January 4 Sunday – Sam wrote two letters from London to Livy, one in the daytime with “drizzling rain” and the other after a dinner engagement. Sam and Stoddard dined at the Dolby’s and had a “rattling good time.” Sam wrote about two 60-year old, “white-haired gentlemen” who were at the dinner and told the story of how each had rescued the other from poverty at various times in their youth. One was a Prussian; the other French. He related Dolby’s telling of how the two would fight and make up during the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1) [MTL 6: 8].

Two copies of The Gilded Age were placed with the Copyright Office, Library of Congress [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Oxford edition, 1996].

George Dolby wrote: “My dear Mark Twain / In case I am not fortunate enough to see you this morning I leave this with above particulars as to how you may find my house this Evening— We dine at six o’clock & shall look forward to seeing you and friend Stoddart at that time. / I am always faithfully / George Dolby” [MTPO].