May 22 Tuesday – In Paris at the Hotel Brighton Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers. He told about trying to chase down Rogers’ two daughters, Mrs. Duff and Miss May, who had gone to Switzerland. He wrote about his two-day stopover in London and his offer from Mary Anderson’s agent to speak ten nights for two thousand pounds. Then he related the family’s plans and his forecasted return:

Mrs. Clemens goes to Aix-les-Bains 5 weeks hence — which gives me a handsome big writing interval. Then she comes to Etretat, on the coast near Havre for August, Sept, & part of October. We examined a cottage there day before yesterday and secured it. I shall be indispensable there, because the cottage stands by itself in a big garden & the family would be afraid without somebody to chew up burglars & other intruders. So I think the madam will have to leave for Aix as early as the 20th June, so that I can go to America as soon as she is settled there & get back to Aix in time to take her to Etretat in the first week in August. There is a cottage adjoining the [Brighton] hotel, but the madam would not have it because it was too expensive. It would have required no policing, & I would have made her take it, but the doctor said no, she must not be close to the water [MTHHR 55-6].