October 25, 1878 Friday
Sam wrote to Valentine Besarel, letter not extant but mentioned in Besarel’s Oct. 27.
Sam wrote to Valentine Besarel, letter not extant but mentioned in Besarel’s Oct. 27.
Sam’s notebook:
In Santa Croce to-day a well dressed young woman followed us, begging for centimes.
An old frowsy woman watched where I laid my cigar, then approached us with it as Chamberlain & I came out & said she rescued it from some boys (who had found it in the dark!) & wantd 5 cents for her trouble. She followed us into the street & finally cursed us & called down sudden death upon us [MTNJ 2: 229].
Joe Twichell wrote to Sam.
I have been thinking of you all the morning. This is one of those golden, perfect autumn days when ones desire to off somewhere among trees, mounts to a passion… Now, Mark, let’s make a vow, that when we are once more together we will use these heavenly days as they were meant to be used and as we shall wish we had when we come to look back on life [MTP]. Note: there is much more and more depth to this letter, but space here does not allow it all.
Livy wrote from Florence to her mother:
This evening Mr & Mrs Chamberlain were in for an hour & we sat about a wood fire & chatted—then Mr Clemens read to us—then to bed—where I am now—Florence is much more restful than Venice, because we have no social demands—and one ought to know no one when they are visiting picture galleries—The Chamberlains are a perfect delight, they never tax us in the least they are helpful to us and are bright beyond expression [MTNJ 2: 226n19].
Sam’s notebook:
Belli Arti—It is not possible that anybody could take more solid comfort in martydom that St. Sebastian did….The Old Master’s horses always rear after the fashion of the kangaroo….500 Last Suppers—they all have new table cloths with the fold wrinkles sharply defined.
The fig leaf & private members of statues are handled so much that they are black & polished while the rest of the figure is white & unpolished. Which sex does this handling?
Left for Florence. Good by, Dittura Agostino! [MTNJ 2: 223-5].
Sam’s notebook:
For two days we have been doubting Dittura’s reliability as a news gatherer—but to-night I heard a news- man crying a paper—understood “Count Bismark” & bought a copy—spelled out the fact that 2 days ago, Carlo Conti di Bismark, a citizen of Venice, committed suicide by shooting himself through the head with a revolver. So D.[ittura] was 2 days ahead of the newspaper [MTNJ 2: 223].
Stabilimento Salviati, Venice, sent a statement for items purchased/shipped [MTP].
The Clemenses visited Padre Giacomo Issaverdenz, a friend of Howells, on the island of San Lazzaro, two miles southeast of Venice. At the Armenian monastery the Padre gave them preserved rose-leaves to eat, showed them photographs and talked about the Howellses [MTHL 1: 241].
Sam’s notebook:
“Very magnificent sunset & lamp effects (Piazza) coming from San Lazzaro… Dittura—Boom! (finger to temple.) –Morte—Signor Bismark—to-day–(laying head in palm of hand)” [MTNJ 2: 222-3]. (See Oct. 16 entry for explanation.)
Sam wrote from Venice, Italy to Chatto & Windus, asking them to send copies of Innocents Abroad and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to William Mayer, care of G.K. Mayer, Vienna Austria [MTLE 3: 94]. Following the establishment of a Linotype factory in 1890 in England, the publisher William Mayer and his son Jacques traveled to Germany in 1894 to find business partners there.
From Sam’s notebook:
D. & C. Mac Iver wrote from Liverpool to advise “by the request of Mr. George C. Wild we write to say that we shall be glad to receive any articles, personal effects or otherwise & store & ship them as you may instruct us” [MTP].