第23章

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，andonAugust29(1893)

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。Clemens(inParisnow，attheHote1Brighton)hewrote：

Heisnotcommonclay，butfine—fine&delicate。Ididhatetoburdenhisgoodheart&overworkedhead，buthetookholdwithavidity&saiditwasnoburdentoworkforhisfriends，butapleasure。WhenIarrivedinSeptember，Lord！howblacktheprospectwas&howdesperate，howincurablyd