第24章

WearedwellinghereamomentonSusy，forshewasatherbestthatwinter。

Shewasmoreathomethantheothers。Herhealthdidnotpermithertogooutsofreelyandherfatherhadmoreofhercompanionship。Theydiscussedmanythings——theproblemsoflifeandofthosebeyondlife，philosophiesofmanykinds，andthesubtletiesofliteraryart。Herecalledlongafterhowoncetheylostthemselvesintryingtosolvethemysteryoftheemotionaleffectofcertainword—combinations——certainphrasesandlinesofverse——as，forinstance，thewild，freebreathoftheopenthatonefeelsin"thedayswhenwewentgipsyingalongtimeago"andthetender，sunlit，grassyslopeandmossyheadstonessuggestedbythesimplewords，"departedthislife。"BothSusyandherfathercaredmoreforJoanthananyoftheformerbooks。ToMr。Rogers，Clemenswrote：

"Possiblythebookmaynotsell，butthatisnothing——itwaswrittenforlove。"Amemorandumwhichhemadeatthetime，apparentlyfornoonebuthimself，bringsusveryclosetothepersonalitybehindit。

Doyouknowthatshock？Imeanwhenyoucomeatyourregularhourintothesick—roomwhereyouhavewatchedformonthsandfindthemedicine—bottlesallgone，thenight—tableremoved，thebedstripped，thefurnituresetstifflytorights，thewindowsup，theroomcold，stark，vacant——&youcatchyourbreath&realizewhathashappened。

Doyouknowthatshock？

Themanwhohaswrittenalongbookhasthatexperiencethemorningafterhehasreviseditforthelasttime&sentitawaytotheprinter。Hestepsintohisstudyatthehourestablishedbythehabitofmonths——&hegetsthatlittleshock。Allthelitter&

confusionaregone。Thepilesofdustyreference—booksaregonefromthechairs，themapsfromthefloor；thechaosofletters，manuscripts，note—books，paper—knives，pipes，matches，photographs，tobacco—jars，&cigar—boxesisgonefromthewriting—table，thefurnitureisbackwhereitusedtobeinthelong—ago。Thehousemaid，forbiddentheplaceforfivemonths，hasbeenthere&

tidieditup&scoureditclean&madeitrepellent&awful。

Istandherethismorningcontemplatingthisdesolation，&IrealizethatifIwouldbringbackthespiritthatmadethishospitalhome—

like&pleasanttomeImustrestoretheaidstolingeringdissolutiontotheirwontedplaces&nurseanotherpatientthrough&senditforthforthelastrites，Withmanyorfewtoassistthere，asmayhappen；&thatIwilldo。

CXC

STARTINGONTHELONGTRAIL

Thetragedyof’Pudd’nheadWilson’，withitssplendidillustrationsbyLouisLoeb，havingfinisheditscourseintheCenturyMagazine，hadbeenissuedbytheAmericanPublishingCompany。ItprovednotoneofMarkTwain’sgreatbooks，butonlyoneofhisgoodbooks。Fromfirsttolastitisinteresting，andtherearestrongsituationsandchaptersfinelywritten。ThecharacterofRoxyisthoroughlyalive，andherweirdrelationshipwithherhalf—breedsonisstartlingenough。Therearenotmanysituationsinfictionstrongerthanthatwherehalf—breedTomsellshismotherdowntheriverintoslavery。Thenegrocharacteriswelldrawn，ofcourse—MarkTwaincouldnotwriteitlessthanwell，butitsrealismishardlytobecomparedwithsimilarmatterinhisotherbooks——

inTomSawyer，forinstance，orHuckFinn。WiththeexceptionsofTom，Roxy，andPudd’nheadthecharactersareslight。TheTwinsaremerebodilessnamesthatmighthavebeeneliminatedaltogether。ThecharacterofPudd’nheadWilsonislovableandfine，andhisfinaltriumphatthemurdertrialisthrillingintheextreme。Identificationbythumb—markswasanewfeatureinfictionthen——inlaw，too，forthatmatter。ButitischieflyPudd’nheadWilson’smaxims，runattheheadofeachchapter，thatwillstickinthememoryofmen。Perhapsthebookwouldlivewithoutthese，butwiththemitiscertainlyimmortal。

Suchaphorismsas："Nothingsoneedsreformingasotherpeople’shabits"；

"Fewthingsarehardertoputupwiththantheannoyanceofagoodexample"；"Whenangrycountfour，andwhenveryangryswear，"cannotperish；these，withthefortyorsoothersinthisvolumeandtheaddedcollectionofrarephilosophiesthatheadthechaptersofFollowingtheEquator，haveinsuredtoPhilosopherPudd’nheadarespectfulhearingforalltime。——[ThestoryofPudd’nheadWilsonwasdramatizedbyFrankMayo，whoplayeditsuccessfullyaslongashelived。Itisbynomeansdead，andstillpaysaroyaltytotheMayoandClemensestates。]

Clemenshadmeanttobeginanotherbook，buthedecidedfirsttomakeatriptoAmerica，togivesomepersonalattentiontopublishingmattersthere。Theywereagooddealconfused。TheHarpershadarrangedfortheserialandbookpublicationofJoan，andwerenegotiatingfortheWebstercontracts。Mr。RogerswasdevotingpricelesstimeinanefforttoestablishamicablerelationsbetweentheHarpersandtheAmericanCompanyatHartfordsothattheycouldworkonsomegeneralbasisthatwouldbesatisfactoryandprofitabletoallconcerned。ItwastimethatClemenswasonthesceneofaction。HesailedontheNewYorkontheendofFebruary，andalittlemorethanamonthlaterreturnedbytheParis——

thatis，attheendofMarch。Bythistimehehadaltogetheranewthought。Itwasnecessarytoearnalargesumofmoneyaspromptlyaspossible，andheadoptedtheplanwhichtwicebeforeinhislifein1872

andin1884：——hadsuppliedhimwithneededfunds。Loathingtheplatformashedid，hewasgoingbacktoit。MajorPondhadproposed。alecturetoursoonafterhisfailure。

"Thelossofafortuneistough，"wrotePond，"butthereareotherresourcesforanotherfortune。YouandIwillmakethetourtogether。"

Nowhehadresolvedtomakeatour—onethatevenPondhimselfhadnotcontemplated。Hewouldgoplatformingaroundtheworld！HewouldtakePondwithhimasfarasthePacificcoast，arrangingwithsomeoneequallyfamiliarwiththelecturecircuitontheothersideofthePacific。HehadheardofR。S。Smythe，whohadpersonallyconductedHenryM。StanleyandothergreatlecturersthroughAustraliaandtheEast，andhewroteimmediately，askinginformationandadviceconcerningsuchatour。ClemenshimselfhastoldusinoneofhischaptershowhismentalmessagefounditswaytoSmythelongbeforehiswrittenone，andhowSmythe’sletter，proposingjustsuchatrip，crossedhisown。

HesailedforAmerica，withthefamilyonthe11thofMay，andalittlemorethanaweeklater，afterfouryearsofexile，theyfoundthemselvesoncemoreatbeautifulQuarryFarm。Wemayimaginehowhappytheyweretoreachthatpeacefulhaven。Mrs。Clemenshadwritten：

"Itis，inaway，hardtogohomeandfeelthatwearenotabletoopenourhouse。Butitisanimmensedelighttometothinkofseeingourfriends。"

Littleatthefarmwaschanged。Thereweremorevinesonthehome——thestudywasovergrown——thatwasall。EvenEllerslieremainedasthechildrenhadleftit，withallthesmallcomfortsandutensilsinplace。

Mostoftheoldfriendswerethere；onlyMrs。LangdonandTheodoreCraneweremissing。TheBeechersdroveuptoseethem，asformerly，andtheolddiscussionsonlifeandimmortalityweretakenupintheoldplaces。

Mrs。Beecheroncecamewithsomecuriousthinlayersofleavesofstonewhichshehadfound，knowingMarkTwain’sinterestingeology。Later，whentheyhadbeendiscussingtheusualproblems，hesaidhewouldwriteanagreementonthoseimperishableleaves，tobelaidawayuntiltheagesshouldsolvetheirproblems。Hewroteitinverse：

IfyouproverightandIprovewrong，Amillionyearsfromnow，InlanguageplainandfrankandstrongMyerrorI’llavowToyourdearwakingface。

IfIproveright，byGodHisgrace，FullsorryIshallbe，ForinthatsolitudenotraceThere’llbeofyouandme。

Amillionyears，Opatientstone，You’vewaitedforthismessage。

Deliveritamillionhence；

(Survivorpaysexpressage。)

MARKTWAIN

ContractwithMrs。T。K。Beecher，July2，1895。

PondcametoElmiraandtheroutewestwardwasarranged。Clemensdecidedtogiveselectionsfromhisbooks，ashehaddonewithCable，andtostartwithoutmuchdelay。Hedreadedtheprospectofsettingoutonthatlongjourneyalone，norcouldMrs。Clemensfinditinherhearttoconsenttosuchaplan。Itwasbitterlyhardtoknowwhattodo，butitwasdecidedatlastthatsheandoneoftheelderdaughtersshouldaccompanyhim，theothersremainingwiththeirauntatQuarryFarm。

Susy，whohadthechoice，dreadedoceantravel，andfeltthatshewouldbehappierandhealthiertorestinthequietofthatpeacefulhilltop。

Sheelectedtoremainwithherauntandjean；anditfelltoClaratogo。

MajorPondandhiswifewouldaccompanythemasfarasVancouver。TheyleftElmiraonthenightofthe14thofJuly。WhenthetrainpulledawaytheirlastglimpsewasofSusy，standingwiththeothersundertheelectriclightoftherailwayplatform，wavingthemgood—by。

CXCI

ClemenshadbeenillinElmirawithadistressingcarbuncle，andwasstillinnoconditiontoundertakesteadytravelandentertainmentinthatfiercesummerheat。Hewasfearfuloffailure。"Isha’n’tbeabletostandonaplatform，"hewroteMr。Rogers；buttheypushedalongsteadilywithfewdelays。TheybeganinCleveland，thencebytheGreatLakes，travelingbysteamerfromonepointtoanother，goingconstantly，withreadingsateveryimportantpoint——Duluth，Minneapolis，St。Paul，Winnipeg，Butte，andthroughthegreatNorthwest，arrivingatVancouveratlastonAugust16th，butonedaybehindscheduletime。

Ithadbeenahot，blisteringjourney，butofimmenseinterest，fornoneofthemhadtraveledthroughtheNorthwest，andthewonderandgrandeurofitall，itsscenery，itsbigness，itsmightyagriculture，impressedthem。Clemensinhisnotesrefersmorethanoncetothe"seas"and"ocean"ofwheat。

Thereisthepeaceoftheoceanaboutitandadeepcontentment，aheaven—widesenseofampleness，spaciousness，wherepettinessandallsmallthoughtsandtempersmustbeoutofplace，notsuitedtoit，andsonotintruding。Thescattering，far—offhomesteads，withtreesaboutthem，weresohomelikeandremotefromthewarringworld，soreposefulandenticing。Themostdistantandfaintestunderthehorizonsuggestedfadingshipsatsea。

TheLaketravelimpressedhim；thebeautiesandcleanlinessoftheLakesteamers，whichhecompareswiththoseofEurope，tothedisadvantageofthelatter。EnteringPortHuronhewrote：

Thelongapproachthroughnarrowwayswithflatgrassandwoodedlandonbothsides，andontheleftacontinuousrowofsummercottages，withsmall—boataccommodationsforvisitingacrossthelittlecanalsfromfamilytofamily，thegroupsofsummer—dressedyoungpeopleallalongwavingflagsandhandkerchiefsandfiringcannon，ourboatreplyingwithtootsofthehoarsewhistleandnowandthenacannon，andmeetingsteamersinthenarrowway，andoncethestatelysister—shipofthelinecrowdedwithsummer—dressedpeoplewaving—therichbrownsandgreensoftherush—grown，far—

reachingflat—lands，withlittleglimpsesofwaterawayontheirfartheredges，thesinkingsunthrowingacrinkledbroadcarpetofgoldonthewater—well，itistheperfectionofvoyaging。

IthadseemedadoubtfulexperimenttostartwithMrs。Clemensonthatjourneyinthesummerheat；but，strangetosay，herhealthimproved，andshereachedVancouverbynomeansunfitforthelongvoyageahead。Nodoubtthechangeandcontinuousinterestandtheirsplendidwelcomeeverywhereandtheirprosperitywereaccountable。Everywheretheywereentertained；flowersfilledtheirrooms；carriagesandcommitteeswerealwayswaiting。ItwasknownthatMarkTwainhadsetoutforthepurposeofpayinghisdebts，andnocausewouldmakeadeeperappealtohiscountrymenthanthat，or，forthatmatter，totheworldatlarge。

>FromWinnipeghewrotetoMr。Rogers：

AttheendofanhourandahalfIofferedtolettheaudiencego，buttheysaid"goon，"andIdid。

HehadfivethousanddollarstoforwardtoRogerstoplaceagainsthisdebtaccountbythetimehereachedtheCoast，afinereturnforamonth’stravelinthatdeadlyseason。Atnomorethantwoplaceswerethehouseslessthancrowded。OneofthesewasAnaconda，thenasmallplace，whichtheyvisitedonlybecausethemanageroftheentertainmenthalltherehadknownClemenssomewherebackinthesixtiesandwaseagertohavehim。HefailedtosecuretheamountoftheguaranteerequiredbyPond，andwhenPondreportedtoClemensthathehadtaken"allhehad"

Clemenssaid：

"Andyoutookthelastcentthatpoorfellowhad。Sendhimonehundreddollars，andifyoucan’taffordtostandyoursharechargeitalltome。

I’mnotgoingaroundrobbingmyfriendswhoaredisappointedinmycommercialvalue。Idon’twanttogetmoneythatway。"

"Isentthemoney，"saidPondafterward，"andwasgladoftheprivilegeofstandingmyshare。"

Clemenshimselfhadnotbeeninthebestofhealthduringthetrip。Hehadcontractedaheavycoldanddidnotseemtogainstrength。Butinapresentationcopyof’RoughingIt’，giventoPondasasouvenir，hewrote：

"Hereendsoneofthesmoothestandpleasantesttripsacrossthecontinentthatanygroupoffivehasevermade。"

TherewereheavyforestfiresintheNorthwestthatyear，andsmokeeverywhere。ThesteamerWaryimoo，whichwastohavesailedonthe16th，wentagroundinthesmoke，andwasdelayedaweek。Whiletheywerewaiting，ClemenslecturedinVictoria，withtheGovernor—GeneralandLadyAberdeenandtheirlittlesonintheaudience。Hisnote—booksays：

Theycameinat8。45，15minuteslate；wishtheywouldalwaysbepresent，foritisn’tpermissibletobeginuntiltheycome；bythattimethelate—comersareallin。

ClemenswroteanumberoffinallettersfromVancouver。InoneofthemtoMr。J。HenryHarper，ofHarper&Brothers，heexpressedthewishthathisnamemightnowbeprintedastheauthorof"Joan，"whichhadbegunseriallyintheAprilMagazine。Hethoughtitmight，helphislecturingtourandkeephisnamealive。Butafewdayslater，withMrs。Clemens’shelp，hehadreconsidered，andwrote：

Mywifeisalittletroubledbymywantingmynomdeplumeputtothe"JoanofArc"sosoon。Shethinksitmightgocountertoyourplans，andthatyououghttobeleftfreeandunhamperedinthematter。

Allright—sobeit。Iwasn’tstrenuousaboutit，andwasn’tmeaningtoinsist；Ionlythoughtmyreasonsweregood，andIreallythinksoyet，thoughIdoconfesstheweightandfairnessofhers。

Asamatteroffacttheauthorshipof"Joan"hadbeenprettygenerallyguessedbythesecondorthirdissue。CertainofitsphrasingandhumorcouldhardlyhavecomefromanotherpenthanMarkTwain’s。Theauthorshipwasnotopenlyacknowledged，however，untilthepublicationofthebook，thefollowingMay。

AmongthelettersfromVancouverwasthisonetoRudyardKiplingDEARKIPLING，——ItisreportedthatyouareabouttovisitIndia。

ThishasmovedmetojourneytothatfarcountryinorderthatImayunloadfrommyconscienceadebtlongduetoyou。YearsagoyoucamefromIndiatoElmiratovisitme，asyousaidatthetime。Ithasalwaysbeenmypurposetoreturnthatvisit&thatgreatcomplimentsomeday。IshallarrivenextJanuary&youmustbeready。Ishallcomeridingmyayahwithhistusksadornedwithsilverbells&ribbons&escortedbyatroopofnativehowdahsrichlyclad&mounteduponaherdofwildbungalows；&youmustbeonhandwithafewbottlesofghee，forIshallbethirsty。

Tothepresshegavethispartingstatement：

IthasbeenreportedthatIsacrificedforthebenefitofthecreditorsthepropertyofthepublishingfirmwhosefinancialbackerIwasandthatIamnowlecturingformyownbenefit。Thisisanerror。Iintendthelecturesaswellasthepropertyforthecreditors。Thelawrecognizesnomortgageonaman’sbrain，andamerchantwhohasgivenupallhehasmaytakeadvantageofthelawsofinsolvencyandstartfreeagainforhimself。ButIamnotabusinessman，andhonorisahardermasterthanthelaw。Itcannotcompromiseforlessthan100centsonthedollaranditsdebtsneveroutlaw。FrommyreceptionthusfaronmylecturingtourIamconfidentthatifIliveIcanpayoffthelastdebtwithinfouryears，afterwhich，attheageofsixty—four，Icanmakeafreshandunincumberedstartinlife。IamgoingtoAustralia，India，andSouthAfrica，andnextyearIhopetomakeatourofthegreatcitiesoftheUnitedStates。Imeant，whenIbegan，togivemycreditorsallthebenefitofthis，butIambeginningtofeelthatI

amgainingsomethingfromit，too，andthatmydividends，ifnotavailableforbankingpurposes，maybeevenmoresatisfactorythantheirs。

Therewasonecreditor，whosenameneed，notbe"handeddowntoinfamy，"

whohadrefusedtoconsenttoanysettlementexceptimmediatepaymentinfull，andhadpursuedwiththreatenedattachmentofearningsandbelongings，untilClemens，exasperated，hadbeendisposedtoturnovertohiscreditorsallremainingpropertiesandletthatsuffice，onceandforall。Butthiswasmomentary。HehadpresentlyinstructedMr。Rogersto"payShylockinfull，"andtoassureanyothersthathewouldpaythem，too，intheend。Butnoneoftheothersannoyedhim。

ItwasontheafternoonofAugust23，1895，thattheywereoffatlast。

MajorPondandhiswifelunchedwiththemonboardandwavedthemgood—byaslongastheycouldseethevessel。Thefarvoyagewhichwastocarrythemforthebetterpartoftheyeartotheundersideoftheworldhadbegun。

CXCII

"FOLLOWINGTHEEQUATOR"

MarkTwainhimselfhaswrittenwithgreatfulnessthestoryofthattraveling——settingdownwhathappened，andmainlyasithappened，withallthewonderfuldescription，charm，andcolorofwhichhewassogreatamaster。Weneeddolittlemorethansummarizethen——addingatouchhereandthere，perhaps，fromanotherpointofview。

TheyhadexpectedtostopattheSandwichIslands，butwhentheyarrivedintheroadsteadofHonolulu，wordcamethatcholerahadbrokenoutandmanyweredyingdaily。Theycouldnotland。Itwasadoubledisappointment；notonlywerethelectureslost，butClemenshadlonglookedforwardtorevisitingtheislandshehadsolovedinthedaysofhisyouth。Therewasnothingforthemtodobuttositonthedecksintheshadeoftheawningsandlookatthedistantshore。Inhisbookhesays：

Welayinluminousbluewater；shorewardthewaterwasgreen—greenandbrilliant；attheshoreitselfitbrokeinalong，whiteruffle，andwithnocrash，nosoundthatwecouldhear。Thetownwasburiedunderamatoffoliagethatlookedlikeacushionofmoss。Thesilkymountainswereclothedinsoft，richsplendorsofmeltingcolor，andsomeofthecliffswereveiledinslantingmists。I

recognizeditall。ItwasjustasIhadseenitlongbefore，withnothingofitsbeautylost，nothingofitscharmwanting。

Inhisnote—bookhewrote："IfImight，Iwouldgoashoreandneverleave。"

Thiswasthe31stofAugust。Twodayslatertheywereoffagain，sailingovertheserenePacific，bearingtothesouthwestforAustralia。

Theycrossedtheequator，whichhesayswaswiselyputwhereitis，becauseifithadbeenrunthroughEuropeallthekingswouldhavetriedtograbit。TheycrosseditSeptember6th，andhenotesthatClarakodakedit。AdayortwolaterthenorthstardisappearedbehindthemandtheconstellationoftheCrosscameintoviewabovethesouthernhorizon。ThenpresentlytheywereamongtheislandsofthesouthernPacific，andlandedforalittletimeononeoftheFijigroup。Theyhadtwenty—fourdaysofhalcyonvoyagingbetweenVancouverandSydneywithonlyoneroughday。Aship’spassengersgetcloselyacquaintedonatripofthatlengthandcharacter。Theymingleinallsortsofdiversionstowhileawaythetime；andattheendhavebecomelikefriendsofmanyyears。

OnthenightofSeptember15th—anightsodarkthatfromtheship’sdeckonecouldnotseethewater——schoolsofporpoisessurroundedtheship，settingthewateralivewithphosphorescentsplendors："Likeglorifiedserpentsthirtytofiftyfeetlong。Everycurveofthetaperinglongbodyperfect。Thewholesnakedazzlinglyillumined。Itwasaweirdsighttoseethissparklingghostcomesuddenlyflashingalongoutofthesolidgloomandstreampastlikeameteor。"

TheywereinSydneynextmorning，September16，1895，andlandedinapouringrain，thebreakingupofafiercedrought。ClemensannouncedthathehadbroughtAustraliagood—fortune，andshouldexpectsomethinginreturn。

Mr。Smythewasreadyforthemandtherewasnotimelostingettingtowork。AllAustraliawasreadyforthem，infact，andnowhereintheirowncountryweretheymorelavishlyandroyallyreceivedthaninthatfarawayPacificcontinent。Crowdedhouses，ovations，andgorgeousentertainment——publicandprivate——werethefashion，andalittlemorethantwoweeksafterarrivalClemenswasabletosendbackanothertwothousanddollarstoapplyonhisdebts。Buthehadhardluck，too，foranothercarbuncledevelopedatMelbourneandkepthimlaidupfornearlyaweek。Whenhewasabletogobeforeanaudienceagainhesaid：

"ThedoctorsaysIamonthevergeofbeingasickman。Well，thatmaybetrueenoughwhileIamlyingabedalldaytryingtopersuadehiscantankerous，rebelliousmedicinestoagreewitheachother；butwhenI

comeoutatnightandgetawelcomelikethisIfeelasyoungandhealthyasanybody，andastobeingonthevergeofbeingasickmanIdon’ttakeanystockinthat。Ihavebeenonthevergeofbeinganangelallmylife，butit’sneverhappenedyet。"

InhisbookClemenshastoldushisjoyinAustralia，hisinterestintheperishingnativetribes，inthewonderfullygovernedcities，inthegold—

mines，andintheadvancedindustries。Theclimatehethoughtsuperb；

"adarlingclimate，"hesaysinanote—bookentry。

Perhapsoneoughttogivealittleideaofthecharacterofhisentertainment。Hisreadingsweremainlyfromhisearlierbooks，’RoughingIt’and’InnocentsAbroad’。Thestoryofthedeadmanwhich，asaboy，hehaddiscoveredinhisfather’sofficewasonethatheoftentold，andthe"MexicanPlug"andhis"MeetingwithArtemusWard"andthestoryofJimBlaine’soldram；nowandagainhegavechaptersfrom’HuckFinn’and’TomSawyer’。Hewaslikelytofinishwiththatoldfiresidetaleofhisearlychildhood，the"GoldenArm。"Buthesometimestoldthewatermelonstory，writtenforMrs。Rogers，orgaveextractsfromAdam’sDiary，varyinghisprogramagooddealashewentalong，andchangingitentirelywhereheappearedtwiceinonecity。

Mrs。ClemensandClara，asoftenastheyhadheardhim，generallywentwhenthehourofentertainmentcame：Theyenjoyedseeinghistriumphwiththedifferentaudiences，watchingtheeffectofhissubtleart。

Onestory，the"GoldenArm，"hadinitapause，aneffective，delicatepausewhichmustbetimedtothefractionofasecondinordertorealizeitsfullvalue。SomewherebeforewehavestatedthatnoonebetterthanMarkTwainknewthevalueofapause。Mrs。ClemensandClarawerewillingtogonightafternightandhearthattaletimeandagain，foritseffectoneachnew，audience。

>FromAustraliatoNewZealand——whereClemenshadhisthirdpersistentcarbuncle，——[InFollowingtheEquatortheauthorsays："Thediction