March 18 Thursday – Julian Ralph (1853-1903) inscribed a copy of his book, Alone in China, and Other Stories, London (1897): “To S.L. Clemens, Esq / With the warm regards of / Julian Ralph / 35 Courtfield Road S.W. / March 18 ‘97” [Gribben 568].

Sam’s notebook:

March. 18/97. I dreamed I caught a beautiful, slender silver-white fish 14 inches long, & thought what a fine meal it would make—I was very hungry. Then came a feeling of disappointment & sorrow: it was Sunday, & I could not take the fish home, for it would deeply grieve Livy to know that I had been fishing on the Sabbath. Then it occurred to me to catch a fish for her and that would disarm her.

The dream is a perfect reflection of my character & hers, down to that last detail,—there it suddenly breaks down. But in the dream it seemed quite natural that her religious loyalty should be bought for a fish [NB 41 TS 16].