第9章

Withinafewweekshewaswritinghumorousaccountsof"MyLateSenatorialSecretaryship，""FactsConcerningtheRecentResignation，"

etc。，allgood—naturedburlesque，butinspired，we。maybelieve，bythechange：ThesearticlesappearedintheNewYorkTribune，theNewYorkCitizen，andtheGalaxyMagazine。

Thereappearstohavebeennoill—feelingatthistimebetweenClemensandStewart。Ifso，itisnotdiscoverableinanyoftheformer’spersonalornewspapercorrespondence。Infact，inhisarticlerelatingtohis"latesenatorialsecretaryship"heputsthejoke，sofarasitisajoke，onSenatorJamesW。Nye，probablyasanadditionalpunishmentforNye’sfailuretoappearonthenightofhislecture。HeestablishedheadquarterswithabrilliantnewspapercorrespondentnamedRiley。"OneofthebestmeninWashington——orelsewhere，"hetellsusinabriefsketchofthatperson。——[SeeRiley，newspapercorrespondent。SketchesNewandOld。]——HehadknownRileyinSanFrancisco；thetwowerecongenial，andsettleddowntotheirseveralundertakings。

Clemenswaschieflyconcernedovertwothings：hewishedtomakemoneyandhewishedtosecureagovernmentappointmentforOrion。Hehadusedupthemostofhislectureaccumulations，andwasmoderatelyindebt。

Hisworkwasindemandatgoodrates，forthosedays，andwithworkingopportunityhecouldpresentlydisposeofhisfinancialproblem。TheTribunewasanxiousforletters；theEnterpriseandAltawerewaitingforthem；theHerald，theChicagoTribune，themagazines——allhadsolicitedcontributions；thelecturebureauspursuedhim。Personallyhisoutlookwasbright。

TheappointmentforOrionwasadifferentmatter。Thepowerswerenotespeciallyinterestedinabrother；thereweretoomanybrothersandassortedrelativesontheofficialwaiting—listalready。Clemenswasofferedappointmentsforhimself——aconsulship，apost—mastership；eventhatofSanFrancisco。FromtheCabinetdown，theWashingtonpoliticalcontingenthadreadhistravel—letters，andwasreadytorecognizeofficiallytheauthoroftheminhisownpersonandpersonality。

Also，socially：MarkTwainfoundhimselfallatonceinthemidstofreceptions，dinners，andspeech—making；allveryexcitingforatimeatleast，butnotprofitable，notconducivetowork。AtadinneroftheWashingtonCorrespondentsClubhisresponsetothetoast，"Women，"waspronouncedbySchuylerColfaxtobe"thebestafterdinnerspeechevermade。"Certainlyitwasarefreshingdeparturefromtheprosyorclumsy—

wittedeffortscommontothatperiod。Hewascomingaltogetherintohisown。——[ThisisthefirstofMarkTwain’safter—dinnerspeechestobepreserved。Thereaderwillfinditcomplete，asreportednextday，inAppendixG，attheendoflastvolume。]

Hewasnotimmediatelyinterestedinthematterofbookpublication。

TheJumpingFrogbookwaspopular，andinEnglandhadbeenissuedbyRoutledge；buttheroyaltyreturnsweremodestenoughandslowinarrival。Hisdesirewasforprompterresults。Hisinterestinbookpublicationhadneverbeenaneagerone，andrelatedmainlytotheadvertisingitwouldfurnish，whichhedidnotnowneed；ortothemoneyreturn，inwhichhehadnogreatfaith。YetatthisverymomentaletterforhimwaslyingintheTribuneofficeinNewYorkwhichwouldbringthebookideaintofirstprominenceandspellthebeginningofhisfortune。

AmongthosewhohadreadandfounddelightintheTribuneletterswasElishaBliss，Jr。，oftheAmericanPublishingCompany，ofHartford。

Blisswasashrewdandenergeticman，withakeenappreciationforhumorandtheAmericanfondnessforthatliteraryquality。HehadrecentlyundertakenthemanagementofaHartfordconcern，andhadsomewhatalarmeditsconservativedirectoratebypublishingbooksthatfurnishedentertainmenttothereaderaswellasmoralinstruction。Onlyhissuccessinpayingdividendsjustifiedthisheresyandavertedhisdownfall。TwodaysafterthearrivaloftheQuakerCityBlisswrotetheletterabovementioned。Itranasfollows：

OFFICEOFTHEAMERICANPUBLISHINGCO。

HARTFORD，CONN。，November21，1867。

SAMUELL。CLEMENS，ESQ。，TribuneOffice，NewYork。

DEARSIR，——Wetakethelibertytoaddressyouthis，inplaceofaletterwhichwehadrecentlywrittenandwereabouttoforwardtoyou，notknowingyourarrivalhomewasexpectedsosoon。Wearedesirousofobtainingfromyouaworkofsomekind，perhapscompiledfromyourlettersfromthepast，etc。，withsuchinterestingadditionsasmaybeproper。WearethepublishersofA。D。Richardson’sworks，andflatterourselvesthatwecangiveanauthorafavorabletermanddoasfulljusticetohisproductionsasanyotherhouseinthecountry。Weareperhapstheoldestsubscriptionhouseinthecountry，andhaveneverfailedtogiveabookanimmensecirculation。Wesoldabout100，000

copiesofRichardson’sF。D。andE。(’Field，DungeonandEscape’)，andarenowprinting41，000of’BeyondtheMississippi’，andlargeordersahead。Ifyouhaveanythoughtofwritingabook，orcouldbeinducedtodoso，weshouldbepleasedtoseeyou，andwilldoso。Willyoudousthefavorofreplyatonce，atyourearliestconvenience。

Verytrulyetc。，E。BLISS，JR。，Secretary。

Aftertendays’delaythisletterwasforwardedtotheTribunebureauinWashington，whereClemensreceivedit。Herepliedpromptly。

WASHINGTON，December2，1867。

E。BLISS，JR。，ESQ。，SecretaryAmericanPublishingCo。

DEARSIR，——IonlyreceivedyourfavorofNovember21stlastnight，attheroomsoftheTribuneBureauhere。ItwasforwardedfromtheTribuneoffice，NewYorkwhereithadlaineightortendays。Thiswillbeasufficientapologyfortheseemingdiscourtesyofmysilence。

Iwrotefifty—twolettersfortheSanFranciscoAltaCaliforniaduringtheQuakesCityexcusion，abouthalfofwhichnumberhavebeenprintedthusfar。TheAltahasfewexchangesintheEast，andIsupposescarcelyanyoftheselettershavebeencopiedonthissideoftheRockyMountains。Icouldweedthemoftheirchieffaultsofconstructionandineleganciesofexpression，andmakeavolumethatwouldbemoreacceptableinmanyrespectsthananyIcouldnowwrite。Whenthoseletterswerewrittenmyimpressionswerefresh，butnowtheyhavelostthatfreshness；theywerewarmthen，theyarecoldnow。Icouldstrikeoutcertainletters，andwritenewoneswherewithtosupplytheirplaces。

Ifyouthinksuchabookwouldsuityourpurpose，pleasedropmealine，specifyingthesizeandgeneralstyleofthevolume——whenthematteroughttobeready；whetheritshouldhavepicturesinitornot；andparticularlywhatyourtermswithmewouldbe，andwhatamountofmoneyImightpossiblymakeoutofit。Thelatterclausehasadegreeofimportanceformewhichisalmostbeyondmyowncomprehension。Butyouunderstandthat，ofcourse。

Ihaveotherpropositionsforabook，buthavedoubtedtheproprietyofinterferingwithgoodnewspaperengagements，exceptmywayasanauthorcouldbedemonstratedtobeplainbeforeme。ButIknowRichardson，andlearnedfromhimsomemonthsagosomethingofanideaofthesubscriptionplanofpublishing。Ifthatisyourplaninvariablyitlookssafe。

IamontheNewYorkTribunestaffhereasan"occasional，"amongotherthings，andanotefromyouaddressedtoVerytruly，etc。，SAM。L。CLEMENS，NewYorkTribuneBureau，Washingtonwillfindme，withoutfail。

TheexchangeofthosetwolettersmarkedthebeginningofoneofthemostnotablepublishingconnectionsinAmericanliteraryhistory。

Consummation，however，wassomewhatdelayed。Blisswasillwhenthereplycame，andcouldnotwriteagainindetailuntilnearlyamonthlater。InthisletterherecitedtheprofitsmadebyRichardsonandothersthroughsubscriptionpublication，andnamedtheroyaltiespaid。

Richardsonhadreceivedfourpercent。ofthesaleprice，asmallenoughratefortheselaterdays；butthecostofmanufacturewaslargerthen，andthesaleanddeliveryofbooksthroughagentshaseverbeenanexpensiveprocess。EvenHoraceGreeleyhadreceivedbutafractionmoreonhisGreatAmericanConflict。Blissespeciallysuggestedandemphasizeda"humorouswork——thatistosay，aworkhumorouslyinclined。"

Headdedthattheyhadtwoarrangementsforpayingauthors：outrightpurchase，androyalty。HeinvitedameetinginNewYorktoarrangeterms。

LXIV

OLIVIALANGDON

ClemensdidinfactgotoNewYorkthatsameevening，tospendChristmaswithDanSlote，andmissedBliss’ssecondletter。Itwasnomatter。

Fatehadhisaffairsproperlyinhand，andhadpreparedaneventofstilllargermomentthanthepublicationevenofInnocentsAbroad。TherewasapleasantreunionatDanSlote’s。Hewrotehomeaboutit：

CharleyLangdon，JackVanNostrand，DanandI(allQuakerCitynight—hawks)hadablow—outatDan’shouseandalivelytalkoveroldtimes。Ijustlaughedtillmysidesachedatsomeofourreminiscences。ItwastheunholiestgangthatevercavortedthroughPalestine，butthosearethebestboysintheworld。

This，however，wasnottheevent；itwasonlypreliminarytoit。Wearecomingtothatnow。AttheoldSt。NicholasHotel，whichstoodonthewestofBroadwaybetweenSpringandBroomestreets，therewerestoppingatthistimeJervisLangdon，awealtycoal—dealerandmine—ownerofElmira，hissonCharlesandhisdaughterOlivia，whosepicturedfaceSamuelClemenshadfirstseenintheBayofSmyrnaoneSeptemberday。

YoungLangdonhadbeenespeciallyanxioustobringhisdistinguishedQuakerCityfriendandhisownpeopletogether，andtwodaysbeforeChristmasSamuelClemenswasinvitedtodineatthehotel。Hewentverywillingly。Thelovelyfaceofthatminiaturehadbeenoftenapartofhiswakingdreams。Forthefirsttimenowhelookeduponitsreality。

Longafterwardhesaid：

"Itisfortyyearsago。Fromthatdaytothisshehasneverbeenoutofmymind。"

CharlesDickenswasinNewYorkthen，andgaveareadingthatnightinSteinwayHall。TheLangdonswent，andSamuelClemensaccompaniedthem。

HerememberedafterwardthatDickensworeablackvelvetcoatwithafieryredflowerinhisbuttonhole，andthathereadthestormscenefromCopperfield——thedeathofJamesSteerforth。Butherememberedstillmoreclearlythefaceanddressofthatslendergirlishfigureathisside。

OliviaLangdonwastwenty—twoyearsoldatthistime，delicateastheminiaturehehadseen，fragiletolookupon，thoughnolongerwiththeshatteredhealthofhergirlhood。Atsixteen，throughafallupontheice，shehadbecomeacompleteinvalid，confinedtoherbedfortwoyears，unabletosit，evenwhensupported，unabletolieinanypositionexceptuponherback。Greatphysiciansandsurgeons，oneafteranother，haddonetheirbestforherbutshehadfailedsteadilyuntileveryhopehaddied。Then，whennothingelsewaslefttotry，acertainDoctorNewton，ofspectacularcelebrity，whocuredby"layingonofhands，"wasbroughttoElmiratoseeher。DoctorNewtoncameintothedarkenedroomandsaid：

"Openthewindows——wemusthavelight！"

Theyprotestedthatshecouldnotbearthelight，butthewindowswereopened。DoctorNewtoncametothebedsideofthehelplessgirl，deliveredashort，ferventprayer，puthisarmunderhershoulders，andbadehersitup。Shehadnotmovedfortwoyears，andthefamilywerealarmed，butsheobeyed，andheassistedherintoachair。Sensationcamebacktoherlimbs。Withhisassistancesheevenmadeafeebleattempttowalk。Heleftthen，sayingthatshewouldgraduallyimprove，andintimebewell，thoughprobablyneververystrong。Onthesamedayhehealedaboy，crippledanddrawnwithfever。

Itturnedoutashehadsaid。OliviaLangdonimprovedsteadily，andnowattwenty—two，thoughnotrobust——shewasneverthat——shewascomparativelywell。Gentle，winning，lovable，shewasthefamilyidol，andSamuelClemensjoinedintheirworshipfromthemomentofthatfirstmeeting。

OliviaLangdon，onherpart，wasatfirstdazedandfascinated，ratherthanattracted，bythisastonishingcreature，sounlikeanyoneshehadeverknown。Herlifehadbeencircumscribed，herexperiencesofasimplesort。Shehadneverseenanythingresemblinghimbefore。Indeed，nobodyhad。Somewhatcarelessly，evenifcorrectly，attired；eagerly，ratherthanobservantly，attentive；brilliantandstartling，ratherthancultured，ofspeech——ablazinghumansolitaire，unfashioned，unset，tossedbythedriftoffortuneatherfeet。Hedisturbedratherthangratifiedher。Shesensedhisheresytowardtheconventionsandformswhichhadbeenhergospel；hisbantering，indifferentattitudetowardlife——toheralwayssoseriousandsacred；shesuspectedthatheevenmighthaveunorthodoxviewsonmattersofreligion。Whenhehadgoneshesomehowhadthefeelingthatagreatfierymeteorofunknownportenthadsweptacrosshersky。

Toherbrother，whowaseagerforherapprovalofhiscelebrity，MissLangdonconcededadmiration。Asforherfather，hedidnotqualifyhisopinion。Withheartysenseofhumor，andakeenperceptionofverityandcapabilityinmen，JervisLangdonacceptedSamuelClemensfromthestart，andremainedhisstanchadmirerandfriend。ClemensleftthatnightwithaninvitationtovisitElmirabyandby，andwiththefullintentionofgoing——soon。Fate，however，hadanotherplan。HedidnotseeElmiraforthebetterpartofayear。

HesawMissLangdonagainwithintheweek。OnNew—Year’sDayhesetforthtopaycalls，afterthefashionofthetime——morelavishthenthannow。MissLangdonwasreceivingwithMissAliceHooker，anieceofHenryWardBeecher，atthehomeofaMrs。Berry；hedecidedtogotherefirst。

WithyoungLangdonhearrivedateleveno’clockinthemorning，andtheydidnotleaveuntilmidnight。IfhisfirstimpressionuponOliviaLangdonhadbeenmeteoric，itwouldseemthathemustnowhavebecometoherasastreamingcometthatsweptfromzenithtohorizon。Onethingiscertain：shehadbecometohimthesingle，unvaryingbeaconofhisfutureyears。HevisitedHenryWardBeecheronthattripanddinedwithhimbyinvitation。HarrietBeecherStowewaspresent，andothersofthateminentfamily。LikewisehisoldQuakerCitycomrades，MosesS。andEmmaBeach。Itwasabrilliantgathering，aconclaveofintellectualgods——atriumphtobethereforonewhohadbeenaprinter—boyonthebanksoftheMississippi，andonlyalittlewhilebeforeaminerwithpickandshovel。Itwasgratifyingtobesohonored；itwouldbepleasanttowritehome；buttheoccasionlackedsomethingtoo——

everything，infact——forwhenheranhiseyearoundtheboardthefaceoftheminaturewasnotthere。

Stilltherewerecompensations；inadequate，ofcourse，butpleasantenoughtoremember。ItwasSundayeveningandthepartyadjournedtoPlymouthChurch。AfterservicesMr。Beecherinvitedhimtoreturnhomewithhimforaquiettalk。Evidentlytheyhadagoodtime，forinthelettertellingofthesethingsSamuelClemenssaid："HenryWardBeecherisabrick。"

LXV

ACONTRACTWITHELISHABLISS，JR。

HereturnedtoWashingtonwithoutseeingMissLangdonagain，thoughhewouldseemtohavehadpermissiontowrite——friendlyletters。Alittlelater(itwasontheeveningofJanuary9th)helecturedinWashington——

onverybriefnoticeindeed。Thearrangementforhisappearancehadbeenmadebyafriendduringhisabsence——"afriend，"Clemensdeclaredafterward，"notentirelysoberatthetime。"Tohismotherhewrote：

Iscaredupadoorkeeperandwasreadyatthepropertime，andbypuregoodluckatolerablygoodhouseassembledandIwassaved。IhardlyknewwhatIwasgoingtotalkabout，butitwentoffinsplendidstyle。

Thetitleofthelecturedeliveredwas"TheFrozenTruth"——"moretruthinthetitlethaninthelecture，"accordingtohisownstatement。Whatitdealtwithisnotrememberednow。IthadtodowiththeQuakerCitytrip，perhaps，anditseemstohavebroughtafinancialreturnwhichwaswelcomeenough。Subsequentlyhedelivereditelsewhere；thoughjusthowfarthetourextendedcannotbelearnedfromtheletters，andhehadbutlittlememoryofitinlateryears。

TherewassomefurthercorrespondencewithBliss，thenaboutthe21stofJanuary(1868)ClemensmadeatriptoHartfordtosettlethematter。

Blisshadbeenparticularlyanxioustomeethim，personallyandwasatrifledisappointedwithhisappearance。MarkTwain’stravelingcostumewasneithernewnorneat，andhewassmokingsteadilyapipeofpower。

Hisgeneralmake—upwashardlyimpressive。

Bliss’sdisturbancewasmomentary。Oncehebegantotalktherestdidnotmatter。Hewastheauthorofthoseletters，andBlissdecidedthatpersonallyhewasevengreaterthanthey。Thepublisher，confinedtohishomewithillness，offeredhimthehospitalityofhishousehold。Also，hemadehimtwopropositions：hewouldpayhimtenthousanddollarscashforhiscopyright，orhewouldpayfivepercent。royalty，whichwasafourthmorethanRichardsonhadreceived。Headvisedthelatterarrangement。

ClemenshadalreadytakenadviceandhaddiscussedtheprojectagooddealwithRichardson。Thetenthousanddollarswasaheavytemptation，buthewithstooditandclosedontheroyaltybasis——"thebestbusinessjudgmentIeverdisplayed，"hewaswonttodeclare。AletterwrittentohismotherandsisterneartheendofthisHartfordstayisworthquotingprettyfullyhere，fortheinformationand"character"itcontains。ItbearsdateofJanuary24th。

Thisisagoodweekforme。IstoppedintheHeraldoffice，asI

camethroughNewYork，toseetheboysonthestaff，andyoungJamesGordonBennettaskedmetowritetwiceaweek，impersonally，fortheHerald，andsaidifIwouldImighthavefullswing，andaboutanybodyandeverythingIwantedto。IsaidImusthavetheveryfullestpossibleswing，andhesaid，"Allright。"Isaid，"It’sacontract——"andthatsettledthatmatter。

I’llmakeitapointtowriteoneletteraweekanyhow。Butthebestthingthathashappenedishere。ThisgreatAmericanPublishingCompanykeptontryingtobargainwithmeforabooktillIthoughtIwouldcutthemattershortbycomingupforatalk。I

metHenryWardBeecherinBrooklyn，andwithhisusualwhole—souledwayofdroppinghisownworktogiveotherpeoplealiftwhenhegetsachance，hesaid："Now，here，youareoneofthetalentedmenoftheage——nobodyisgoingtodenythat——butinmattersofbusinessIdon’tsupposeyouknowmorethanenoughtocomeinwhenitrains。

I’lltellyouwhattodoandhowtodoit。"Andhedid。

AndIlistenedwell，andthencameuphereandmadeasplendidcontractforaQuakerCitybookof5or600largepages，withillustrations，themanuscripttobeplacedinthepublisher’shandsbythemiddleofJuly。——[Thecontractwasnotaformalone。Therewasanexchangeoflettersagreeingtotheterms，butnojointdocumentwasdrawnuntilOctober16(1868)。]——MypercentageistobeafourthmorethantheyhaveeverpaidanyauthorexceptGreeley。

Beecherwillbesurprised，Iguess，whenhehearsthis。

Thesepublishersgetoffthemosttremendouseditionsoftheirbooksyoucanimagine。IshallwritetotheEnterpriseandAltaeveryweek，asusual，Iguess，andtotheHeraldtwiceaweek，occasionallytotheTribuneandthemagazines(IhaveastupidarticleintheGalaxy，justissued)，butIamnotgoingtowritetothisandthatandtheotherpaperanymore。

Ihavehadatiptoptimehereforafewdays(guestofMr。Jno。

Hooker’sfamily——Beecher’srelatives——inageneralwayofMr。Blissalso，whoisheadofthepublishingfirm)。Puritansaremightystraight—laced，andtheywon’tletmesmokeintheparlor，buttheAlmightydon’tmakeanybetterpeople。

IhavetomakeaspeechattheannualHeralddinneronthe6thofMay。

Sothebook，whichwouldestablishhisclaimtoapeerageintheliteraryland，wasarrangedfor，anditremainedonlytopreparethemanuscript，ataskwhichheregardedasnotdifficult。HehadonlytocollatetheAltaandTribuneletters，editthem，andwritesuchnewmatteraswouldberequiredforcompleteness。

ReturningtoWashington，heplungedintoworkwithhisusualterrificenergy，preparingthecopy——inthemeantimewritingnewspapercorrespondenceandsketchesthatwouldbringimmediatereturn。Inadditiontohisregularcontributions，heenteredintoasyndicatearrangementwithJohnSwinton(brotherofWilliamSwinton，thehistorian)

tosupplyletterstoalistofnewspapers。

"Ihavewrittensevenlongnewspaperlettersandashortmagazinearticleinlessthantwodays，"hewrotehome，andbytheendofJanuaryhehadalsopreparedseveralchaptersofhisbook。

TheSanFranciscopost—mastershipwassuggestedtohimagain，butheputthetemptationbehindhim。Hereferstothismorethanonceinhishomeletters，anditisclearthathewavered。

JudgeFieldsaidifIwantedtheplacehecouldpledgemethePresident’sappointment，andSenatorCornerssaidhewouldguaranteemetheSenate’sconfirmation。Itwasagreattemptation，butitwouldrenderitimpossibletofillmybookcontract，andIhadtodroptheidea……

AndbesidesIdidnotwanttheoffice。

HemadethisfinaldecisionwhenheheardthatthechiefeditoroftheAltawantedtheplace，andhenowthrewhisinfluenceinthatquarter。

"Iwouldnottaketenthousanddollarsoutofafriend’spocket，"hesaid。

ButthensuddenlycamethenewsfromGoodmanthattheAltapublishershadcopyrightedhisQuakerCitylettersandproposedgettingthemoutinabook，toreimbursethemselvesstillfurtherontheirinvestment。Thiswassharperthanaserpent’stooth。Clemensgotconfirmationofthereportbytelegraph。Bythesamemediumheprotested，buttonopurpose。

Thenhewrotealetterandsatdowntowait。HereportedhistroublestoOrion：

Ihavemadeasuperbcontractforabook，andhavepreparedthefirsttenchaptersofthesixtyoreighty，butIwillbetitneverseesthelight。Don’tyouletthefolksathomehearthat。ThatthievingAltacopyrightedtheletters，andnowshowsnodispositiontoletmeusethem。IhavedoneallIcanbytelegraph，andnowawaitthefinalresultbymail。Ionlychargedthemfor50letterswhat(evenin)greenbackswouldamounttolessthantwothousanddollars，intendingtowriteagooddealforhigh—pricedEasternpapers，andnowtheywanttopublishmylettersinbookformthemselvestogetbackthatpitifulsum。

OrionwasbythistimebackfromNevada，settingtypeinSt。Louis。Hewasfullofschemes，asusual，andhisbrothercounselshimfreely。Thenhesays：

Wechasephantomshalfthedaysofourlives。Itiswellifwelearnwisdomeventhen，andsavetheotherhalf。

Iaminforit。Imustgoonchasingthem，untilImarry，thenIamdonewithliteratureandallotherbosh——thatis，literaturewherewithtopleasethegeneralpublic。

Ishallwritetopleasemyselfthen。

HeclosesbysayingthatheratherexpectstogowithAnsonBurlingameontheChineseembassy。Clearlyhewasprettyhopelessastohisbookprospects。

HisfirstmeetingwithGeneralGrantoccurredjustatthistime。Inoneofhishomelettershementions，ratherairily，thathewilldropinsomedayontheGeneralforaninterview；andatlast，throughMrs。Grant，anappointmentwasmadeforaSundayeveningwhentheGeneralwouldbeathome。Hewaselatedwiththeprospectofaninterview；butwhenhelookedintotheimperturbable，square，smilelessfaceofthesoldierhefoundhimself，forthefirsttimeinhislife，withoutanythingparticulartosay。Grantnoddedslightlyandwaited。Hiscallerwishedsomethingwouldhappen。Itdid。Hisinspirationreturned。

"General，"hesaid，"Iseemtobealittleembarrassed。Areyou？"

Thatbroketheice。Therewerenofurtherdifficulties。——[MarkTwainhasvariouslyrelatedthisincident。Itisgivenhereinaccordancewiththelettersoftheperiod。]

LXVI

BACKTOSANFRANCISCO

ReplycamefromtheAlta，butitwasnotpromising。Itspokerathervaguelyofpriorarrangementsandfuturepossibilities。Clemensgatheredthatundercertainconditionshemightshareintheprofitsoftheventure。Therewasbutonethingtodo；heknewthosepeople——someofthem——ColonelMcCombandaMr。McCrellishintimately。Hemustconferwiththeminperson。

HewaswearyofWashington，anyway。Thewholepitifulmachineryofpoliticsdisgustedhim。Inhisnotebookhewrote：

Whiskeyistakenintothecommitteeroomsindemijohnsandcarriedoutindemagogues。

Andinaletter：

Thisisaplacetogetapooropinionofeverybodyin。TherearesomepitifulintellectsinthisCongress！Thereisn’tonemaninWashingtonincivilofficewhohasthebrainsofAnsonBurlingame，andIsupposeifChinahadnotseizedandsavedhisgreattalentstotheworldthisgovernmentwouldhavediscardedhimwhenhistimewasup。——[AnsonBurlingamehadbythistimebecomeChina’sspecialambassadortothenations。]

Furthermore，hewasdownontheclimateofWashington。HedecidedtogotoSanFranciscoandsee"thoseAltathievesfacetoface。"Then，ifabookresulted，hecouldprepareitthereamongfriends。Also，hecouldlecture。

Hehadbeenanxioustovisithispeoplebeforesailing，butmattersweretoourgenttopermitdelay。HeobtainedfromBlissanadvanceofroyaltyandtookpassage，bywayofAspinwall，onthesidewheelsteamerHenryChauncey，afinevesselforthosedays。ThenameofMarkTwainwasalreadyknownontheisthmus，andwhenitwaslearnedhehadarrivedontheChaunceyadelegationwelcomedhimonthewharf，andprovidedhimwithrefreshmentsandentertainment。Mr。TracyRobinson，apoet，longaresidentofthatsouthernland，wasoneofthegroup。BeyondtheisthmusClemensfellinagainwithhisoldcaptain，NedWakeman，whoduringthetriptoldhimtheamazingdreamthatinduetimewouldbecomeCaptainStormfield’sVisittoHeaven。HemadethefirstdraftofthisstorysoonafterhisarrivalinSanFrancisco，asasortoftravestyofElizabethStuartPhelps’sGatesAjar，thenverypopular。Clemens，thenandlater，hadahighopinionofCapt。NedWakeman’sdream，buthisstoryofitwouldpassthroughseveralstagesbeforefinallyreachingthelightofpublication。——[Mr。JohnP。Vollmer，nowofLewiston，Idaho，acompanionofthatvoyage，writesofacardgamewhichtookplacebeyondtheisthmus。Thenotoriouscrippledgambler，"Smithy，"figuredinit，anditwouldseemtohavefurnishedtheinspirationfortheexcitingstoryinChapterXXXVIoftheMississippibook。]

InSanFranciscomattersturnedoutashehadhoped。ColonelMcCombwashisstanchfriend；McCrellishandWoodward，theproprietors，presentlyconcededthattheyhadalreadyreceivedgoodvalueforthemoneypaid。

TheauthoragreedtomakeproperacknowledgmentstotheAltainhispreface，andthematterwassettledwithfriendlinessallaround。

Thewaywasnowclear，thebookassured。First，however，hemustprovidehimselfwithfunds。Hedeliveredalecture，withtheQuakerCityexcursionashissubject。Onthe5thofMayhewrotetoBliss：

Ilecturedhereonthetriptheothernight；over$1，600ingoldinthehouse；everyseattakenandpaidforbeforenight。

Hereportsthatheissteadilyatwork，andexpectstostartEastwiththecompletedmanuscriptaboutthemiddleofJune。

Butthiswasamiscalculation。Clemensfoundthatthelettersneededmorepreparationthanhehadthought。Hisliteraryvisionandequipmenthadvastlyalteredsincethebeginningofthatcorrespondence。Someofthechaptersherewrote；othersheeliminatedentirely。Itrequiredtwomonthsoffairlysteadyworktoputthebigmanuscripttogether。

SomeofthenewchaptershegavetoBretHartefortheOverlandMonthly，thenrecentlyestablished。Hartehimselfwasbecomingacelebrityaboutthistime。His"LuckofRoaringCamp"and"TheOutcastsofPokerFlat，"

publishedinearlynumbersoftheOverland，weremakingagreatstirintheEast，arousingthereagooddealmoreenthusiasmthaninthemagazineofficeorthecityoftheirpublication。Thatthesetwofriends，eachsupremeinhisownfield，shouldhaveenteredintotheirheritagesonearlyatthesamemoment，isoneofthemanyseeminglycuriouscoincidencesofliteraryhistory。

Clemensnowconcludedtocoverhislecturecircuitoftwoyearsbefore。

Hewasassuredthatitwouldbethrowingawayapreciousopportunitynottogivehisnewlecturetohisoldfriends。Theresultjustifiedthatopinion。AtVirginia，atCarson，andelsewherehewasreceivedlikeareturnedconqueror。HemighthavebeenaccordedaRomantriumphhadtherebeentimeandparaphernalia。Eventherobbershadreformed，andentiresafetywasguaranteedhimontheDividebetweenVirginiaandGoldHill。AtCarsonhecalledonMrs。Curry，asintheolddays，andamongotherthingstoldherhowsnowfromtheLebanonMountainsisbroughttoDamascusonthebacksofcamels。

"Sam，"shesaid，"that’sjustoneofyouryarns，andifyoutellitinyourlectureto—nightI’llgetrightupandsayso。"

Buthedidtellit，foritwasafact；andthoughMrs。Currydidnotrisetodenyitsheshookherfingerathiminawayheknew。

HereturnedtoSanFranciscoandgaveonemorelecture，thelasthewouldevergiveinCalifornia。Hispreparatoryadvertisingforthatoccasionwaswhollyunique，characteristicofhimtothelastdegree。Itassumedtheformofahandbillofprotest，supposedtohavebeenissuedbytheforemostcitizensofSanFrancisco，urginghimtoreturntotheStateswithoutinflictinghimselffurtheruponthem。Assignatureshemadefreewiththenamesofprominentindividuals，followedbythoseoforganizations，institutions，"VariousBenevolentSocieties，CitizensonFootandHorseback，andfifteenhundredintheSteerage。"

Followingthis(onthesamebill)washisreply，"Tothefifteenhundredandothers，"inwhichheinsistedonanotherhearing：

IwilltormentthepeopleifIwantto……Itonlycoststhepeople$1apiece，andiftheycan’tstanditwhatdotheystayherefor？……

MylastlecturewasnotasfineasIthoughtitwas，butIhavesubmittedthisdiscoursetoseveralablecritics，andtheyhavepronounceditgood。Now，therefore，whyshouldIwithholdit？

Hepromisedpositivelytosailonthe6thofJulyiftheywouldlethimtalkjustthisonce。Continuing，thehandbillpresentedasecondprotest，signedbythevariousclubsandbusinessfirms；alsoothersbearingvariouslythesignaturesofthenewspapers，andtheclergy，endingwiththebriefword：

Youhadbettergo。Yours，CHIEFOFPOLICE。

Allofwhichdrolleryconcludedwithhisannouncementofplaceanddateofhislecture，withstillfurthergaietyattheend。Nothingshortofaseismiccataclysm——anearthquake，infact——coulddeteraSanFranciscoaudienceafterthat。MarkTwain’sfarewelladdress，givenattheMercantileLibraryJuly2(1868)，doubtlessremainstodaytheleadingliteraryeventinSanFrancisco’shistory。——[Copyofthelectureannouncement，complete，willbefoundinAppendixH，attheendoflastvolume。]

HesailedJuly6thbythePacificmailsteamerMontanatoAcapulco，caughttheHenryChaunceyatAspinwall，reachedNewYorkonthe28th，andadayortwolaterhaddeliveredhismanuscriptatHartford。

Butafurtherdifficultyhadarisen。Blisswashavingtroubleshimself，thistime，withhisdirectors。ManyreportsofMarkTwain’snewbookhadbeentravelingtheroundsofthepress，someofwhichdeclareditwastobeirreverent，evenblasphemous，intone。Thetitleselected，TheNewPilgrim’sProgress，wasinitselfasacrilege。Hartfordwasaconservativeplace；theAmericanPublishingCompanydirectorswereoforthodoxpersuasion。TheyurgedBlisstorelievethecompanyofthisimpendingdisasterofheresy。Whentheauthorarrivedoneormoreofthemlaboredwithhiminperson，withoutavail。AsforBliss，hewasstanch；hebelievedinthebookthoroughly，fromeverystandpoint。Hedeclaredifthecompanyrefusedtoprintithewouldresignthemanagementandpublishthebookhimself。Thiswasanalarmingsuggestiontothestockholders。Blisshadreturneddividends——aboonaltogethertoorareinthecompany’sformerhistory。Theobjectorsretiredandwereheardofnomore。ThemanuscriptwasplacedinthehandsofFayandCox，illustrators，withanorderforabouttwohundredandfiftypictures。

FayandCoxturneditovertoTrueWilliams，oneofthewell—knownillustratorsofthatday。Williamswasamanofgreattalent——offineimaginationandsweetnessofspirit——butitwasnecessarytolockhiminaroomwhenindustrywasrequired，withnothingmoreexcitingthancoldwaterasabeverage。ClemenshimselfaidedintheillustratingbyobtainingofMosesS。Beachphotographsfromthelargecollectionhehadbroughthome。

LXVII

AVISITTOELMIRA

MeantimehehadskilfullyobtainedarenewaloftheinvitationtospendaweekintheLangdonhome。

Hemeanttogobyafasttrain，but，withhisnaturalgiftformisunderstandingtime—tables，ofcoursetookaslowone，telegraphinghisapproachfromdifferentstationsalongtheroad。YoungLangdonconcludedtogodownthelineasfarasWaverlytomeethim。WhentheNewYorktrainreachedtheretheyoungmanfoundhisguestinthesmoking—car，travel—stainedanddistressinglyclad。MarkTwainwasalwaysscrupulouslyneatandcorrectofdressinlateryears，butinthatearlierdayneatnessandstylehadnotbecomehabitualanddidnotgivehimcomfort。Langdongreetedhimwarmlybutwithdoubt。Finallyhesummonedcouragetosay，hesitatingly——

"You’vegotsomeotherclothes，haven’tyou？"

Thearrivingguestwasnotintheleastdisturbed。

"Ohyes，"hesaidwithenthusiasm，"I’vegotafinebrand—newoutfitinthisbag，allbutahat。Itwillbelatewhenwegetin，andIwon’tseeanyoneto—night。Youwon’tknowmeinthemorning。We’llgooutearlyandgetahat。"

Thiswasalargerelieftotheyoungerman，andtherestofthejourneywashappyenough。Truetopromise，theguestappearedatdaylightcorrectly，evenelegantlyclad，，andanearlytriptotheshopssecuredthehat。Agayandhappyweekfollowed——aweekduringwhichSamuelClemensrealizedmorefullythaneverthatinhishearttherewasroomforonlyonewomaninalltheworld：OliviaLangdon——"Livy，"astheyallcalledher——andasthedayofdeparturedrewnearitmaybethatthegentlegirlhadmadesomediscoveries，too。

Nowordhadpassedbetweenthem。SamuelClemenshadtheold—fashionedSouthernrespectforcourtshipconventions，andforwhat，inthatdayatleast，wasregardedashonor。OnthemorningofthefinaldayhesaidtoyoungLangdon：

"Charley，myweekisup，andImustgohome。"

Theyoungmanexpressedaregretwhichwasgenuineenough，thoughnotwhollyunqualified。Hisoldersister，Mrs。Crane，leavingjustthenforatriptotheWhiteMountains，hadsaid：

"Charley，IamsureMr。ClemensisafterourLivy。Youmustn’tlethimcarryheroffbeforeourreturn。"

Theideawasadisturbingone。Theyoungmandidnoturgehisguesttoprolonghis—visit。Hesaid：

"We’llhavetostandit，Iguess，butyoumustn’tleavebeforeto—night。"

"Ioughttogobythefirsttrain，"Clemenssaid，gloomily。"Iaminlove。"

"Inwhat！"

"Inlove—withyoursister，andIoughttogetawayfromhere。"

Theyoungmanwasnowverygenuinelyalarmed。TohimMarkTwainwasahighlygifted，fearless，robustman——aman’sman——andassuchaltogetheradmirable——lovable。ButOlivia——Livy——shewastohimlittleshortofasaint。Nomanwasgoodenoughforher，certainlynotthisadventuroussoldieroflettersfromtheWest。Delightfulhewasbeyonddoubt，adorableasacompanion，butnotacompanionforLivy。

"Lookhere，Clemens，"hesaid，whenhecouldgethisvoice。"There’satraininhalfanhour。I’llhelpyoucatchit。Don’twaittillto—

night。Gonow。"

Clemensshookhishead。

"No，Charley，"hesaid，inhisgentledrawl，"Iwanttoenjoyyourhospitalityalittlelonger。Ipromisetobecircumspect，andI’llgoto—night。"

Thatnight，afterdinner，whenitwastimetotaketheNewYorktrain，alighttwo—seatedwagonwasatthegate。Thecoachmanwasinfront，andyoungLangdonandhisguesttookthebackseat。Forsomereasontheseathadnotbeenlockedinitsplace，andwhen，afterthegood—bys，thecoachmantouchedthehorseitmadeaquickspringforward，andthebackseat，withbothpassengers，describedahalf—circleandcamedownwithforceonthecobbledstreet。Neitherpassengerwasseriouslyhurt；

Clemensnotatall——onlydazedalittleforamoment。Thencameaninspiration；herewasachancetoprolonghisvisit。Evidentlyitwasnotintendedthatheshouldtakethattrain。WhentheLangdonhouseholdgatheredaroundwithrestorativeshedidnotrecovertooquickly。Heallowedthemtosupportorcarryhimintothehouseandplacehiminanarm—chairandapplyremedies。Theyoungdaughterofthehouseespeciallyshowedanxietyandattention。Thiswaspurehappiness。Hewasperjuringhimself，ofcourse，buttheysayJovelaughsatsuchthings。

Herecoveredinadayortwo，butthewidehospitalityofthehandsomeLangdonhomewasnotonlyofferednow；itwasenforced。Hewasstilltheretwoweekslater，afterwhichhemadeatriptoClevelandtoconfideinMrs。FairbankshowheintendedtowinLivyLangdonforhiswife。

LXVIII

THEREV。"JOE"TWICHELL

HereturnedtoHartfordtolookaftertheprogressofhisbook。Someofitwasbeingputintotype，andwithhismechanicalknowledgeofsuchthingshewasnaturallyinterestedintheprocess。

HemadehisheadquarterswiththeBlisses，thenlivingat821AsylumAvenue，andreadproofinalittleupperroom，wherethelampwaslikelytobeburningmostofthetime，wheretheatmospherewasnearlyalwaysbluewithsmoke，andthewindow—sillfullofcigarbutts。Mrs。Blisstookhimintothequietsociallifeoftheneighborhood——tosmallchurchreceptions，societygatheringsandthelike——allofwhichheseemedtoenjoy。MostofthedwellersinthatneighborhoodweremembersoftheAsylumHillCongregationalChurch，thenrecentlycompleted；allbutthespire。Itwasaculturedcircle，well—offintheworld’sgoods，itsmalemembers，forthemostpart，concernedinvariouscommercialventures。

ThechurchstoodalmostacrossthewayfromtheBlisshome，andMarkTwain，withhispicturesquephrasing，referredtoitasthe"stub—tailedchurch，"onaccountofitsabbreviatedspire；also，later，withaknowledgeofitsprosperousmembership，asthe"ChurchoftheHolySpeculators。"Hewasataneveningreceptioninthehomeofoneofitsmemberswhenhenoticedaphotographoftheunfinishedbuildingframedandhangingonthewall。

"Why，yes，"hecommented，inhisslowfashion，"thisisthe’ChurchoftheHolySpeculators。’"

"Sh，"cautionedMrs。Bliss。"Itspastorisjustbehindyou。Heknowsyourworkandwantstomeetyou。"Turning，shesaid："Mr。Twichell，thisisMr。Clemens。MostpeopleknowhimasMarkTwain。"

Andso，inthiscasualfashion，hemetthemanwhowaspresentlytobecomehisclosestpersonalfriendandcounselor，andwouldremainsoformorethanfortyyears。

JosephHopkinsTwichellwasamanabouthisownage，athleticandhandsome，astudentandadevoutChristian，yetamanfamiliarwiththeworld，fondofsports，withanexuberantsenseofhumorandawideunderstandingofthefrailtiesofhumankind。Hehadbeen"portwaistoar"atYale，andhadleftcollegetoservewithGeneral"Dan"Sicklesasachaplainwhohadfollowedhisdutiesnotonlyinthecamp，butonthefield。

MentionhasalreadybeenmadeofMarkTwain’snaturalleaningtowardministersofthegospel，andtheexplanationofitiseasiertorealizethantoconvey。Hewashopelesslyunorthodox——ranklyrebelliousastocreeds。Anythingresemblingcantorthecurtailmentofmentallibertyrousedonlyhisresentmentandirony。Yetsomethinginhisheartalwayswarmedtowardanylaborerinthevineyard，andifwecouldputtheexplanationintoasinglesentence，perhapswemightsayitwasbecausehecouldmeetthemonthatwide，commongroundsympathywithmankind。

MarkTwain’screed，thenandalways，maybeputintothreewords，"liberty，justice，humanity。"Itmaybeputintooneword，"humanity。"

MinistersalwayslovedMarkTwain。Theydidnotalwaysapproveofhim，buttheyadoredhim：TheRev。Mr。Rising，oftheComstock，wasanearlyexampleofhisministerialfriendships，andwehaveseenthatHenryWardBeechercultivatedhiscompany。InaSanFranciscoletteroftwoyearsbefore，MarkTwainwrotehismother，thinkingitwouldpleaseher：

IamasthickasthieveswiththeReverendStebbins。IamlayingfortheReverendScudderandtheReverendDoctorStone。Iamrunningonpreachersnowaltogether，andIfindthemgay。

SoitmaybethathisfirstimpulsetowardJosephTwichellwasduetothefactthathewasayoungmemberofthatarmywhosemissionistocomfortandupliftmankind。Butitwasonlyalittletimetilltheimpulsehadgrownintoafriendshipthatwentbeyondanyprofessionordoctrine，afriendshipthatripenedintoapermanentadmirationandlovefor"Joe"

Twichellhimself，asoneofthenoblestspecimensofhisrace。

HewasinvitedtotheTwichellhome，wherehemettheyoungwifeandgotaglimpseofthehappinessofthatsweetandpeacefulhousehold。Hehadaneglected，lonelylook，andhelovedtogatherwiththemattheirfireside。Heexpressedhisenvyoftheirhappiness，andMrs。Twichellaskedhimwhy，sincehisaffairsweregrowingprosperous，hedidnotestablishahouseholdofhisown。LongafterwardMr。Twichellwrote：

Markmadenoanswerforalittle，but，withhiseyesbentonthefloor，appearedtobedeeplypondering。Thenhelookedup，andsaidslowly，inavoicetremulouswithearnestness(withwhatsympathyhewasheardmaybeimagined)："Iamtakingthoughtofit。Iaminlovebeyondalltellingwiththedearestandbestgirlinthewholeworld。Idon’tsupposeshewillmarryme。Ican’tthinkitpossible。Sheoughtnotto。Butifshedoesn’tIshallbesurethatthebestthingIeverdidwastofallinlovewithher，andproudtohaveitknownthatItriedtowinher！"

ItwasonlyabrieftimeuntiltheTwichellfiresidewashometohim。Hecameandwent，andpresentlyitwas"Mark"and"Joe，"asbyandbyitwouldbe"Livy"and"Harmony，"andinafewyears"UncleJoe"and"UncleMark，""AuntLivy"and"AuntHarmony，"andsowouldremainuntiltheend。

LXIX

ALECTURETOUR

JamesRedpath，proprietoroftheBostonLyceumBureau，wastheleadinglectureagentofthosedays，andcontrolledall，ornearlyall，oftheplatformcelebrities。MarkTwain’ssuccessattheCooperUniontheyearbeforehadinterestedRedpath。Hehadofferedengagementsthenandlater，butClemenshadnotbeenfreefortheregularcircuit。Nowtherewasnolongerareasonforpostponementofacontract。Redpathwaseagerforthenewcelebrity，andClemensclosedwithhimfortheseasonof1868—9。Withhisnewlecture，"TheVandalAbroad，"hewaspresentlyearningahundreddollarsandmoreanight，andmakingmostofthenightscount。

Thiswasaffluenceindeed。Hehadbecomesuddenlyapersonofsubstance—

anassociateofmenofconsequence，withacommensurateincome。Hecouldhelphismotherlavishlynow，andhedid。

Hisnewlecturewasimmenselypopular。Itwasaresumeofthe’QuakerCity’letters——aforetasteofthebookwhichwouldpresentlyfollow。

Whereverhewent，hewashailedwitheagergreetings。Hecaughtsuchdriftingexclamationsas，"Thereheis！TheregoesMarkTwain！"Peoplecameoutonthestreettoseehimpass。Thatmarvelousmiraclewhichwevariouslycall"notoriety，""popularity，""fame，"hadcometohim。Inhisnotebookhewrote，"Fameisavapor，popularityanaccident；theonly，earthlycertaintyoblivion。"

Thenewspaperswerefilledwithenthusiasmbothastohismatterandmethod。Hisdeliverywasdescribedasa"long，monotonousdrawl，withthefuninvariablycominginattheendofasentence——afterapause。"

Hisappearanceatthistimeisthussetdown：

MarkTwainisamanofmediumheight，aboutfivefeetten，sparselybuilt，withdarkreddish—brownhairandmustache。Hisfeaturesarefair，hiseyeskeenandtwinkling。Hedressesinscrupulouseveningattire。Inlecturinghehangsaboutthedesk，leaningonitorflirtingaroundthecornersofit，thenmarchingandcountermarchingintherearofit。Heseldomcastsaglanceathismanuscript。

NodoubtthisfairlypresentsMarkTwain，thelecturerofthatday。Itwasanewfigureontheplatform，amanwithanewmethod。Astohismanuscript，theitemmighthavesaidthatheneverconsulteditatall。

Helearnedhislecture；whatheconsultedwasmerelyaseriesofhieroglyphics，asetofcrudepicturesdrawnbyhimself，suggestiveofthesubject—matterunderneathnewhead。CertaincolumnsrepresentedtheParthenon；theSphinxmeantEgypt，andsoon。Hismanuscriptlaythereincaseofaccident，buttheaccidentdidnothappen。

AnumberofhisengagementswereinthecentralpartofNewYork，atpointsnotfardistantfromElmira。HehadastandinginvitationtovisittheLangdonhome，andhemadeitconvenienttoavailhimselfofthathappiness。

Hiswasnotanunruffledcourtship。Whenatlasthereachedthepointofproposingforthedaughterofthehouse，neitherthedaughternorthehouseholdofferedanynoticeableencouragementtohissuit。ManyabsurdanecdoteshavebeentoldofhisfirstinterviewwithMr。Langdononthesubject，buttheyarealtogetherwithoutfoundation。Itwasaproperanddignifieddiscussionofaveryseriousmatter。Mr。Langdonexpresseddeepregardforhimandfriendshipbuthewasnotinclinedtoaddhimtothefamily；theyoungladyherself，inageneralway，accordedwiththeseviews。Theapplicantforfavorleftsadlyenough，buthecouldnotremaindiscouragedorsad。HelecturedatClevelandwithvastsuccess，andthenewsofittraveledquicklytoElmira。HewasreferredtobyClevelandpapersasa"lion"and"thecomingmanoftheage。"Twodayslater，inPittsburgh(November19th)，he"played"againstFannyKemble，thefavoriteactressofthattime，withtheresultthatMissKemblehadanaudienceoftwohundredagainstnearlytentimesthenumberwhogatheredtohearMarkTwain。ThenewsofthiswenttoElmira，too。Itwasinthepaperstherenextmorning；surelythiswasaconqueringhero——

agayLochinvarfromoutoftheWest——andthedaughterofthehousemustbeguardedclosely，thathedidnotbearheraway。ItwasonthesecondmorningfollowingthePittsburghtriumph，whentheLangdonfamilyweregatheredatbreakfast，thatabushyauburnheadpokedfearfullyinatthedoor，andalow，humblevoicesaid：

"Thecalfhasreturned；maytheprodigalhavesomebreakfast？"

Noonecouldbereservedorreprovinglydistant，oranyofthoseunfriendlythingswithapersonlikethat；certainlynotJervisLangdon，whodelightedinthehumorandthetricksandturnsandodditiesofthiseccentricvisitor。Givinghisdaughtertohimwasanothermatter，buteventhatthoughtwaslessdisturbingthanithadbeenatthestart。Intruth，theLangdonhouseholdhadsomehowgrowntofeelthathebelongedtothem。Theeldersister’shusband，TheodoreCrane，endorsedhimfully。

HehadlongbeforereadsomeoftheMarkTwainsketchesthathadtraveledeastwardinadvanceoftheirauthor，andhadrecognized，eveninthecrudestofthem，aclassiccharm。AsforOliviaLangdon’smotherandsister，theirhappinesslayinhers。Whereherheartwenttheirswentalso，anditwouldappearthatherheart，inspiteofherself，hadfounditsrightfulkeeper。OnlyyoungLangdonwasirreconciled，andeventuallysetoutforavoyagearoundtheworldtoescapethesituation。

Therewasonlyaprovisionalengagementatfirst。JervisLangdonsuggested，andSamuelClemensagreedwithhim，thatitwaspropertoknowsomethingofhispast，aswellasofhispresent，beforetheofficialparentalsanctionshouldbegiven。WhenMr。Langdoninquiredastothenamesofpersonsofstandingtowhomhemightwriteforcredentials，ClemensprettyconfidentlygavehimthenameoftheReverendStebbinsandothersofSanFrancisco，addingthathemightwritealsotoJoeGoodmanifhewantedto，butthathehadliedforGoodmanahundredtimesandGoodmanwouldlieforhimifnecessary，sohistestimonywouldbeofnovalue。Theletterstotheclergywerewritten，andMr。Langdonalsowroteoneonhisownaccount。

Itwasalongmail—triptotheCoastandbackinthosedays。Itmightbetwomonthsbeforereplieswouldcomefromthoseministers。Thelecturersetoutagainonhistravels，andwasradiantlyandhappilybusy。HewentasfarwestasIllinois，hadcrowdedhousesinChicago，visitedfriendsandkindredinHannibal，St。Louis，andKeokuk，carryingthegreatnews，andlecturinginoldfamiliarhaunts。

LXX

INNOCENTSATHOME——AND"THEINNOCENTSABROAD"

HewasinJacksonville，Illinois，attheendofJanuary(1869)，andinalettertoBlissstatesthathewillbeinElmiratwodayslater，andasksthatproofsofthebookbesentthere。HearrivedattheLangdonhome，anxioustohearthereportsthatwouldmakehim，asthenovelsmightsay，"thehappiestorthemostmiserableofmen。"JervisLangdonhadarathersolemnlookwhentheywerealonetogether。Clemensasked：

"You’veheardfromthosegentlemenoutthere？"

"Yes，andfromanothergentlemanIwroteconcerningyou。"

"Theydon’tappeartohavebeenveryenthusiastic，fromyourmanner。"

"Well，yes，someofthemwere。"

"IsupposeImayaskwhatparticularformtheiremotiontook？"

"Ohyes，yes；theyagreeunanimouslythatyouareabrilliant，ableman，amanwithafuture，andthatyouwouldmakeabouttheworsthusbandonrecord。"

Theapplicantforfavorhadaforlornlook。

"There’snothingveryevasiveaboutthat，"hesaid：

Therewasaperiodofreflectivesilence。Itwasprobablynomorethanafewseconds，butitseemedlonger。

"Haven’tyouanyotherfriendthatyoucouldsuggest？"Langdonsaid。

"Apparentlynonewhosetestimonywouldbevaluable。"

JervisLangdonheldouthishand。"Youhaveatleastone，"hesaid。

"Ibelieveinyou。Iknowyoubetterthantheydo。"

Andsocamethecrownofhappiness。TheengagementofSamuelLanghorneClemensandOliviaLewisLangdonwasratifiednextday，February4，1869。

ButifthefriendsofMarkTwainviewedtheideaofthecarnagewithscantfavor，thefriendsofMissLangdonregardeditwithgenuinealarm。

Elmirawasaconservativeplace——aplaceofpedigreeandfamilytradition；thatastranger，aformerprinter，pilot，miner，wanderingjournalistandlecturer，wastocarryoffthedaughterofoneoftheoldestandwealthiestfamilies，wasathingnottobelightlypermitted。

Thefactthathehadachievedanationalfamedidnotcountagainstotherconsiderations。Thesocialprotestamountedalmosttoinsurrection，butitwasnotavailing。TheLangdonfamilyhadtheirdoubtstoo，thoughofadifferentsort。Theirdoubtslayinthefearthatone，rearedastheirdaughterhadbeen，mightbeunabletoholdaplaceasthewifeofthisintellectualgiant，whomtheyfeltthattheworldwaspreparingtohonor。

Thatthisdelicate，shelteredgirlcouldhavethestrengthofmindandbodyforherpositionseemedhardtobelieve。Theirfaithoverboresuchquestionings，andthefutureyearsprovedhowfullyitwasjustified。

TohismotherSamuelClemenswrote：

Sheisonlyalittlebody，butshehasn’therpeerinChristendom。

Igaveheronlyaplaingoldengagementring，whenfashionimperativelydemandsatwo—hundred—dollardiamondone，andtoldheritwastypicalofherfuturelife—namely，thatshewouldhavetoflourishonsubstance，ratherthanluxuries(butyouseeIknowthegirl——shedon’tcareanythingaboutluxuries)……Shespendsnomoneybutherastralyear’sallowance，andspendsnearlyeverycentofthatonotherpeople。Shewillbeagood，sensiblelittlewife，withoutanyairsabouther。Idon’tmakeintercessionforherbeforehand，andaskyoutoloveher，forthereisn’tanyuseinthat——youcouldn’thelpitifyouweretotry。Iwarnyouthatwhoevercomeswithinthefatalinfluenceofherbeautifulnatureisherwillingslaveforevermore。

ToMrs。Crane，absentinMarch，herfatherwrote：

DEARSUE，——Ireceivedyourletteryesterdaywithagreatdealofpleasure，buttheletterhasgoneinpursuitofoneS。L。Clemens，whohasbeengivingusagreatdealoftroublelately。Wecannothaveajoyinourfamilywithoutafeeling，onthepartofthelittleincorrigibleinourfamily，thatthiswanderermustshareit，so，assoonasread，intoherpocketandoffupstairsgoesyourletter，andinthenexttwominutesintothemail，soitisimpossibleformenowtorefertoit，orbyreadingitovergainaninspirationinwritingyou……

ClemensclosedhislecturetourinMarch，acidwentimmediatelytoElmira。Hehadlecturedbetweenfiftyandsixtytimes，withareturnofsomethingmorethan$8，000，notabadaggregateforafirstseasononthecircuit。HehadplannedtomakeaspringtourtoCalifornia，buttheattractionatElmirawasofasortthatdiscourageddistanttravel。

Furthermore，hedislikedtheplatform，thenandalways。Itwasalwaysatemptationtohimbecauseofitsquickandabundantreturn，butitwasnonethelessdistasteful。Inaletterofthatspringhewrote：

Imostcordiallyhatethelecturefield。Andafterall，IshuddertothinkImaynevergetoutofit。InallconversationwithGough，andAnnaDickinson，Nasby，OliverWendellHolmes，WendellPhillips，andtheotheroldstagers，Icouldnotobservethattheyeverexpectedorhopedtogetoutofthebusiness。Idon’twanttogetweddedtoitastheyare。

Hedeclinedfurtherengagementsontheexcusethathemustattendtogettingouthisbook。Therevisedproofswerecomingnow，andheandgentleLivyLangdonreadthemtogether。Herealizedpresentlythatwithhersensitivenatureshehadalsoakeenliteraryperception。Whathelackedindelicacy——andhislackwaslikelytobelargeenoughinthatdirection——shedetected，andtogethertheypruneditaway。Shebecamehiseditorduringthosehappycourtshipdays——apositionwhichsheheldtoherdeath。TheworldowedalargedebtofgratitudetoMarkTwain’swife，whofromtheverybeginning——andalways，sofarasinherstrengthshewasable——inspiredhimtogiveonlyhisworthiesttotheworld，whetherinwrittenorspokenword，incounselorindeed。Thoseearlydaysoftheirclosecompanionship，spiritualandmental，werefullofrevelationtoSamuelClemens，arevelationthatcontinuedfromdaytoday，andfromyeartoyear，eventotheveryend。

ThelettertoBlissandtheproofswerefullofsuggestedchangesthatwouldrefineandbeautifythetext。Inoneofthemhesettlesthequestionoftitle，whichhesaysistobe：

THEINNOCENTSABROAD

orTHENEWPILGRIM’SPROGRESS

andwemaybesurethatitwasOliviaLangdon’svoicethatgavethedecidingvoteforthenewlyadoptedchieftitle，whichwouldtakeanysuggestionofirreverenceoutoftheremainingwords。

Thebookwastohavebeenissuedinthespring，butduringhiswanderingsproofshadbeendelayed，andtherewasnowconsiderableanxietyaboutit，astheagencieshadbecomeimpatientforthecanvass。AttheendofAprilClemenswrote："Yourprintersaredoingwell。Iwillhurrytheproofs"；butitwasnotuntiltheearlypartofJunethatthelastchapterswererevisedandreturned。Thenthebigbook，atlastcompleted，wenttopressonaneditionoftwentythousand，alargenumberforanynewbook，evento—day。

Inlateryears，throughsomeconfusionofcircumstance，MarkTwainwasledtobelievethatthepublicationofTheInnocentsAbroadwaslongandunnecessarilydelayed。Butthiswasmanifestlyamistake。ThebookwenttopressinJune。Itwasabigbookandalargeedition。ThefirstcopywasdeliveredJuly20(1869)，andfourhundredandseventeenboundvolumeswereshippedthatmonth。Evenwiththequickermechanicalprocessesofto—dayamonthormoreisallowedforalargebookbetweenthefinalreturnofproofsandthedateofpublication。Soitisonlyanotherinstanceofhisremembering，asheoncequaintlyputit，"thethingthatdidn’thappen。"——[InanarticleintheNorthAmericanReview(September21，1906)Mr。Clemensstatedthathefounditnecessarytotelegraphnoticethathewouldbringsuitifthebookwasnotimmediatelyissued。Innoneoftheletterscoveringthisperiodisthereanysuggestionofdelayonthepartofthepublishers，andthedateofthefinalreturnofproofs，togetherwiththedateofpublication，precludethepossibilityofsuchacircumstance。Atsomeperiodofhislifehedoubtlesssent，orcontemplatedsending，suchamessage，andthisfact，throughsomecuriouspsychology，becameconfusedinhismindwiththefirsteditionofTheInnocentsAbroad。]

LXXI

THEGREATBOOKOFTRAVEL

’TheInnocentsAbroad’wasasuccessfromthestart。ThemachineryforitssaleanddeliverywasinfullswingbyAugust1，andfivethousandonehundredandseventycopiesweredisposedofthatmonth——anumberthathadincreasedtomorethanthirty—onethousandbythefirstoftheyear。

Itwasabookoftravel；itslowestpricewasthreeandahalfdollars。

Nosuchrecordhadbeenmadebyabookofthatdescription；nonehasequaleditsince。——[Onemustrecallthatthiswastherecordonlyupto1910。D。W。]

IfMarkTwainwasnotalreadyfamous，hewasunquestionablyfamousnow。

AstheauthorofTheNewPilgrim’sProgresshewassweptintothedomainoflettersasoneridingattheheadofacavalcade——doorsandwindowswidewithwelcomeandjubilantwithapplause。Newspaperschorusedtheirenthusiasm；thepublicvoiceduniversalapproval；onlyafewofthemoreculturedcriticsseemedhesitantanddoubtful。

Theyapplauded——mostofthem——butwithreservation。DoctorHollandregardedMarkTwainasamerefunmakerofephemeralpopularity，andwasnotaltogetherpleasantinhisdictum。DoctorHolmes，inalettertotheauthor，speaksofthe"frequentlyquaintandamusingconceits，"butdoesnotfinditinhishearttorefertothebookasliterature。ItwasnaturallydifficultfortheEasttoconcedeaseriousvaluetoonewhoapproachedhissubjectwithsuchmilitantaboriginality，andoccasionallywrote"thosekind。"WilliamDeanHowellsreviewedthebookintheAtlantic，whichwasofitselfadistinction，whetherthereviewwasfavorableorotherwise。Itwasfavorableonthewhole，favorabletothehumorofthebook，its"deliciousimpudence，"thecharmofitsgood—

naturedirony。Thereviewclosed：

ItisnobusinessofourstofixhisrankamongthehumoristsCaliforniahasgivenus，butwethinkheis，inanentirelydifferentwayfromalltheothers，quiteworthyofthecompanyofthebest。

Thisispraise，butnotofanintemperatesort，norveryinclusive。Thedescriptive，thepoetic，themorepretentiousphasesofthebookdidnotreceiveattention。Mr。HowellswasperhapsthefirstcriticofeminencetorecognizeinMarkTwainnotonlythehumorist，butthesupremegenius—

the"Lincolnofourliterature。"Thiswaslater。Thepublic——thesilentpublic——withwhatHowellscalls"theinspiredknowledgeofthesimple—

heartedmultitude，"reachedasimilarverdictforthwith。Andonsufficientevidence：lettheaverageunprejudicedpersonofto—daytakeuptheoldvolumeandreadafewchaptersanywhereanddecidewhetheritistheworkofamerehumorist，oralsoofaphilosopher，apoet，andaseer。Thewriterwellremembersalittlegroupof"thesimple—heartedmultitude"whoduringthewinterof’69and’70gatheredeacheveningtoheartheInnocentsreadaloud，andtheirunanimousverdictthatitwasthe"bestbookofmoderntimes。"

Itwasthemostdaringbookofitsday。Passagesofitwerecalculatedtotakethebreathoftheorthodoxreader；only，somehow，itmadehimsmile，too。Itwasallsogood—natured，soopenlysincere。Withoutdoubtitpreachedheresy——theheresyofviewingreveredlandmarksandrelicsjoyously，ratherthanlugubriously；reverentially，whentheyinspiredreverence；satirically，whentheyinvitedridicule，andwithkindlinessalways。

TheInnocentsAbroadisMarkTwain’sgreatestbookoftravel。Thecriticalandthepureinspeechmayobjecttothisverdict。BranderMatthewsregardsitsecondtoATrampAbroad，thenaturalviewpointoftheliterarytechnician。The’Tramp’containsbetterusagewithoutdoubt，butitlacksthe"color"whichgivestheInnocentsitsperennialcharm。IntheInnocentsthereisaglow，afragrance，aromanceoftouch，asubtlesomethingwhichisidyllic，somethingwhichisnotquiteofreality，inthetaleofthatlittlecompanythatsolongagosailedawaytotheharborsoftheirillusionsbeyondthesea，and，wanderedtogetherthrougholdpalacesandgalleries，andamongthetombsofthesaints，anddownthroughancientlands。Thereisanatmosphereaboutitall，adream—likequalitythatliessomewhereinthetelling，maybe，orinthetale；atalleventsitisthere，andtheworldhasfeltiteversince。Perhapsitcouldbedefinedinasingleword，perhapsthatwordwouldbe"youth。"Thattheartist，poorTrueWilliams，feltitsinspirationiscertain。WemaybelievethatWilliamswasnotagreatdraftsman，butnoartistevercaughtmoreperfectlythelightandspiritoftheauthor’stext。Crudesomeofthepicturesare，nodoubt，buttheyconveytheveryessenceofthestory；theybelongtoit，theyareapartofit，andtheyoughtnevertoperish。’ATrampAbroad’isararebook，butitcannotrankwithitsgreatpredecessorinhumancharm。Thepublic，whichinthelongrunmakesmistakes，hasrenderedthatverdict。

TheInnocentsbyfaroutsellstheTramp，and，forthatmatter，anyotherbookoftravel。

THEPURCHASEOFAPAPER

ItiscurioustoreflectthatMarkTwainstilldidnotregardhimselfasaliteraryman。Hehadnoliteraryplansforthefuture；hescarcelylookedforwardtothepublicationofanotherbook。Heconsideredhimselfajournalist；hisambitionlayinthedirectionofretirementinsomeprosperousnewspaperenterprise，withthecomfortsandcompanionshipofahome。Duringhistravelshehadalreadybeencastingaboutforacongenialandsubstantialassociationinnewspaperdom，andhadatonetimeconsideredthepurchaseofaninterestintheClevelandHerald。ButBuffalowasnearerElmira，andwhenanopportunityoffered，bywhichhecouldacquireathirdinterestintheBuffaloExpressfor$25，000，thepurchasewasdecidedupon。HislackoffundspromptedanewplanforalecturetourtothePacificcoast，thistimewithD。R。Locke(Nasby)，thenimmenselypopular，inhislecture"CussedBeCanaan。"

ClemenshadmetNasbyonthecircuit，andwasveryfondofhim。ThetwohadvisitedBostontogether，andwhiletherehadcalledonDoctorHolmes；

thisbytheway。NasbywasfondofClemenstoo，butdoubtfulaboutthetrip—doubtfulabouthislecture：

Yourpropositiontakesmybreathaway。IfIhadmynewlecturecompletedIwouldn’thesitateamoment，butreallyisn’t"CussedBeCanaan"tooold？Youknowthatlemon，ourAfricanbrother，juicyashewasinhisday，hasbeensqueezeddry。Whyhowlabouthiswrongsaftersaidwrongshavebeenredressed？Whyscreechaboutthe"damnablespiritofCahst"whenthevictimthereofsitsatthefirsttable，andhisoppressormildlytakes，inhash，whatheleaves？Yousee，friendTwain，theFifteenthAmendmentbusted"CussedBeCanaan。"Ihowledfeelinglyonthesubjectwhileitwasalivingissue，forIfeltallthatIsaidandagreatdealmore；butnowthatwehavewonourfightwhydancefranticallyonthedeadcorpseofourenemy？TheReliableContrabandiscontrabandnomore，butacitizenoftheUnitedStates，andIspeakofhimnomore。

Givemeaweektothinkofyourproposition。IfIcanjerkalectureintimeIwillgowithyou。TheLordknowsIwouldliketo。

——[Nasby’slecture，"CussedBeCanaan，"opened，"Wearealldescendedfromgrandfathers！"Hehadapowerfulvoice，andalwaysjustonthestrokeofeightheroseandvigorouslydeliveredthissentence。Once，afterlecturinganentireseason——twohundredandtwenty—fivenights——hewenthometorest。Thateveninghesat，musinglydrowsingbythefire，whentheclockstruckeight。Withoutamoment’sthoughtNasbysprangtohisfeetandthunderedout，"Wearealldescendedfromgrandfathers！"]

Nasbydidnotgo，andClemens’senthusiasmcooledattheprospectofsettingoutaloneonthatlongtour。Furthermore，JervisLangdonpromptlyinsistedonadvancingthemoneyrequiredtocompletethepurchaseoftheExpress，andthetradewasclosed。——[Mr。Langdonisjustasgoodfor$25，000forme，andhasalreadyadvancedhalfofitincash。

IwroteandaskedwhetherIhadbettersendhimmynote，oraduebill，orhowhewouldprefertohavetheindebtednessmadeofrecord，andheansweredeveryothertopicintheletterpleasantly，butneverrepliedtothatatall。Still，Ishallgivemynoteintoahandsofhisbusinessagenthere，andpayhimtheinterestasitfallsdue。——S。L。C。tohismother。]

TheBuffaloExpresswasatthistimeinthehandsofthreemen——Col。

GeorgeF。Selkirk，J。L。Lamed，andThomasA。Kennett。ColonelSelkirkwasbusinessmanager，Lamedwaspoliticaleditor。WiththepurchaseofKennett’sshareClemensbecameasortofgeneralandcontributingeditor，withamoreorless"rovingcommission"——hishoursanddutiesnotveryclearlydefined。Itwasbelievedbyhisassociates，andbyClemenshimself，thathisknownconnectionwiththepaperwouldgiveitprestigeandcirculation，asNasby’sconnectionhadpopularizedtheToledoBlade。

TheneweditorentereduponhisdutiesAugust14(1869)。ThemembersoftheBuffalopressgavehimadinnerthatevening，andafterthemannerofnewspapermentheworldover，werehandsomelycordialtothe"newenemyintheirmidst。"

Thereisananecdotewhichrelatesthatnextmorning，whenMarkTwainarrivedintheExpressoffice(itwasthenat14SwanStreet)，therehappenedtobenoonepresentwhoknewhim。Ayoungmanroseverybrusklyandaskediftherewasanyonehewouldliketosee。Itisreportedthathereplied，withgentledeliberation：

"Well，yes，Ishouldliketoseesomeyoungmanoffertheneweditorachair。"

ItissolikeMarkTwainthatweareinclinedtoacceptit，thoughitseemsofdoubtfulcircumstance。Inanycaseitdeservestobetrue。His"Salutatory"(August18th)issufficientlygenuine：

Beingastranger，itwouldbeimmodestformetosuddenlyandviolentlyassumetheassociateeditorshipoftheBuffaloExpresswithoutasinglewordofcomfortorencouragementtotheunoffendingpatronsofthepaper，whoareabouttobeexposedtoconstantattacksofmywisdomandlearning。Butthewordshallbeasbriefaspossible。IonlywanttoassurepartieshavingafriendlyinterestintheprosperityofthejournalthatIamnotgoingtohurtthepaperdeliberatelyandintentionallyatanytime。Iamnotgoingtointroduceanystartlingreforms，norinanywayattempttomaketrouble……Ishallnotmakeuseofslangandvulgarityuponanyoccasionorunderanycircumstances，andshallneveruseprofanityexceptwhendiscussinghouserentandtaxes。Indeed，uponasecondthought，Ishallnotuseiteventhen，foritisunchristian，inelegant，anddegrading；though，tospeaktruly，Idonotseehowhouserentandtaxesaregoingtobediscussedworthacentwithoutit。Ishallnotoftenmeddlewithpolitics，becausewehaveapoliticalEditorwhoisalreadyexcellentandonlyneedstoserveatermortwointhepenitentiarytobeperfect。IshallnotwriteanypoetryunlessIconceiveaspiteagainstthesubscribers。

Suchismyplatform。Idonotseeanyuseinit，butcustomislawandmustbeobeyed。

JohnHarrisonMills，whowasconnectedwiththeExpressinthosedays，haswritten：

Icannotrememberthattherewasanydelayingettingdowntohiswork。Ithinkwithinfiveminutestheneweditorhadassumedtheeasylookofoneentirelyathome，pencilinhandandaclutchofpaperbeforehim，withanairofpreoccupation，asofoneintentonataskdelayed。Itwasimpossibletobeconsciousofthemansittingthere，andnotfeelhisidentitywithallthathehadenjoyed，andthereminiscenceofithethatseemedtoradiate；forthepersonalitywassoabsolutelyinaccordwithalltherecordofhimselfandhiswork。Icannotsayheseemedtobethatvaguethingtheycallatypeinraceorblood，thoughtheword，ifusedinhiscasefortemperament，woulddecidedlymeanwhattheyusedtocallthe"sanguine。"

Ithoughtthat，pictorially，thenoblecostumeoftheAlbanianwouldhavewellbecomehim。OrhemighthavebeenaGoth，andwornthehornedbull—patehelmetofAlaric’swarriors；orstoodattheprowofoneoftheswiftcraftoftheVikings。Hiseyes，whichhavebeenvariouslydescribed，were，itseemedtome，ofanindescribabledepthofthebluishmoss—agate，withacapacityofpupildilationthatincertainlightshadtheeffectofadeepblack……

Mr。Millsaddsthatindresshewasnow"wellgroomed，"andthatconsequentlytheywereobligedtorevisetheirnotionsastothecarelessnegligeewhichgossiphadreported。——[FromunpublishedReminiscenceskindlylenttotheauthorbyMr。Mills]

LXXIII

THEFIRSTMEETINGWITHHOWELLS

Clemens’firstperiodofeditorialworkwasabriefone，thoughhemadefrequentcontributionstothepaper：sketches，squibs，travel—notes，andexperiences，usuallyhumorousincharacter。Hiswedding—dayhadbeensetforearlyintheyear，anditwasnecessarytoaccumulateabankaccountforthatoccasion。BeforeOctoberhewasoutonthelecturecircuit，billednowforthefirsttimeforNewEngland，nervousandapprehensiveinconsequence，thoughwithgoodhope。ToPamelahewrote(November9th)：

To—morrownightIappearforthefirsttimebeforeaBostonaudience——

4，000critics——andonthesuccessofthismatterdependsmyfuturesuccessinNewEngland。ButIamnotdistressed。Nasbyisinthesameboat。Tonightdecidesthefateofhisbrand—newlecture。Hehasjustleftmyroom——beenreadinghislecturetome——wasgreatlydepressed。I

haveconvincedhimthathehaslittletofear。

WhateveralarmMarkTwainmayhavefeltwasnotwarranted。HissuccesswiththeNewEnglandpublicwasimmediateandcomplete。HemadehisheadquartersinBoston，atRedpath’soffice，wheretherewasprettysuretobeacongenialcompany，ofwhichhewaspresentlythecenter。

ItwasduringoneoftheseBostonsojournsthathefirstmetWilliamDeanHowells，hisfuturefriendandliterarycounselor。HowellswasassistanteditoroftheAtlanticatthistime；JamesT。Fields，itseditor。

ClemenshadbeengratifiedbytheAtlanticreview，andhadcalledtoexpresshisthanksforit。HesattalkingtoFields，whenHowellsenteredtheeditorialrooms，andonbeingpresentedtotheauthorofthereview，deliveredhisappreciationintheformofastory，sufficientlyappropriate，butnotqualifiedforthelargertypes。——[Hesaid："WhenI

readthatreviewofyours，Ifeltlikethewomanwhowassogladherbabyhadcomewhite。"]

Hismanner，hishumor，hisquaintcolloquialformsalldelightedHowells——more，infact，thantheopulentsealskinovercoatwhichheaffectedatthisperiod——agarmentastonishingratherthanesthetic，asMarkTwain’sclothesinthosedaysofhisfirstregenerationwerelikelytobestartlingenough，wemaybelieve；intheconservativeatmosphereoftheAtlanticrooms。AndHowells——gentle，genial，sincere——filledwiththeearlyhappinessofhiscalling，wontheheartofMarkTwainandneverlostit，and，whatisstillmorenotable，wonhisabsoluteandunvaryingconfidenceinallliteraryaffairs。ItwasalwaysMarkTwain’shabittorelyonsomebody，andinmatterspertainingtoliteratureandtoliterarypeopleingeneralhelaidhisburdenonWilliamDeanHowellsfromthatday。OnlyafewweeksafterthatfirstvisitwefindhimtelegraphingtoHowells，askinghimtolookafteraCalifornianpoet，thenillandfriendlessinBrooklyn。Clemensstatesthathedoesnotknowthepoet，butwillcontributefiftydollarsifHowellswillpetitionthesteamboatcompanyforapass；andnodoubtHowellscomplied，andspentagooddealmorethanfiftydollars’worthoftimetogetthepoetrelievedandstarted；itwouldbelikehim。

LXXIV

THEWEDDING—DAY

Theweddingwasplanned，atfirst，eitherforChristmasorNew—Year’sDay；butasthelectureengagementscontinuedintoJanuaryitwasdecidedtowaituntilthesewerefilled。February2d，adateneartheanniversaryoftheengagement，wasagreedupon，alsoaquietweddingwithno"tour。"TheyoungpeoplewouldgoimmediatelytoBuffalo，andtakeupamodestresidence，inaboardinghouseascomfortable，evenasluxurious，asthehusband’sfinancialsituationjustified。AtleastthatwasSamuelClemens’sunderstandingofthematter。Hefeltthathewasheavilyindebt——thathisfirstdutywastorelievehimselfofthatobligation。

TherewereotherplansinElmira，butinthedailyandhappylettershereceivedtherewasnoinklingofanynewpurpose。

HewrotetoJ。D。F。Slee，ofBuffalo，whowasassociatedinbusinesswithMr。Langdon，andaskedhimtofindasuitableboarding—place，onethatwouldbesufficientlyrefinedforthewomanwhowastobehiswife，andsufficientlyreasonabletoinsureprosperity。InduetimeSleerepliedthat，whileboardingwasa"miserablebusinessanyhow，"hehadbeenparticularlyfortunateinsecuringaplaceononeofthemostpleasantstreets——"thefamilyasmalloneandchoicespirits，withnopredilectionfortakingboarders，andconsentingtothepresentarrangementonlybecauseoftheanticipatedpleasureofyourcompany。"

Theprice，Sleeadded，wouldbereasonable。AsamatteroffactahouseonDelawareAvenue——stillthefineresidencestreetofBuffalo——hadbeenboughtandfurnishedthroughoutasapresenttothebrideandgroom。Itstandsto—daypracticallyunchanged——brickandmansardwithout，Eastlakewithin，atypethenmuchinvogue——spaciousandhandsomeforthatperiod。

Itwascompletelyappointed。DiagramsoftheroomshadbeensenttoElmiraandMissLangdonherselfhadselectedthefurnishings。Everythingwasputinreadiness，includinglinen，cutlery，andutensils。Eventheservantshadbeenengagedandthepantryandcellarhadbeenstocked。

ItmusthavebeenhardforOliviaLangdontokeepthiswonderfulsurpriseoutofthosedailyletters。Asurpriselikethatisalwayswatchingachancetoslipoutunawares，especiallywhenoneiseagerlyimpatienttorevealit。

However，thetravelerremainedcompletelyinthedark。Hemayhavewonderedvaguelyatthelackofenthusiasmintheboardingidea，andcouldhehavebeencertainthatthesalesofthebookwouldcontinue，orthathisnewspaperventurewouldyieldanabundantharvest，hemighthaveplannedhisdomesticbeginningonamoreelaboratescale。IfonlytheTennesseelandwouldyieldthelong—expectedfortunenow！Butthesewereallincalculablethings。Allthathecouldbesureofwasthecomingofhisgreathappiness，inwhateverenvironment，andofthedraggingweeksbetween。

Atlastthenightofthefinallecturecame，andhewasoffforElmirawiththesmallestpossibledelay。Oncethere，theinterveningdaysdidnotmatter。Hecouldjoininthebusypreparations；hecouldwriteexuberantlytohisfriends。ToLauraHawkins，longsinceLauraFrazerhesentaplayfulline；toJimGillis，stilldiggingandwashingontheslopesoftheoldTuolumnehills，hewrotealetterwhicheminentlybelongshere：

Elmira，N。Y。，January26，1870。