Othersofthefamilywentdownintothecityalmostdaily，butheremainedinthatstillgardenwithJoanashiscompanion——theoldSieurdeConte，saturatedwithmemories，pouringoutthatmarvelousandtragictale。Attheendofeachdayhewouldreadtotheotherswhathehadwritten，totheirenjoymentandwonder。
HowrapidlyheworkedmaybejudgedfromaletterwhichhewrotetoHallinFebruary，inwhichhesaid：
Iamwritingacompanionpieceto’ThePrinceandthePauper’，whichishalfdone&willmake200，000words。
Thatistosay，hehadwrittenonehundredthousandwordsinaperiodofperhapssixweeks，marvelousworkwhenoneremembersthatafterallhewaswritinghistory，someofwhichhemustdiglaboriouslyfromaforeignsource。Hehadalways，moreorless，keptuphisstudyoftheFrench，begunsolongagoontheriveranditstoodhimingoodsteadnow。
Still，itwasnevereasyforhim，andthemultitudeofnotesalongthemarginofhisFrenchauthoritiesbearsevidenceofhisfaithfulnessandthemagnitudeofhistoil。Nopreviousworkhadeverrequiredsomuchofhim，suchthoroughknowledge；nonehadeversocompletelycommandedhisinterest。Hewouldhavebeenwillingtoremainshutawayfromvisitors，tohavebeenreleasedaltogetherfromsocialobligations；andhedidavoidmostofthem。Notall，forhecouldnotalwaysescape，andperhapsdidnotalwaysreallywishto。Florenceanditssuburbswerefullofdelightfulpeople——someofthemhisoldfriends。Therewereluncheons，dinners，teas，dances，concerts，operasalwaysinprogresssomewhere，andnotalloftheseweretoberesistedevenbyanabsorbedauthorwhowasnolongerhimself，butsadoldSieurdeConte，followingagainthebanneroftheMaidofOrleans，marshalinghertwilightarmiesacrosshisilluminedpage。
CLXXXIV
NEWHOPEINTHEMACHINE
Ifallhumaneventshadnotbeenorderedinthefirstactoftheprimalatom，andsobecomeinevitable，itwouldseemapitynowthathemustabandonhisworkhalf—way，andmakeanotherhard，distractingtriptoAmerica。
Butitwasnecessaryforhimtogo。EvenHallwasnolongeroptimistic。
Hislettersprovidedonlythebarestshredsofhope。Timeswerehardandtherewaseveryreasontobelievetheywouldbeworse。TheWorld’sFairyearpromisedtobewhatitspeedilybecame——oneofthehardestfinancialperiodsthiscountryhaseverseen。Chicagocouldhardlyhaveselectedamoreprofitlesstimeforhergreatexposition。ClemenswroteurgingHalltoselloutall，oraportion，ofthebusiness——todoanything，indeed，thatwouldavoidthenecessityoffurtherliabilityandincreaseddread。
EverypaymentthatcouldbesparedfromthesalesofhismanuscriptwasleftinHall’shands，andsuchmoneysasstillcametoMrs。ClemensfromherElmirainterestswereflungintothegeneralfund。Thelatterwerenolongerlarge，forLangdon&Co。weresufferingheavilyinthegeneraldepression，barelyhopingtoweatherthefinancialstorm。
ItisinterestingtonotethatageandmisfortuneandillnesshadatemperinginfluenceonMarkTwain’snature。Insteadofbecomingharshandsevereandbitter，hehadbecomemoregentle，morekindly。HewroteoftentoHall，alwaysconsiderately，eventenderly。Once，whensomethinginHall’slettersuggestedthathehadperhapsbeensevere，hewrote：
Mrs。Clemensisdeeplydistressed，forshethinksIhavebeenblamingyouorfindingfaultwithyouaboutsomething。Butmostassuredlythatcannotbe。ItellherthatalthoughIampronetowritehastyandregrettablethingstootherpeopleIamnotabitlikelytowritesuchthingstoyou。Ican’tbelieveIhavedoneanythingsoungrateful。IfIhave，pilecoalsoffireuponmyheadforIdeserveit。Youhavedonemagnificentlywiththebusiness，&
wemustraisethemoneysomehowtoenableyoutoreaparewardforallthatlabor。
HewasfondofHall。Herealizedhowhonestandresoluteandindustrioushehadbeen。Inanotherletterhewrotehimthatitwaswonderfulhehadbeenableto\"keeptheshipafloatinthestormthathasseenfleetsandfleetsgodown\"；andheadded：\"Mrs。ClemenssaysImusttellyounottosendusanymoneyforamonthortwo，sothatyoumaybeaffordedwhatlittlereliefisinourpower。\"
Thetype—settersituationseemedtopromisesomething。Infact，themachineoncemorehadbecometheprincipalhopeoffinancialsalvation。
Thenewcompanyseemedreallytobegettingaheadinspiteofthemoneystringency，andwassaidtohavefiftymachineswellunderway：AboutthemiddleofMarchClemenspackeduptwoofhisshortermanuscriptswhichhehadwrittenatoddtimesandforwardedthemtoHall，inthehopethattheywouldbedisposedofandthemoneywaitinghimonhisarrival；andaweeklater，March22，1893，hesailedfromGenoaontheKaiserWilhelmII，afine，newboat。Oneofthemanuscriptswas’TheCalifornian’sTale’andtheotherwas’Adam’sDiary’。——[Itseemscuriousthatneitherofthesetalesshouldhavefoundwelcomewiththemagazines。\"TheCalifornian’sTale\"waspublishedintheLiberScriptorum，anAuthors’
Clubbook，editedbyArthurStedman。The’Diary’wasdisposedoftotheNiagaraBook，asouvenirofNiagaraFalls，whichcontainedsketchesbyHowells，Clemens，andothers。Harper’sMagazinerepublishedboththesestoriesinlateryears——theDiaryespeciallywithgreatsuccess。]
SomejokewaslikelytobeplayedonMarkTwainduringtheseoceanjourneys，andforthisparticularvoyageanoriginalonewasplanned。
TheyknewhowhewouldfumeandswearifheshouldbediscoveredwithdutiablegoodsandheldupintheCustomHouse，andtheyplannedforthiseffect。AfewdaysbeforearrivinginNewYorkonepassengerafteranothercametohim，eachwithaboxofexpensivecigars，andsomepleasantspeechexpressingfriendshipandappreciationandahopethattheywouldberememberedinabsence，etc。，untilhehadperhapstenoradozenverychoiceboxesofsmokingmaterial。Hetookthemallwithgratitudeandinnocence。Hehadneverdeclaredanydutiablebaggage，enteringNewYorkalone，anditneveroccurredtohimthathewouldneedtodosonow。Histrunkandbagswerefull；hehadthecigarsmadeintoanicepackage，tobecarriedhandily，andonhisarrivalattheNorthGermanLloyddocksstoodwaitingamonghisthingsfortheformalityofCustomsexamination，hisfriendsassembledfortheexplosion。
Theyhadnotcalculatedwell；theCustom—Houseofficialcamealongpresentlywiththeusual\"Openyourbaggage，please，\"thensuddenlyrecognizingtheownerofithesaid：
\"Oh，Mr。Clemens，excuseme。Wehaveorderstoextendtoyouthecourtesiesoftheport。Noexaminationofyoureffectsisnecessary。\"
ItwastheeveningofMonday，April3d，whenhelandedinNewYorkandwenttotheHotelGlenham。Inhisnoteshetellsofhavingatwo—hourtalkwithHowellsonthefollowingnight。Theyhadnotseeneachotherfortwoyears，andtheircorrespondencehadbeenbrokenoff。Itwasahappy，evenifsomewhatsad，reunion，fortheywerenolongeryoung，andwhentheycalledtherolloffriendsthereweremanyvacancies。Theyhadreachedanagewheresomeonetheyloveddiedeveryyear。WritingtoMrs。Crane，Clemensspeaksoftheghostsofmemory；thenhesays：
IdreamedIwasborn&grewup&wasapilotontheMississippi&aminer&ajournalistinNevada&apilgrimintheQuakerCity&hadawife&children&wenttoliveinavillaatFlorence——&thisdreamgoeson&on&sometimesseemssorealthatIalmostbelieveitisreal。Iwonderifitis？Butthereisnowaytotell，forifoneappliesteststheywouldbepartofthedream，too，&sowouldsimplyaidthedeceit。IwishIknewwhetheritisadreamorreal。
HewasmadehandsomelywelcomeinNewYork。Hisnote—booksays：
Wednesday。DinedwithMaryMapesDodge，Howells，RudyardKipling&
wife，Clarke，——[WiliiamFayalClarke，noweditorofSt。NicholasMagazine。]——JamieDodge&wife。
Thursday，6th。DinedwithAndrewCarnegie，Prof。GoldwinSmith，JohnCameron，Mr。Glenn。CreationofleagueforabsorbingCanadaintoourUnion。CarnegiealsowantstoaddGreatBritain&Ireland。
ItwasonthisoccasionthatCarnegiemadehiscelebratedmaximaboutthebasketandtheeggs。ClemenswassuggestingthatCarnegietakeaninterestinthetypesetter，andquotedtheoldadagethatoneshouldnotputallofhiseggsintoonebasket。Carnegieregardedhimthroughhalf—
closedlids，aswashiscustom，andanswered：
\"That’samistake；putallyoureggsintoonebasket——andwatchthatbasket。\"
HehadnotcometoAmericamerelyforentertainment。HewasattheNewYorkofficeofthetype—settercompany，acquiringtherewhatseemedtobegoodnews，forhewasassuredthathisinterestswerebeingtakencareof，andthatwithinayearatmosthisroyaltyreturnswouldplacehimfarbeyondthefearofwant。HeforwardedthisgoodnewstoItaly，whereitwassorelyneeded，forMrs。Clemensfoundhercouragenoteasytosustaininhisabsence。Thathehadmadehisletterglowingenough，wemaygatherfromheranswer。
Itdoesnotseemcrediblethatwearereallyagaintohavemoneytospend。IthinkIwilljumparoundandspendmoneyjustforfun，andgivealittleaway，ifwereallygetsome。Whatshouldwedoandhowshouldwefeelifwehadnobrightprospectsbeforeus，andyethowmanypeoplearesituatedinthatway？
HedecidedtomakeanothertriptoChicagotoverify，withhisowneyes，themanufacturingreports，andtoseePaige，whowouldappeartohavebecomemoreelusivethaneverastocontracts，writtenandimplied。HetookHallwithhim，andwroteOriontomeethimattheGreatNorthernHotel。ThiswouldgivehimachancetoseeOrionandwouldgiveOrionachancetoseethegreatFair。HewasinChicagoelevendays，andinbedwithaheavycoldalmostthewholeofthattime。Paigecametoseehimathisrooms，and，asalways，wasrichinprospectsandpromises；fullofprotestationsthat，whatevercame，whenthetideofmillionsrolledin，theywouldshareandsharealike。Thenote—booksays：
Paigeshedevenmoretearsthanusual。Whatatalkerheis！Hecouldpersuadeafishtocomeoutandtakeawalkwithhim。WhenheispresentIalwaysbelievehim；Ican’thelpit。
ClemensreturnedtoNewYorkassoonashewasabletotravel。Goingdownintheelevatoramansteppedinfromoneofthefloorsswearingviolently。Clemens，leaningovertoHall，withhishandtohismouth，andinawhisperaudibletoeveryone，said：
\"BishopofChicago。\"
Theman，withaquickglance，recognizedhisfellow—passengerandsubsided。
OnMay13thClemenstooktheKaiserWilhelmII。forGenoa。Hehadaccomplishedlittle，buthewasinbetterspiritsastothemachine。
Ifonlythestrainofhispublishingbusinesshadslackenedevenforamoment！Nightanddayitwasalwayswithhim。Hallpresentlywrotethattheconditionofthemoney—marketwas\"somethingbeyonddescription。Youcannotgetmoneyonanythingshortofgovernmentbonds。\"TheMountMorrisBankwouldnolongerhandletheirpaper。TheClemenshouseholdresortedtoeconomieshithertoundreamedof。Mrs。Clemenswrotetohersisterthatshereallydidnotseesometimeswheretheirnextmoneywouldcomefrom。Shereportedthatherhusbandgotupinthenightandwalkedthefloorinhisdistress。
HewroteagaintoHall，urginghimtosellandgetridofthedebtsandresponsibilitiesatwhateversacrifice：
Iamterriblytiredofbusiness。Iambynatureanddispositionunfitforit，&Iwanttogetoutofit。IamstandingontheMountMorrisvolcanowithhelpfromthemachinealong，longwayoff——&
doubtlessalongwayfurtheroffthantheConnecticutcompanyimagine。
Getmeoutofbusiness！
Heknewsomethingofthedelaysofcompletingatypesettingmachine，andhehadlittlefaithinanynearrelieffromthatsource。HewroteagaingoHall，urginghimtosellsomeofhistype—setterroyalties。Theyshouldbeworthsomethingnowsincethemanufacturingcompanywasactuallyinoperation；butwiththeterriblestateofthemoney—markettherewasnosaleforanything。Clemensattemptedtowork，butputinmostofhistimefootinguponthemarginofhismanuscripttheamountofhisindebtedness，theexpensesofhishousehold，andthepossibilitiesofhisincome。Itwasweary，hard，nerve—rackingemployment。AboutthemuddleofJunetheyclosedViviani。SusyClemenswenttoParistocultivatehervoice，araresoprano，withaviewtopreparingfortheoperaticstage。ClemenstookMrs。Clemens，withlittleJean，toGermanyforthebaths。Clara，whohadgraduatedfromMrs。Willard’sschoolinBerlin，joinedtheminMunich，andsomewhatlaterSusyalsojoinedthem，forMadameMarchesi，thegreatmasterofvoice—culture，hadtoldherthatshemustacquirephysiquetocarrythatvoiceofhersbeforeshewouldundertaketoteachher。
InspiteofhisdisturbedstateofmindClemensmusthavecompletedsomeliteraryworkduringthisperiod，forwefindfirstmention，inalettertoHall，ofhisimmortaldefenseofHarrietShelley，apieceofwritingallthemoremarvelouswhenweconsidertheconditionsofitsperformance。Characteristically，inthesameletter，hesuddenlydevelopsaplanforanewenterprise——thistimeforamagazinewhichArthurStedmanorhisfatherwilledit，andtheWebstercompanywillpublishassoonastheirpresentburdensareunloaded。Butwehearnomoreofthisproject。
ButbyAugusthewashalfbesidehimselfwithanxiety。Onthe6thhewroteHall：
Hereweneverseeanewspaper，butevenifwedidIcouldnotcomeanywherenearappreciatingorcorrectlyestimatingthetempestyouhavebeenbuffetingyourwaythrough——onlythemanwhoisinitcandothat——butIhavetriednottoburdenyouthoughtlesslyorwantonly……Ihavebeenoverwrought&unsettledinmindbyapprehensions，&thatisathingthatisnothelpablewhenoneisinastrangeland&seeshisresourcesmeltdowntoatwomonths’
supply&can’tseeanysuredaylightbeyond。Thebloodymachineoffersbutadoubtfuloutlook——&willstilloffernothingmuchbetterforalongtimetocome；forwhenthe\"threeweeks\"areup，therewillbethreemonths’tinkeringtofollow，Iguess。Thatisunquestionablythebossmachineoftheworld，butisthetoughestoneonprophetswhenitisinanincompletestatethathaseverseenthelight。
Andthreedayslater：
GreatScott，butit’salongyear——foryou&me！Ineverknewthealmanactodragso。AtleastnotsinceIwasfinishingthatothermachine。
Iwatchforyourlettershungrily——justasIusedtowatchforthetelegramsayingthemachine’sfinished——butwhen\"nextweekcertainly\"suddenlyswelledinto\"threeweekssure\"IrecognizedtheoldfamiliartuneIusedtohearsomuch。W————don’tknowwhatsick—heartednessis——butheisinawaytofindout。
Andfinally，onthe4th：
IamverygladindeedifyouandMr。Langdonareabletoseeanydaylightahead。Tomenoneisvisible。Istronglyadvisethateverypennythatcomesinshallbeappliedtopayingoffdebts。I
maybeinerroraboutthis，butitseemstomethatwehavenoothercourseopen。Wecanpayapartofthedebtsowingtooutsiders——
nonetoClemenses。Inveryprosperoustimeswemightregardourstock©rightsasassetssufficient，withthemoneyowingtous，tosquareup&quiteven，butIsupposewemaynothopeforsuchluckinthepresentconditionofthings。
WhatIammainlyhopingforistosavemybookroyalties。IftheycomeintodangerIhopeyouwillcablemesothatIcancomeover&
trytosavethem，foriftheygoIamabeggar。
Iwouldsailto—dayifIhadanybodytotakechargeofmyfamily&
helpthemthroughthedifficultjourneyscommandedbythedoctors。
Afewdayslaterhecouldstanditnolonger，andonAugust291893
sailed，thesecondtimethatyear，forNewYork。
CLXXXV
ANINTRODUCTIONTOH。H。ROGERS
ClemenstookaroomatThePlayers——\"acheaproom，\"hewrote，\"at$1。50
perday。\"ItwasnowtheendofSeptember，thebeginningofalonghalf—
year，duringwhichMarkTwain’sfortuneswereatalowerebbthaneverbefore；lower，even，thanduringthoseminingdaysamongthebleakEsmeraldahills。Thenhehadnoonebuthimselfandwasyoung。Now，atfifty—eight，hehadpreciouslivesdependentuponhim，andhewasweigheddownwithavastburdenofdebt。TheliabilitiesofCharlesL。Webster&Co。werefullytwohundredthousanddollars。SomethinglikesixtythousanddollarsofthiswasmoneysuppliedbyMrs。Clemens，butthevastremainingsumwasduetobanks，toprinters，tobinders，andtodealersinvariouspublishingmaterials。Somehowitmustbepaid。Asfortheirassets，theylookedampleenoughonpaper，butinreality，atatimelikethis，theywereproblematical。Infact，theirvaluewasverydoubtfulindeed。WhathewastodoClemensdidnotknow。HecouldnotevensendcheerfulreportstoEurope。Therewasnolongeranythingtopromiseconcerningthetype—setter。Thefiftymachineswhichthecompanyhadstartedtobuildhaddwindledtotenmachines；therewasaprospectthatthetenwoulddwindletoone，andthatoneareconstructionoftheoriginalHartfordproduct，whichhadcostsomuchmoneyandsomanywearyyears。ClemensspentagoodpartofhisdaysatThePlayers，readingortryingtowriteorseekingtodiverthismindinthecompanyofthecongenialsoulsthere，waitingfor—heknewnotwhat。
Yetatthisverymomentafactorwascomingintohislife，ahumanelement，amantowhominhisoldageMarkTwainowedmorethantoanyotherofhismyriadoffriends。Onenight，whenhewaswithDr。ClarenceC。RiceattheMurrayHillHotel，Ricesaid：
\"Clemens，Iwantyoutoknowmyfriend，Mr。H。H。Rogers。Heisanadmirerofyourbooks。\"
Clemensturnedandwaslookingintothehandsome，clean—cutfeaturesofthegreatfinancier，whosenamewashardlysofamiliarthenasitbecameatalaterperiod，butwhosepowerwasalreadywidelyknownandfeltamonghiskind。
\"Mr。Clemens，\"saidMr。Rogers，\"Iwasoneofyourearlyadmirers。
IheardyoulecturealongtimeagoontheSandwichIslands。Iwasinterestedinthesubjectinthosedays，andIheardthatMarkTwainwasamanwhohadbeenthere。Ididn’tsupposeI’dhaveanydifficultygettingaseat，butIdid；thehousewasjammed。WhenIcameawayI
realizedthatMarkTwainwasagreatman，andIhavereadeverythingofyourssincethatIcouldgetholdof。\"
Theysatdownatatable，andClemenstoldsomeofhisamusingstories。
Rogerswasinaperpetualgaleoflaughter。Whenatlastherosetogotheauthorandthefinancierwereasoldfriends。Mr。Rogersurgedhimtovisithimathishome。HemustintroducehimtoMrs。Rogers，hesaid，whowasalsohiswarmadmirer。ItwasonlyalittlewhileafterthisthatDr。Ricesaidtothemillionaire：
\"Mr。Rogers，IwishyouwouldlookintoClemens’sfinancesalittle：Iamafraidtheyareagooddealconfused。\"
ThiswouldbeneartheendofSeptember，1893。OnOctober18ClemenswrotehomeconcerningapossiblecombinationofWebster&Co。withJohnBrisbenWalker，ofthe’Cosmopolitan’，andadded：
IhavegotthebestandwisestmanofthewholeStandardOilgroup—amulti—millionaire——agooddealinterestedinlookingintothetype—
setter。Hehasbeensearchingintothatthingforthreeweeksandyesterdayhesaidtome：
\"Ifindthemachinetobeallyourepresentit。Ihavehereexhaustivereportsfrommyownexperts，andIknoweverydetailofitscapacity，itsimmenseconstruction，itscost，itshistory，andallaboutitsinventor’scharacter。IknowthattheNewYorkcompanyandtheChicagocompanyarebothstupid，andthattheyareunbusinesslikepeople，destituteofmoneyandinahopelessboggle。\"
Thenhetoldmetheschemehehadplannedandsaid：
\"IfIcanarrangewiththesepeopleonthisbasis——itwilltakeseveralweekstofindout——Iwillseetoitthattheygetthemoneytheyneed。Inthemeantimeyou’stopwalkingthefloor’。\"
Ofcourse，withthisencouragement，Clemenswasinthecloudsagain。
Furthermore，Rogershadsuggestedtohisson—in—law，WilliamEvartsBenjamin，alsoasubscriptionpublisher，thathebuyfromtheWebstercompanyTheLibraryofAmericanLiteratureforfiftythousanddollars，asumwhichprovidedforthemoreinsistentcreditors。Therewashopethattheworstwasover。Clemensdidinrealitygiveupwalkingthefloor，andforthetime，atleast，foundhappierdiversions。HemustnotreturntoEuropeasyet，forthetype—settermatterwasstillfarfromconclusion。Onthe11thofNovemberhewasgorgeouslyentertainedbytheLotosClubinitsnewbuilding。Introducinghim，PresidentFrankLawrencesaid：
\"Whatnameisthereinliteraturethatcanbelikenedtohis？Perhapssomeofthedistinguishedgentlemenaboutthistablecantellus，butI
knowofnone。Himselfhisonlyparallel，itseemstome。Heisallourown——aripeandperfectproductoftheAmericansoil。\"
CLXXXVI
\"THEBELLEOFNEWYORK\"
Thosewerefeverishweeksofwaiting，withdaysofalternatedepressionandexaltationasthependulumswungtoandfrobetweenhopeanddespair。
BydaylightClemenstriedtokeephimselfstrenuouslybusy；eveningsandnightsheplungedintosocialactivities——dinners，amusements，suppers，balls，andthelike。Hewasbesiegedwithinvitations，soughtforbythegayestandthegreatest；\"Jamie\"Dodgeconferreduponhimtheappropriatetitle：of\"TheBelleofNewYork。\"Inhislettershomehedescribesindetailmanyofthefestivitiesandthewildnesswithwhichhehasflunghimselfintothem，dilatingonhissplendidrenewalofhealth，hisabsoluteimmunityfromfatigue。Heattributesthistohisindifferencetodietandregularitiesofmealsandsleep；butwemayguessthatitwasduetoareactionfromhavingshiftedhisburdentostrongerfinancialshoulders。HenryRogershadtakenhisloaduponhim。
\"Itrestsme，\"Rogerssaid，\"toexperimentwiththeaffairsofafriendwhenIamtiredofmyown。Youenjoyyourself。Letmeworkatthepuzzlealittle。\"
AndClemens，thoughhisconscienceprickedhim，obeyed，aswashishabitatsuchtimes。ToMrs。ClemensinParisnow，attheHote1Brightonhewrote：
Heisnotcommonclay，butfine—fine&delicate。Ididhatetoburdenhisgoodheart&overworkedhead，buthetookholdwithavidity&saiditwasnoburdentoworkforhisfriends，butapleasure。WhenIarrivedinSeptember，Lord！howblacktheprospectwas&howdesperate，howincurablydesperate！Webster&Co。hadtohaveasmallsumofmoneyorgounderatonce。IflewtoHartford——
tomyfriends——buttheywerenotmoved，notstronglyinterested，&I
wasashamedthatIwent。ItwasfromMr。Rogers，astranger，thatI
gotthemoneyandwasbyitsaved。Andthen——whilestillastranger——hesethimselfthetaskofsavingmyfinanciallifewithoutputtinguponmeinhisnativedelicacyanysensethatI
wastherecipientofacharity，abenevolence。Hegavetimetome——
time，whichcouldnotbeboughtbyanymanat$100，000amonth——no，norforthreetimesthemoney。
HeaddsthatafriendhasjustofferedtoWebster&Co。abookthatarraignstheStandardOilmagnatesindividualbyindividual。
IwantedtosaytheonlymanIcareforintheworld，theonlymanI
wouldgivead———nfor，theonlymanwhoislavishinghissweat&
bloodtosaveme&minefromstarvationisaStandardOilmagnate。
Ifyouknowme，youknowwhetherIwantthebookornot。
ButIdidn’tsaythat。IsaidIdidn’twantanybook；Iwantedtogetoutofthispublishingbusiness&outofallbusiness&washereforthatpurpose&wouldaccomplishitifIcould。
HetellshowheplayedbilliardswithRogers，tirelesslyasalways，untilthemillionairehadlookedathimhelplesslyandasked：
\"Don’tyouevergettired？\"
Andheanswered：
\"Idon’tknowwhatitistogettired。IwishIdid。\"
HewroteofgoingwithMr。RogerstotheMadisonSquareGardentoseeanexhibitionofboxinggivenbythethensplendidstarofpugilism，JamesJ。Corbett。Dr。Riceaccompaniedhim，andpaintersRobertReidandEdwardSimmons，fromThePlayers。Theyhadfiveseatsinabox，andStanfordWhitecamealongpresentlyandtookClemensintothechampion’sdressing—room。
Corbetthasafinefaceandismodestanddiffident，besidesbeingthemostperfectly&beautifullyconstructedhumananimalintheworld。Isaid：
\"YouhavewhippedMitchell&maybeyouwillwhipJacksoninJune——
butyouarenotdonethen。Youwillhavetotackleme。\"
Heanswered，sogravelythatonemighteasilyhavethoughthiminearnest：
\"No，Iamnotgoingtomeetyouinthering。Itisnotfairorrighttorequireit。Youmightchancetoknockmeout，bynomeritofyourown，butbyapurelyaccidentalblow，&thenmyreputationwouldbegone&youwouldhaveadoubleone。Youhavegotfameenough&yououghtnottowanttotakemineawayfromme。\"
CorbettwasforalongtimeaclerkintheNevadaBank，inSanFrancisco。
Therewerelotsoflittleboxing—matchestoentertainthecrowd；
thenatlastCorbettappearedinthering&the8，000peoplepresentwentmadwithenthusiasm。Mytwoartistswentmadabouthisform。
TheysaidtheyhadneverseenanythingthatcamereasonablynearequalingitsperfectionexceptGreekstatues，&theydidn’tsurpassit。
Corbettboxed3roundswiththemiddle—weightAustralianchampion——
oh，beautifultosee！——thentheshowwasoverandwestruggledoutthroughaperfectmashofhumanity。WhenwereachedthestreetI
foundIhadleftmyarcticsinthebox。Ihadtohavethem，soSimmonssaidhewouldgoback&getthem，&Ididn’tdissuadehim。
Iwouldn’tseehowhewasgoingtomakehiswayasingleyardintothatsolidincomingwaveofpeople——yethemustplowthroughitfull50yards。Hewasbackwiththeshoesin3minutes！
Howdoyoureckonheaccomplishedthatmiracle？Bysaying：
\"Way，gentlemen，please——comingtofetchMr。Corbett’sovershoes。\"
Thewordflewfrommouthtomouth，theRedSeadivided，&Simmonswalkedcomfortablythrough&back，dry—shod。ThisisFire—escapeSimmons，theinveteratetalker，youknow：Exit——incaseofSimmons。
IhadanengagementatabeautifuldwellingclosetoThePlayersfor10。30；Iwasthereby10。45。Thirtycultivated&verymusicalladies&gentlemenpresent——allofthemacquaintances&manyofthempersonalfriendsofmine。ThatwonderfulHungarianbandwastheretheycharge$500foranevening。Conversationandbanduntilmidnight；thenabiteofsupper；thenthecompanywascompactlygroupedbeforeme&ItoldthemaboutDr。B。E。Martin&theetchings，&followeditwiththeScotch—Irishchristening。My，buttheMartinisadarlingstory！Next，theheadtenorfromtheOperasanghalfadozengreatsongsthatsetthecompanywild，yes，madwithdelight，thatnoblyhandsomeyoungDamroschaccompanyingonthepiano。
Justalittlepause，thenthebandburstoutintoanexplosionofweirdandtremendousdance—music，aHungariancelebrity&hiswifetookthefloor；Ifollowed——Icouldn’thelpit；theothersdriftedin，onebyone，&itwasOnteoraoveragain。
Byhalfpast4。Ihaddancedallthosepeopledown——&yetwasnottired；merelybreathless。Iwasinbedat5&asleepintenminutes。Upat9&presentlyatworkonthislettertoyou。I
thinkIwroteuntil2orhalfpast。ThenIwalkedleisurelyouttoMr。Rogers’sitiscalled3miles，butisshortofit，arrivingat3。30，buthewasout——toreturnat5。30——soIdidn’tstay，butdroppedoverandchattedwithHowellsuntilfive。
——[TwoMarkTwainanecdotesarerememberedofthatwinteratThePlayers：
JustbeforeChristmasamembernamedScottsaidoneday：
\"Mr。Clemens，youhaveanextraovercoathanginginthecoatroom。I’vegottoattendmyuncle’sfuneralandit’srainingveryhard。I’dliketowearit。\"
Thecoatwasanoldone，inthepocketsofwhichClemenskeptamelancholyassortmentofpipes，soiledhandkerchiefs，neckties，letters，andwhatnot。
\"Scott，\"hesaid，\"ifyouwon’tloseanythingoutofthepocketsofthatcoatyoumaywearit。\"
AnhourortwolaterClemensfoundanoticeinhismail—boxthatapackageforhimwasintheoffice。Hecalledforitandfoundaneatbundle，whichsomehowhadaChristmaslook。Hecarriedituptothereading—roomwithashowy，air。
\"Now，boys，\"hesaid，\"youmaymakeallthefunofChristmasyoulike，butit’sprettynice，afterall，toberemembered。\"
Theygatheredaroundandheundidthepackage。Itwasfilledwiththepipes，soiledhandkerchiefs，andotherarticlesfromtheoldovercoat。
Scotthadtakenspecialprecautionsagainstlosingthem。
MarkTwainregardedthemamomentinsilence，thenhedrawled：
\"Well——d———nScott。Ihopehisuncle’sfuneralwillbeafailure！\"
ThesecondanecdoteconcernsThePlayeregg—cups。Theyeasilyholdtwoeggs，butnotthree。Onemorninganewwaitercametotakethebreakfastorder。Clemenssaid：
\"Boy，putthreesofteggsinthatcupforme。\"
Byandbythewaiterreturned，bringingthebreakfast。Clemenslookedattheeggportionandasked：
\"Boy，whatwasmyorder？\"
\"Threesofteggsbrokeninthecup，Mr。Clemens。\"
\"Andyou’vefilledthatorder，haveyou？\"
\"Yes，Mr。Clemens。\"
\"Boy，youaretriflingwiththetruth；I’vebeentryingallwintertogetthreeeggsintothatcup。\"]
InoneletterhetellsofadinnerwithhisoldComstockfriend，JohnMackay——adinnerwithoutanyfrills，justsoupandrawoystersandcornedbeefandcabbage，suchastheyhadreveledinsometimes，inprosperousmoments，thirtyyearsbefore。
\"TheguestswereoldgrayPacificcoasters，\"hesaid，\"whomIknewwhentheywereyoungandnotgray。Thetalkwasofthedayswhenwewentgipsying—alongtimeago——thirtyyears。\"
Indeed，itwasatalkofthedead。Mainlythat。Andofhowtheylooked&theharum—scarumthingstheydid&said。Fortherewerenocaresinthatlife，noaches&pains，¬timeenoughintheday&three—
fourthsofthenighttoworkoffone’ssurplusvigor&energy。Ofthemidnighthighway—robberyjokeplayeduponmewithrevolversatmyheadonthewindswept&desolateGoldHillDividenowitnesswasleftbutme，thevictim。Thoseoldfoolslastnightlaughedtilltheycriedovertheparticularsofthatoldforgottencrime。
InstillanotherletterhetoldofaverywonderfulentertainmentatRobertReid’sstudio。Therewerepresent，hesays：
Coquelin；
RichardHardingDavis；
Harrison，thegreatoutdoorpainter；
Wm。H。Chase，theartist；
Bettini，inventorofthenewphonograph；
NikolaTesla，theworld—wideillustriouselectrician；seearticleabouthiminJan。orFeb。Century。
JohnDrew，actor；
JamesBarnes，amarvelousmimic；my，youshouldseehim！
Smedley，theartist；
Zorn，\"\"
Zogbaum，\"\"
Reinhart，\"\"
Metcalf，\"\"
Ancona，headtenorattheOpera；
Oh，&agreatlotofothers。Everybodytherehaddonesomething&
wasinhiswayfamous。
SomebodywelcomedCoquelininanicelittleFrenchspeech，JohnDrewdidthelikeformeinEnglish，&thenthefunbegan。CoquelindidsomeexcellentFrenchmonologues——oneofthemanungrammaticalEnglishmantellingacolorlesshistorietteinFrench。Itnearlykilledthefifteenortwentypeoplewhounderstoodit。
Itoldayarn，Anconasanghalfadozensongs，Barnesdidhisdarlingimitations，HandingDavissangthehangingofDannyDeever，whichwasofcoursegood，buthefolloweditwiththatmastfascinatingforwhatreasonIdon’tknowofallKipling’spoems，\"OntheRoadtoMandalay，\"sangittenderly，&itsearchedmedeeper&charmedmemorethantheDeever。
YoungGerritSmithplayedsomeravishingdance—music，&wealldancedaboutanhour。Therecouldn’tbeapleasanternightthanthatonewas。Someofthosepeoplecomplainedoffatigue，butI
don’tseemtoknowwhatthesenseoffatigueis。
Inhisreprievehewaslikesomewildthingthathadregainedliberty。
HereferstoSusy’srecentillnessandtoMrs。Clemens’sownpoorstateofhealth。
Dear，dearSusy！MystrengthreproachesmewhenIthinkofherandyou。
Itisanunspeakablepitythatyoushouldbewithoutanyonetogoaboutwiththegirls，&ittroublesme，&grievesme，&makesmecurse&swear；butyousee，dearheart，I’vegottostickrightwhereIamtillIfindoutwhetherwearerichorwhetherthepoorestpersonweareacquaintedwithinanybody’skitchenisbetteroffthanweare……Istandontheland—endofaspringboard，withthefamilyclusteredontheotherend；ifItakemyfoot————
Herealizedhishopestoherasavesseltryingtomakeport；oncehewrote：
Theshipisinsightnow……
WhentheanchorisdownthenIshallsay：
\"Farewell——alongfarewell——tobusiness！Iwillnevertouchitagain！\"
Iwillliveinliterature，Iwillwallowinit，revelinit；Iwillswiminink！’JoanofArc’——butallthisispremature；theanchorisnotdownyet。
Sometimeshesentherimpulsivecablescalculatingtosustainhope。Mrs。
Clemens，writingtohersisterinJanuary，said：
Mr。ClemensnowfortendayshasbeenhourlyexpectingtosendmewordthatPaigehadsignedthenewcontract，butasyetnodespatchcomes……Onthe5thofthismonthIreceivedacable，\"Expectgoodnewsintendays。\"Onthe15thIreceiveacable，\"Lookoutforgoodnews。\"Onthe19thacable，\"Nearingsuccess。\"
Itappealedtohersenseofhumoreveninthesedarkdays。Sheadded：
Theymakemelaugh，fortheyaresolikemybeloved\"Colonel。\"
Mr。RogershadagreedthathewouldbringPaigetorationalterms，andwithClemensmadeatriptoChicago。Allagreednowthatthemachinepromisedacertainfortuneassoonasacontractacceptabletoeverybodycouldbeconcluded——Paigeandhislawyerbeingthelasttodallyanddickerastoterms。FinallyatelegramcamefromChicagosayingthatPaigehadagreedtoterms。OnthatdayClemenswroteinhisnote—book：
Thisisagreatdateinmyhistory。Yesterdaywewerepauperswithbut3months’rationsofcashleftand$160，000indebt，mywife&I，butthistelegrammakesuswealthy。
ButitwasnotuntilafortnightlaterthatPaigedidactuallysign。
Thiswasonthe1stofFebruary，’94，andClemensthatnightcabledtoParis，sothatMrs。Clemenswouldhaveitonherbreakfast—platethemorningoftheiranniversary：
\"Weddingnews。Ourshipissafeinport。IsailthemomentRogerscanspareme。\"
Sothispaintedbubble，thisthingofemptiness，hadbecomeassubstanceagain——thegrandhope。Hewasasconcernedwithitasifithadbeenanactualgold—minewithoreandbullionpiledinheaps——thatshadow，thatfarce，thatnightmare。Onelongstogobackthroughtheyearsandfacehimtothelightandarousehimtothevastshamofitall。
CLXXXVII
SOMELITERARYMATTERS
Clemensmighthavelecturedthatwinterwithprofit，andMajorPonddidhisbesttopersuadehim；butRogersagreedthathispresenceinNewYorkwaslikelytobetooimportanttowarrantanyscheduleofabsence。HewentoncetoBostontolectureforcharity，thoughhispleasureintheexperiencewasasufficientreward。OntheeveningbeforethelectureMrs。JamesT。FieldshadhimtoherhousetodinewithDr。Holmes，thennotfarfromtheendofhislong，beautifullife。——[Hediedthatsameyear，October，1894。]
ClemenswrotetoParisoftheireveningtogether：
Dr。OliverWendellHolmesnevergoesoutheisinhis84thyear，buthecameoutthistime——saidhewantedto\"haveatime\"oncemorewithme。
Mrs。FieldssaidAldrichbeggedtocome，&wentawaycryingbecauseshewouldn’tlethim。SheallowedonlyherfamilySarahOrneJewett&
sistertobepresent，becausemuchcompanywouldovertaxDr。Holmes。
Well，hewasjustdelightful！Hedidasbrilliantandbeautifultalking&listeningasheeverdidinhislife，Iguess。FieldsandJewettsaidhehadn’tbeeninsuchsplendidformforyears。Hehadorderedhiscarriagefor9。Thecoachmansentinforhimat9，buthesaid，\"Oh，nonsense！——leaveglories&grandeurslikethese？Tellhimtogoaway&
comeinanhour！\"
At10hewascalledforagain，&Mrs。Fields，gettinguneasy，rose，buthewouldn’tgo——&sowerattledaheadthesameasever。TwicemoreMrs。
Fieldsrose，buthewouldn’tgo——&hedidn’tgotillhalfpast10——anunwarrantabledissipationforhiminthesedays。Hewasprodigiouslycomplimentaryaboutsomeofmybooks，&ishavingPudd’nheadreadtohim。
Itoldhimyou&IusedtheAutocratasacourtingbook&markeditallthrough，&thatyoukeepitinthesacredgreenboxwiththeloveletters，&itpleasedhim。
OneotheraddressClemensdeliveredthatwinter，atFairHaven，ontheopeningoftheMillicentLibrary，apresenttothetownfromMrs。Rogers。
Mrs。RogershadsuggestedtoherhusbandthatperhapsMr。Clemenswouldbewillingtosayafewwordsthere。Mr。Rogershadreplied，\"Oh，Clemensisintrouble。Idon’tliketoaskhim，\"butadayortwolatertoldhimofMrs。Rogers’swish，adding：
\"Don’tfeelatallthatyouneedtodoit。Iknowjusthowyouarefeeling，howworriedyouare。\"
Clemensanswered，\"Mr。Rogers，doyouthinkthereisanythingIcoulddoforyouthatIwouldn’tdo？\"
Itwasonthisoccasionthathetoldforthefirsttimethe\"stolenwatermelon\"story，sooftenreprintedsince；howoncehehadstolenawatermelon，andwhenhefoundittobeagreenone，hadreturnedittothefarmer，withalectureonhonesty，andreceivedaripeoneinitsplace。
InspiteofhiscaresanddiversionsClemens’sliteraryactivitiesofthistimewereconsiderable。HewroteanarticlefortheYouth’sCompanion——\"HowtoTellaStory\"——andanotherfortheNorthAmericanReviewonFenimoreCooper’s\"LiteraryOffenses。\"MarkTwainhadnotmuchrespectforCooperasaliteraryartist。Cooper’sstiltedartificialitiesandslipshodEnglishexasperatedhimandmadeithardforhimtoseethatinspiteofthesethingstheauthoroftheDeerslayerwasamightystory—teller。ClemenshadalsopromisedsomestoriestoWalker，oftheCosmopolitan，andgavehimoneforhisChristmasnumber，\"TravelingwithaReformer，\"whichhadgrownoutofsomeincidentsofthatlong—agojourneywithOsgoodtoChicago，supplementedbyothersthathadhappenedonthemorerecentvisittothatcitywithHall。ThisstoryhadalreadyappearedwhenClemensandRogershadmadetheirChicagotrip。
RogershadwrittenforpassesoverthePennsylvaniaroad，andthepresident，replying，said：
\"No，Iwon’tgiveMarkTwainapassoverourroad。I’vebeenreadinghis’TravelingwithaReformer，’inwhichheabusesourroad。Iwouldn’tlethimrideoveritagainifIcouldhelpit。TheonlywayI’llagreetolethimgooveritatallisinmyprivatecar。Ihavestockeditwitheverythinghecanpossiblywant，andhavegivenordersthatifthereisanythingelsehewantsthetrainistobestoppeduntiltheycangetit。\"
\"Pudd’nheadWilson\"wasappearingintheCenturyduringthisperiod，and\"TomSawyerAbroad\"intheSt。Nicholas。TheCenturyhadissuedatinycalendarofthePudd’nheadmaxims，andthesequaintbitsofphilosophy，theverygemsofMarkTwainmentalriches，wereineverybody’smouth。
Withallthisgoingon，andwithhisappearanceatvarioussocialevents，hewasratheramorespectacularfigurethatwinterthaneverbefore。
>Fromthenote—book：
TheHauntedLooking—glass。Theguestatmidnightadimlightburningwakesup&seesappear&disappearthefacesthathavelookedintotheglassduring3centuries。
Loveseemstheswiftestbutistheslowestofallgrowths。Nomanandwomanreallyknowwhatperfectloveisuntiltheyhavebeenmarriedaquarterofacentury。
Itismoretroubletomakeamaximthanitistodoright。
OfallGod’screatures，thereisonlyonethatcannotbemadetheslaveofthelash——thatoneisthecat。
Truthisstrangerthanfiction——tosomepeople，butIammeasurablyfamiliarwithit。
CLXXXVIII
FAILURE
ItwasthefirstweekinMarchbeforeitwasthoughttobesafeforClemenstoreturntoFrance，evenforabriefvisittohisfamily。Hehurriedacrossandremainedwiththemwhatseemedaninfinitesimaltime，abarethreeweeks，andwasbackagaininNewYorkbythemiddleofApril。TheWebstercompanydifficultieshadnowreachedanacutestage。
Mr。Rogershadkeptaclosewatchonitsfinancialaffairs，hopingtobeabletopullitthroughortocloseitwithoutfailure，payingallthecreditorsinfull；butontheafternoonofthe16thofApril，1894，HallarrivedatClemens’sroomatThePlayersinapanic。TheMountMorrisBankhadelectedanewpresidentandboardofdirectors，andhadstraightwayservednoticeonhimthathemustpayhisnotes——twonotesoffivethousanddollarseachinafewdayswhendue。Mr。Rogerswasimmediatelynotified，ofcourse，andsaidhewouldsleeponitandadvisethemnextday。Hedidnotbelievethatthebankwouldreallypushthemtothewall。Thenextdaywasspentinseeingwhatcouldbedone，andbyeveningitwasclearthatunlessaconsiderablesumofmoneywasraisedavoluntaryassignmentwasthepropercourse。Theendofthelongstrugglehadcome。Clemenshesitatedlessonhisownthanonhiswife’saccount。
Heknewthattoherthewordfailurewouldbeassociatedwithdisgrace。
Shehadpinchedherselfwithahundredeconomiestokeepthebusinessafloat，andwaswillingtogooneconomizingtoavertthisfinaldisaster。Mr。Rogerssaid：
\"Mr。Clemens，assureherfrommethatthereisnotevenatingeofdisgraceinmakingthisassignment。Bydoingityouwillrelieveyourselfofafearfulloadofdread，andintimewillbeabletopayeverythingandstandclearbeforetheworld。Ifyoudon’tdoityouwillprobablyneverbefreefromdebt，anditwillkillyouandMrs。Clemensboth。Ifthereisanydisgraceitwouldbeinnottakingthecoursethatwillgiveyouandheryourfreedomandyourcreditorsabetterchancefortheirclaims。Mostofthemwillbegladenoughtohelpyou。\"
Itwasontheafternoonofthenextday，April18，1894，thatthefirmofCharlesL。Webster&Co。executedassignmentpapersandcloseditsdoors。Ameetingofthecreditorswascalled，atwhichH。H。Rogerswaspresent，representingClemens。Forthemostpartthecreditorswereliberalandwillingtoagreetoanyequitablearrangement。Buttherewereafewwhoweregrumpyandfussy。TheydeclaredthatMarkTwainshouldturnoverhiscopyrights，hisHartfordhome，andwhateverotheroddsandendscouldbediscovered。Mr。Rogers，discussingthematterin1908，said：
\"Theywerebentondevouringeverypoundoffleshinsightandpickingthebonesafterward，asClemensandhiswifewereperfectlywillingtheyshoulddo。Iwasgettingalittlewarmallthetimeatthehighhandedwayinwhichthesefewmenwereconductingthething，andpresentlyIgotonmyfeetandsaid，’Gentlemen，youarenotgoingtohavethisthingallyourway。IhavesomethingtosayaboutMr。Clemens’saffairs。Mrs。
Clemensisthechiefcreditorofthisfirm。Outofherownpersonalfortuneshehaslentitmorethansixtythousanddollars。Shewillbeapreferredcreditor，andthosecopyrightswillbeassignedtoheruntilherclaimispaidinfull。AsforthehomeinHartford，itishersalready。’
\"Therewasagooddealofcomplaint，butIrefusedtobudge。IinsistedthatMrs。Clemenshadthefirstclaimsonthecopyrights，though，totellthetruth，thesedidnotpromisemuchthen，forinthathardyearthesaleofbookswassmallenough。BesidesMrs。Clemens’sclaimthedebtsamountedtoonehundredthousanddollars，andofcoursetheremustbeadefinitebasisofsettlement，soitwasagreedthatClemensshouldpayfiftycentsonthedollar，whentheassetswerefinallyrealizedupon，andreceiveaquittance。Clemenshimselfdeclaredthatsoonerorlaterhewouldpaytheotherfiftycents，dollarfordollar，thoughIbelievetherewasnoonebesideshimselfandhiswifeandmewhobelievedhewouldeverbeabletodoit。Clemenshimselfgotdiscouragedsometimes，andwasaboutreadytogiveitup，forhewasgettingoninyears——nearlysixty——andhewasinpoorhealth。Oncewhenwefoundthedebt，aftertheWebstersalvage，wasgoingtobeatleastseventythousanddollars，hesaid，’Ineednotdreamofpayingit。Inevercouldmanageit。’Buthestucktoit。Hewasatmyhouseagooddealatfirst。Wegavehimaroomthereandhecameandwentashechose。Theworrytolduponhim。
Hebecamefrailduringthoseweeks，almostethereal，yetitwasstrangehowbrillianthewas，howcheerful。\"
Thebusinessthathadbegunsopromisinglyandprosperouslyadecadebeforehaddwindledtoitsend。Thelastbookithadinhandwas’TomSawyerAbroad’，justreadyforissue。ItcuriouslyhappenedthatonthedayofthefailurecopiesofitwerefiledinWashingtonforcopyright。
FrankBlisscameoverfromHartford，andClemensarrangedwithhimforthepublicationof’Pudd’nheadWilson’，therebyrenewingtheoldrelationshipwiththeAmericanPublishingCompanyafterabreakofadozenyears。
Naturally，thefailureofMarkTwain’spublishingfirmmadeapublicstir，anditshowedhowmanyandsincerewerehisfriends，howreadytheywerewithsympathyandhelpofamorematerialkind。Thosewhounderstoodbest，congratulatedhimonbeingoutoftheentanglement。
PoultneyBigelow，DouglasTaylor，AndrewCarnegie，CharlesDudleyWarner，andothersextendedfinancialhelp，BigelowandTayloreachinclosinghimacheckofonethousanddollarsforimmediatenecessities。Hewastouchedbythesethings，butthecheckswerereturned。Manyofhiscreditorssenthimpersonallettersassuringhimthathewastoforgethisobligationtothemcompletelyuntilsuchtimeastherememberingwouldcosthimnouneasiness。
Clemens，infact，feltrelieved，nowthattheworsthadcome，andwrotebrightlettershome。Inonehesaid：
Mr。Rogersisperfectlysatisfiedthatourcoursewasright，absolutelyrightandwise——cheerup，thebestisyettocome。
Andagain：
Now&thenagoodanddearJoeTwichellorSusyWarnercondoleswithme&says，\"Cheerup—don’tbedownhearted，\"andsomeotherfriendsays，\"I’mgladandsurprisedtoseehowcheerfulyouare&howbravelyyoustandit，\"&noneofthemsuspectwhataburdenhasbeenliftedfromme&howblitheIaminside。ExceptwhenIthinkofyou，dearheart——thenIamnotblithe；forIseemtoseeyougrievingandashamed，&dreadingtolookpeopleintheface。Forinthethickofthefightthereischeer，butyouarefaraway&cannothearthedrumnorseethewheelingsquadrons。Youonlyseemtoseerout，retreat，&dishonoredcolorsdragginginthedirt——whereasnoneofthesethingsexist。Thereistemporarydefeat，butnodishonor——&wewillmarchagain。CharleyWarnersaidto—day，\"Sho，Livyisn’tworrying。Solongasshe’sgotyouandthechildrenshedoesn’tcarewhathappens。Sheknowsitisn’theraffair。\"Whichdidn’tconvinceme。
OliviaClemenswrotebravelyandencouraginglytohim，andmorecheerfullythanshefelt，forinalettertohersistershesaid：
ThehideousnewsofWebster&Co。’sfailurereachedmebycableonThursday，andFridaymorningGalignani’sMessengerhadasquibaboutit。OfcourseIknewitwaslikelytocome，butIhadgreathopethatitwouldbeinsomewayaverted。Mr。RogerswassosuretherewasnowayoutbutfailurethatIsupposeitwastrue。ButIhaveaperfecthorrorandheart—sicknessoverit。Icannotgetawayfromthefeelingthatbusinessfailuremeansdisgrace。Isupposeitalwayswillmeanthattome。Wehaveputagreatdealofmoneyintotheconcern，andperhapstherewouldhavebeennothingbuttokeepputtingitinandlosingit。Wecertainlynowhavenotmuchtolose。Wemighthavemortgagedthehouse；thatwastheonlythingI
couldthinkoftodo。Mr。Clemensfeltthattherewouldneverbeanyend，andperhapshewasright。Atanyrate，Iknowthathewasconvincedthatitwastheonlything，becausewhenhewentbackhepromisedmethatifitwaspossibletosavethethinghewoulddosoifonlyonaccountofmysentimentinthematter。
Sue，ifyouweretoseemeyouwouldseethatIhavegrownoldveryfastduringthislastyear。Ihavewrinkled。
MostofthetimeIwanttoliedownandcry。Everythingseemstomesoimpossible。Idonotmakethingsgoverywell，andIfeelthatmylifeisanabsoluteandirretrievablefailure。PerhapsIamthankless，butIsooftenfeelthatIshouldliketogiveitupanddie。However，IpresumethatifIcouldhavetheopportunityI
shouldatoncedesiretolive。
ClemensnowhurriedbacktoParis，arrivingaboutthemiddleofMay，hissecondtripintwomonths。ScarcelyhadhegotthefamilysettledatLaBourboule—les—Bains，aquietwatering—placeinthesouthernpartofFrance，whenacablefromMr。Rogers，statingthatthetypesetterwasperfected，madehimdecidetohurrybacktoAmericatoassistinsecuringthenewfortune。Hedidnotgo，however。RogerswrotethatthemachinehadbeeninstalledintheTimes—Heraldoffice，Chicago，foralongandthoroughtrial。Therewouldbeplentyoftime，andClemensconcludedtorestwithhisfamilyatLaBourboule—les—Bains。LaterinthesummertheywenttoEtretat，wherehesettleddowntowork。
CLXXXIX
ANEVENTFULYEARENDS
ThatsummerJuly，’94。the’NorthAmericanReview’published\"InDefenseofHarrietShelley，\"ararepieceofliterarycriticismandprobablythemosthumanandconvincingpleaevermadeforthatinjured，ill—fatedwoman。AnadmirerofShelley’sworks，ClemenscouldnotresisttakingupthedefenseofShelley’sabandonedwife。Ithadbecomethefashiontorefertoherslightingly，andtosuggestthatshehadnotbeenwithoutblameforShelley’sbehavior。AShelleybiographybyProfessorDowden，Clemenshadfoundparticularlyirritating。Inthemidstofhistangleofthepreviousyearhehadpausedtogiveitattention。ThereweretimeswhenMarkTwainwrotewithoutmuchsequence，digressingthiswayandthat，ashisfancyledhim，charminglyandentertaininglyenough，withnolarge，logicalidea。Hepursuednosuchmethodinthisinstance。
ThepaperonHarrietShelleyisabriefasdirectandcompactandcumulativeascouldhavebeenpreparedbyatrainedlegalmindofthehighestorder，andithastheaddedadvantageofbeingtheutteranceofahumansoulvoicinganindignationinspiredbyhumansufferingandhumanwrong。Bynomeansdoesitlackhumor，searchingandbitingsarcasm。
ThecharacterizationofProfessorDowden’sLifeofShelleyasa\"literarycake—walk\"isatouchwhichonlyMarkTwaincouldhavelaidon。Indeed，the\"DefenseofHarrietShelly，\"withthoseearlychaptersofJoanatFlorence，maybecountedasthebeginningforMarkTwainofagenuineliteraryrenaissance。Itwastoprovearemarkableperiodlessvoluminousthanthefirst，butevenmorechoice，containing，asitwould，besidesJoanandtheShelleyarticle，therestofthatremarkableseriescollectednowasLiteraryEssays；theHadleyburgstory；\"WasitHeavenorHell？\"；thosemasterlyarticlesonournationalpolicies；closingatlastwiththoseexquisitememories，inhisfinaldays。
Thesummerof1894foundMarkTwainintheproperframeofmindforliterarywork。Hewasnolongerinastateofdread。AtEtretat，awatering—placeontheFrenchcoast，hereturnedeagerlytothelong—
neglectedtaleofJoan——\"abookwhichwritesitself，\"hewroteMr。
Rogers\"——atalewhichtellsitself；Imerelyhavetoholdthepen。\"
Etretat，originallyafishing—village，waslesspretentiousthanto—day，andthefamilyhadtakenasmallfurnishedcottagealittlewaybackfromthecoast——acharmingplace，andacheapone——asbecametheirmeans。
ClemensworkedsteadilyatEtretatformorethanamonth，finishingthesecondpartofhisstory，thenwentovertoRouentovisitthehallowedprecinctswhereJoandraggedoutthosewearymonthsthatbroughthertothestake。SusyClemenswastakenillatRouen，andtheylingeredinthatancientcity，wanderingaboutitsvenerablesteets，whichhavebeenchangedbutslowlybythecenturies，andarestillfullofmemories。
TheyreturnedtoParisatlength——totheBrighton；theirquartersofthepreviouswinter——butpresentlyengagedforthewinterthestudiohomeoftheartistPomroyat169ruedel’Universite，beyondtheSeine。MarkTwainwroteofitonce：
Itwasalovelyhouse；large，rambling，quaint，charminglyfurnishedanddecorated，builtuponnoparticularplan，delightfullyuncertainandfullofsurprises。Youwerealwaysgettinglostinit，andfindingnooksandcornerswhichyoudidnotknowwerethereandwhosepresenceyouhadnotsuspectedbefore。ItwasbuiltbyarichFrenchartist，andhehadalsofurnisheditanddecoratedithimself。Thestudiowascozinessitself。Withusitservedasadrawing—room，sitting—room，living—room，dancing—room——weuseditforeverything。Wecouldn’tgetenoughofit。Itisoddthatitshouldhavebeensocozy，foritwas40feetlong，40feethigh，and30feetwide，withavastfireplaceon，eachside，inthemiddle，andamusicians’galleryatoneend。
Mrs。ClemenshadhopedtoreturntoAmerica，totheirHartfordhome。
Thatwasherheart’sdesire——togobackoncemoretotheiroldlifeandfireside，toforgetallthisperiodofexileandwandering。Herletterswerefullofherhome—longing；herthreeyearsofabsenceseemedlikeaneternity。
Initsway，thePomroyhousewasthebestsubstituteforhometheyhadfound。Itsbelongingswereofthekindsheloved。Susyhadbetterhealth，andherhusbandwashappyinhiswork。Theyhadmuchdelightfulanddistinguishedcompany。Herletterstelloftheseattractivethings，andoftheireconomiestomaketheirincomereach。
Itwasneartheendoftheyearthattheothergreatinterest——themachine——camefinallytoaconclusion。Reportsfromthetesthadbeenhopefulduringthesummer。EarlyinOctoberClemens，receivingacopyoftheTimes—Herald，partlysetbythemachine，wrote：\"TheHeraldhasjustarrived，andthatcolumnishealingforsoreeyes。ItaffectsmelikeColumbussightingland。\"Andagainonthe28th：
Itseemstomethatthingscouldn’twellbegoingbetteratChicagothantheyare。There’snoothermachinethatcansettypeeighthourswithonlyseventeenminutes’stoppagethroughcussedness。Theothersdorathermorestoppingthanworking。Byandbyourmachineswillbeperfect；thentheywon’tstopatall。
Butthatwasabouttheendofthegoodnews。Thestoppagesbecameworseandworse。Thetypebegantobreak——themachinehaditsoldtrouble：itwastoodelicatelyadjusted——toocomplicated。
\"Greatguns，whatisthematterwithit？\"wroteClemensinNovemberwhenhereceivedadetailedaccountofitsmisconduct。
Mr。Rogersandhisson—in—law，Mr。Broughton，wentouttoChicagotoinvestigate。TheywenttotheTimes—Heraldofficetowatchthetype—
setterinaction。Mr。Rogersoncetoldofthisvisittothewriterofthesechapters。Hesaid：
\"Certainlyitwasamarvelousinvention。ItwasthenearestapproachtoahumanbeinginthewonderfulthingsitcoulddoofanymachineIhaveeverknown。Butthatwasjustthetrouble；itwastoomuchofahumanbeingandnotenoughofamachine。Ithadallthecomplicationsofthehumanmechanism，alltheliabilityofgettingoutofrepair，anditcouldnotbereplacedwiththeeaseandimmediatenessofthehumanbeing。Itwastoocostly；toodifficultofconstruction；toohardtosetup。I
tookoutmywatchandtimeditsworkandcounteditsmistakes。Wewatcheditalongtime，foritwasmostinteresting，mostfascinating，butitwasnotpractical——thattomewasclear。\"
Ithadfailedtostandthetest。TheTimes—Heraldwouldhavenomoreofit。Mr。Rogershimselfcouldseetheuselessnessoftheendeavor。HeinstructedMr。BroughtontocloseupthematterasbesthecouldandhimselfundertookthehardertaskofbreakingthenewstoMarkTwain。
Hislettersseemnottohavebeenpreserved，buttherepliestothemtellthestory。
169ruedel’Universite，PARIS，December22，1894。
DEARMR。ROGERS，——Iseemedtobeentirelyexpectingyourletter，andalsopreparedandresigned；butLord，itshowshowlittleweknowourselvesandhoweasilywecandeceiveourselves。Ithitmelikeathunder—clap。Itknockedeveryragofsenseoutofmyhead，andI
wentflyinghereandthereandyonder，notknowingwhatIwasdoing，andonlyoneclearlydefinedthoughtstandingupvisibleandsubstantialoutofthecrazystorm—drift——thatmydreamoftenyearswasindesperateperilandoutofthe60，000or70，000projectsforitsrescuethatcameflockingthroughmyskullnotonewouldholdstilllongenoughformetoexamineitandsizeitup。Haveyoueverbeenlikethat？Notsomuch，Ireckon。
Therewasanotherclearlydefinedidea——Imustbethereandseeitdie。Thatis，ifitmustdie；andmaybeifIweretherewemighthatchupsomenext—to—impossiblewaytomakeittakeupitsbedandtakeawalk。
So，attheendoffourhoursIstarted，stillwhirling，andwalkedovertotherueScribe——4p。m。——andaskedaquestionortwoandwastoldIshouldberunningabigriskifItookthe9p。m。trainforLondonandSouthampton；\"bettercomerightalongat6。52perHavrespecialandstepaboardtheNewYorkalleasyandcomfortable。\"
Very！andIabouttwomilesfromhomeandnopackingdone。
Thenitoccurredtomethatnoneofthesesalvationnotionsthatwerewhirlwindingthroughmyheadcouldbeexaminedormadeavailableunlessatleastamonth’stimecouldbesecured。SoI
cabledyou，andsaidtomyselfthatIwouldtaketheFrenchsteamerto—morrowwhichwillbeSunday。
BybedtimeMrs。Clemenshadreasonedmeintoafairlyrationalandcontentedstateofmind；butofcourseitdidn’tlastlong。SoI
wentonthinking——mixingitwithasmokeinthedressing—roomonceanhour——untildawnthismorning。Result——asaneresolution；nomatterwhatyouranswertomycablemightbeIwouldholdstillandnotsailuntilIshouldgetananswertothispresentletterwhichI
amnowwritingoracableanswerfromyousaying\"Come\"or\"Remain。\"
Ihaveslept6hours，mypondhasclarified，andIfindthesedimentofmy70，000projectstobeofthischaracter：
Hefollowswithadetailedplanforreconstructingthemachine，usingbrasstype，etc。，andconcludes：
Don’tsayI’mwild。ForreallyI’msaneagainthismorning。
IamgoingrightalongwithJoannow，andwaituntroubledtillI
hearfromyou。IfyouthinkIcanbeoftheleastusecableme\"Come。\"IcanwriteJoanonboardshipandlosenotime。AlsoI
coulddiscussmyplanwiththepublisherforadeluxeJoan，timebeinganobject，forsomeofthepicturescouldbemadeoverhere，cheaplyandquickly，thatwouldcostmuchmoretimeandmoneyinAmerica。
Thesecondletterfollowedfivedayslater：
169ruedel’Universite，PARIS，December27，1894。
DEARMR。ROGERS，——Notwithstandingyourheartis\"oldandhard\"youmakeabodychokeup。Iknowyou\"meaneverywordyousay\"andIdotakeit\"inthesamespiritinwhichyoutenderit。\"Ishallkeepyourregardwhilewetwolive——thatIknow；forIshallalwaysrememberwhatyouhavedoneforme，andthatwillinsuremeagainsteverdoinganythingthatcouldforfeititorimpairit。
ItissixdaysorsevendaysagothatIlivedthroughthatdespairingday，andthenthroughanightwithoutsleep；thensettleddownnextdayintomyrightmindorthereaboutsandwroteyou。I
putintherestofthatdaytill7P。m。plentycomfortablyenoughwritingalongchapterofmybook；thenwenttoamaskedballblackedupasUncleRemus，takingClaraalong，andwehadagoodtime。Ihavelostnodaysince，andsufferednodiscomforttospeakof，butdrovemytroublesoutofmymindandhadgoodsuccessinkeepingthemout——throughwatchfulness。Ihavedoneagoodweek’sworkandputthebookagoodwayaheadintheGreatTrial[ofJoan]，whichisthedifficultpart：thepartwhichrequiresthemostthoughtandcarefulness。IcannotseetheendoftheTrialyet，butIamontheroad。Iamcreepingsurelytowardit。
\"Whynotleavethemalltome？\"Mybusinessbrothers？Itakeyoubythehand！Ijumpatthechance！
IoughttobeashamedandIamtryingmybesttobeashamed——andyetIdojumpatthechanceinspiteofit。Idon’twanttowriteIrvingandIdon’twanttowriteStoker。Itdoesn’tseemasifI
could。ButIcansuggestsomethingforyoutowritethem；andthenifyouseethatIamunwiseyoucanwritethemsomethingquitedifferent。Nowthisismyidea：
1。ToreturnStoker’s$100tohimandkeephisstock。
2。AndtellIrvingthatwhenluckturnswithmeIwillmakegoodtohimwhatthesalvagefromthedeadCo。failstopayhimofhis$500。
[P。S。MadamsaysNo，Imustfacethemusic。SoIinclosemyeffort——tobeusedifyouapprove，butnototherwise。]
WeshalltrytofindatenantforourHartfordhouse；notaneasymatter，foritcostsheavilytolivein。Wecanneverliveinitagain；thoughitwouldbreakthefamily’sheartsiftheycouldbelieveit。
NothingdauntsMrs。Clemensormakestheworldlookblacktoher——
whichisthereasonIhaven’tdrownedmyself。
IgottheXmasjournalswhichyousentandIthankyouforthatXmasremembrance。
WeallsendourdeepestandwarmestgreetingstoyouandallofyoursandaHappyNewYear！
S。L。CLEMENS。
——[BrainStokerandSirHenryIrvinghadeachtakenasmallinterestinthemachine。TheinclosureforStokerranasfollows：]
MYDEARSTOKER，——Iamnotdatingthis，becauseitisnottobemailedatpresent。
Whenitreachesyouitwillmeanthatthereisahitchinmymachineenterprise——a，hitchsoseriousastomakeittaketoitselftheaspectofadissolveddream。Thisletter，then，willcontainchequeforthe$100whichyouhavepaid。AndwillyoutellIrvingforme——
Ican’tgetupcourageenoughtotalkaboutthismisfortunemyself，excepttoyou，whombygoodluckIhaven’tdamagedyet——thatwhenthewreckagepresentlyfloatsashorehewillgetagooddealofhis$500back；andadabatatimeIwillmakeuptohimtherest。
I’mnotfeelingasfineasIwaswhenIsawyouthereinyourhome。
PleaseremembermekindlytoMrs。Stoker。IgaveupthatLondonlecture—projectentirely。Hadto——there’sneverbeenachancesincetofindthetime。
Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。
Aweeklaterheaddedwhatwasabouthisfinalwordonthesubject：
YoursofDecember21hasarrived，containingthecirculartostockholders，andIguesstheCo。willreallyquit——theredoesn’tseemtobeanyotherwisecourse。
There’sonethingwhichmakesitdifficultformetosoberlyrealizethatmyten—yeardreamisactuallydissolved；andthatisthatitreversesmyhoroscope。Theproverbsays，\"Bornlucky，alwayslucky。
ItwasusualforoneortwoofourladsperannumtogetdrownedintheMississippiorinBearCreek，butIwaspulledoutinadrownedcondition9timesbeforeIlearnedtoswim，andwasconsideredtobeacatindisguise。WhenthePennsylvaniablewupandthetelegraphreportedmybrotherasfatallyinjuredwith60
othersbutmadenomentionofme，myunclesaidtomymother\"itmeansthatSamwassomewhereelse，afterbeingonthatboatayearandahalf——hewasbornlucky。\"Yes，Iwassomewhereelse。IamsosuperstitiousthatIhavealwaysbeenafraidtohavebusinessdealingswithcertainrelativesandfriendsofminebecausetheywereunluckypeople。AllmylifeIhavestumbleduponluckychancesoflargesize，andwhenevertheywerewasteditwasbecauseofmyownstupidityandcarelessness。AndsoIhavefeltentirelycertainthatthemachinewouldturnuptrumpseventually。Itdisappointedmelotsoftimes，butIcouldn’tshakeofftheconfidenceofalifetimeinmyluck。
Well，whateverIgetoutofthewreckagewillbeduetogoodluck—
thegoodluckofgettingyouintothescheme——for，butforthattherewouldn’tbeanywreckage；itwouldbetotalloss。
Iwishyouhadbeeninatthebeginning。Thenweshouldhavehadthegoodlucktosteppromptlyashore。
Soitwasthattheothergreatinterestdiedandwasputawayforever。
Clemensscarcelyevermentioneditagain，eventomembersofhisfamily。
Itwasadeadissue；itwasonlyapitythatithadeverseemedaliveone。AcombinationknownastheRegiusCompanytookoverPaige’sinterest，butaccomplishednothing。Eventually——ironyoffate——theMergenthalerCompany，solongscornedandderided，fortwentythousanddollarsboughtouttherightsandassetsandpresentedthatmarvelousworkofgenius，themechanicalwonderoftheage，totheSibleyCollegeofEngineering，whereitisshownasthecostliestpieceofmachinery，foritssize，everconstructed。MarkTwainoncereceivedaletterfromanauthorwhohadwrittenabookcalculatedtoassistinventorsandpatentees，askingforhisindorsement。Hereplied：
DEARSIR，——Ihave，asyousay，beeninterestedinpatentsandpatentees。Ifyourbookstellhowtoexterminateinventorssendmenineeditions。Sendthembyexpress。
Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。
Thecollapseofthe\"greathope\"meanttotheClemenshouseholdthattheirstrugglewithdebtwastocontinue，thattheireconomiesweretobecomemorerigid。Inaletteronherweddinganniversary，Februarya1895，Mrs。Clemenswrotetohersister：
AsIwasstartingdownthestairsformybreakfastthismorningMr。
Clemenscalledmebackandtookoutafive—francpieceandgaveittome，saying：\"Itisoursilver—weddingday，andsoIgiveyouapresent。\"
Itwasasymboloftheirreducedcircumstances——ofthechangethattwenty—fiveyearshadbrought。
Literarymatters，however，prospered。Thenewbookprogressedamazingly。
Theworsthadhappened；otheranddistractinginterestsweredead。Hewasdeepinthethirdpart—thestoryofJoan’strialandcondemnation，andheforgotmostotherthingsinhisdeterminationtomakethatoneareality。
AsatViviani，Clemensreadhischapterstothefamilycircle。Thestorywasdrawingneartheendnow；tragedywasclosinginonthefrailmartyr；
thefarceofhertrialwaswringingtheirhearts。Susywouldsay，\"Wait，waittillIgetahandkerchief，\"andonenightwhenthelastpageshadbeenwrittenandread，andJoanhadmadethesupremeexpiationfordevotiontoapaltryking，Susywroteinherdiary，\"To—nightJoanofArcwasburnedatthestake，\"meaningthatthebookwasfinished。
Susyherselfhadliterarytasteandmighthavewrittenhaditnotbeenthatshedesiredtosing。Therearefragmentsofherwritingthatshowthetrueliterarytouch。Herfather，inanunpublishedarticlewhichheoncewroteofher，quotedaparagraph，doubtlessintendedsomedaytotakeitsplaceattheendofastory：
Andnowatlastwhentheylieatresttheymustgohence。Itisalwaysso。Completion；perfection，satisfactionattained——ahumanlifehasfulfilleditsearthlydestiny。Poorhumanlife！Itmaynotpauseandrest，foritmusthastenontootherrealmsandgreaterconsummations。
Shewasadeepreader，andshehadthatwonderfulgiftofbrilliant，flowing，scintillatingspeech。Fromherfathershehadinheritedararefacultyoforalexpression，bornofasuperiordepthofmind，swiftnessandclearnessofcomprehension，combinedwithrapid，brilliant，andforcefulphrasing。Herfatherwroteofhergift：
Sometimesinthosedaysofswiftdevelopmentherspeechwasrocket—
likeforvividnessandforthesenseitcarriedofvisibility。I
seemtoseeitstreamintotheskyandburstfullinashowerofcoloredfire。