA。S。toyouelevenforty-fivethismorning。”Thedistancetraveledbythedispatchisfortyorfiftymiles，Isuppose，asthetrain-timeisfiveminutesshortoftwohours，andthetrainsaresoslowthattheycan”tgiveaW。U。telegramtwohoursandtwentyminutesstartandovertakeit。
AsIhavesaid，thedispatchwashandedinatBostonat9。TheexpectedvisitorsleftBostonat9。40，andreachedmyhouseat12noon，beatingthetelegram2solidhours，and5minutesover。
Theboybroughtthetelegram。Itwasbald-headedwithage，butstilllegible。Theboywasprostratewithtravelandexposure，butstillalive，andIwentouttocondolewithhimandgethislastwishesandsendfortheambulance。Hewaswaitingtocollecttransportationbeforeturninghispassingspirittolessseriousaffairs。Ifoundhimstrangelyintelligent，consideringhisconditionandwhereheisgettinghistraining。Iaskedhimatwhathourthetelegramwashandedtotheh。c。inBoston。Heansweredbrightly，thathedidn”tknow。
Iexaminedtheblank，andsureenoughthewaryBostonh。c。hadthoughtfullyconcealedthatstatistic。IaskedhimatwhathourithadstartedfromBoston。Heansweredupasbrightlyasever，andsaidhedidn”tknow。
Iexaminedtheblank，andsureenoughtheBostonh。c。hadleftthatstatisticoutinthecold，too。Infactitturnedouttobeanofficialconcealment——noblankwasprovidedforitsexposure。Andnonerequiredbythelaw，Isuppose。“Itisagoodone-sidedidea，“Iremarked；
“Theycantakeyourmoneyandshipyourtelegramnextyeariftheywantto——you”venoredress。Thelawoughttoextendtheprivilegetoallofus。”
Theboylookeduponmecoldly。
IaskedhimwhenthetelegramreachedYorkHarbor。Hepointedtosomefiguresfollowingthesignatureatthebottomoftheblank”12。14。
“Isaiditwasnow1。45andasked——
“Doyoumeanthatitreachedyourmorgueanhourandahalfago？“
Henoddedassent。
“Itwasatthattimehalfanhourtoolatetobeofanyusetome，ifI
wantedtogoandmeetmypeople——whichwasthecase——forbythewordingofthemessageyoucanseethattheyweretoarriveatthestationat11。45。Whydid，yourh。c。sendmethisuselessmessage？Can”theread？
Ishedead？“
“It”stherules。”
“No，thatdoesnotaccountforit。Wouldhehavesentitifithadbeenthreeyearsold，Iinthemeantimedeceased，andheawareofit？“
Theboydidn”tknow。
“Because，youknow，arulewhichrequiredhimtoforwardtothecemeteryto-dayadispatchduethreeyearsago，wouldbeasgoodaruleasonewhichshouldrequirehimtoforwardatelegramtometo-daywhichheknewhadlostallitsvalueanhourortwobeforehestartedit。Theconstructionofsucharulewoulddiscreditanidiot；infactanidiot——
ImeanacommonordinaryChristianidiot，youunderstand——wouldbeashamedofit，andforthesakeofhisreputationwouldn”tmakeit。Whatdoyouthink？“
Herepliedwithmuchnaturalbrilliancythathewasn”tpaidforthinking。
ThisgavemeabetteropinionofthecommercialintelligencepervadinghismorguethanIhadhadbefore；italsosoftenedmyfeelingstowardhim，andalsomytone，whichhadhithertobeentingedwithbitterness。
“Letbygonesbebygones，“Isaid，gently，“weareallerringcreatures，andmainlyidiots，butGodmadeussoanditisdangeroustocriticise。”
SincerelyS。L。CLEMENS。
OnedaytherearrivedfromEuropeacallerwithaletterofintroductionfromElizabeth，QueenofRumania，betterknownasCarmenSylva。ThevisitorwasMadamHartwig，formerlyanAmericangirl，returningnow，becauseofreducedfortunes，tofindprofitableemploymentinherownland。Herhusband，amanofhighprinciple，haddeclinedtotakepartinan“affairofhonor，“asrecognizedbytheContinentalcode；hencehisruin。ElizabethofRumaniawasoneofthemostlovedandrespectedofEuropeanqueensandanauthorofdistinction。MarkTwainhadknownherinVienna。Herlettertohimandhisownlettertothepublicperhapsasecondone，foritsdateistwoyearslaterfollowherewith。
FromCarmenSylvatoMarkTwain：
BUCAREST，May9，1902。
HONOREDMASTER，——IfIventuretoaddressyouonbehalfofapoorlady，whoisstrandedinBucarestIhopenottobetoodisagreeable。
Mrs。HartwigleftAmericaattheageoffourteeninordertolearntosingwhichshehasdonethoroughly。Herhusbandhadquiteabrilliantsituationheretillherefusedtopartake”dansuneafaireonereuse”，soitseems。Theyhaven”tapennyandeachofthemmusttrytofindaliving。Sheisveryniceandpleasantandherschoolissogoodthatshemostcertainlycangiveexcellentsinginglessons。
IbegyourpardonforbeingaboretooneIsodeeplyloveandadmire，towhomIowedaysanddaysofforgetfulnessofselfandtroublesandtheintensestofalljoys：Hero-worship！Peopledon”talwaysrealizewhatahappinessthatis！Godblessyouforeverybeautifulthoughtyoupouredintomytiredheartandforeverysmileonawearyway！
CARMENSYLVA。
FromMarkTwaintothePublic：
Nov。16，”04。
TOWHOMITMAYCONCERN，——IdesiretorecommendMadameHartwigtomyfriendsandthepublicasateacherofsingingandasaconcert-vocalist。
ShehaslivedforfifteenyearsatthecourtofRoumania，andshebroughtwithhertoAmericaanautographletterinwhichherMajestytheQueenofRoumaniacordiallycertifiedhertomeasbeinganaccomplishedandgiftedsingerandteacherofsinging，andexpressedawarmhopethatherprofessionalventureamonguswouldmeetwithsuccess；throughabsenceinEuropeIhavehadnoopportunitytotestthevalidityoftheQueen”sjudgmentinthematter，butthatjudgmentistheutteranceofanentirelycompetentauthority——thebestthatoccupiesathrone，andasgoodasanythatsitselsewhere，asthemusicalworldwellknows——andthereforebackitwithouthesitation，andendorseitwithconfidence。
IwillexplainthatthereasonherMajestytriedtodoherfriendafriendlyofficethroughmeinsteadofthroughsomeoneelsewas，notthatIwasparticularlytherightorbestpersonfortheoffice，butbecauseI
wasnotastranger。ItistruethatIamastrangertosomeofthemonarchs——mainlythroughtheirneglectoftheiropportunities——butsuchisnotthecaseinthepresentinstance。Thelatterfactisahighcomplimenttome，andperhapsIoughttoconcealit。Somepeoplewould。
MARKTWAIN。
Mrs。Clemens”simprovementwasscarcelyperceptible。ItwasnotuntilOctoberthattheywereabletoremovehertoRiverdale，andthenonlyinaspeciallyarrangedinvalid-car。Attheendofthelongjourneyshewascarriedtoherroomanddidnotleaveitagainformanymonths。
ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford：
RIVERDALE，N。Y。，Oct。31，”02。
DEARJOE，——ItistendayssinceSusy[Twichell]wrotethatyouwerelaidupwithasprainedshoulder，sincewhichtimewehavehadnonewsaboutit。Ihopethatnonewsisgoodnews，accordingtotheproverb；still，authoritativeconfirmationofitwillbegladlyreceivedinthisfamily，ifsomeofyouwillfurnishit。Moreover，Ishouldliketoknowhowandwhereithappened。Inthepulpit，aslikeasnot，otherwiseyouwouldnotbetakingsomuchpainstoconcealit。Thisisnotamalicioussuggestion，andnotapersonally-inventedone：youtoldmeyourself，once，thatyouthrewartificialpowerandimpressivenessintoplacesinyoursermonswhereneeded，by“bangingthebible“——yourownwords。
Youhavereachedatimeoflifewhenitisnotwisetotaketheserisks。
Youwouldbetterjumparound。Weallhavetochangeourmethodsastheinfirmitiesofagecreepuponus。Jumpingaroundwillbeimpressivenow，whereasbeforeyouweregrayitwouldhaveexcitedremark。
PoorLivydragsalongdrearily。Itmustbehardtimesforthatturbulentspirit。Itwillbealongtimebeforesheisonherfeetagain。Itisamostpatheticcase。IwishIcouldtransferittomyself。Betweenrippingandragingandsmokingandreading，Icouldgetagooddealofaholidayoutofit。
Clararunsthehousesmoothlyandcapably。Sheisdischargingatrial-
cooktodayandhiringanother。
Apoweroflovetoyouall！
MARK。
SuchwasthestateofMrs。Clemens”shealththatvisitorswereexcludedfromthesickroom，andevenClemenshimselfwasallowedtoseehernomorethanafewmomentsatatime。Thesebrief，preciousvisitswerethechiefinterestsofhislongdays。Occasionallyhewasallowedtosendherafewlines，reportinghisoccupations，andtheseshewassometimespermittedtoanswer。Onlyoneofhisnoteshasbeenpreserved，writtenafteraday，nowrare，ofliteraryeffort。Itssignature，theletterY，standsfor“Youth，“alwayshernameforhim。
ToMrs。Clemens：
DEARHEART，——I”vedoneanotherfullday”swork，andfinishedbefore4。
Ihavebeenreadinganddozingsinceandwouldhavehadarealsleepafewminutesagobutforanincursiontobringmeacoupleofunimportantletters。I”vestucktothebedalldayandamgettingbackmylostground。NexttimeIwillbestrictlycarefulandmakemyvisitveryshort——justakissandarush。Thankyouforyourdear，dearnote；youwhoaremyownandonlysweetheart。
Sleepwell！
Y。
XLII
LETTERSOF1903。TOVARIOUSPERSONS。HARDDAYSATRIVERDALE。
LASTSUMMERATELMIRA。THERETURNTOITALY
ThereadermayperhapsrecallthatH。H。Rogers，somefiveorsixyearsearlier，hadtakenchargeofthefortunesofHelenKeller，makingitpossibleforhertocompletehereducation。Helenhadnowwrittenherfirstbook——awonderfulbook——”TheStoryofMyLife”，andithadbeensuccessfullypublished。ForalatergenerationitmaybepropertoexplainthattheMissSullivan，laterMrs。Macy，mentionedintheletterwhichfollows，wasthenoblewomanwhohaddevotedherlifetotheenlightenmentofthisblind，dumbgirl——hadmadeitpossibleforhertospeakandunderstand，and，indeed，toseewiththeeyesofluminousimagination。
Thecaseofplagiarismmentionedinthisletterisnotnowremembered，anddoesnotmatter，butitfurnishedatextforMarkTwain，whoseremarksonthesubjectingeneralareeminentlyworthwhile。
ToHelenKeller，inWrentham，Mass。：
RIVERDALE-ON-THE-HUDSON，ST。PATRICK”SDAY，”03。
DEARHELEN，——ImuststealhalfamomentfrommyworktosayhowgladIamtohaveyourbook，andhowhighlyIvalueit，bothforitsownsakeandasaremembrancesofanaffectionatefriendshipwhichhassubsistedbetweenusfornineyearswithoutabreak，andwithoutasingleactofviolencethatIcancalltomind。Isupposethereisnothinglikeitinheaven；andnotlikelytobe，untilwegetthereandshowoff。Ioftenthinkofitwithlonging，andhowthey”llsay，“Theretheycome——sitdowninfront！“Iampracticingwithatinhalo。Youdothesame。IwasatHenryRogers”slastnight，andofcoursewetalkedofyou。Heisnotatallwell；youwillnotliketohearthat；butlikeyouandme，heisjustaslovelyasever。
Iamcharmedwithyourbook-enchanted。Youareawonderfulcreature，themostwonderfulintheworld——youandyourotherhalftogether——
MissSullivan，Imean，forittookthepairofyoutomakeacompleteandperfectwhole。Howshestandsoutinherletters！herbrilliancy，penetration，originality，wisdom，character，andthefineliterarycompetenciesofherpen——theyareallthere。
Oh，dearme，howunspeakablyfunnyandowlishlyidioticandgrotesquewasthat“plagiarism“farce！Asiftherewasmuchofanythinginanyhumanutterance，oralorwritten，exceptplagiarism！Thekernal，thesoul——letusgofurtherandsaythesubstance，thebulk，theactualandvaluablematerialofallhumanutterances——isplagiarism。Forsubstantiallyallideasaresecond-hand，consciouslyandunconsciouslydrawnfromamillionoutsidesources，anddailyusedbythegarnererwithaprideandsatisfactionbornofthesuperstitionthatheoriginatedthem；whereasthereisnotaragoforiginalityaboutthemanywhereexceptthelittlediscolorationtheygetfromhismentalandmoralcalibreandhistemperament，andwhichisrevealedincharacteristicsofphrasing。Whenagreatoratormakesagreatspeechyouarelisteningtotencenturiesandtenthousandmen——butwecallithisspeech，andreallysomeexceedinglysmallportionofitishis。Butnotenoughtosignify。ItismerelyaWaterloo。ItisWellington”sbattle，insomedegree，andwecallithis；butthereareothersthatcontributed。Ittakesathousandmentoinventatelegraph，orasteamengine，oraphonograph，oraphotograph，oratelephoneoranyotherimportantthing——andthelastmangetsthecreditandweforgettheothers。Headdedhislittlemite——thatisallhedid。Theseobjectlessonsshouldteachusthatninety-ninepartsofallthingsthatproceedfromtheintellectareplagiarisms，pureandsimple；andthelessonoughttomakeusmodest。Butnothingcandothat。
Thenwhydon”tweunwittinglyreproducethephrasingofastory，aswellasthestoryitself？Itcanhardlyhappen——totheextentoffiftywordsexceptinthecaseofachild：itsmemory-tabletisnotlumberedwithimpressions，andtheactuallanguagecanhavegraving-roomthere，andpreservethelanguageayearortwo，butagrownperson”smemory-tabletisapalimpsest，withhardlyabarespaceuponwhichtoengraveaphrase。
Itmustbeaveryrarethingthatawholepagegetssosharplyprinteduponaman”smind，byasinglereading，thatitwillstaylongenoughtoturnupsometimeorotherandbemistakenbyhimforhisown。Nodoubtweareconstantlylitteringourliteraturewithdisconnectedsentencesborrowedfrombooksatsomeunrememberedtimeandnowimaginedtobeourown，butthatisaboutthemostwecando。In1866IreadDr。Holmes”spoems，intheSandwichIslands。AyearandahalflaterIstolehisdictation，withoutknowingit，andusedittodedicatemy“InnocentsAbroad“with。ThenyearsafterwardsIwastalkingwithDr。Holmesaboutit。Hewasnotanignorantass——no，nothe：hewasnotacollectionofdecayedhumanturnips，likeyour“PlagiarismCourt；“andsowhenIsaid，“IknownowwhereIstoleit，butwhomdidyoustealitfrom，“hesaid，“Idon”tremember；IonlyknowIstoleitfromsomebody，becauseIhaveneveroriginatedanythingaltogethermyself，normetanybodywhohad。”
Tothinkofthosesolemndonkeysbreakingalittlechild”sheartwiththeirignorantrubbishaboutplagiarism！Icouldn”tsleepforblasphemingaboutitlastnight。Why，theirwholelives，theirwholehistories，alltheirlearning，alltheirthoughts，alltheiropinionswereonesolidruckofplagiarism，andtheydidn”tknowitandneversuspectedit。Agangofdullandhoarypiratespiouslysettingthemselvesthetaskofdiscipliningandpurifyingakittenthattheythinkthey”vecaughtfilchingachop！Oh，dam——
Butyoufinishit，dear，Iamrunningshortofvocabularytoday。Everlovinglyyourfriend，MARK。
EditedandmodifiedbyClaraClemens，deputytohermother，whoformorethan7monthshasbeenillinbedandunabletoexerciseherofficialfunction。
TheburdenoftheClemenshouseholdhadfallenalmostentirelyuponClaraClemens。Inadditiontosupervisingitscustomaryaffairs，shealsoshoulderedtheresponsibilityofanunusualcombinationofmisfortunes，forbesidesthecriticalconditionofhermother，hersister，JeanClemens，wasdownwithpneumonia，nowordofwhichmustcometoMrs。Clemens。Certainlyitwasadifficultposition。Insomeaccountofit，whichhesetdownlater，Clemenswrote：“ItwasfortunateforusallthatClara”sreputationfortruthfulnesswassowellestablishedinhermother”smind。Itwasourdailyprotectionfromdisaster。ThemotherneverdoubtedClara”sword。Claracouldtellherlargeimprobabilitieswithoutexcitinganysuspicion，whereasifItriedtomarketevenasmallandsimpleonethecasewouldhavebeendifferent。IwasneverabletogetareputationlikeClara”s。”
TheaccumulationofphysicalailmentsintheClemenshomehadsomewhatmodifiedMarkTwain”snotionofmedicalpractice。Hewasnolongerradical；hehadbecomeeclectic。ItisagooddealofaconcessionthathemakestoTwichell，afterthoseearlierlettersfromSweden，inwhichosteopathyhadbeenheraldedastheanodyneforallhumanills。
ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford：
DEARJOE，——Livydoesreallymakealittleprogressthesepast3or4
days，progresswhichisvisibletoeventheuntrainedeye。Thephysiciansaredoinggoodworkwithher，butmynotionis，thatnoartofhealingisthebestforallills。Ishoulddistributetheailmentsaround：surgerycasestothesurgeons；lupustotheactinic-rayspecialist；nervousprostrationtotheChristianScientist；mostillstotheallopathandthehomeopath；inmyownparticularcaserheumatism，goutandbronchialattackstotheosteopathist。
Mr。Rogerswastosailsouthwardthismorning——andhereisthisweather！
Iamsorry。Ithinkit”saquestionifhegetsawaytomorrow。
YsEverMARK。
ItwasthroughJ。Y。M。MacAlister，towhomthenextletteriswritten，thatMarkTwainhadbecomeassociatedwiththePlasmonCompany，whichexplainsthereferenceto“shares。”HehadseenmuchofMacAlisterduringthewinteratTedworthSquare，andhadgrownfondofhim。Itisacharacteristicletter，andoneofinterestingfact。
ToJ。Y。M。MacAlister，inLondon：
RIVERDALE，NEWYORK。
April，7，”03。
DEARMACALISTER，——Yoursarrivedlastnight，andGodknowsIwasgladtogetit，forIwasafraidIhadblunderedintoanoffenceinsomewayandforfeitedyourfriendship——akindofblunderIhavemadesomanytimesinmylifethatIamalwaysstandinginawaitingandmorbiddreadofitsoccurrence。
ThreedaysagoIwasincondition——duringonehorriblylongnight——tosympatheticallyroastwithyouinyour“helloftroubles。”DuringthatnightIwasbackagainwhereIwasintheblackdayswhenIwasburiedunderamountainofdebt。Icalledthedaughterstomeinprivatecouncilandparalysedthemwiththeannouncement，“Ouroutgohasincreasedinthepast8monthsuntilourexpensesarenow125percent。
greaterthanourincome。”
Itwasamistake。WhenIcamedowninthemorningagrayandagedwreck，andwentoverthefiguresagain，IfoundthatinsomeunaccountablewayunaccountabletoabusinessmanbutnottomeIhadmultipliedthetotalsby2。ByGodIdropped75yearsonthefloorwhereIstood。
Doyouknowitaffectedmeasoneisaffectedwhenhewakesoutofahideousdreamandfindsthatitwasonlyadream。ItwasagreatcomfortandsatisfactiontometocallthedaughterstoaprivatemeetingoftheBoardagainandsay，“Youneednotworryanymore；ouroutgoisonlyathirdmorethanourincome；inafewmonthsyourmotherwillbeoutofherbedandonherfeetagain——thenweshalldropbacktonormalandbeallright。”
Certainlythereisablisteringandawfulrealityaboutawell-arrangedunreality。Itisquitewithinthepossibilitiesthattwoorthreenightslikethatnightofminecoulddriveamantosuicide。Hewouldrefusetoexaminethefigures；theywouldrevolthimso，andhecouldgotohisdeathunawarethattherewasnothingseriousaboutthem。Icannotgetthatnightoutofmyhead，itwassovivid，soreal，soghastly。Inanyotheryearofthese33thereliefwouldhavebeensimple：gowhereyoucancutyourclothtofityourincome。Youcan”tdothatwhenyourwifecan”tbemoved，evenfromoneroomtothenext。
Clamspellsthetrainednurseafternoons；IamallowedtoseeMrs。
Clemens20minutestwiceadayandwritehertwolettersadayprovidedI
putnonewsinthem。Nootherpersoneverseesherexceptthephysicianandnowandthenanerve-specialistfromNewYork。Shesawtherewassomethingthematterthatmorning，butshegotnofactsoutofme。Butthatisnothing——shehasn”thadanythingbutliesfor8months。Afactwouldgiveherarelapse。
Thedoctorandaspecialistmetinconspiracyfivedaysago，andintheirbeliefshewillbyandbycomeoutofthisasgoodasnew，substantially。
TheyorderedhertoItalyfornextwinter——whichseemstoindicatethatbyautumnshewillbeabletoundertakethevoyage。SoClaraiswritingaFlorencefriendtotakealookroundamongthevillasforusintheregionsnearthatcity。Itseemsearlytodothis，butJoanBergheimthoughtitwouldbewise。
Heandhiswifelunchedwithushereyesterday。TheyhavebeenabroadinHavana4months，andtheysailedforEnglandthismorning。
IamenclosinganorderforhalfofmyyourFoundersshares。Youarenottorefusethemthistime，thoughyouhavedoneittwicebefore。Theyareyours，notmine，andforyourfamily”ssakeifnotyourownyoucannotinthesecloudydaysrenouncethispropertywhichissoclearlyyoursandtheirs。Youhavebeengenerouslongenough；bejust，nowtoyourself。Mr。Rogersisoffyachtingfor5or6weeks——I”llgetthemwhenhereturns。TheheadofthehousejoinsmeinwarmestgreetingsandremembrancestoyouandMrs。MacAlister。
Everyours，Mark。
May8。GreatScott！Inevermailedthisletter！Iaddressedit，put“Registered“onit——thenleftitlyingunsealedonthearmofmychair，andrusheduptomybedquakingwithachill。I”veneverbeenoutofthebedsince——oh，bronchitis，rheumatism，twosetsofteethaching，land，I”vehadadandytimefor4weeks。Andto-day——greatguns，oneoftheveryworst！……
I”mdevilishsorry，andIdoapologise——foralthoughIamnotasslowasyouareaboutansweringletters，asarule，IseewhereI”mstandingthistime。
TwoweeksagoJeanwastakendownagain——thistimewithmeasles，andI
haven”tbeenabletogotoherandshehasn”tbeenabletocometome。
ButMrs。Clemensismakingniceprogress，andcanstandaloneamomentortwoatatime。
NowI”llpostthis。
MARK
Thetwolettersthatfollow，thoughwrittenonlyafewdaysapart，wereseparatedintheirarrivalbyaperiodofsevenyears。Thesecondletterwas，insomeway，mislaidandnotmailed；anditwasnotuntilafterthewriterofitwasdeadthatitwasfoundandforwarded。
MarkTwaincouldnevergetupmuchenthusiasmforthewritingsofScott。HispraiseofQuentinDurwardisabouttheonlyapprovalheeveraccordedtotheworksofthegreatromanticist。
ToBranderMatthews，inNewYork：
NEWYORKCITY，May4，”03。
DEARBRANDER，——Ihaven”tbeenoutofmybedforfourweeks，but——well，I
havebeenreading，agooddeal，anditoccurstometoaskyoutositdown，sometimeorotherwhenyouhave8or9monthstospare，andjotmedownacertainfewliteraryparticularsformyhelpandelevation。Yourtimeneednotbethrownaway，foratyourfurtherleisureyoucanmakeColombianlecturesoutoftheresultsanddoyourstudentsagoodturn。
1。ArethereinSirWalter”snovelspassagesdoneingoodEnglish——
Englishwhichisneitherslovenlyorinvolved？
2。AretherepassageswhoseEnglishisnotpoorandthinandcommonplace，butisofaqualityabovethat？
3。Aretherepassageswhichburnwithrealfire——notpunk，fox-fire，makebelieve？
4。Hasheheroesandheroineswhoarenotcadsandcadesses？
5。Hashepersonageswhoseactsandtalkcorrespondwiththeircharactersasdescribedbyhim？
6。Hasheheroesandheroineswhomthereaderadmires，admires，andknowswhy？
7。Hashefunnycharactersthatarefunny，andhumorouspassagesthatarehumorous？
8。Doesheeverchainthereader”sinterest，andmakehimreluctanttolaythebookdown？
9。Aretherepageswhereheceasesfromposing，ceasesfromadmiringtheplacidfloodandflowofhisowndilutions，ceasesfrombeingartificial，andisforatime，longorshort，recognizablysincereandinearnest？
10。DidheknowhowtowriteEnglish，anddidn”tdoitbecausehedidn”twantto？
11。Didheusetherightwordonlywhenhecouldn”tthinkofanotherone，ordidherunsomuchtowrongbecausehedidn”tknowtherightonewhenhesawit？
13。Canyoureadhim？andkeepyourrespectforhim？Ofcourseapersoncouldinhisday——aneraofsentimentalityandsloppyromantics——
butland！canabodydoittoday？
Brander，Ilieheredying，slowlydying，undertheblightofSirWalter。
IhavereadthefirstvolumeofRobRoy，andasfaraschapterXIXofGuyMannering，andIcannolongerholdmyheadupnortakemynourishment。
Lord，it”sallsojuvenile！soartificial，soshoddy；andsuchwaxfiguresandskeletonsandspectres。Interest？Why，itisimpossibletofeelaninterestinthesebloodlessshams，thesemilk-and-waterhumbugs。
Andoh，thepovertyoftheinvention！Notpovertyininventingsituations，butpovertyinfurnishingreasonsforthem。SirWalterusuallygiveshimselfawaywhenhearrangesforasituation——elaborates，andelaborates，andelaborates，tillifyoulivetogettoityoudon”tbelieveinitwhenithappens。
Ican”tfindtherestofRobRoy，Ican”tstandanymoreMannering——Idonotknowjustwhattodo，butIwillreflect，andnotquitthisgreatstudyrashly。Hewasgreat，inhisday，andtohisproperaudience；andsowasGodinJewishtimes，forthatmatter，butwhyshouldeitherofthemrankhighnow？Anddothey？——honest，now，dothey？Dam”difI
believeit。
My，IwishIcouldseeyouandLeighHunt！
`SincerelyYoursS。L。CLEMENS。
ToBranderMatthews，inNewYork：
RIVERDALE，May8”03MailedJune，1910。
DEARBRANDER，——I”mstillinbed，butthedayshavelosttheirdulnesssinceIbrokeintoSirWalterandlostmytemper。IfinishedGuyMannering——thatcurious，curiousbook，withitsmobofsqualidshadowsjabberingaroundasingleflesh-and-bloodbeing——Dinmont；abookcrazilyputtogetheroutoftheveryrefuseoftheromance-artist”sstageproperties——finisheditandtookupQuentinDurward，andfinishedthat。
Itwaslikeleavingthedeadtominglewiththeliving：itwaslikewithdrawingfromtheinfantclassintheCollegeofjournalismtositunderthelecturesinEnglishliteratureinColumbiaUniversity。
IwonderwhowroteQuentinDurward？
YrseverMARK。
In1903，preparationsweregoingonforagreatworld”sfair，tobeheldinSt。Louis，andamongotherfeaturesproposedwasaWorld”sLiteraryConvention，withaweektobesetapartinhonorofMarkTwain，andaspecialMarkTwainDayinit，onwhichtheNationalAssociationwouldholdgrandservicesinhonorofthedistinguishedMissourian。Aletteraskinghisconsenttotheplanbroughtthefollowingreply。
ToT。F。Gatts，ofMissouri：
NEWYORK，May30，1903。
DEARMR。GATTS，——ItisindeedahighcomplimentwhichyouoffermeinnaminganassociationaftermeandinproposingthesettingapartofaMarkTwaindayatthegreatSt。Louisfair，butsuchcomplimentsarenotproperfortheliving；theyareproperandsafeforthedeadonly。I
valuetheimpulsewhichmovesyoutotendermethesehonors。Ivalueitashighlyasanyonecan，andamgratefulforit，butIshouldstandinasortofterrorofthehonorsthemselves。Solongasweremainalivewearenotsafefromdoingthingswhich，howeverrighteouslyandhonorablyintended，canwreckourreputeandextinguishourfriendships。
IhopethatnosocietywillbenamedformewhileIamstillalive，forI
mightatsometimeorotherdosomethingwhichwouldcauseitsmemberstoregrethavingdonemethathonor。AfterIshallhavejoinedthedeadI
shallfollowthecustomsofthosepeopleandbeguiltyofnoconductthatcanwoundanyfriend；butuntilthattimeshallcomeIshallbeadoubtfulquantityliketherestofourrace。
Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。
TheNationalMarkTwainAssociationdidnotsurrendereasily。Mr。
Gattswroteasecondletterfullofurgentappeal。IfMarkTwainwastempted，wegetnohintofitinhisanswer。
ToT。F。Gatts，ofMissouri：
NEWYORK，June8，1903。
DEARMR。GATTS，——WhileIamdeeplytouchedbythedesireofmyfriendsofHannibaltoconferthesegreathonorsuponme，Imuststillforbeartoacceptthem。Spontaneousandunpremeditatedhonors，likethosewhichcametomeatHannibal，Columbia，St。Louisandatthevillagestationsalldowntheline，arebeyondallpriceandareatreasureforlifeinthememory，fortheyareafreegiftoutoftheheartandtheycomewithoutsolicitations；butIamaMissourianandsoIshrinkfromdistinctionswhichhavetobearrangedbeforehandandwithmyprivity，forIthenbecameapartytomyownexalting。Iamhumanlyfondofhonorsthathappenbutcharyofthosethatcomebycanvassandintention。
Withsincerethankstoyouandyourassociatesforthishighcomplimentwhichyouhavebeenmindedtoofferme，Iam，Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。
WehaveseeninthelettertoMacAlisterthatMarkTwain”swifehadbeenorderedtoItalyandplanswereinprogressforanestablishmentthere。BytheendofJuneMrs。ClemenswasabletoleaveRiverdale，andshemadethejourneytoQuarryFarm，Elmira，wheretheywouldremainuntilOctober，themonthplannedfortheirsailing。ThehouseinHartfordhadbeensold；andahousewhich，priortoMrs。Clemens”sbreakdowntheyhadboughtnearTarrytownexpectingtosettlepermanentlyontheHudsonhadbeenlet。TheyweregoingtoEuropeforanotherindefiniteperiod。
AtQuarryFarmMrs。Clemenscontinuedtoimprove，andClemens，oncemoreabletowork，occupiedthestudywhichMrs。Cranehadbuiltforhimthirtyyearsbefore，andwhereTomSawyerandHuckFinnandtheWanderingPrincehadbeencalledintobeing。
ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford，Conn。：
QUARRYFARM，ELMIRA，N。Y。，July21，”03。
DEARJOE，——Thatlove-letterdelightedLivybeyondanylikeutterancereceivedbyherthesethirtyyearsandmore。Iwasgoingtoansweritforherrightaway，andsaidso；butshereservedtheprivilegetoherself。IjudgesheisaccumulatingHotStuff——asGeorgeAdewouldsay……
Livyiscomingalong：eatswell，sleepssome，ismostlyverygay，notveryoftendepressed；spendsalldayontheporch，sleepsthereapartofthenight，makesexcursionsincarriageandinwheel-chair；and，inthematterofsuperintendingeverythingandeverybody，hasresumedbusinessattheoldstand。
Didyouevergohouse-hunting3，000milesaway？Itcoststhreemonthsofwritingandtelegraphingtopulloffasuccess。Wefinished3or4daysago，andtooktheVillaPapinianodamthename，Ihavetolookatitaminutesafterwritingit，andthenamalwaysindoubtforayearbycable。ThreemilesoutsideofFlorence，underFiesole——adarlinglocation，andapparentlyachoicehouse，nearFiske。
There”s7inourgang。Allwomenbutme。Itmeanstrunksandthings。
Butthanksbe！To-daythisisprivatecomesamosthandsomevoluntarydocumentwithsealsandescutcheonsonitfromtheItalianAmbassadorwhoisastrangertomecommandingtheCustomspeopletokeeptheirhandsofftheClemens”sthings。Nowwasn”titlovelyofhim？Andwasn”titlovelyofmetoletLivytakeapencilandeditmyanswerandknockagoodthirdofitout？
Andthat”saniceship——theIrene！new——swift——13，000tons——roomsupinthesky，opentosunandair——andallthat。IwasdesperatelytroubledforLivy——aboutthedown-cellarcellsintheancient“Latin。”
ThecubsareinRiverdale，yet；theycometousthefirstweekinAugust。
Withlotsandlotsoflovetoyouall，MARK。
ThearrangementfortheVillaPapinianowasnotcompleted，afterall，andthroughagoodfriend，GeorgeGregorySmith，aresidentofFlorence，theVillaQuarto，anancienthomeofroyalty，onthehillswestofFlorence，wasengaged。Smithwrotethatitwasaverybeautifulplacewithasouth-easternexposure，lookingouttowardValombrosaandtheChiantiHills。Ithadextensivegroundsandstables，andtheannualrentalforitallwastwothousanddollarsayear。Itseemedanidealplace，inprospect，andtherewasgreathopethatMrs。ClemenswouldfindherhealthoncemoreintheItalianclimatewhichsheloved。
Perhapsatthispoint，whenMarkTwainisoncemoreleavingAmerica，wemayoffertwolettersfromstrangerstohim——lettersofappreciation——suchashewasconstantlyreceivingfromthoseamongthethousandstowhomhehadgivenhappiness。ThefirstisfromSamuelMerwin，onedaytobecomeapopularnovelist，theninthehourofhisbeginnings。
ToMarkTwain，fromSamuelMerwin：
PLAINFIELD，N。J。
August4，1903。
DEARMR。CLEMENS，——ForagoodmanyyearsIhavebeenstrugglingwiththetemptationtowriteyouandthankyoufortheworkyouhavedone；andto-
dayIseemtobeyielding。
DuringthepasttwoyearsIhavebeenreadingthroughagroupofwriterswhoseemtometorepresentaboutthebestwehave——SirThomasMalory，Spenser，Shakespeare，Boswell，Carlyle，LeSage。Inthinkingoveroneandthenanother，andthenallofthemtogether，itwasplaintoseewhytheyweregreatmenandwriters：eachbroughttohistimesomenewblood，newideas，——turnedanewcurrentintothestream。Isupposetherehavealwaysbeenthecareful，painstakingwriters，themenwhoarealwaystakensoseriouslybytheirfellowcraftsmen。Itseemstobetheunconventionalmanwhoissorare——Imeanthehonestlyunconventionalman，whohastoexpresshimselfinhisownbigwaybecausetheconventionalwayisn”tbigenough，becauseneneedsroomandfreedom。
Wehaveagroupofthemoreorlessconventionalmennow——menofdignityandliteraryposition。Butinspiteoftheirinfluenceandofalltheworktheyhavedone，thereisn”toneofthemtowhomonecangiveone”sselfupwithoutreservation，notonewhoseideasseembasedonthedeepfoundationofalltruephilosophy，——exceptMarkTwain。
Ihopethisletterisnotanimpertinence。Ihavejustbeenturningabout，withmyheadfullofSpenserandShakespeareand“GilBlas，“
lookingforsomethinginourownpresentdayliteraturetowhichIcouldsurrendermyselfastothosefivegrippingoldwritings。AndnothingcouldIfinduntilItookup“LifeontheMississippi，“and“HuckleberryFinn，“and，justnow，the“ConnecticutYankee。”Itisn”tthefirsttimeIhavereadanyofthesethree，andit”sbecauseIknowitwon”tbethelast，becausethesebooksaretheonlyoneswritteninmylifetimethatclaimmyunreservedinterestandadmirationand，aboveall，myfeelings，thatI”vefeltIhadtowritethisletter。
Iliketothinkthat“TomSawyer“and“HuckleberryFinn“willbelookedupon，fiftyorahundredyearsfromnow，asthepictureofbuoyant，dramatic，humanAmericanlife。Ifeel，deepinmyownheart，prettysurethattheywillbe。Theywon”tbelookedonthenastheworkofa“humorist“anymorethanwethinkofShakespeareasahumoristnow。
Idon”tmeanbythistosetupacomparisonbetweenMarkTwainandShakespeare：Idon”tfeelcompetenttodoit；andI”mnotatallsurethatitcouldbedoneuntilMarkTwain”sworkshallhaveitsfairshareofhistoricalperspective。ButShakespearewasahumoristandso，thankHeaven！isMarkTwain。AndShakespeareplungeddeepintothedeep，sadthingsoflife；andso，inadifferentwaybutinawaythathasmorethanoncebroughttearstomyeyeshasMarkTwain。Butafterall，itisn”tbecauseofanyresemblanceforanythingthatwaseverbeforewrittenthatMarkTwain”sbooksstrikeinsodeep：it”sratherbecausethey”vebroughtsomethingreallynewintoourliterature——new，yetoldasAdamandEveandtheApple。Andthisachievement，theachievementofputtingsomethingintoliteraturethatwasnottherebefore，is，Ishouldthink，themostthatanywritercaneverhopetodo。Itistheonemarkofdistinctionbetweenthe“lonesome“littlegroupofbigmenandthevastherdofmediumandsmallones。Anyhow，thismuchIamsureof——totheyoungmanwhohopes，howeverfeebly，toaccomplishalittlesomething，someday，asawriter，theoneinspiringexampleofourtimeisMarkTwain。
Verytrulyyours，SAMUELMERWIN。
MarkTwainoncesaidhecouldliveamonthonagoodcompliment，andfromhisreply，wemaybelievethisonetobelongin，thatclass。
ToSamuelMerwin，inPlainfield，N。J。：
Aug。16，”03。
DEARMR。MERWIN，——Whatyouhavesaidhasgivenmedeeppleasure——indeedI
thinknowordscouldbesaidthatcouldgivememore。
Verysincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。
Thenext“compliment“isfromonewhoremainsunknown，forshefailedtosignhernameinfull。Butitisalovelyletter，andlosesnothingbythefactthatthewriterofitwaswillingtoremaininobscurity。
ToMarkTwain，fromMargaretM——：
PORTLAND，OREGON
Aug。18，1903。
MYDEAR，DEARMARKTWAIN，——Mayalittlegirlwriteandtellyouhowdearlyshelovesandadmiresyourwritings？Well，IdoandIwanttotellyouyourownself。Don”tthinkmetooimpertinentforindeedIdon”tmeantobethat！IhavereadeverythingofyoursthatIcouldgetandpartsthattouchmeIhavereadoverandoveragain。Theyseemsuchdearfriendstome，solikereallivehumanbeingstalkingandlaughing，workingandsufferingtoo！Onecannotbutfeelthatitisyourownlifeandexperiencethatyouhavepainted。Sodonotwonderthatyouseemadearfriendtomewhohasneverevenseenyou。Ioftenthinkofyouassuchinmyownthoughts。IwonderifyouwilllaughwhenItellyouI
havemadeaheroofyou？Forwhenpeopleseemverysordidandmeanandstupidanditseemsasifeverybodywasthenthethoughtwillcomelikealittlecrumbofcomfort“well，MarkTwainisn”tanyway。”Anditdoesreallybrightenmeup。
YouseeIhavegottenanideathatyouareagreat，brightspiritofkindnessandtenderness。Onewhocantwisteverybody”s-evenyourown-
faultsandabsurditiesintoheartylaughs。Eventhepersonmockedmustlaugh！Oh，Dear！Howoftenyouhavemademelaugh！AndyetasoftenyouhavestrucksomethinginfiniteawaydowndeepinmyheartsothatI
wanttocrywhilehalflaughing！
SothisallmeansthatIwanttothankyouandtotellyou。“GodalwaysloveMarkTwain！“isoftenmywish。Idearlylovetoreadbooks，andI
nevertireofreadingyours；theyalwayshaveacharmforme。Good-bye，IamafraidIhavenotexpressedwhatIfeel。ButatleastIhavetried。
Sincerelyyours。
MARGARETM——
ClemensandfamilyleftElmiraOctoberthe5thforNewYorkCity。
TheyremainedattheHotelGrosvenoruntiltheirsailingdate，October24th。Afewdaysearlier，Mr。FrankDoubledaysentavolumeofKipling”spoemsanddeBlowitz”sMemoirsforentertainmentontheship。MarkTwain”sacknowledgmentfollows。
ToF。N。Doubleday，inNewYork：
THEGROSVENOR，October12，”03。
DEARDOUBLEDAY，——Thebookscame——eversomanythanks。Ihavebeenreading“TheBellBuoy“and“TheOldMen“overandoveragain——mycustomwithKipling”swork-andsavinguptherestforotherleisurelyandluxuriousmeals。Abell-buoyisadeeplyimpressivefellow-being。InthesemanyrecenttripsupanddowntheSoundintheKanawha——
[Mr。Rogers”syacht。]——hehastalkedtomenightly，sometimesinhispatheticandmelancholyway，sometimeswithhisstrenuousandurgentnote，andIgothismeaning——nowIhavehiswords！NoonebutKiplingcoulddothisstrongandvividthing。SomedayIhopetohearthepoemchantedorsung——withthebell-buoybreakingin，outofthedistance。
“TheOldMen，“delicious，isn”tit？Andsocomicallytrue。Ihaven”tarrivedthereyet，butIsupposeIamontheway……
Yoursever，MARK。
P。S。Yourletterhasarrived。Itmakesmeproudandglad——whatKiplingsays。IhopeFatewillfetchhimtoFlorencewhilewearethere。
Iwouldratherseehimthananyotherman。
We”velettheTarrytownhouseforayear。Man，youwouldneverhavebelievedapersoncouldletahouseinthesetimes。Thatone”sforsale，theHartfordoneissold。Whenwebuyagainmaywe——mayI——bedamned……
I”vedippedintoBlowitzandfindhimquaintlyandcuriouslyinteresting。
Ithinkhetellsthestraighttruth，too。Iknewhimalittle，23yearsago。
TheappreciativewordwhichKiplinghadsentDoubledaywas：“IlovetothinkofthegreatandGod-likeClemens。Heisthebiggestmanyouhaveonyoursideofthewaterbyadamnsight，anddon”tyouforgetit。Cervanteswasarelationofhis。”
XLIII
LETTERSOF1904。TOVARIOUSPERSONS。LIFEINVILLAQUARTO。DEATHOF
MRS。CLEMENS。THERETURNTOAMERICA
Mrs。ClemensstoodthevoyagetoItalyverywelland，induetime，thefamilywereinstalledintheVillaRealediQuarto，thepicturesqueoldPalaceofCosimo，aspacious，luxuriousplace，evenifnotentirelycheerfuloralwayscomfortableduringthechangeableTuscanwinter。
CongratulatedinaletterfromMacAlisterinbeinginthemidstofFlorentinesunshine，heanswered：“Florentinesunshine？Blessyou，thereisn”tany。Wehaveheavyfogseverymorning，andrainallday。Thishouseisnotmerelylarge，itisvast——thereforeIthinkitmustalwayslackthehomefeeling。”
Neitherwastheirlandlady，theAmericanwifeofanItaliancount，allthatcouldbedesired。FromalettertoTwichell，however，welearnthatMarkTwain”sworkwasprogressingwell。
ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford：
VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，Jan。7，”04。
DEARJOE，……Ihavehadahandsomesuccess，inoneway，here。
IleftNewYorkunderasortofhalfpromisetofurnishtotheHarpermagazines30，000wordsthisyear。Magaziningisdifficultworkbecauseeverythirdpagerepresents2pagesthatyouhaveputinthefire；
becauseyouarenearlysuretostartwrongtwiceandsowhenyouhavefinishedanarticleandarewillingtoletitgotoprintitrepresentsonly10centsawordinsteadof30。
ButthistimeIhadthecuriousandunprecedentedlucktostartrightineachcase。Iturnedout37，000wordsin25workingdays；andthereasonIthinkIstartedrighteverytimeis，thatnotonlyhaveI
approvedandacceptedtheseveralarticles，butthecourtoflastresortLivyhasdonethesame。
Onmanyofthebetween-daysIdidsomework，butonlyofanidleandnotnecessarilynecessarysort，sinceitwillnotseeprintuntilIamdead。
IshallcontinuethisanhourperdaybuttherestoftheyearIexpecttoputinonacoupleoflongbookshalf-completedones。Nomoremagazine-workhangingovermyhead。
Thissecludedandsilentsolitudethisclean，softairandthisenchantingviewofFlorence，thegreatvalleyandthesnow-mountainsthatframeitaretherightconditionsforwork。Theyareapersistentinspiration。To-dayisverylovely；whentheafternoonarrivestherewillbeanewpictureeveryhourtilldark，andeachofthemdivine——orprogressingfromdivinetodivineranddivinest。OnthissecondfloorClara”sroomcommandsthefinest；shekeepsawindowtenfeethighwideopenallthetimeandframesitin。Igoinfromtimetotime，everydayandtradesassforalook。Thecentraldetailisadistantandstatelysnow-humpthatrisesaboveandbehindblackforestedhills，anditsslopingvastbuttresses，velvetyandsun-polishedwithpurpleshadowsbetween，makethesortofpictureweknewthattimewewalkedinSwitzerlandinthedaysofouryouth。
IwishIcouldshowyourlettertoLivy——butshemustwaitaweekorsoforit。IthinkItoldyoushehadaprostratingweekoftonsilitisamonthago；shehasremainedveryfeebleeversince，andconfinedtothebedofcourse，butweallowourselvestobelieveshewillregainthelostgroundinanothermonth。HerphysicianisProfessorGrocco——shecouldnothaveabetter。Andshehasaverygoodtrainednurse。
Lovetoallofyoufromallofus。AndtoallofourdearHartfordfriends。
MARK
P。S。3dayslater。
Livyisasremarkableasever。ThedayIwroteyou——thatnight，Imean——
shehadabitterattackofgoutorrheumatismoccupyingthewholeleftarmfromshouldertofingers，accompaniedbyfever。Thepainsrackedher50or6ohours；theyhavedeparted，now——andalreadysheisplanningatriptoEgyptnextfall，andawinter”ssojournthere！Thisislifeinheryet。
YouwillbesurprisedthatIwaswillingtodosomuchmagazine-writing——
athingIhavealwaysbeencharyabout——butIhadgoodreasons。Ourexpenseshavebeensoprodigiousforayearandahalf，andarestillsoprodigious，thatLivywasworryingaltogethertoomuchaboutthem，anddoingaverydangerousamountoflyingawakeontheiraccount。Itwasnecessarytostopthat，anditisnowstopped。
Yes，sheisremarkable，Joe。Herrheumaticattacksetmetocursingandswearing，withoutlimitastotimeorenergy，butitmerelyconcentratedherpatienceandherunconquerablefortitude。Itisthedifferencebetweenus。Ican”tcountthedifferentkindsofailmentswhichhaveassaultedherinthisfiendishyearandahalf——andIforgivenoneofthem——buthereshecomesupagainasbrightandfreshandenterprisingasever，andgoestoplanningaboutEgypt，withahopeandaconfidencewhicharetomeamazing。
Claraiscallingforme——wehavetogointotownandpaycalls。
MARK。
InFlorence，thatwinter，Clemensbegandictatingtohissecretarysomeautobiographicalchapters。Thiswastheworkwhichwas“nottoseeprintuntilIamdead。”Hefounditapleasant，lazyoccupationandwrotehisdelightinittoHowellsinaletterwhichseemsnottohavesurvived。Inhisreply，Howellswrote：“YoudostirmemightilywiththehopeofdictatingandIwilltryitwhenIgetthechance。Butthereisthetempermentaldifference。Youaredramaticandunconscious；youcountthethingmorethanyourself；Iamcursedwithconsciousnesstothecore，andcan”tsaymyselfout；Iamalwayssayingmyselfin，andsettingmyselfaboveallthatIsay，asofmoreworth。LatelyIhavefeltasifIwererottingwithegotism。Idon”tadmiremyself；Iamsickofmyself；butIcan”tthinkofanythingelse。HereIamatitnow，whenIoughttoberejoicingwithyouattheblessingyouhavefound……I”dlike，immensely，toreadyourautobiography。Youalwaysratherbewilderedmebyyourveracity，andIfancyyoumaytellthetruthaboutyourself。Butallofit？Theblacktruthwhichweallknowofourselvesinourhearts，oronlythewhity-browntruthofthepericardium，orthenice，whitenedtruthoftheshirtfront？Evenyouwon”ttelltheblackheart”s——truth。Themanwhocoulddoitwouldbefamedtothelastdaythesunshoneupon。”
WegatherfromMarkTwain”sanswerthathewasnotdeceivinghimselfinthematterofhisconfessions。
ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork：
VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，March14，”04。
DEARHOWELLS，——Yes，Isetupthesafeguards，inthefirstday”sdictating；takingthisposition：thatanautobiographyisthetruestofallbooks；forwhileitinevitablyconsistsmainlyofextinctionsofthetruth，shirkingsofthetruth，partialrevealmentsofthetruth，withhardlyaninstanceofplainstraighttruth，theremorselesstruthisthere，betweenthelines，wheretheauthorisrakingdustuponit，theresultbeingthatthereaderknowstheauthorinspiteofhiswilydiligences。
ThesummerinEngland！youcan”taskbetterluckthanthat。ThenyouwillrunovertoFlorence；weshallallbehungrytoseeyou-all。Wearehuntingforanothervilla，thisoneisplentylargeenoughbuthasnoroominitbutevenifwefinditIamafraiditwillbemonthsbeforewecanmoveMrs。Clemens。Ofcourseitwill。Butitcomfortsustoletonthatwethinkotherwise，andthesepretensionshelptokeephopealiveinher。
Good-bye，withlove，Amen。
YourseverMARK。
NewscameofthedeathofHenryM。Stanley，oneofMarkTwain”soldestfriends。ClemensoncesaidthathehadmetStanleyinSt。
LouiswhereheClemenshaddeliveredalecturewhichStanleyhadreported。Inthefollowingletterhefixesthedateoftheirmeetingasearlyin1867，whichwouldbeimmediatelyafterMarkTwain”sreturnfromCalifornia，andjustpriortotheQuakerCityexcursion——afactwhichisinterestingonlybecauseitplacesthetwomentogetherwheneachwasattheverybeginningofagreatcareer。
ToLadyStanley，inEngland：
VILLADIQUARTO，FIRENZE，May11，”04。
DEARLADYSTANLEY，——Ihavelostadearandhonoredfriend——howfasttheyfallaboutmenow，inmyage！Theworldhaslostatriedandprovedhero。Andyou——whathaveyoulost？Itisbeyondestimate——wewhoknowyou，andwhathewastoyou，knowthat。Howfarhestretchesacrossmylife！Iknewhimwhenhisworkwasallbeforehimfiveyearsbeforethegreatdaythathewrotehisnamefar-awayupontheblueoftheskyfortheworldtoseeandapplaudandremember；Ihaveknownhimasfriendandintimateeversince。Itis37years。Ihaveknownnootherfriendandintimatesolong，exceptJohnHay——afriendshipwhichdatesfromthesameyearandthesamehalfofit，thefirsthalfof1867。Igrievewithyouandwithyourfamily，dearLadyStanley，itisallIcando；butthatI
dooutofmyheart。Itwouldbewe，insteadofI，ifMrs。Clemensknew，butinallthese20monthsthatshehaslainaprisonerinherbedwehavehiddenfromherallthingsthatcouldsaddenher。Manyafriendisgonewhomshestillasksaboutandstillthinksisliving。
IndeepestsympathyIbegtheprivilegeofsigningmyselfYourfriend，S。L。CLEMENS。
ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford：
VILLADIQUARTO，May11，”04
DEARJOE，——Yourshasthismomentarrived——justasIwasfinishinganotetopoorLadyStanley。Ibelievethelastcountry-housevisitwepaidinEnglandwastoStanley”s。Lord，howmyfriendsandacquaintancesfallaboutmenow，inmygray-headeddays！Vereschagin，Mommsen，Dvorak，Lenbach，Jokai——allsorecently，andnowStanley。IhadknownStanley37
years。Goodness，whoisitIhaven”tknown！Asarulethenecrologiesfindmepersonallyinterested——whentheytreatofoldstagers。Generallywhenamandieswhoisworthcabling，ithappensthatIhaverunacrosshimsomewhere，sometimeorother。
Oh，say！DownbytheLaurentianLibrarythere”samarbleimagethathasbeensittingonitspedestalsome450Years，ifmydatesareright——
CosimoI。I”veseenthebackofitmanyatime，butnotthefront；butyesterdayItwistedmyheadaroundafterwehaddrivenby，andtheprofaneexclamationburstfrommymouthbeforeIcouldthink：“there”sChaunceyDepew！“
Imeantogetaphotoofit——anduseitifitconfirmsyesterday”sconviction。That”saverynicewordfromtheCatholicMagazineandIamgladyousentit。Imeantoshowittomypriest——weareveryfondofhim。Heisastealingman，andisalsolearnedlyscientific。Heinventedthethingwhichrecordstheseismaticdisturbances，forthepeoplesoftheearth。Andhe”sanastronomerandhasanobservatoryofhisown。
Ah，many”sthecryIhave，overreflectingthatmaybewecouldhavehadYoungHarmonyforLivy，anddidn”thavewitenoughtothinkofit。
SpeakingofLivyremindsmethatyourinquiryarrivesatagoodtimeunberufenIthasbeenweeksIdon”tknowhowmany！sincewecouldhavesaidahopefulword，butthismorningKatycametheminutetheday-
nursecameonwatchandsaidwordsofastrangeandlong-forgottensound：
“Mr。Clemens，Mrs。Clemensisreallyandtrulybetter！——anybodycanseeit；sheseesitherself；andlastnightat9o”clockshesaidit。”
There——itisheart-warming，itissplendid，itissublime；letusenjoyit，letusmakethemostofittoday——andbetnotafarthingontomorrow。
Thetomorrowshavenothingforus。Toomanytimestheyhavebreathedthewordofpromisetoourearandbrokenittoourhope。Wetakenotomorrow”swordanymore。
You”vedoneawonder，Joe：you”vewrittenaletterthatcanbesentintoLivy——thatdoesn”toftenhappen，wheneitherafriendorastrangerwrites。YoudidwhirlinaP。S。thatwouldn”tdo，butyouwroteitonamarginofapageinsuchawaythatIwasabletoclipoffthemarginclearacrossbothpages，andnowLivywon”tperceivethatthesheetisn”tthesamesizeitusedtowas。ItwasaboutAldrich”sson，andIcamenearforgettingtoremoveit。Itshouldhavebeenwrittenonaloosestripandenclosed。Thatsondiedonthe5thofMarchandAldrichwrotemeonthenightbeforethathisminuteswerenumbered。Onthe18thLivyaskedafterthatpatient，andIwasprepared，andabletogiveheragratefulsurprisebytellingher“theAldrichesarenolongeruneasyabouthim。”
IdowishIcouldhavebeenpresentandheardCharleyClark。Whenhecan”tlightupadarkplacenobodycan。
Withlotsoflovetoyouall。
MARK。
Mrs。Clemenshadherbaddaysandhergooddays-dayswhenthereseemednorayoflight，andothersthatseemedalmosttopromiserecovery。TheforegoinglettertoTwichell，andtheonewhichfollows，toRichardWatsonGilder，reflectthehopeandfearthatdailyandhourlyalternatedatVillaQuartoToRichardWatsonGilder，inNewYork：
VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，May12，”04。
DEARGILDER，——AfriendofourstheBaronessdeNoldawasherethisafternoonandwantedanoteofintroductiontotheCentury，forshehassomethingtoselltoyouincaseyou”llwanttomakeheranofferafterseeingasampleofthegoods。Isaid“Withpleasure：getthegoodsready，sendthesametome，IwillhaveJeantype-writethem，thenIwillmailthemtotheCenturyandtonightIwillwritethenotetoMr。Gilderandstartitalong。Alsowritemealetterembodyingwhatyouhavebeensayingtomeaboutthegoodsandyourproposedplanofarrangingandexplainingthem，andIwillforwardthattoGildertoo。”
AstotheBaroness。SheisaGerman；30yearsold；wasmarriedat17；isverypretty-indeedImightsayverypretty；hasalotofsons5runningupfromsevento12yearsold。HerhusbandisaRussian。TheylivehalfthetimeinRussiaandtheotherhalfinFlorence，andsupplypopulationalternatelytotheonecountryandthentotheother。Ofcourseitisafamilythatspeakslanguages。Thisoccursattheirtable——Iknowitbyexperience：ItisBabelcomeagain。Theotherday，whennoguestswerepresenttokeeporder，thetribeswerealltalkingatonce，and6
languageswerebeingtradedin；atlastthelittlestboylosthistemperandscreamedoutatthetopofhisvoice，withangrysobs：“Mais，vraiment，iononcapiscogarnichts。”
TheBaronessisalittleafraidofherEnglish，thereforeshewillwriteherremarksinFrench——Isaidthere”saplentyoftranslatorsinNewYork。Examinehersamplesanddropheraline。
Fortwoentiredays，now，wehavenotbeenanxiousaboutMrs。Clemensunberufen。After20monthsofbed-riddensolitudeandbodilymiserysheallofasuddenceasestobeapallidshrunkenshadow，andlooksbrightandyoungandpretty。Sheremainswhatshealwayswas，themostwonderfulcreatureoffortitude，patience，enduranceandrecuperativepowerthateverwas。Butah，dear，itwon”tlast；thisfiendishmaladywillplaynewtreacheriesuponher，andIshallgobacktomyprayersagain——unutterablefromanypulpit！
Withlovetoyouandyours，S。L。C。
May1310A。M。Ihavejustpaidoneofmypairofpermitted2minutesvisitsperdaytothesickroom。AndfoundwhatIhavelearnedtoexpect——retrogression，andthatpatheticsomethingintheeyewhichbetraysthesecretofawaninghope。
TheyearoftheWorld”sFairhadcome，andaninvitationfromGov。
Francis，ofMissouri，cametoMarkTwaininFlorence，personallyinvitinghimtoattendthegreatcelebrationandcarryofffirstprize。WemaybelievethatClemensfeltlittleinthespiritofhumor，buttosuchaninvitationhemustsendacheerful，evenifdisappointing，answer。
ToGov。Francis，ofMissouri：
VILLADIQUARTO，FIRENZE，May26，1904。
DEARGOVERNORFRANCIS，——IthasbeenadearwishofminetoexhibitmyselfattheGreatFairandgetaprize，butcircumstancesbeyondmycontrolhaveinterfered，andImustremaininFlorence。AlthoughIhavenevertakenprizesanywhereelseIusedtotakethematschoolinMissourihalfacenturyago，andIoughttobeabletorepeat，now，ifIcouldhaveachance。Iusedtogetthemedalforgoodspelling，everyweek，andI
couldhavehadthemedalforgoodconductiftherehadn”tbeensomuchcurruptioninMissouriinthosedays；still，Igotitseveraltimesbytradingmedalsandgivingboot。Iamwillingtogivebootnow，if——
however，thosedaysareforevergonebyinMissouri，andperhapsitisbetterso。Nothingeverstopsthewayitwasinthischangeableworld。
AlthoughIcannotbeattheFair，Iamgoingtoberepresentedthereanyway，byaportrait，byProfessorGelli。Youwillfinditexcellent。
Goodjudgesheresayitisbetterthantheoriginal。Theysayithasallthemeritsoftheoriginalandkeepsstill，besides。Itsoundslikeflattery，butitisjusttrue。
Isupposeyouwillgetaprize，becauseyouhavecreatedthemostprodigiousandinallwaysmostwonderfulFairtheplanethaseverseen。
Verywell，youhaveindeedearnedit：andwithitthegratitudeoftheStateandthenation。
Sincerelyyours，MARKTWAIN
ItwasonlyafewdaysaftertheforegoingwaswrittenthatdeathenteredVillaQuarto——unexpectedlyatlast——forwiththefirstJunedaysMrs。Clemenshadseemedreallytoimprove。ItwasonSunday，June5th，thattheendcame。Clemens，withhisdaughterJean，hadreturnedfromalongdrive，duringwhichtheyhadvisitedaVillawiththethoughtofpurchase。Ontheirreturntheyweretoldthattheirpatienthadbeenbetterthatafternoonthanforthreemonths。
Yetitwasonlyafewhourslaterthatsheleftthem，sosuddenlyandquietlythateventhosenearherdidnotatfirstrealizethatshewasgone。
ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork。
VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，June6，”94。[1904]
DEARHOWELLS，——Lastnightat9。20IenteredMrs。Clemens”sroomtosaytheusualgoodnight——andshewasdead——tho”nooneknewit。Shehadbeencheerfullytalking，amomentbefore。Shewassittingupinbed——shehadnotlaindownformonths——andKatieandthenurseweresupportingher。
Theysupposedshehadfainted，andtheywereholdingtheoxygenpipetohermouth，expectingtoreviveher。Ibentoverherandlookedinherface，andIthinkIspoke——Iwassurprisedandtroubledthatshedidnotnoticeme。Thenweunderstood，andourheartsbroke。Howpoorwearetoday！
ButhowthankfulIamthatherpersecutionsareended。IwouldnotcallherbackifIcould。
Today，treasuredinherwornoldTestament，Ifoundadearandgentleletterfromyou，datedFarRockaway，Sept。13，1896，aboutourpoorSusy”sdeath。Iamtiredandold；IwishIwerewithLivy。
Isendmylove-andhers-toyouall。
S。L。C。
InalettertoTwichellhewrote：“Howsweetshewasindeath；howyoung，howbeautiful，howlikeherdear，girlishselfcfthirtyyearsago；notagrayhairshowing。”
ThefamilywasnowwithoutplansforthefutureuntiltheyrememberedthesummerhomeofR。W。Gilder，atTyringham，Massachusetts，andthepossibilityoffindinglodgmentforthemselvesinthatsecludedcornerofNewEngland。Clemenswrotewithoutdelay，asfollows：
ToR。W。Gilder，inNewYork：
VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，June7，”04。
DEARGILDERFAMILY，——Ihavebeenworryingandworryingtoknowwhattodo：atlastIwenttothegirlswithanidea：toasktheGilderstogetusshelterneartheirsummerhome。Itwasthefirsttimetheyhavenotshakentheirheads。Soto-morrowIwillcabletoyouandshallhopetobeintime。
An，houragothebestheartthateverbeatformeandminewentsilentoutofthishouse，andIamasonewhowandersandhaslosthisway。Shewhoisgonewasourhead，shewasourhands。Wearenowtryingtomakeplans——we：wewhohavenevermadeaplanbefore，noreverneededto。Ifshecouldspeaktousshewouldmakeitallsimpleandeasywithaword，andourperplexitieswouldvanishaway。Ifshehadknownshewasneartodeathshewouldhavetolduswheretogoandwhattodo：butshewasnotsuspecting，neitherwerewe。Shehadbeenchattingcheerfullyamomentbefore，andinaninstantshewasgonefromusandwedidnotknowit。
Wewerenotalarmed，wedidnotknowanythinghadhappened。Itwasablesseddeath——shepassedawaywithoutknowingit。Shewasallourrichesandsheisgone：shewasourbreath，shewasourlifeandnowwearenothing。
Wesendyouourlove——andwithittheloveofyouthatwasinherheartwhenshedied。
S。L。CLEMENS。
Howellswrotehiswordsofsympathy，adding：“Thecharacterwhichnowremainsamemorywasoneofthemostperfecteverformedontheearth，“andagain，afterhavingreceivedClemens”sletter：“Icannotspeakofyourwife”shavingkeptthatletterofminewhereshedid。
Youknowhowitmusthumiliateamaninhisunworthinesstohaveanythingofhissoconsecrated。Shehallowedwhatshetouched，farbeyondpriests。”
ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork：
VILLADIQUARTO，”04。
June12，6p。m。
DEARHOWELLS，——Wehavetositandholdourhandsandwait——inthesilenceandsolitudeofthisprodigioushouse；waituntilJune25，thenwegotoNaplesandsailinthePrinceOscarthe26th。Thereisaship12daysearlierbutwecameinthatone。IseeClaratwiceaday——morningandevening——greeting——nothingmoreisallowed。Shekeepsherbed，andsaysnothing。Shehasnotcriedyet。Iwishshecouldcry。ItwouldbreakLivy”shearttoseeClara。Weexcuseourselvesfromallthefriendsthatcall——thoughofcourseonlyintimatescome。Intimates——buttheyarenottheoldoldfriends，thefriendsoftheold，oldtimeswhenwelaughed。
Shallweeverlaughagain？IfIcouldonlyseeadogthatIknewintheoldtimes！andcouldputmyarmsaroundhisneckandtellhimall，everything，andeasemyheart。
Think-in3hoursitwillbeaweek！——andsoonamonth；andbyandbyayear。Howfastourdeadflyfromus。
Shelovedyouso，andwasalwaysaspleasedasachildwithanynoticeyoutookofher。
Soonyourwifewillbewithyou，ohfortunateman！AndJohn，whomminewassofondof。Thesightofhimwassuchadelighttoher。Lord，theoldfriends，howdeartheyare。
S。L。C。
ToRev。J。R。Twichell，inHartford：
VILLADIQUARTO，FLORENCE，June18，”04。
DEARJOE，——Itis13days。Iambewilderedandmustremainsoforatimelonger。Itwassosudden，sounexpected。Imagineamanworthahundredmillionswhofindshimselfsuddenlypennilessandfiftymillionindebtinhisoldage。
Iwasricherthananyotherpersonintheworld，andnowIamthatpauperwithoutpeer。SomedayIwilltellyouaboutit，notnow。
MARK。