December 18 Friday – In London Sam wrote through Livy to Chatto & Windus.

Will you kindly send me eight cloth copies of “Joan” two of The Prince & Pauper & two of the Yankee at the Court of King Arthur & charge to my account [MTP].

Sam also wrote to H.H. and Emilie R. Rogers, now blaming Hartford people for Susy’s death.

This is a line to wish you Merry Christmas.

I do not wish this family one, for the wish would achieve nothing in that line. We are bearing Susy’s wholly unnecessary death as well as we can. The hard part to bear is the knowledge that if she had been with wise and thoughtful friends those last six months instead of with fools the other sort, she would be as well to-day as she was when we left her. …

      I myself can keep cheerful — much more so than the others — for I have my work. I work seven days in every week, and seldom go out of the house. I don’t rush, and I don’t get tired, but I work every day and sleep well every night. I got to work on the book at the earliest possible moment — October 26 — and I have not missed a day since [MTHHR 255].

Sam also wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore, who evidently had written that the matter of breakage with John and Alice Day was resolved. Sam answered:

I am glad it came out so handsomely — & I am particularly glad there is to be no rupture of the relations existing so many many years between the families. However, there would have been none — because Mrs. Clemens always said she would not allow me to do or write anything that could wound Alice Day; & she would have kept her word. I had come to greatly like John in Etretat, & am very glad I don’t have to get to work to unlike him.

Sam also reported he’d written a third of his book (FE). He also expressed hope that the new tenants (Barney’s) would stay in the house a year or two until they decided what they were going to do [MTP].