按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
They remained a month at Elmira； and on their return Clemens renewed work
on 'The Prince and the Pauper'。 He reported to Howells that if he never
sold a copy his jubilant delight in writing it would suffer no
diminution。 A week later his enthusiasm had still further increased：
I take so much pleasure in my story that I am loath to hurry； not
wanting to get it done。 Did I ever tell you the plot of it？ It
begins at 9 A。M。； January 27； 1547。
He follows with a detailed synopsis of his plot； which in this instance
he had worked out with unusual completenessa fact which largely
accounts for the unity of the tale。 Then he adds：
My idea is to afford a realizing sense of the exceeding severity of
the laws of that day by inflicting some of their penalties upon the
king himself； and allowing him a chance to see the rest of them
applied to others； all of which is to account for certain mildnesses
which distinguished Edward VI。's reign from those that precede it
and follow it。
Imagine this fact： I have even fascinated Mrs。 Clemens with this
yarn for youth。 My stuff generally gets considerable damning with
faint praise out of her； but this time it is all the other way。 She
is become the horse…leech's daughter； and my mill doesn't grind fast
enough to suit her。 This is no mean triumph； my dear sir。
He forgot； perhaps； to mention his smaller auditors； but we may believe
they were no less eager in their demands for the tale's continuance。
CXXVI
〃A TRAMP ABROAD〃
'A Tramp Abroad' came from the presses on the 13th of March； 1880。 It
had been widely heralded； and there was an advance sale of twenty…five
thousand copies。 It was of the same general size and outward character
as the Innocents； numerously illustrated； and was regarded by its
publishers as a satisfactory book。
It bore no very striking resemblance to the Innocents on close
examination。 Its pictures…drawn； for the most part； by a young art
student named Brown； whom Clemens had met in Pariswere extraordinarily
bad； while the crude engraving process by which they had been reproduced；
tended to bring them still further into disrepute。 A few drawings by
True Williams were better； and those drawn by Clemens himself had a value
of their own。 The book would have profited had there been more of what
the author calls his 〃works of art。〃
Mark Twain himself had dubious anticipations as to the book's reception。
But Howells wrote：
Well； you are a blessing。 You ought to believe in God's goodness；
since he has bestowed upon the world such a delightful genius as
yours to lighten its troubles。
Clemens replied：
Your praises have been the greatest uplift I ever had。 When a body
is not even remotely expecting such things； how the surprise takes
the breath away！ We had been interpreting your stillness to
melancholy and depression； caused by that book。 This is honest。
Why； everything looks brighter now。 A check for untold cash could
not have made our hearts sing as your letter has done。
A letter from Tauchnitz； proposing to issue an illustrated edition in
Germany； besides putting it into his regular series； was an added
satisfaction。 To be in a Tauchnitz series was of itself a recognition of
the book's merit。
To Twichell； Clemens presented a special copy of the Tramp with a
personal inscription； which must not be omitted here：
MY DEAR 〃HARRIS〃NO； I MEAN MY DEAR JOE；Just imagine it for a
moment： I was collecting material in Europe during fourteen months
for a book； and now that the thing is printed I find that you； who
were with me only a month and a half of the fourteen； are in actual
presence （not imaginary） in 440 of the 531 pages the book contains！
Hang it； if you had stayed at home it would have taken me fourteen
years to get the material。 You have saved me an intolerable whole
world of hated labor； and I'll not forget it； my boy。
You'll find reminders of things； all along； that happened to us； and
of others that didn't happen； but you'll remember the spot where
they were invented。 You will see how the imaginary perilous trip up
the Riffelberg is preposterously expanded。 That horse…student is on
page 192。 The 〃Fremersberg〃 is neighboring。 The Black Forest novel
is on page 211。 I remember when and where we projected that： in the
leafy glades with the mountain sublimities dozing in the blue haze
beyond the gorge of Allerheiligen。 There's the 〃new member；〃 page
213； the dentist yarn； 223； the true Chamois； 242； at page 248 is a
pretty long yarn； spun from a mighty brief text meeting； for a
moment； that pretty girl who knew me and whom I had forgotten； at
281 is 〃Harris；〃 and should have been so entitled； but Bliss has
made a mistake and turned you into some other character； 305 brings
back the whole Rigi tramp to me at a glance； at 185 and 186 are
specimens of my art； and the frontispiece is the combination which I
made by pasting one familiar picture over the lower half of an
equally familiar one。 This fine work being worthy of Titian； I have
shed the credit of it upon him。 Well； you'll find more reminders of
things scattered through here than are printed； or could have been
printed； in many books。
All the 〃legends of the Neckar；〃 which I invented for that unstoried
region； are here； one is in the Appendix。 The steel portrait of me
is just about perfect。
We had a mighty good。 time； Joe； and the six weeks I would dearly
like to repeat any time； but the rest of the fourteen months…never。
With love；
Yours； MARK。
Hartford； March 16； 1880。
Possibly Twichell had vague doubts concerning a book of which he was so
large a part； and its favorable reception by the critics and the public
generally was a great comfort。 When the Howells letter was read to him
he is reported as having sat with his hands on his knees； his head bent
forwarda favorite attituderepeating at intervals：
〃Howells said that； did he？ Old Howells said that！〃
There have been many and varying opinions since then as to the literary
merits of 'A Tramp Abroad'。 Human tastes differ； and a 〃mixed〃 book of
this kind invites as many opinions as it has chapters。 The word 〃uneven〃
pretty safely describes any book of size； but it has a special
application to this one。 Written under great stress and uncertainty of
mind； it could hardly be uniform。 It presents Mark Twain at his best；
and at his worst。 Almost any American writer was better than Mark Twain
at his worst： Mark Twain at his best was unapproachable。
It is inevitable that 'A Tramp Abroad' and 'The Innocents Abroad' should
be compared； though with hardly the warrant of similarity。 The books are
as different as was their author at the periods when they were written。
'A Tramp Abroad' is the work of a man who was traveling and observing for
the purpose of writing a book； and fo