October 21 Friday – In Florence Sam wrote to Orion Clemens. Only the envelope survives [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Clara Clemens at Mrs. Mary B. Willard’s school in Berlin.

Dear old Ben, here is a letter from your Uncle Larry [Laurence Hutton, the “Uncle” honorary], wrote all in beautiful Italian, which the same came yesterday. We are all doing well, & I think my hair is becoming perceptible to the eye but is still devilish to the touch. [He had shaved his head some time before due to a scalp ailment.]

Il cane is our prized friend, now, & intrudes & sits by Mamma’s bedside & begs to help with her breakfast, & does it with such an eloquent eye & such persuasive grunts & cantings of the head & lickings of the chops that he gains his point. I give him the remains of my beefsteak, too, & of Susy’s eggs. But il ghatto remains a straniero; we can’t get our hands on him.

We have lovely times with the Kings [Grace and sister Nan], & do greatly wish we could persuade them to stay all winter. It will be pretty lonesome when they go. All of this tribe are down town, now, gallerying & one thing or another… [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Laurence Hutton, who was traveling in Europe and was expected in Florence. After two short paragraphs in Italian, he wrote:

Give old Bunce the best love of all this family — it is the way he is regarded by us.

Portate your cob pipes along — I’ve got genuine cherry stems for them.

Until you come — & after — our peace abide with you, & our kind regards there to unto both [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Chatto & Windus:

Winter is begun here, now, I suppose. It blew part of the hair off the dog yesterday & got the rest this morning [MTP].