登陆注册
5380500000090

第90章

Of course the petition never reached Congress.Holmes's comment that governments were not in the habit of setting themselves up as high moral examples, except for revenue, was shared by too many others.The petition was tabled, but Clemens never abandoned his purpose and lived to see most of his dream fulfilled.Meantime, Howells's notice of the Sketches appeared in the Atlantic, and brought grateful acknowledgment from the author.

To W.D.Howells, in Boston:

HARTFORD, Oct.19, 1875.

MY DEAR HOWELLS,--That is a perfectly superb notice.You can easily believe that nothing ever gratified me so much before.The newspaper praises bestowed upon the "Innocents Abroad" were large and generous, but somehow I hadn't confidence in the critical judgement of the parties who furnished them.You know how that is, yourself, from reading the newspaper notices of your own books.They gratify a body, but they always leave a small pang behind in the shape of a fear that the critic's good words could not safely be depended upon as authority.Yours is the recognized critical Court of Last Resort in this country; from its decision there is no appeal; and so, to have gained this decree of yours before I am forty years old, I regard as a thing to be right down proud of.Mrs.Clemens says, "Tell him I am just as grateful to him as I can be." (It sounds as if she were grateful to you for heroically trampling the truth under foot in order to praise me but in reality it means that she is grateful to you for being bold enough to utter a truth which she fully believes all competent people know, but which none has heretofore been brave enough to utter.) You see, the thing that gravels her is that I am so persistently glorified as a mere buffoon, as if that entirely covered my case--which she denies with venom.

The other day Mrs.Clemens was planning a visit to you, and so I am waiting with a pleasurable hope for the result of her deliberations.

We are expecting visitors every day, now, from New York; and afterward some are to come from Elmira.I judge that we shall then be free to go Bostonward.I should be just delighted; because we could visit in comfort, since we shouldn't have to do any shopping--did it all in New York last week, and a tremendous pull it was too.

Mrs.C.said the other day, "We will go to Cambridge if we have to walk;for I don't believe we can ever get the Howellses to come here again until we have been there." I was gratified to see that there was one string, anyway, that could take her to Cambridge.But I will do her the justice to say that she is always wanting to go to Cambridge, independent of the selfish desire to get a visit out of you by it.I want her to get started, now, before children's diseases are fashionable again, because they always play such hob with visiting arrangements.

With love to you all Yrs Ever S.L.CLEMENS.

Mark Twain's trips to Boston were usually made alone.Women require more preparation to go visiting, and Mrs.Clemens and Mrs.Howells seem to have exchanged visits infrequently.For Mark Twain, perhaps, it was just as well that his wife did not always go with him; his absent-mindedness and boyish ingenuousness often led him into difficulties which Mrs.Clemens sometimes found embarrassing.

In the foregoing letter they were planning a visit to Cambridge.In the one that follows they seem to have made it--with certain results, perhaps not altogether amusing at the moment.

To W.D.Howells, in Boston:

Oct.4, '75.

MY DEAR HOWELLS,-- We had a royal good time at your house, and have had a royal good time ever since, talking about it, both privately and with the neighbors.

Mrs.Clemens's bodily strength came up handsomely under that cheery respite from household and nursery cares.I do hope that Mrs.Howells's didn't go correspondingly down, under the added burden to her cares and responsibilities.Of course I didn't expect to get through without committing some crimes and hearing of them afterwards, so I have taken the inevitable lashings and been able to hum a tune while the punishment went on.I "caught it" for letting Mrs.Howells bother and bother about her coffee when it was "a good deal better than we get at home."I "caught it" for interrupting Mrs.C.at the last moment and losing her the opportunity to urge you not to forget to send her that MS when the printers are done with it.I "caught it" once more for personating that drunken Col.James.I "caught it" for mentioning that Mr.Longfellow's picture was slightly damaged; and when, after a lull in the storm, I confessed, shame-facedly, that I had privately suggested to you that we hadn't any frames, and that if you wouldn't mind hinting to Mr.Houghton, &c., &c., &c., the Madam was simply speechless for the space of a minute.

Then she said:

"How could you, Youth! The idea of sending Mr.Howells, with his sensitive nature, upon such a repulsive er--""Oh, Howells won't mind it! You don't know Howells.Howells is a man who--" She was gone.But George was the first person she stumbled on in the hall, so she took it out of George.I was glad of that, because it saved the babies.

I've got another rattling good character for my novel! That great work is mulling itself into shape gradually.

Mrs.Clemens sends love to Mrs.Howells--meantime she is diligently laying up material for a letter to her.

Yrs ever MARK.

The "George" of this letter was Mark Twain's colored butler, a valued and even beloved member of the household--a most picturesque character, who "one day came to wash windows," as Clemens used to say, "and remained eighteen years." The fiction of Mrs.Clemens's severity he always found amusing, because of its entire contrast with the reality of her gentle heart.

Clemens carried the Tom Sawyer MS.to Boston himself and placed it in Howells's hands.Howells had begged to be allowed to see the story, and Mrs.Clemens was especially anxious that he should do so.

同类推荐
  • 佛说阿难同学经

    佛说阿难同学经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说越难经

    佛说越难经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 阮籍集

    阮籍集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 醉经楼集

    醉经楼集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 刑幕要略

    刑幕要略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 神秘之树

    神秘之树

    世界渐渐不一样,很多奇怪的东西冒了出来。李灿得到了一棵神秘的小树,能够在极致的环境中催生出带来异能的果子。咸鱼地活着,还是探寻极致环境催熟果子?这是一个问题。
  • 全能游戏开发师

    全能游戏开发师

    这个世界没有俄罗斯方块;没有贪吃蛇;没有传奇;没有梦幻西游;没有穿越火线、英雄联盟、QQ飞车。李时风带着游戏系统开始了自己的全能游戏开发师之路。
  • 玉楼一弦

    玉楼一弦

    她是异世寻死的孤魂,却离奇穿越重生。四年亲情让她蜕变成蝶,玉楼郡主横空出世,翩翩美男层出不穷,这郡主有点招架不住。他唇边勾起一抹浅笑。
  • 异能女皇

    异能女皇

    紧急通知:本文已经加入半价促销活动,一次性订阅全文的全部V章节,可享受半价优惠,谢谢大家的支持!////////////////////////////////////////////////////////女主介绍:她,没有名字,只有一个代号——Y17(拾柒)。她是科学家发明培育出来的人造人。她与正常人一样,就是多了点平常人没有的异能,不过就是,轻轻动一动手指,风火雷电冰霜雪雨之类的。【卷一】:登基为帝,“祸乱”天下。“你会求雨吗?”“我会下雨。”她就是发挥了一个好宝宝精神回答了一个问题,用不用把她当神看啊!更不用将皇帝这个费神伤脑的位子丢给她坐啊!冲着有个美艳绝伦的大帅哥宰相辅佐的份上,她坐就坐了,近水楼台先得“玥”嘛!对国家大事,她可是一窍不通,不过这后宫三千嘛,她到是想整顿整顿,全部换成美男还不错哟。(某女一脸的激动,加憧憬及向往无限。)昭告天下,广招美男,终日玩乐,不理朝政,真乃一祸水也!【卷二】:七国来访,收服美男。皇旁位子才刚刚坐稳,其它七国国君便齐齐来访,虎视眈眈。靠!这七位不是冲着她好色加无能的大名来的吧!?哼!本女皇不给你们点阳光看看,你们怎么知道什么叫做灿烂!不管是,傲如孔雀,纯如绵羊,霸如苍鹰,暴如雄狮,妖媚如狐,冷残如狼,高贵如凤。本女皇,全收了!〖精彩内容呈现〗“诸葛玥,你真不愿入主本女皇的后宫?”拾柒看着眼前的男人,从始至终,他从都不曾将自己放在心上吗?这个事实为她来说,打击也太大了吧?“臣,不能,多谢女皇抬爱。”是不愿,亦或是不能?“你不愿意嫁我也行,我嫁你吧?”拾柒走上前,扑倒在诸葛玥怀里。没有什么男人能逃得过她的手心。众大臣一脸大汗,这样一来,娶和嫁又有什么分别?〖精彩内容呈现〗“拾柒,你看我的第一眼,就动心了吧。”妖媚的男子不顾众人惊讶之色,走到拾柒面前,眼中媚波流转,一把拉过拾柒,扶上她的艳若芙蓉的脸庞。指尖划过,拾柒起了一身鸡皮,真是个妖媚的男人!狐狸都妖媚不过他。不收了他,上对不起天,下对不起地,中间对不起自己的良心。“拾柒,尝到被电的感觉了吗?”妖媚的男子吐气如兰,更加贴紧拾柒。“你的电力太弱,不如试试我的?”拾柒挑挑眉,修长的手指停留在男子的唇上。
  • 两只老虎(中篇小说)

    两只老虎(中篇小说)

    清时文人刘尔多,虽京都大试榜上有名,却始终未见朝廷加封,亦未见有识之士招募入僚。在京城散闲几年以后,被北疆的墨尔根域内的小县城,招做县衙的主簿,更觉无聊,放下公文,常与一些山客上大森林猎狩,日久天长,便有了奇遇。一日猎得一只狍子,在山中割了精肉,烤了,又喝得一壶好酒,就不觉醉了,在森林中穿行,误入死谷。见那里积雪如山,深秋季节,寒气袭人。又见两只黑物在雪地上僵卧着。
  • 诱爱成婚

    诱爱成婚

    自己的警察闺蜜失踪一个月,唯一的嫌疑人竟然是A市万千少女都想嫁的霸道总裁,这下她该怎么?明明在她踏出救闺蜜的第一步就感觉到失败了,可某总裁似乎总是送上门来了。这样引火上身的举动张墨寒后悔了,捂着胸口问上天,现在跑还来得及吗?某男邪魅一笑:“盯了你那么多年,当然来不及了。”
  • 古董商的寻宝之旅

    古董商的寻宝之旅

    一个古董商人兼古玩藏家带着几十年的从业经验,回到80年代中期自己年轻时。然后,他发现想要找好藏品是如此简单;至于发财?不好意思,还得一步步来......qq群号424089826,欢迎加入。(血蝠自《苏联英雄》后六年,我回来了。这些年一直在兼做古玩生意,所以这书还是比较贴近现实的,望书友支持。)
  • 带着网店回六零

    带着网店回六零

    ※惟青春与亲情不可辜负,惟女主和男主不能招惹!※一朝穿越,沈北溪无奈发现,自己来到了艰苦的六零年代。这里物资奇缺,惟独盛产各路极品。极品躲不过,既如此,要战便战,不撕得淋漓尽致不痛快!一句话简介:经商,斗极品,闲话家常。食用指南:1.本文架空,架的很空,考据请放过,毒死不负责。2.剧情很雷,巨雷无比,不是正经文,入坑需谨慎。【作者智商有限,漏洞在所难免。如果拍,请轻拍,给你爱的比心~】
  • Love Like This (The Romance Chronicles—Book #1)

    Love Like This (The Romance Chronicles—Book #1)

    "Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….[This is] the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads."--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re: For Now and Forever)"A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining."--Books and Movies Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re: For Now and Forever)
  • 惊世第一懒妃:暴君何弃疗

    惊世第一懒妃:暴君何弃疗

    她,21世纪最懒最能吃的天才特工。他,北之国最笨最白痴的废物太子。时空扭转,天才特工撞上废物太子。从此之后,他洗衣、做饭、卖萌撒娇,她战甲、重剑、横扫天下。天才配废物,扮猪吃老虎,汝甚吊汝娘知乎!什么?天下你不屑?那算了,回家种田吧。什么?都回家汗滴禾下土了还有人来找茬?还抢他的贴心小娘子?靠,好不容易装了一千年,临了还逼他露出真面目!天空瞬变,大地开裂。九龙缠身,秒杀众人!“……你这是?”“娘子,莫急。装得太久,有些生疏了。待我灭了那个喘气的知情人,你依旧是北国第一战神,为夫绝不抢你风头。”“装了一千多年,敢问您……为何放弃治疗?”