my mark twain-第8节

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popularity　was　as　instant　as　it　was　vast。　　But　it　must　be　acknowledged
that　for　a　much　longer　time　here　than　in　England　polite　learning
hesitated　his　praise。　　In　England　rank；　fashion；　and　culture　rejoiced　in
him。　　Lord　mayors；　lord　chief　justices；　and　magnates　of　many　kinds　were
his　hosts；　he　was　desired　in　country　houses；　and　his　bold　genius
captivated　the　favor　of　periodicals　which　spurned　the　rest　of　our　nation。
But　in　his　own　country　it　was　different。　　In　proportion　as　people　thought
themselves　refined　they　questioned　that　quality　which　all　recognize　in
him　now；　but　which　was　then　the　inspired　knowledge　of　the　simple…hearted
multitude。　　I　went　with　him　to　see　Longfellow；　but　I　do　not　think
Longfellow　made　much　of　him；　and　Lowell　made　less。　　He　stopped　as　if　with
the　long　Semitic　curve　of　Clemens's　nose；　which　in　the　indulgence　of　his
passion　for　finding　every　one　more　or　less　a　Jew　he　pronounced
unmistakably　racial。　　It　was　two　of　my　most　fastidious　Cambridge　friends
who　accepted　him　with　the　English；　the　European　entiretynamely；　Charles
Eliot　Norton　and　Professor　Francis　J。　Child。　　Norton　was　then　newly　back
from　a　long　sojourn　abroad；　and　his　judgments　were　delocalized。　　He　met
Clemens　as　if　they　had　both　been　in　England；　and　rejoiced　in　his　bold
freedom　from　environment；　and　in　the　rich　variety　and　boundless　reach　of
his　talk。　　Child　was　of　a　personal　liberty　as　great　in　its　fastidious　way
as　that　of　Clemens　himself；　and　though　he　knew　him　only　at　second　hand；
he　exulted　in　the　most　audacious　instance　of　his　grotesquery；　as　I　shall
have　to　tell　by…and…by；　almost　solely。　　I　cannot　say　just　why　Clemens
seemed　not　to　hit　the　favor　of　our　community　of　scribes　and　scholars；　as
Bret　Harte　had　done；　when　he　came　on　from　California；　and　swept　them
before　him；　disrupting　their　dinners　and　delaying　their　lunches　with
impunity；　but　it　is　certain　he　did　not；　and　I　had　better　say　so。

I　am　surprised　to　find　from　the　bibliographical　authorities　that　it　was
so　late　as　1875　when　he　came　with　the　manuscript　of　Tom　Sawyer；　and　asked
me　to　read　it；　as　a　friend　and　critic；　and　not　as　an　editor。　　I　have　an
impression　that　this　was　at　Mrs。　Clemens's　instance　in　his　own
uncertainty　about　printing　it。　　She　trusted　me；　I　can　say　with　a
satisfaction　few　things　now　give　me；　to　be　her　husband's　true　and　cordial
adviser；　and　I　was　so。　　I　believe　I　never　failed　him　in　this　part；　though
in　so　many　of　our　enterprises　and　projects　I　was　false　as　water　through
my　temperamental　love　of　backing　out　of　any　undertaking。　　I　believe　this
never　ceased　to　astonish　him；　and　it　has　always　astonished　me；　it　appears
to　me　quite　out　of　character；　though　it　is　certain　that　an　undertaking；
when　I　have　entered　upon　it；　holds　me　rather　than　I　it。　　But　however　this
immaterial　matter　may　be；　I　am　glad　to　remember　that　I　thoroughly　liked
Tom　Sawyer；　and　said　so　with　every　possible　amplification。　　Very　likely；
I　also　made　my　suggestions　for　its　improvement；　I　could　not　have　been　a
real　critic　without　that；　and　I　have　no　doubt　they　were　gratefully
accepted　and；　I　hope；　never　acted　upon。　　I　went　with　him　to　the　horse…car
station　in　Harvard　Square；　as　my　frequent　wont　was；　and　put　him　aboard　a
car　with　his　MS。　in　his　hand；　stayed　and　reassured；　so　far　as　I　counted；
concerning　it。　　I　do　not　know　what　his　misgivings　were；　perhaps　they　were
his　wife's　misgivings；　for　she　wished　him　to　be　known　not　only　for　the
wild　and　boundless　humor　that　was　in　him；　but　for　the　beauty　and
tenderness　and　〃natural　piety〃；　and　she　would　not　have　had　him　judged　by
a　too　close　fidelity　to　the　rude　conditions　of　Tom　Sawyer's　life。　　This
is　the　meaning　that　I　read　into　the　fact　of　his　coming　to　me　with　those
doubts。




XIII。

Clemens　had　then　and　for　many　years　the　habit　of　writing　to　me　about　what
he　was　doing；　and　still　more　of　what　he　was　experiencing。　　Nothing　struck
his　imagination；　in　or　out　of　the　daily　routine；　but　he　wished　to　write
me　of　it；　and　he　wrote　with　the　greatest　fulness　and　a　lavish
dramatization；　sometimes　to　the　length　of　twenty　or　forty　pages；　so　that
I　have　now　perhaps　fifteen　hundred　pages　of　his　letters。　　They　will　no
doubt　some　day　be　published；　but　I　am　not　even　referring　to　them　in　these
records；　which　I　think　had　best　come　to　the　reader　with　an　old　man's
falterings　and　uncertainties。　　With　his　frequent　absences　and　my　own
abroad；　and　the　intrusion　of　calamitous　cares；　the　rich　tide　of　his
letters　was　more　and　more　interrupted。　　At　times　it　almost　ceased；　and
then　it　would　come　again；　a　torrent。　　In　the　very　last　weeks　of　his　life
he　burst　forth；　and；　though　too　weak　himself　to　write；　he　dictated　his
rage　with　me　for　recommending　to　him　a　certain　author　whose　truthfulness
he　could　not　deny；　but　whom　he　hated　for　his　truthfulness　to　sordid　and
ugly　conditions。　　At　heart　Clemens　was　romantic；　and　he　would　have　had
the　world　of　fiction　stately　and　handsome　and　whatever　the　real　world　was
not；　but　he　was　not　romanticistic；　and　he　was　too　helplessly　an　artist
not　to　wish　his　own　work　to　show　life　as　he　had　seen　it。　　I　was　preparing
to　rap　him　back　for　these　letters　when　I　read　that　he　had　got　home　to
die；　he　would　have　liked　the　rapping　back。

He　liked　coming　to　Boston；　especially　for　those　luncheons　and　dinners　in
which　the　fertile　hospitality　of　our　publisher；　Osgood；　abounded。　　He
dwelt　equidistant　from　Boston　and　New　York；　and　he　had　special　friends　in
New　York；　but　he　said　he　much　preferred　coming　to　Boston；　of　late　years
he　never　went　there；　and　he　had　lost　the　habit　of　it　long　before　he　came
home　from　Europe　to　live　in　New　York。　　At　these　feasts；　which　were　often
of　after…dinner…speaking　measure；　he　could　always　be　trusted　for
something　of　amazing　delightfulness。　　Once；　when　Osgood　could　think　of　no
other　occasion　for　a　dinner；　he　gave　himself　a　birthday　dinner；　and　asked
his　friends　and　authors。　　The　beautiful　and　splendid　trooper…like　blaring
was　there；　and　I　recall　how　in　the　long；　rambling　speech　in　which　Clemens
went　round　the　table　hitting　every　head　at　it；　and　especially　visiting
Osgood　with　thanks　for　his　ingenious　pretext　for　our　entertainment；
he　congratulated　blaring　upon　his　engineering　genius　and　his　hypnotic
control　of　municipal　governments。　　He　said　that　if　there　was　a　plan　for
draining　a　city　at　a　cost　of　a　million；　by　seeking　the　level　of　the　water
in　the　down…hill　course　of　the　sewers；　blaring　would　come　with　a　plan　to
drain　that　town　up…hill　at　twice　the　cost　and　carry　it　through　the　Common
Council　without　opposition。　　It　is　hard　to　say　whether　the　time　was
gladder　at　these　dinners；　or　at　the　small　lunches　at　which　Osgood　and
Aldrich　and　I　foregathered　with　him　and　talked　the　afternoon　away　till
well　toward　the　winter　twilight。

He　was　a　great　figure；　and　the　principal　figure；　at　one　of　the　first　of
the　now　worn…out　Authors'　Readings；　which　was　held　in　the　Boston　Museum
to　aid　a　Longfellow　memorial。　　It　was　the　late　George　Parsons　Lathrop
（everybody　seems　to　be　late　in　these　sad　days）　who　imagined　the　reading；
but　when　it　came　to　a　price　for　seats　I　can　always　claim　the　glory　of
fixing　it　at　five　dollars。　　The　price　if　not　the　occasion　proved
irresistible；　and　the　museum　was　packed　from　the　floor　to　the　topmost
gallery。　　Norton　presided；　and　when　it　came　Clemens's　turn　to　read　he
introduced　him　with　such　exquisite　praises　as　he　best　knew　how　to　give；
but　before　he　closed　he　fell　a　prey　to　one　of　those　lapses　of　tact　which
are　the　peculiar　peril　of　people　of　the　greatest　tact。　　He　was　reminded
of　Darwin's　delight　in　Mark　Twain；　and　how　when　he　came　from　his　long
day's　exhausting　study；　and　sank　into　bed　at　midnight；　he　took　up　a
volume　of　Mark　Twain；　whose　books　he　always　kept　on　a　table　beside　him；
and　whatever　had　been　his　tormenting　problem；　or　excess　of　toil；　he　felt
secure　of　a　good　night's　rest　from　it。　　A　sort　of　blank　ensued　which
Clemens　filled　in　the　only　possible　way。　　He　said　he　should　always　be
glad　that　he　had　contributed　to　the　repose　of　that　great　man；　whom
science　owed　so　much；　and　then　without　waiting　for　the　joy　in　every
breast　to　burst　forth；　he　began　to　read。　　It　was　curious　to　watch　his
triumph　with　the　house。　　His　carefully　studied　effects　would　reach　the
first　rows　in　the　orchestra　first；　and　ripple　in　laughter　back　to　the
standees　against　the　wall；　and　then　with　a　fine　resurgence　come　again　to
the　rear　orchestra　seats；　and　so　rise　from　gallery　to　gallery　till　it
fell　back；　a　cataract　of　applause　from　the　topmost　rows　of　seats。　　He　was
such　a　practised　speaker　that　he　knew　all　the　stops　of　that　simple
instrument　man；　and　there　is　no　doubt　that　these　results　were　accurately
intended　from　his　unerring　knowledge。　　He　was　the　most　consummate　public
performer　I　ever　saw；　and　it　was　an　incomparable　pleasure　to　hear　him
lecture；　on　the　platform　he　was　the　great　and　finished　actor　which　he
probably　would　not　have　been　on　the　stage。　　He　was　fond　of　private
theatricals；　and　liked　to　play　in　them　with　his　children　and　their
friends；　in　dramatizations　of　such　stories　of　his　as　'The　Prince　and　the
Pauper；'　but　I　never　saw　him　in　any　of　these　scenes。　　When　he　read　his
manuscript　to　you；　it　was　with　a　thorough；　howeve